The Psychology Department fondly remembers Dominique Bowers, a 2015 graduate who transferred to Roanoke College in 2014 to complete her Psychology degree. She was well liked and respected by her faculty, clearly working hard on her classes while raising young children. She died August 13, 2021, in Warner Robins, Georgia.
https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/22095376/dominique-sade-bowers
Hey new (or not-so-new) students! Have you been debating joining the Psychology Department at Roanoke College? Or maybe just wanting to know more about our programs? You’re in the right spot! Below are the basics about the department and different programs we offer. More information can always be found online or acquired through professors and student assistant staff. Let us know your questions!
Note: The requirements listed below are for students declaring the Psychology Major anytime after 8-11-2021. To see OLD requirements for those declaring the major prior to this date, please refer to our website.
The psychology major is a bachelor of science and requires the completion of 12 units. These units include core (general and methods) classes, one class from each of the 4 domains of psychology, and three elective classes.
Psychology intersects with many other areas of study in a variety of ways because of its focus on people. A minor in psychology can be a useful addition to any major with the selection of courses tailored to fit what is most relevant to the student. The minor in psychology requires the completion of 6 units.
The Concentration in Human Development exposes students to the broader life-span perspective and allows them to focus on the stages (e.g., childhood, adolescence, adulthood) and the topics most applicable to their personal or professional goals. The concentration requires six units and the faculty coordinator is Dr. Powell.
A concentration in neuroscience will offer students an opportunity to learn about theory and research on the brain and nervous system from a number of perspectives. Students will come to understand how developments in biology, psychology, chemistry and related fields alter knowledge and research techniques in the other fields. The faculty coordinator is Dr. Nichols.
Ready to declare? You can do so online here… or you can find a list of our amazing faculty members on this page. Contact one of them to find out more information on whichever program you may be interested in. And make sure to check out the spreadsheets with course information – you may be surprised by how diverse and interesting the Psychology Department’s curriculum can be. We can’t wait to have you!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Meet Dr. Andrea Burchfield!
We are excited for her to join our psychology team this year 🙂
Dr. Burchfield gives us a little background information about herself when she writes, “I grew up in Northern Virginia before finding my home in the Roanoke Valley. I earned a BS in Psychology from Radford University in 2006, and then worked as an ABA Therapist with the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center before returning to school. I earned a MA (2012) and PhD (2018) in Psychology from George Mason University, where my research focused on the effects of a mindfulness-based program for parents of children with autism.
I enjoy bringing my clinical experiences into the classroom through sharing relatable stories, exposing students to the practice of mindful meditation, and by using the science of behaviorism to teach course material effectively. My favorite thing about teaching is building relationships with students, and watching them learn and succeed. Therefore, I’m passionate about discovering ways to enhance access to connections, education, and opportunities on campus, particularly for students with disabilities.”
We are lucky to have her here at Roanoke College!
Claire McDonald and Ben Campbell, both psychology seniors at Roanoke College, were recently featured on Roanoke’s website for their research experience. You can check out the full page here.
Claire wasn’t sure what degree she wanted to pursue when she first came to Roanoke College. But during the fall semester of her sophomore year, she enrolled in a developmental psychology class, taught by Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand, assistant professor of psychology. She loved the class and, consequently, found her major.
In the spring of her sophomore year, McDonald joined a lab managed by Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, which focused on adolescent and young adult peer relationships. This sparked her interest in research within psychology. This fall, Claire plans to work as a research intern at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem. She hopes to apply to graduate school to pursue a doctorate in clinical psychology with a specific interest in research related to dementia and cognitive impairment in older adults — experience Claire said she hopes to gain at the VA Medical Center. But she’s not the only psychology student that has recently made big steps in their research experience…
“Research has played a huge role in my college career and in my development as a student. It has been the most crucial and beneficial part of my college experience.”
Ben Campbell, Class of 2022
Ben Campbell has used his interest in relational aggression, peer social dynamics and gender to formulate a study. He used the study to apply for the College’s Summer Scholars Program and received the prestigious award, enabling him to carry a project titled “Effects of elicited jealousy on masculinity and relational aggression in men.” You can check out more info on his research journey in our previous blog post, found here.
In recent years, approximately 30 students each semester have been involved in research. The experiences are important not just for information discovery, but also for deepened learning, enhanced training on specific topics or methods, and the development of skills that graduate training programs and employers in careers utilizing psychology look for and highly value. As a research assistant, students also develop professional and mentoring relationships with their faculty mentor, and refine critical thinking and statistical reasoning skills.
“The experience to contribute to a discipline in a larger way is a special opportunity,” Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand said. “Apart from the professional skills developed, the research experiences students at Roanoke are involved in also contribute to the sense of community we have in the department.”
Research is the bedrock of the student experience in Roanoke College’s psychology department, which brought the College its seventh consecutive “Great Schools for Psychology Majors” recognition in The Princeton Review’s annual “Best Colleges” guidebook, released on Aug. 31.
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Ben was just granted funding from Psi Chi, the International Honors Society in Psychology, for his research!
Benjamin Campbell ‘22 was recently a part of our Summer Scholars program here at Roanoke, during which he conducted a study that was built from previous work he completed in the Social Development Lab. Ben’s project is titled “Effects of Peer-Elicited Jealousy on Relational Aggression in Men: The Roles of Contingent and Threatened Masculinity”. He worked very hard on this project, supervised by Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand. Leading up to the summer, they applied for and were successfully granted $1,118 to fund this and subsequent studies including Ben’s Honors in the Major Project.
