Roanoke College Psychology Department

Honors in the Major Defense!

May 3, 2017 cgyoke

Congratulations to Stephanie Gaines, alongside her mentor, Dr. Powell, on her successful Honors in the Major Defense!

Here project was entitled, “The Influence of Service Learning and Self-Reflecting on the Teaching Self-Efficacy of Students in First-Level Education Classes.”

So You’re Joining A Cult. Here Are 10 Things You Should Know.

May 2, 2017 cgyoke

Featured is the 10th and final Buzzfeed-style blog post from Dr. Osterman’s Social Psychology class! This article focuses on cult life.

Click this link to learn more!

So You Got a Bid, Now What?: 10 Things Psychology Can Tell Us About Greek Life

April 28, 2017 cgyoke

Featured is the ninth post from Dr. Osterman’s Social Psychology class! This article focuses on Greek Life behaviors.

Click this link to learn more!

10 Things You Never Knew About Manipulation in Cults

April 26, 2017 cgyoke

For the next couple of weeks, we will be featuring Dr. Osterman’s social psychology class assignment where they were tasked with researching and writing a Buzzfeed-style article on a number of topics.

The eighth article focuses on what 10 Things You Never Knew About Manipulation in Cults. Click this link to read more!

Summer Scholars

April 20, 2017 cgyoke

Congratulations to Megan Miller and Sabrina McAllister for being selected as Summer Scholars!

Roanoke’s Summer Scholar Program is designed for serious students who want to use their summers wisely and work one-on-one with faculty. Every year, students compete for selection to receive one of the summer scholarships. Faculty from across the college review student research proposals and decide these prestigious awards.

Megan will be working with Dr. Buchholz on her project entitled, “Self-driving cars as a test of the potentially harmful effects of empathy on moral decision making.”

Sabrina will be working with Dr. Nichols on her project entitled, “Time Perspective as a State-Based Measure.”

Complexity Coding Test

April 20, 2017 cgyoke

Nicole Lancry and Brian Matera of the Rhetoric and Social Perception (RASP) Lab recently passed the Integrative Complexity coding test! Training to be an IC coder is a 4 week intensive process requiring a high degree of analytical skill and attention to detail. Certification requires coders to have a reliability scores of α=.85 or better with an expert complexity coder. Both Lancry and Matera passed with flying colors! Please join us in congratulating them on this accomplishment!

Honors in the Major: Sophia Bolton

April 18, 2017 cgyoke

Congratulations to Sophie Bolton for successfully defending her Honors Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Powell! Her project was entitled, “Examining the Usefulness of Educational Programming on Children’s Capabilities for Women at a Residential Treatment Facility”.

Honors in the Major Defense

April 14, 2017 cgyoke

Congratulations to Alex DiFelice for successfully defending her Honors in the Major Project. Her project was entitled “Self- and Collective-Efficacy of Female Youth Athletes in a Positive Youth Development Program.”

Events, Undergraduate News

Witness to Innocence Follow Up

April 13, 2017 cgyoke

On Tuesday, March 28th, Sabrina Butler-Porter visited Roanoke College to talk to students about being an exonerated death row inmate as an advocate of the Witness to Innocence Project.

Witness to Innocence (WTI) is the only national organization in the United States composed of and led by exonerated death row survivors and their family members. The mission of WTI is to abolish the death penalty by empowering exonerated death row survivors and their loved ones to become effective leaders in the abolition movement. WTI actively challenges political leaders and the public to grapple with the reality of a fatally flawed criminal justice system that sends innocent people to death row. WTI also seeks ways to support death row survivors and their loved ones as they confront the challenges of life after exoneration.

RC students filled up Massengill auditorium to hear her story and we were extremely thankful for the time and commitment Sabrina, WTI, and all of the sponsoring RC groups on campus that helped to make this event possible!

Here is the link to Sabrina’s book if you are interested!

http://sabrinabutler.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/3327514

Graduate School, Internship, Research, Undergraduate News

Research Opportunity: University of Miami

April 11, 2017 cgyoke

Summer Research Mentoring Program in Developmental Science

This summer, Dr. Elizabeth Simpson and her team will be leading a Summer Research Mentoring Program, funded by the National Science Foundation. Students will be compensated $1,800 to work 20 hours per week over the course of this of this 9-week program.

