Congratulations to Dr. Powell on her recent publishing in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, titled “A multi-study examination of attachment and implicit theories of relationships in ghosting experiences.”
Abstract: “Ghosting is a dissolution strategy where the initiator ends all communication with the other person, ignoring attempts to reestablish the interaction. We examined the associations between attachment (i.e., anxiety/avoidance) and ghosting, and replicated previous work on implicit theories of relationships (i.e., growth/destiny) and ghosting. Study 1 (N = 165) was an exploratory analysis of attachment and ghosting experiences, with those previously ghosted by a romantic partner reporting higher anxiety than those not previously ghosted by a romantic partner. Those who had ghosted a partner reported more avoidance than those who had not previously ghosted a partner. Study 2 (N = 247) was a pre-registered replication of Study 1 and replication of ghosting and implicit theories. Study 3 was pre-registered and replicated the findings from Studies 1 and 2 with a substantially larger sample (N = 863). Specifically, individuals who had been ghosted or had both ghosted and been ghosted reported significantly higher anxiety than those who had ghosted or had no prior ghosting experience. Individuals who had ghosted or had both ghosted and been ghosted reported significantly higher avoidance than those with no prior ghosting experience. Similarly, individuals who had ghosted or had both ghosted and been ghosted reported significantly higher destiny beliefs than those who had been ghosted or had no prior experience with ghosting. Finally, a meta-analysis across the three studies examined the strength of the associations between ghosting experiences and attachment. Taken together, these studies consistently demonstrate an association between attachment anxiety and being ghosted, as well as destiny beliefs and ghosting a romantic partner.”
For more information on the article, followthis link,and once again congratulations to Dr. Powell for her recent publication!
Congratulations to Alumnae Alex DiFelice ’17 and Dr. Powell on their recent publishing in the Journal of Sport Behavior, titled “Self-Efficacy of Female Youth Athletes in An Intensive Training Camp”. This paper is based on DiFelices’ Honor in the Major Project and specifically, examined how sport-specific self-efficacy, as well as sources of sport-specific self-efficacy, changes post attending an intensive training camp. They found that intensive training camps are in fact effective for increasing both sport-specific self-efficacy, as well as sources of self-efficacy. For more information refer to the graphic below, and once again congratulations to DeFelice ’17 and to Dr. Powell for their recent publication!
Congratulations to Dr. Powell and co-authors Katherine Jensen ’17 and Victoria Preston ’17 on their recent publishing in the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, titled “‘Talking’ as a Romantic Interaction: Is There Consensus?”
Abstract: “Emerging adults (EAs) use many phrases to refer to their romantic interactions. In two studies (N1 = 110; N2 = 222), EAs’ knowledge and perceptions of “talking” were examined. In Study 1, a majority of college students had heard of “talking,” and perceived “talking” as distinct from “friends with benefits” (FWB) and dating. In Study 2, about half of a broader EA sample had heard of “talking” and perceived “talking” as being significantly less emotionally and physically intimate, and less committed than dating; they did, however, perceived “talking” to be similar in some ways to being FWB. Additionally, EAs varied in their agreement regarding the what, why, and how of “talking.” Incorporating these results into youth relationship education programs may be beneficial to promoting healthy relationship development and reducing relational uncertainty.”
For more information on the article, followthis link,and once again congratulations to Dr. Powell, Jensen, and Preston for their recent publication!
Dr. Anthony Cate, Psychology Professor at Roanoke College
The Psychology Department would like to welcome Dr. Anthony Cate to our faculty as our newest professor. The following is an interview with Dr. Cate where he answers some questions about himself, his interests in psychology, and what he’s looking forward to in terms of teaching at Roanoke College.
Where are you from?
I was born in New Jersey, and I moved a lot when I was young. I have lived in every state between Washington, D.C. and Boston, except for Delaware. After I got my Ph.D. I also lived in Canada (Ontario) and northern California.
Where did you receive your undergraduate degree from and what did you study in undergraduate? What was that experience like?
