Roanoke College Psychology Department

Latest

  • Reid Conference at UVA

    The annual L. Starling Reid Psychology Research Conference at the University of Virginia highlights empirical research conducted by undergraduate scholars.  Registration is free!

    Presentation formats are research talks (15 minutes) or posters. The 16th Annual Reid Conference (Virtual Format) is scheduled for:

    Friday, April 15th (this Friday!)

    8:30 am – 4:45 PM

    You can register here. Or by copying and pasting this link: https://psychology.as.virginia.edu/reid-conference

    All conference guests and presenters are required to register prior to the conference.  After you register you will receive a zoom meeting link just for you. If someone you know also needs a link, please ask them to register to obtain a link (rather than sharing your link). This enables UVA to communicate with everyone who attends.

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    Get Connected!

    Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
    Twitter: @RC_Psychology
    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center (BRAAC) Speaker

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    Get Connected!

    Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
    Twitter: @RC_Psychology
    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • Summer Job & Internship Opportunity

    Florida International University’s Summer Treatment Program: Summer positions are available for Counselors, Research Assistants, Teachers, and Classroom Aides.

    From William Pelham, director of the center: 

    Students who have participated in the program have uniformly viewed the experience as an extremely demanding one, but one that makes a great contribution to their professional development. The experience and recommendations gained in our program have helped many of our undergraduates continue in graduate careers in the helping professions. The experience is also quite useful for undergraduate students interested in clinical research in child psychopathology, pharmacology, and psychotherapy.

    Position descriptions, application forms, and instructions are available at https://ccf.fiu.edu/summer-programs/index.html.


    REMINDER that summer opportunities like this one can also count for internship credit!

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    Get Connected!

    Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
    Twitter: @RC_Psychology
    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • Congratulations Ben!

    Ben Campbell, class of 2022, completed a project titled Effects of Elicited Jealousy on Threatened Masculinity and Relational Aggression in Emerging Adult Men. This project was supervised by Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand and Ben received a grant for his research from Psi Chi!

    Below is the abstract so you can learn more about the study and all of the great work Ben did!

    “This paper is a two-study investigation of the effects of jealousy on threatened masculinity and relational aggression use in emerging adult men (Study 1, age 18-25, N = 151;Study 2, N = 163). The project aimed to expand on previous literature of precarious manhood theory (Vandello et al., 2008) and jealousy (DeSteno et al., 2006), but examining relational aggression instead of overt forms. The goal of Study 1 was to see if friendship jealousy with a friendship dyad affected felt masculinity and relational aggression use. Study 2 aimed to expand on findings from Study 1, and investigate if there were also differences based on friend group size (i.e., friendship dyad vs friend group). A jealousy manipulation was created to elicit feelings of friendship jealousy on feelings of threatened masculinity and relational aggression. Results from Study 1 found that participants in the jealousy condition reported feeling less masculine, used more relational aggression towards their peer, and also felt several negative emotions(anger, distress, discomfort, threatened). Study 2 findings replicated those of Study 1, but also found that relational aggression was particularly high for those who felt jealousy within the context of a friendship group, rather than friendship dyad, and threatened masculinity mediated the effect of jealousy on relational aggression use. This project provides evidence that men feeling jealousy towards a friend, or group of friends, may result in an increased threat to their masculinity, and cause them to be more relationally aggressive towards their friend(s).”

    I asked Ben about his experience doing this project and he said,
    “This experience has been amazing. I worked on this project for over a year, so being able to present the final product felt incredible. I’m so happy to have had such a supportive group of faculty and friends to show interest in and listen to the findings and importance of my study!”

    Ben, your future is bright and we cannot wait to see what is in store for you!

  • Job/Internship Fair

    Are you currently searching, or are interested in learning more about a job or internship?

    If so, then make sure to come out to the Job and Internship fair, hosted by the PLACE. This event will occur tomorrow, Tuesday, March 1st, from 4:30pm – 6:30pm in the Wortmann Ballroom.  

    All students are encouraged to attend.  Professional dress is NOT required as we realize that some students may be coming from class, lab or practice. There will be over 30 prospective employers and internship supervisors on campus and ready to answer questions.  Some businesses will have internships open each semester, so even students not looking for an immediate placement can still come and explore. 

    If you have questions, or would like more details, please feel free to visit the PLACE’s website: https://www.roanoke.edu/place

    Get Connected!

    Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
    Twitter: @RC_Psychology
    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • Spring social event

  • Alumna taylor kracht gets published!

    Congratulations to Taylor Kracht. Her honors in the major project was recently published in the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. The article, titled “Media Consumption: Association With Implicit Theories of Romantic Relationships”, examines the influence of romantic reality media on a specific set of romantic beliefs (i.e., individuals’ implicit theories of relationships) using an experimental procedure.

    Taylor completed this project under the mentorship of Dr. Darcey N. Powell and graduated from Roanoke in 2018. After graduation, she went on to earn her masters degree in Couples, Marriage, and Family Counseling from William and Mary. Taylor has worked on other research projects while she was in Dr. Powell’s research lab and has been published as a co-author before, but this is her only first author publication.