The Social Cognition Lab studies the development of social behavior in infants, including neonatal imitation and face perception. We use eye tracking to measure infant visual attention and we collect saliva to detect salivary hormones. You can read more about our research here: https://goo.gl/2lP2s8

Eligibility, Dates, and Location

High school seniors and undergraduate students are eligible. No prior research experience is required.
The program is from June 1st through August 4th, 2017.
The University of Miami is located in a culturally diverse and vibrant community. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University that values diversity and have progressive work-life policies. Women, persons with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. We are especially interested in research-focused students from groups historically underrepresented in science, including racial/ethnic minorities, women, and students who are the first in their family to attend college.
Students are responsible for their own accommodations and transportation.

Components
Students will lead projects, under Dr. Simpson’s guidance. This student mentoring program aims to (a) introduce students to the general scientific method and specific methods of investigating infant social cognitive development; (b) identify student training and career goals; (c) facilitate student support networks, including peer mentoring; and (d) lead students in community science education through outreach and the dissemination of research findings to both the scientific community and the broader public. The research experience includes:

20 hours per week in the laboratory learning to measure social cognitive development in infants.
Weekly 1-hour face-to-face research meetings focused on the training and professional development.
Participating in a research conference to learn more broadly about developmental science and to network with other leading scientists. The South Florida Child Psychology Collaborative Research Conference is a student-focused conference held in Miami every summer.
Designing a summer collaborative outreach project. Students will be encouraged to be creative and develop a project to educate children or families in the community on a topic related to our research.
Pairing up with a graduate student to produce a tangible product summarizing research findings. At the end of the program, students will share their results through a paper or presentation.

Application

Materials must be received by April 24th, 2017 (midnight EST).
Please complete the online application: https://goo.gl/forms/HgGwkdAXefSjChQP2
Email Dr. Simpson (simpsone@miami.edu) your cover letter expressing why you are interested in this program and attach your CV or resume.

Contact
Learn more about our lab: https://www.facebook.com/SocCogLab
Questions can be directed to Dr. Simpson (simpsone@miami.edu).

For more information, see the attached flyer.

Events, Fun, Undergraduate News

Psi Chi Congratulations

April 11, 2017 cgyoke

As the year winds down, the Psychology department would like to welcome and congratulate 29 of its newest members of our Psychology Honor Society, Psi Chi. Psi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology, which was founded in 1929 for the purposes of “encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology.”

Members have access to wide number of resources, including scholarships, grants, and discounted services!

9 Things you should know about Juries!

March 31, 2017 cgyoke

Check out another blog post from Dr. Osterman’s social psychology class by clicking this link!

Grad School Acceptance!

March 30, 2017 cgyoke

JULIE STOUT ’17

After graduation I have plans to enroll in Chestnut Hill College’s Psy D. program. The program is a 5 year APA accredited program in Philadelphia which accepts cohort sizes between 16 and 22 annually. This program prepares students for a career in clinical psychology by incorporating elements of formal lecture as well as clinical internships and practicums. By the end of the program the students obtain a master’s degree as well a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and have completed the necessary requirements to be eligible to obtain licensure.

Undergraduate News

Fulbright Acceptances!

March 28, 2017 cgyoke

The Psychology Department would like to congratulate Psychology majors, Kristen Wicander and Stephanie Shields, on their acceptances into the prestigious Fulbright Program!

Prof. Rosti, Roanoke College’s Director of Scholarships and Fellowships, noted that “Fulbright places much emphasis on its awardees’ ability to be good ambassadors for the US. Kristen and Stephanie in all ways will excel at this goal. I’m excited for the world to get to know the amazing students Roanoke College helps produce.”

Classes, Research, Undergraduate News

10 Differences in Psychology between Eastern and Western Cultures You Won’t Believe!

March 28, 2017 cgyoke

The first article focuses on differences among Eastern and Western cultures. Click this link to learn more!

Faculty News, Job, Research, Undergraduate News

Recruiting Student Research Assistants for Fall 2017!

March 20, 2017 cgyoke

Dr. Travis Carter, a new faculty member in the Department of Psychology, is recruiting student research assistants to start in the fall.

The research conducted in the lab will focus on:

Bias in social judgments
The role of introspection in biased self-assessments
Motivated reasoning and self-deception
Happiness and consumer behavior
Political belief formation

Looking for research assistants who:

Are conscientious and hard-working
Are able to juggle a variety of tasks at once
Are intellectually curious (ideally with knowledge of social psychology)
Are familiar with MS Office/Google Docs
Have some familiarity with research methods and statistics (preferred, not required)
Have some programming skills, or an interest in learning (preferred, not required)

Research assistants will be involved with many aspects of the research process, including developing experimental materials, data collection (in and outside of the lab), data entry, and literature reviews. Highly motivated students will have opportunities for more involvement in study design, statistical analysis, and other more advanced aspects of the research process.