I got my undergraduate degree from Yale University. I began as a religious studies major, but I thought that those classes involved too much memorization of names and dates, so I switched to psychology. Actually, I switched to being a triple major, at least on paper: psychology, linguistics, and East Asian studies. I shed majors when I figured out that psychology interested me the most.
I was lucky that I was able to help out in three research labs that had different missions and lab cultures. I learned that I was bad at doing brain surgery in a rat lab. I lost some patients. Everyone there seemed anxious all the time too, which was poignant because anxiety was part of what they studied. I conducted my first research project in a lab that studied human fear conditioning. My advisor was a very kind scientist who helped me feel like an important part of the lab, but I disliked having to give participants electric shocks. I also frequented the lab of my favorite professor, who had taught my perception course. That lab was very welcoming. People could just walk in to say hi and check out the experiments, there was a dog, and the students were very productive. All of those experiences taught me to consider the social environment when I was choosing a graduate program.
Have you received any other additional degrees? Where did you receive them from?
I went to Carnegie Mellon University to get my Ph.D. in psychology, which was part of a joint neuroscience program with the University of Pittsburgh.
Have you taught anywhere else besides Roanoke College?
I first taught when I was a postdoctoral researcher at Western University in Canada. My advisor talked me and two other postdocs into teaching one third of a course each, which seemed like a lot at the time. Later I taught at Virginia Tech, where I worked for nine years before moving here to Roanoke.
What are you most excited about teaching at Roanoke College?
I am very excited to teach at Roanoke for many reasons! It has been hard for me not to talk a mile a minute while teaching during these first few weeks. It is exciting when students ask me questions, including when I don’t know the answer, because then I get to track the answers down later. I was very eager to start teaching smaller class sizes. I think personal interactions form the most effective ways to learn, and instructors get to learn from their students this way, too. It is also a privilege to join an excellent psychology department where the faculty and staff are so engaged in their mission.
Dr. Cate in front of MRI machine at Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System in Martinez, CA (2007)
What are your research interests? Why are you interested in this/these field(s)?
My research investigates how visual perception works, and how it influences other cognitive skills like memory and reasoning about numbers. I am particularly interested in understanding how different parts of the brain work together. I have studied techniques for visualizing computer models of brains in order to make maps of which cognitive skills are associated with different brain regions.
Can you tell us about any research you have already completed in these areas?
I have published some research about how we perceive the 3D structure of objects, and about how brain damage can alter these perceptions. I enjoyed learning how to make 3D images using computer graphics, and I especially liked getting to learn what people living with brain damage had to teach me about perception.
What course or courses are you currently teaching?
I am teaching Introduction to Psychology and Cognitive Psychology this semester, which is a great combination. I have been teaching Cognitive Psychology for over nine years, and it is so familiar to me that I get excited when my favorite topics are about to come up in class. I have never taught Intro Psych before. It feels like a big responsibility to introduce the entire field.
Are you interested in taking on students as research assistants?
Yes! Students make research better. I realized a few years ago that when undergraduates helped me with a project, we considered the problems less narrowly. The projects were much more enjoyable because of all the conversations we got to have.
What qualities are you looking for in any students who are interested in joining your lab?
Mainly curiosity, and an appreciation of research for its own sake. My research questions are usually less about “how can we apply this science?” and more about “how does this work?” I have had wonderful contributions from students with backgrounds in art and design, but that’s because we had similar interests, and not because students need any particular artistic abilities. The same has been true for students who are interested in neuroanatomy and computer science. A passion for those topics makes for a good fit, but students definitely don’t need to have expertise already.
Welcome to Roanoke College Dr. Cate! Thank you again for taking the time to answer our questions. We are excited to have you here and look forward to learning more about you in the semesters to come!
Congratulations to Dr. Nichols on his recent publishing in the Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics Journal, titled “Validation of Critical Ages in Regional Adult Brain Maturation.”
