Erin D. Bigler to deliver annual Hickman Lecture March 26 at BYU

Brigham Young University’s College of Family, Home and Social Sciences will host the 16th Annual Martin B. Hickman Outstanding Scholar Lecture, “The ‘Enchanted Loom’: MRI, the Developing Brain and Autism” by Erin D. Bigler, Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in 250 Spencer W. Kimball Tower.

A BYU professor of psychology and neuroscience, Bigler established the Brain Imaging and Behavior Laboratory at BYU. He has served as chair of the BYU Psychology Department and holds a diploma in clinical neuropsychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology.

After receiving his doctorate degree in physiological and experimental psychology from BYU, Bigler received postdoctoral training at the Barrow Neurological Institute of St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. After teaching at universities in Texas, he joined the BYU faculty in 1990.

Bigler has been a licensed psychologist since 1975. His research interests cover a broad spectrum of neurologic and developmental diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.

The annual lecture honors Hickman, who joined the BYU faculty in 1967 and was named dean of the College of Social Sciences in 1970. In 1980, he was responsible for restructuring the College of Social Sciences and parts of the College of Family Living.

For more information, contact Kim Reid at (801) 422-1320.

New BYU research asks: Does the safety of women predict the peacefulness of nations?

How a country treats its women could be an important factor in understanding how it treats its neighbors, suggests a new study by a Brigham Young University-led research team. Their results are reported in the new issue of the journal International Security, published by Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

The researchers spent seven years building a new database that covers 260 factors regarding the treatment of women in 174 countries. Then they used that data to show a statistically significant relationship between the security of women and peacefulness of nations.

Transracial adoption to be topic for BYU conference March 17

Brigham Young University’s Department of Sociology and School of Social Work will host a conference, “Transracial Adoption: Issues, Identity and Outcomes,” Tuesday, March 17, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Conference Center.

The conference is free and open to the public, but those who would like to attend must register by sending an e-mail to transracialadoptionbyu@gmail.com. Lunch is available for $9.15.

“The conference will address the increasing trend of transracial adoption, along with the history, successes, identity issues and race socialization associated with transracial or intercountry adoption,” said Cardell Jacobson, BYU professor of sociology and conference coordinator. “Parents need to learn about the identity issues their adopted children could confront and get involved in their children’s culture to provide identity.”

Rita Simon, professor in the Washington College of Law at American University, will present the keynote address, “A 20-Year Study of Transracial Adoption.” Simon is a sociologist with a doctoral degree from the University of Chicago. Before joining the American University faculty, she worked at the University of Illinois, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Chicago.

Jeff Farber, an award-winning independent filmmaker, will discuss his documentary film, “Living on the Fault Line: Where Race and Family Meet.” Featured speakers also include Howard Alstein from the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland and Judge William A. Thorne of the Utah State Court of Appeals.

For more information, contact Kim Reid at (801) 422-1320.

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'Parenting Wisely in a Too-Much-of-Everything World'

William J. Doherty, a family therapist and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota, will speak on parenting in today’s world at the Fifth Annual Marjorie Pay Hinckley Endowed Chair Lecture Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center at Brigham Young University.

His lecture, “Parenting Wisely in a Too-Much-of-Everything-World,” will address parenting in an environment of on-the-go meals and hectic chauffeuring, where parents shuttle children to dance lessons, piano practice, Little League and more.

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Video games linked to poor relationships with friends, family in new study

A new study connects young adults’ use of video games to poorer relationships with friends and family – and the student co-author expresses disappointment at his own findings.

Brigham Young University undergrad Alex Jensen and his faculty mentor, Laura Walker, publish their results Jan. 23 in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

The research is based on information collected from 813 college students around the country. As the amount of time playing video games went up, the quality of relationships with peers and parents went down.

“It may be that young adults remove themselves from important social settings to play video games, or that people who already struggle with relationships are trying to find other ways to spend their time,” Walker said. “My guess is that it’s some of both and becomes circular.”
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