Interested students from all class years are encouraged to contact Dr. Carter for an application (travis.carter@gmail.com).

Faculty News, Job, Research, Undergraduate News

Recruiting Student Research Assistants for Fall 2017!

March 20, 2017 cgyoke

Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, a new faculty member in the Department of Psychology, is looking for research assistants to begin in the Fall semester.

Research topics in the lab will include:

peer relationships from early adolescence through young adulthood
development of social behaviors (aggression, prosociality, withdrawal), social motivation, and status among peers
the self and personality in relation to social behaviors and social-emotional adjustment
the role of social experiences in academic persistence and motivation (especially in STEM: science, technology, engineering, and math fields)

Looking for students who…

are hard working
are motivated
share some level of interest in the above topics
of any class level (Freshman-Senior)
have some experience with statistics and methods and familiarity with SPSS and Microsoft Office (preferred, not necessary)

Students in the lab can expect to work on a variety of tasks related to the research process, with potential for increased involvement. For instance, research assistants may work on any combination of data entry/coding, data analysis, literature reviews, study design, and data collection (in-lab and community-based studies most likely in local schools).

Interested??

For questions or an application, email Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand at dfindley@mail.usf.edu.

Conferences, Undergraduate News

Roanoke Area Counseling Association

March 14, 2017 cgyoke

Please see the attachment for more information on the Breakout Sessions.

Events, Undergraduate News

Neuroscience Cluster Meeting

March 2, 2017 cgyoke

On Thursday, March 2nd from 4:00-5:00pm in Monterrey, there will be a fairly informal, discussion of neuroscience things of interest to people and planning for an external neuroscience guest speaker in April.

Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Undergraduate News

Phi Beta Kappa

February 28, 2017 cgyoke

Congratulations Abbe Guarino, Kaitlin Busse, and Katherine Jensen (from left to right)!

The faculty and staff members of the Nu Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa are pleased to inform you that you have been elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious academic honor society. The Phi Beta Kappa Society’s mission is fostering and recognizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, and your academic record at Roanoke College reflects both the intellectual and cultural interests and the scholarly achievements that the Society values.

Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is a distinct honor. Fewer than 300 of the nation’s several thousand colleges and universities have chapters, and Phi Beta Kappa graduates include some of the country’s most distinguished citizens. They include seven of the nine current Supreme Court justices, three recent presidents, numerous Nobel Prize recipients, and such notable people as John Updike, Francis Ford Coppola, Stephen Sondheim, Jonas Salk, and Peyton Manning. The College is so committed to the ideals of the Society that it established an endowment fund to support the Chapter’s activities and to subsidize some of the costs for new members.

Events, Undergraduate News

Valentine’s Day Breakfast

February 10, 2017 cgyoke

Alumni News, Graduation, Job, Undergraduate News

JOB: Community-Based Mental Health Counselor

January 26, 2017 cgyoke

The Community Counseling at Family Service of Roanoke Valley has at least two openings for a Community-Based Mental Health Counselor (working primarily with youth) in the Roanoke area.

Community Counseling Programs – Family Service of Roanoke Valley is seeking part-time professional to work with youth and families in Medicaid Licensed Programs as well as grant funded programs. The services will be provided in a variety of community settings included homes, after school settings and school based groups. A Bachelor’s degree in an applicable social science is required as is experience working with youth (must be Qualified Mental Health Professional-Children, QMHP-C). Each applicant must hold a valid Virginia Driver’s License and have an insured vehicle to transport youth. Bi-lingual applicants are encouraged to apply.

Applicants can email or call Emily DeCarlo, the Program Manager, if they have any questions.
edecarlo@fsrv.org, Phone: (540)563-5316 ext. 3007.

Please see www.fsrv.org for more information on Community Counseling at Family Service of Roanoke Valley.

Alumni News, Graduate School, Undergraduate News

Radford University, I.O. Masters Program

January 25, 2017 cgyoke

Haley Goodes ’15 is currently attending Radford University’s Industrial-Organizational Psychology Master’s Program! We reached out to her answer some questions about graduate school. Feel free to reach out to Haley if you have any questions (see end of article for contact info).

THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS FEBRUARY 15TH, 2017.

What’s your program like?

The Industrial-Organizational Psychology Master’s Program at Radford University is a two-year program that is project-oriented. In comparison to other programs, we work directly with clients in the majority of our classes to assess their needs and present them with materials to help resolve these organizational needs. It is also required of every student to have an internship, which is extremely helpful in getting experience in the field outside the classroom setting. In our program, our culture involves teamwork and communication. The professors are very helpful and strive to teach us to be the best evidence-based practitioners that we can be. In general, this degree supports those who are looking to go into consulting (internal, external) or human resources fields.