In this article, Dr. Nichols identified that there are linear and non-linear maturation rates that impact different biological mechanisms. With this, he simulated data with known maturation patterns and a single critical age characterizing a qualitative change in maturation to establish the validity of a non-parametric fitting method, the smoothing spline, combined with processing steps for determining the form of the pattern and the associated critical age. In this study, both biological data and generated data were examined through multiple models. The findings suggest that smoothing splines were shown to be a valid means of identifying a set of maturation patterns for adult ages and were shown to contain the essential information required to determine a single critical age for the patterns. Moreover, it was found that for a majority of non-linear areas, new critical ages were identified. However, Dr. Nichols suggests that further modifications to the analysis procedure could include a wider set of maturation patterns and the inclusion of multiple critical ages to help determine distinctions between brain areas in the timing of developmental or degenerative events that influence their volume.
For more information on the article, followthis linkand once again congratulations Dr. Nichols for this recent publication!
We are so excited to have so many familiar faces back on campus, and all of the new ones as well! This semester is going to look far different than any before, so some of the professors in the psychology department are here to offer up their best advice from when they were undergraduates!
Dr. Buchholz
-Get organized. Build a schedule but leave plenty of extra time because things often take longer than you may expect.
-Ask for help, even if it is embarrassing.
-Prioritize assignments and other things that you want to accomplish. That way if something comes up and you can’t do it all, you will know what to focus on. Relatedly, pay attention to the syllabus and how much each assignment is worth. If time is short, don’t waste time on things that are not worth that much, focus on doing a good job on the things that count.
-Have fun. Most of you will look back on this time as one of the best times of your life. Get out there, make friends, take risks (safely).
Dr. Allen
-Talk to your professors, and don’t wait until the situation is desperate. We are human.
-Try to set good habits from the beginning. It’s a lot easier to form a good habit than to break a bad one, and I say that as someone who is trying to break a couple of them.
-And something I often find myself telling students who’ve messed up, even in a big way: admit you made a mistake, ask what you have learned from this (I sometimes learn that I need more sleep) and then move forward. Don’t keep beating yourself up about the mistake other than to remind yourself that you don’t want to make it again.
Dr. Hilton
-Say yes to more things that make you nervous/a little scared. I have learned so much from doing things that initially scared me. Sometimes fear is trying to help us learn things about ourselves and the only way to learn it is to lean into that discomfort (within reason obviously)
-Invest more in other people. I was very driven (as I know our psych students are as well) and sometimes I chose to pursue academic/career goals over relational goals. I have come to recognize that relationships provide meaning to everything else we do and I sometimes wish I had said yes more often to late nights, last minute trips, coffee meetups, etc., instead of working.
-Be kind to yourself. Set lofty goals but also be nice to yourself when you fall short. Failing is part of learning and growing…not something to be avoided but a step along the way.
Dr. Nichols
-Go to class! Even if you think you can keep up with the readings and learning on your own, it’s helpful to keep yourself on track and keep up to date on any announcements if you go to class every day. Honestly, sometimes I would sit in class and do homework for other classes, balance my checkbook, or write love letters to my girlfriend (it was easier to get away with such things at a large state school), but I felt better prepared for each of my classes when I attended them regularly.
-Talk to your professors! At first I didn’t speak to my professors, then I pestered them with questions after class that challenged half of the psychology studies presented in the slides, and finally I learned to attend office hours and have a more civil conversation. Your professors are passionate about the topics they teach and would love to help you learn the material better and most likely know some other ways to present the material than what was done in class, so use office hours to chat and/or learn.
-Talk to students in your class! As a student I was a weird mix of quiet/shy/isolated thinker who tended to sit in the back and not talk to anyone combined with class-clown/passing notes/whispering jokes, depending on the topic and whether I had friends in class. However, I learned to enjoy the friendships that developed by talking to students before or after class that I didn’t know going into the semester. Oftentimes we ended up studying together or inviting each other to parties, but it was nice even to just chit-chat with someone to feel more connected to the class.