    “Getting this project published means a lot to me. I worked really hard my senior year creating the idea, developing the experiment, and then bringing it to fruition. Then the process of getting it published was extensive, and at many times, seemed defeating. Pushing through all the hardships of the process and getting it officially published is an accomplishment I will always treasure. I have a greater appreciation for all publications and the hard work it takes to succeed with it.” -Taylor Kracht

    After graduating with her masters degree, Taylor moved to Charlotte NC and started working at a private practice, L&B Counseling, as a Mental Health Counselor. She works with a range of clients from 13 years old to 68 years old. She generally work with those who have symptoms of anxiety, depression, grief, and relationship issues.

    “I am very happy in my position, I get to work with both individuals and couples (my passion), and we have the best workplace team environment. In my personal life, I live with my boyfriend (Jack Doriss, who also went to Roanoke), and our two dogs Murphy (chocolate lab) and Arlo (golden retriever).”

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    Get Connected!

    Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
    Twitter: @RC_Psychology
    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • psychology Poster session fall 2021

    The Roanoke College Psychology Department hosted our biannual poster session in Fintel Library in December of 2021. This event occurs at the end of every semester to allow students within the psychology department to present on their class projects, independent studies, and completed internship experiences.

    Thank you to everyone who attended, and to those who presented. The department is proud of your hard work and grateful to have dedicated students representing Roanoke College Psychology!

    Faculty and students got the opportunity to learn about the semester-long research conducted by psychology students.

    Congratulations to the presenters on their hard work and success!

    Researchers discussed future directions and presentations for their work.

    Thank you to everyone who attended, and to those who presented! Congratulations on another successful semester!

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    Get Connected!

    Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
    Twitter: @RC_Psychology
    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • Roanoke College Legacy

    Recent Graduate Samuel Paitsel has carried on a long-lasting family legacy at Roanoke College. Graduating in December 2020, Samuel followed in his family’s footsteps and became the sixth generation in his family to graduate from the school. Samuel studied psychology over his four years at Roanoke College, and is currently working as a registered behavior technician (RBT) at Therapeutic Alliance in Roanoke, Virginia. Reflecting on his time at Roanoke College, Samuel commented,

    “The professors made me feel at home, and I always felt cared about,” Paitsel says. “When I was doing rough, I knew I had a great support system to rally behind me. I also enjoyed how tight- knit the community was; you couldn’t go a day without seeing a friendly face.”

    Along with work, Samuel is training as a qualified mental health professional, focusing on children under 18 years old.

    Samuel was recently highlighted in the Roanoke College news letter.

    https://www.roanoke.edu/about/news/samuel_paitsel_family_legacy?fbclid=IwAR1hijGodj7y9dUUCHzQPct7MgRp5nFLhgloefsySPz7ql_onOGcD8i5oqo

    We wish Samuel a successful future in his career path!

  • congratulations TO Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand

    Psychology faculty member Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand has recently had TWO publications. Her recent work is now published in the The Journal of Genetic Psychology and Emerging Adulthood. The psychology department extends our congratulations as we celebrate Dr. FVN’s recent accomplishments. Read about her publications below.

    Image Not Avaliable

    Interpersonal Rejection and Social Motivation in Adolescence: Moderation by Narcissism and Gender

    Abstract: “Research on interpersonal rejection is voluminous, but less is known about perceived rejection in relation to social goals among peers during adolescence, especially while also considering factors that may moderate these associations. In a correlational design, we surveyed a diverse sample of middle school students to examine concurrent (Study 1; N = 269) and short-term longitudinal (Study 2; N = 321) links between rejection and adolescent communal (affiliation, closeness) and agentic (status, influence) goals, and narcissism and gender as moderators in the associations between rejection and social goals. Rejection was negatively related to (Study 1) and predicted decreases in (Study 2) communal goals. Narcissism was positively related to and predicted increases in agentic goals, and moderated the association between rejection and agentic goals (in both studies). One moderated effect of gender was found: perceived rejection predicted decreases in agentic goals for girls, but increases in agentic goals for boys. Our findings mostly align with existing research on interpersonal rejection in youth, and extend this literature by demonstrating that perceived rejection is meaningfully related to changes in trait-like social goals among peers, suggesting it may alter not only situation-specific cognitions, but also globalized goals, or motivations for peer interaction. The findings also call for further research on individual differences in associations between rejection and social goals, along with other outcomes.”

    Popularity According to Emerging Adults: What is it, and How to Acquire it

    Abstract: “Status among peers likely continues to play a role in social functioning and well-being beyond adolescence. This study examined how emerging adults in tertiary education defined popularity, and their beliefs regarding aggressive and prosocial behaviors affording status. The role of status motivation, own status, and gender in these definitions and beliefs were explored. Emerging adults primarily associated popularity with being central, liked, and respected. Gender prototypical features (attractiveness and likeability for women; power and centrality for men) were associated with high popularity. Compared to adolescence, popularity in emerging adulthood was associated more with likeability and less with attractiveness, power, fitting in, or antisocial behavior. Prosocial behavior, openness, extraversion, and dominance were identified as the most important ways to acquire popularity. The findings indicate that popularity is relevant to emerging adults and offer several directions for future research in order to benefit the social well-being of emerging adults in tertiary education.”

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    Get Connected!

    Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
    Twitter: @RC_Psychology
    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
    Instagram: rcpsychology