What type of classes and assignments intrigue you the most in your program?

Every class is designed to teach us best practices for different topics; however, the materials and best practices somewhat overlap in an organized way to provide us with a better overall understanding of I/O Psychology. Classes such as Organizational Psychology, Employee Selection, Psychometric Theory, and Performance Appraisal have been the most interesting to me since these classes provide a framework for how to perform most of our practices in the most effective ways.

Any advice for current students?

If students are looking to further their education in Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology differs since it focuses on specific issues in business settings. The analysis and comprehension of data is a strong component in I/O Psychology so that we can provide the most useful information to organizations with the support of evidence. Be passionate about what you think you would like to do in a career path and be very prepared with research, etc. before applying to any program. Asking advice from your professors about how to apply to graduate school and how to present yourself to each school is important. Also, the online information source to explore professions, O*NET, is a very helpful tool to see various aspects of different jobs.

What do you think prepared you the most for grad school?

At Roanoke College, my Human Resource Management concentration and psychology courses, such as Research Methods, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, etc. prepared me for the content of the courses and how to study and present myself to clients. I believe my involvement in many different groups around campus helped me understand how to better communicate and lead others. I also had an internship in a human resources department before graduating from Roanoke College, which helped me get experience and interact with professionals in a human resources setting.

Would you be willing to list your contact info on the post so students can reach out to you?

Yes. My email is hgoodes@email.radford.edu. The Radford University link to the I/O Psychology Program is https://www.radford.edu/content/chbs/home/psychology/programs/industrial-organizational.html.

MS_Integrative Neuroscience

MS in Integrative Neuroscience at Georgetown University

January 24, 2017 cgyoke

Grants, Research, Undergraduate News

Psi Chi Grant Award: Alex DiFelice

January 24, 2017 cgyoke

Congratulations to Alex DiFelice ’17 for being award a Psi Chi Research Grant with Dr. Powell. Please see below for a description of the research the two are working on!

“The activities that adolescents participate in can be integral to their development (Lerner, 2005). One activity that a large proportion of adolescents participate in is athletics (Kelley & Carchia, 2013, p.1). Prior researchers have established a link between Bandura’s concept of efficacy, both individual efficacy (IE) and collective efficacy (CE), and their sport performance (Morritz et al., 2000; Fransen et al., 2012). We examined the extent to which the contributors to efficacy: past performance, verbal persuasion, vicarious experiences, and emotional state (as posited by Bandura, 1977), predict adolescents’ sport IE and CE. Female youth athletes (N=170, M_age=15.04, 72.4% Caucasian) who attended World Camp USA field hockey sessions provided information about their current IE and CE for playing field hockey before the upcoming intensive training camp. Participants completed modified versions of IE and CE measures (Weigand, 2000; Short et al., 2005) and the sources of efficacy questionnaire (Chase et al., 2003). For the sources questionnaire, the adolescents responded yes/no to three questions for each of the four sources. The purpose of this study is to understand the impacts of Positive Youth Development Programs on the self- and collective- efficacy on an adolescent, and a team of adolescents. Like it is mentioned above, better understanding of how sports participation can impact an adolescent’s development can lead to improved programs to foster this development.”

Conferences, Research, Undergraduate News

Virginia Academy of Science (VAS)

January 17, 2017 cgyoke

VAS will be holding its spring meeting at Virginia Commonwealth University this year from May 17 – May 19. Oral presentations and poster presentations will be held on Thursday, May 18th. This opportunity to present is perfect for advanced undergraduates with novel research findings to share.

You can find the information above and submission deadline information by clicking this link.

Continue reading Shannon Yard and her Semester in D.C. →

Honors in the Major Congratulations!

December 14, 2016 cgyoke

Congratulations to Rachel Perkins for successfully completing her Honors in the Major project. Her project was entitled Women’s Preference for Masculinity: The Interaction of Environment and Life History Strategy. Her project was completed under the guidance of Dr. Osterman.

Graduate School, Research, Undergraduate News

Western Kentucky University Grad School Opportunity!

December 8, 2016 cgyoke

Check out WKU’s website for more information!

Events, Research, Undergraduate News

Psychology Department Fall Poster Session!

November 30, 2016 cgyoke

Events, Graduate School, Research, Undergraduate News

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (VTCRI)

November 29, 2016 cgyoke

Classes, Fun, Research, Undergraduate News

Psychological Adaptation

November 28, 2016 cgyoke

Go ahead and please click this link to read Dr. Osterman’s PSYC 376: Evolutionary Psychology class’s fourth and final post on a psychological adaptation. This one is on evolved taste preferences and aversions.