Dr. Carter
-Seek out professors who do work that’s interesting to you, and find a way to work for/with them. It’s amazing how those experiences help shape and reveal your interests, and how they can translate into opportunities later.
-Learn how to go to bed at a reasonable hour. It turns out a lot of stuff happens before 10am.
-Always get apartments on the top floor of the building. That way the neighbors can never stomp on the floor when you make the slightest bit of noise. That’s the worst
This semester is uncharted, but the advice offered by some of our professors will help us all make it through! Also, remember to have grace for yourself and your professors, because we are all trying to figure this out and no one has all of the right answers. Good luck Maroons!
Welcome class of 2024 and welcome back to our returning students! While the start of this semester may look different than other years, the professors and faculty of the psychology department are as excited as ever for the start of classes and for this semester.
We were able to catch up with some members of the psychology department to see what they are looking forward to and how they are handling this semester!
Ellen Dyer
Ellen Dyer wearing a mask and patiently awaiting the return of the psychology students
I am looking forward to having all the students back. It has been too quiet here in Life Science these last few months.
Dr. Wetmore
Dr. Wetmore wearing a mask and showing off her new teaching setup!
Although teaching will look a lot different coming from my home office, I am just as excited to meet RC’s new students and see our returning students, as any other year! Daisy isn’t so sure about everyone interrupting her nap times but I think she’ll get used to it. If you do see me around campus I will be rocking my RC mask!
Dr. Wetmore’s pup daisy being interrupted from her nap for a photo-op with Dr. Wetmore’s desk setup!
Dr. Osterman
Dr. Osterman wearing a Roanoke College mask and showing off her new work setup!
Welcome back, everyone! In preparation for teaching remotely this semester, I’ve turned our basement bar area into my home office/recording studio for PSYC 354: The Podcast (hence the towels and other sound-absorbing barriers) and video demos for PSYC 204. It is cozy and has soft lighting and candles that smell like chocolate, which will put me in a great mood while I’m grading your assignments!
Dr. Buchholz
Dr. Buchholz showing off his new remote teaching setup!
Welcome back, everyone! This is my home office. It is much fancier and more nicely decorated than Dr. O’s (towels, really?), which will make me happy as I work to create a great experience for you all in History of Psychology and Research Seminar.
Dr. Powell
Dr. Powell rocking a mask and goggles!
This summer and the beginning of the academic year certainly hasn’t unfolded as any of us had hoped. So, although remote courses very much change the delivery of our teaching, it doesn’t change the passion we have for working with students and our excitement to share what we know about psychological science!
Temporarily working from my dining room, rather than the 5th floor of Life Science, means that every day has the potential of being “bring your pet to work day”! There’s a very real possibility one or both of the kitties will make unscheduled appearances during my classes as they leap onto my lap. Otherwise, not much else has changed. My computer is here, the books and files I need are here, I’m still responding promptly to emails, and I’m still crossing-off tasks from super long to-do lists to ensure students have a great learning experience!
We don’t go out much in my household (thank goodness for Kroger pick-up and Target delivery!); but, when we do, we wear filtered masks and goggles. They might not be the most comfortable “accessories” or the most fashionable thing I’ve ever worn, but it’s worth adding them to our outfits. These two accessories ensure that I’m protecting myself and protecting others. Habits can take some time to develop, so we keep our masks and our goggles right by the door as visual don’t-forget-me reminders!
Dr. Powell’s remote-teaching setup!
Dr. Nichols
Dr. Nichols wearing a mask by his remote-teaching setup!
Hello Psychology Students!
I hope that you all are doing well and looking forward to the start of the semester! This has been a tough period of time for many of us for many different reasons. Our family endured the loss of my wife’s father, Kelly, and our Goldendoodle, Oakley. We also experienced some positive, exciting times as a family – my eldest child, Kennerly, got her learner’s permit, and we hiked to see wild ponies at Grayson Highlands State Park! Most of my summer has been spent working at my make-shift home office desk since my wife, Professor Nichols, has been working from home for years and gets the better desk.
Your professors and I are very much looking forward to seeing you all again, whether in person or online! Our community is one of the personal relationships more so than physical space and it is joyful and encouraging to join together in a community where ever we are!
Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand
Dr. FVN wearing a mask while awaiting students’ return!
I’m looking forward to making the best of this semester and learning how to deal with it all together!
Dr. Carter
Dr. Carter wearing a mask in his office!
Welcome back! It’s been great to see campus start to come alive with the arrival of freshmen. And as weird as it will be to see everyone on tiny little boxes on my computer screen for a while, I’m really looking forward to seeing my students in one form or another. Although I was working from home most of the summer, I’m doing most of my teaching from my office on campus (pictured), just to spare my wife several unwanted lectures on Social Psychology while she is also working from home. I’ve moved into Dr. Nichols’s old office, and it clearly needs some decoration. (I’m working on that.) Hopefully I’ll see you on campus soon, and just know that I am actually smiling at you from behind the mask.
Not pictured, Dr. Allen, Dr. Cate, Dr. Haegmann, and Dr. Hilton are also all excited to start teaching and meet you all soon!
While remote, the fifth-floor of life science will continue to cheer you on this semester! Good luck to everyone and let’s have an amazing semester!
Congratulations to Dr. Powell who was recently awarded the Dean’s Exemplary Teaching Award! Each year, Roanoke College selects one recipient that they feel best showcases the aspects of this award.
According to Roanoke College, “pursuing excellence in teaching, professional life, and service to the College are all aspects of faculty life at Roanoke College, and each spring the Dean acknowledges outstanding faculty members through awards given in these different areas.”
This past year, Dr. Osterman, another member of the Psychology Department, was honored with this award!
Congratulations to Dr. Powell for this honor and to both of these professors for this amazing achievement!
These last few weeks have no doubt been challenging for everyone in some way, shape, or form. With finals starting tomorrow and being away from Roanoke College, we wanted to share some well wishes and updates from some of the Psychology Department professors!
Dr. Buchholz:
We are living through strange and trying times; however, I am heartened by the way we, the students, faculty, and staff of Roanoke College, have risen to the occasion. I am encouraged by the leadership of President Maxey, Dean Smith, and many other staff during these difficult times. I am thankful for our departmental secretary, Ellen, who continues to be the glue that holds our department together. I am proud of the faculty in our department for handling this moment with grace and compassion. Likewise, I am proud of our students for how they have reacted to these challenges. From the many kind words expressed in emails, to the understanding we receive when we can’t figure out zoom or have had some other problem adjusting to teaching online; I am thankful for the kindness and patience of our students. The way our community has come together, even if apart, reminds me of why I love Roanoke College.
For those of you who are struggling during this moment, I wish you and your families the best, and I want you to know that we are all here for you. For those of you who are graduating, congratulations and I hope to see you at the rescheduled graduation; and for the rest of you, I look forward to seeing you in the fall. Be well, stay safe, and take care of yourselves.
Dr. Carter:
I miss my students! My stats jokes are wasted on my family. I don’t even get an eye roll from a good t-test pun.
Dr. Carter making his kids breakfast during the quarantine (aka Will Forte in The Last man on Earth)Dr. Carter’s kids completing a puzzle!
I’m extremely, extremely jealous of the people who don’t have anything to do during this quarantine. My wife and I are both trying to work full time while also taking care of two children under three (i.e., requiring constant supervision). So if I’ve learned anything new, it’s just how effective an active bird feeder can be as a babysitter. (Seriously though, getting to spend a lot of time with my kids is really nice. It’s just stressful trying to do so much at once.)
Dr. FVN:
I miss my students! I am super proud of everyone in my classes and in my lab, who have all worked super hard to make the most of this situation. It’s been an experience, but it’s been one we are all figuring out together.
Dr. FVN’s son and dog!
I’ve especially appreciated the love during student meetings when my son or dog pop in for a hello! They have filled my days while my husband and I juggle our work. In fact, my favorite (non-work) thing has been going on backyard adventures and spending time on creative ways to stay entertained and engaged, like building obstacle courses.