Classes, Fun, Undergraduate News

Why Pineapples Don’t Belong on Pizza

November 25, 2016 cgyoke

(3rd of 4th blog post done by PSYC 376 students)

Dr. Osterman’s PSYC 376: Evolutionary Psychology students examined the topic of the evolutionary function of morning sickness.

Please visit this link to read more about the topic of morning sickness!!

Classes, Internship, Undergraduate News

Shannon Yard and her Semester in D.C.

November 16, 2016 cgyoke

Shannon Yard ’18, a junior Psychology major, is a health and basic needs intern during her time at the Lutheran College Washington Semester Program.

“I am the Health and Basic Needs Intern at Horton’s Kids. HK is an organization devoted to serving the Wellington Park community in DC’s Ward 8. Most recently at work I called over fifty mental health providers to find one that would be a good partner for us to provide counseling and therapy to the children enrolled in our program. My supervisor has set up meetings with a few potential matches, but during the process I learned more about the many differences in counseling and therapy practices and had to evaluate which ones would be the best for our kids. On a day-to-day basis, I distribute diapers to parents in need, help families access the emergency food pantry, and (my personal favorite) work directly with the kids during homework help or tutoring.

New “Behavioral & Community Sciences” Doctoral Program at USF

November 16, 2016 cgyoke

Read below for information on a new doctoral program that the University of South Florida is offering!

Events, Research, Undergraduate News

The Psychology of Stress!

November 9, 2016 cgyoke

RCPA is hosting an event! Dr. Whitson will be giving a talk on “The Psychology of Stress,”followed by a stress-ball-making activity. It will be at 7pm on November 16th (Wednesday) in Life Science 502. Snacks will be provided!

Faculty News, Publication, Research, Undergraduate News

Undergraduate Publication!

November 7, 2016 cgyoke

Congratulations to Stephanie Shields, Caitlin Morse, Drew Applebaugh, Tyler Muntz, and Dr. Nichols for their most recent publication in Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education.

The article is based on a project they completed during NEUR/PSYC430-Research Seminar in Neuroscience in the Spring 2016 semester that will help guide the use of different EEG equipment in the Principles of Neuroscience Lab and more widely in our Neuroscience Concentration.

To read the full article, please follow this link:

www.funjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/june-15-29.pdf.

Faculty News, Publication, Research

Faculty Publication: Dr. Darcey Powell

November 1, 2016 cgyoke

Congratulations to Dr. Powell for her most recent publication in the Journal of Excellence in College Teaching! Please click this link to access this article!

http://www.psychology.sju.edu/ms.php

St. Joseph’s University Grad School Webinar

October 31, 2016 cgyoke

Saint Joseph’s University master’s program in experimental psychology is a full-time program designed to provide students with a solid grounding in the scientific study of psychology. All students in the program are assigned to a mentor and conduct an empirically based research thesis under his/her direction.

SJU is reaching out to Roanoke College students to let them know that they are having a virtual (online) open house on Monday, November 7th at 12:30. Information on how to attend the open house can be found at:

Complete details about the program are available at www.psychology.sju.edu and a Brochure about our program is attached.

Internship, Undergraduate News

Psychology Internships

October 31, 2016 cgyoke

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Please click the Internship Information link to access more information on internship requirements, guidelines, and past placements of students!

Graduate School, Research, Undergraduate News

Graduate School: Tennessee State University

October 27, 2016 cgyoke

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Internship, Job, Undergraduate News

ScribeAmerica

October 25, 2016 cgyoke

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Sourcing Specialist for ScribeAmerica, a company that hires and trains “Medical Scribes” for Board Certified Physicians, is looking for candidates to fill positions! This is a truly unique employment opportunity for students interested in careers in medicine. Our company is currently looking to recruit students to work as Medical Scribes in your local area of Salem, VA.

The scribe will work one on one with board certified physicians assisting with documentation for each patient evaluated by the doctor. It is an exceptional opportunity for anyone interested in medicine to gain first-hand experience following a physician in an emergency department setting.

We offer paid classroom & clinical training. Each employee will have multiple training sessions both in the classroom and the department during which we teach extensive medical terminology and appropriate medical/legal charting documentation.

There is a flyer attached to this post providing more information about the positions and how to apply.

For more information you may also visit our website www.scribeamerica.com. Please contact Alexis Salters if you have any questions about our program at Alexis,Salters@scribeamerica.com.