I can’t wait to get back to in-person teaching, I miss my people! And, congratulations to the seniors!
Dr. Hilton:
I have been encouraged in speaking with students in my courses to hear about the diligent work you are all putting in amidst this almost overwhelming uncertainty we face on a daily basis. I applaud all of you for continuing to do your best and finding ways to make this unexpected challenge a time of growth. In addition- I also want to encourage you all to keep in mind that now is the time to practice that self-care we all talk about, yet rarely put into practice if we’re honest…We will have bad days in the coming weeks and we will have good days. Take them in stride, do your best (the definition of which might change daily…), and find whatever ways you can to keep your spirits and hopes up.
I’ve been reading a lot- which is a welcome change; watching a lot of TV (I’m rewatching Community on Netflix right now); and finding time for both quiet space alone and not so quiet time with my family. I also built a pull-up bar on the rafters in my basement with steel pipe so once this thing is all over- I may be able to do a few of those!
Dr. Nichols:
Dr. Nichols and Alumni hanging out on Zoom!
I was able to gather with some alumni from my lab on Zoom on Friday, 4/17, with graduates from 2011 to 2019. All but one of them are in graduate school now, the other one has a PhD and is currently in a post-doc position. The alumni present (in order of graduation) are: Madison Elliott & Paige Arrington (2011), Nikki Hurless, Lauren Kennedy-Metz, & Victoria Godwin (2014), Stephanie Shields & Lauren Ratcliffe (2017), Alex Grant (2018), Noelle Warfford (2019).
Dr. Osterman:
There’s a quote from Freud that has occurred to me a few times since all of this started: “One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” I’m not sure if that’s exactly an encouraging or optimistic sentiment, exactly, but if Freud is right, it does suggest that our future selves will be overly sentimental and a little callous toward this very difficult situation we’re all going through right now, which makes them a common enemy against whom we can all fight. That’s something.
The deck couldn’t have been done without this helper!The deck couldn’t have been done without this helper!
For myself, I walked 101 km in a week and learned that I have no desire to ever walk 101 km in a week ever again. Dr. B and I built a deck, with some help from Dr. B’s son James and our cats. I also took a quiz about which characters from various TV shows I am (it’s actually a very cool quiz by a psychometrician) and learned that I am Tyrion Lannister… I think because I drink and I know things?
Pictured left-to-right: Ellen Dyer, Rick Fox, and Sandy McGhee, recipients of the 2019 Roanoke College STAR Award. Photograph courtesy of Roanoke College News.
In 2019, the Psychology and Biology Department’s very own Ellen Dyer received the STAR Award!
“I was quite surprised and felt very honored to get [the STAR] Award. It’s nice to know that you are appreciated” said Ellen when asked on how she felt upon receiving the award.
The “Service to All Roanoke” or STAR is given annually to Roanoke College employees who have an “outstanding positive influence” on the College campus and with their local community as well, going above and beyond what is required.
The STAR Award is competitive, with only one recipient chosen from each employee category: exempt, non-exempt, and hourly.
Dr. Osterman, who wrote the nomination for Ellen, said this:
Ellen is amazing, embodying the perfect intersection of competence and kindness. We have all been hopeful that she would win the STAR Award for a number of years now and we were so thrilled to see her recognized for all of the outstanding work that she does with us. We’re really lucky to have her.
Mrs. Ellen Dyer, secretary of the Roanoke College Psychology and Biology Departments, with award. Photograph courtesy of Dr. Buchholz.
Dr. Buchholz, department chair of the Psychology department, agreed, saying:
Ellen is amazing! She is essential to the daily functioning of the Psychology (and Biology) departments. She is kind, considerate, and a really great human being. She is truly deserving of this award.
Congratulations to Dr. Powell who was recently awarded the Dean’s Exemplary Teaching Award! Each year, Roanoke College selects one recipient that they feel best showcases the aspects of this award.