Project Abstract:
I asked Ben to give a summary of his research and he wrote,
“So, this summer I conducted a research project as a Summer Scholar at Roanoke. The study looked at how jealousy affects threatened masculinity and relational aggression use in men. In other words, does feeling jealous in a friendship context with other men also produce feeling less masculine, and thus result in using relational aggression? My results found that following jealousy provoked by male peers, men felt less masculine and used more relational aggression relative to men who were not in the jealousy condition. But, some effects did not emerge as expected. I applied for funding from the “Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Grant” and was awarded it. So, I got funding to continue my project. In my honors in the major, I plan on expanding on the summer project and potentially investigating other variables that may play into the effects I found this summer. Overall, I thought the summer scholars experience was great, and the funding from Psi Chi is amazing.”
Congratulations again to Benjamin Campbell, keep up the great work and we are excited for what your future has in store.
https://www.roanoke.edu/about/news/princeton_review_best_387
Some exciting news for our department! The success comes from the hard work and commitment of our faculty and students.
In the article you can read what Dr. Powell and some of our students have to say about our department and Roanoke College as a whole.
When? This Friday ! (September 3rd from 11:45-1:15)
Where? Courtyard between Life Science and Trexler!
Please join your fellow Psychology students and faculty at a Welcome Back social on Friday, 9/3! We will meet in the courtyard area between Life Science and Trexler between 11:45a and 1:15p. Snacks and drinks will be provided, plus you can purchase an RC Psychology shirt! All students are welcome – majors, minors, concentrators, students currently in psychology classes, and students who may potentially take psychology classes in the future! Hope to see you there!
Get connected:
Instagram & Twitter: #PsychRC
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology
Blog: https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about
Website: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Congratulations to Vanessa Pearson ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project titled, “Influences on Paternity Leave” on May 17th. Her research mentor, Dr. Darcey N. Powell, was joined by committee members, Dr. Danielle Findley Van-Nostrand and Dr. David Nichols to oversee her defense. Her project abstract is pasted below.
Project Abstract:
The overall purpose of this study was to understand the factors that are involved when a father is deciding whether or not to take paternity leave with the birth/adoption of a child. The research was centered around two groups of participants. Study 1 sampled fathers with a child under the age of five. Study 2 sampled prospective fathers – men who are not yet fathers but may be at some point in the future. Participants completed an online survey that asked about their demographics, desired days off, and willingness to take certain types of leave. Most of the hypotheses were not significant or unable to be tested due to sample limitations. For example, several social-demographic factors were not associated with the number of days or types of leave one would take. Even though the findings were not significant, this could mean that the proportion of men who are taking or plan to take paternity leave are increasing and the factors that are holding them back are decreasing. Additionally, while fathers were more likely to know about FMLA than prospective fathers, a majority in both samples believed the US did not have an acceptable leave policy.
Congratulations again to Vanessa Pearson ’21 on a successful defense! We look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 5 seniors: Maggie Lewis, Lauren Powell, Destinee Sinclair, Mason Wheeler, and Allison Tice.
Maggie Lewis
Maggie will be working full time as a Recovery Advocate at an inpatient psychiatric facility in my home state.
Maggies favorite memory was completing mock clinical assessments in Dr. Hilton’s Clinical Psych course.
Lauren Powell
After graduation, Lauren is continuing her education at the University of Lynchburg where she will obtain her M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling!
Laurens states: “My favorite memory of the psychology department is doing research with Dr. Buchholz over the course of four years as a part of the research fellows program!”
Destinee Sinclair
Destinee will be attending East Carolina University pursuing a Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Mason Wheeler
Mason plans to pursue her PhD at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, studying Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health.
Allison Tice
Allison will be attending Virginia Tech (Roanoke Higher-Ed Center) to receive her Masters of Arts in Counselor Education. She plans to then potentially pursue a PhD and hopefully open her own counseling practice.
When asked about her favorite memory she stated “I love pie-a-prof! Always such a fun event!”
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 5 seniors: Carolynn Bructo, Katherine Caldwell, Alyssa Mattson, Grace Page, and Vanessa Pearson.
Carolynn Bructo
Carolynn plans to go back home to Columbus, Ohio, where she will take a gap year and then apply to Ohio State’s School Psychology program.
Katherine Caldwell
Katherine plans on working until going to graduate school to get her masters. She plans to become a marriage and family counselor in the future.
Alyssa Mattson
Alyssa will be taking an IL course as she resumes her LSAT studies and completes her research practicum. She plans to apply to law schools and resume her job search following her move to Washington, D.C.
Grace Page
Grace will be a part of Liberty University’s Marriage and Family Counseling Master’s program while also working full-time for a local non-profit organization.
Vanessa Pearson
After graduation, Vanessa will be teaching elementary school in Franklin County and will soon start a graduate school program on school counseling.
Vanessa states: “My favorite psychology related memory is from Dr. FVN’s introduction to psychology class. During the lesson on conformity. We started the class standing up in order to see if anyone would come in late and see if they would sit down or stand up just because everyone else was. It was a fun activity to begin the lesson.”
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Congratulations to Curt Kingery ’21 for the successful defense of his Honors in the Major Project entitled “Tradeoffs In Designing Ideal Leaders: Does Political Ideology Predict Preferences for Dominant and Prestigious Leaders?” His supervisor, Dr. Lindsey Osterman was joined by committee members, Dr. Danielle Findley Van-Nostrand and Dr. Stacy Wetmore to oversee his defense.
Project Abstract:
Politicians rise to positions of significant influence through different displays of leadership behavior. Two distinct patterns for climbing social hierarchies, and obtaining leadership roles, have emerged from recent research: dominance-oriented and prestige-oriented strategies. These represent profoundly different navigation tactics that accomplish a singular goal, which is to ascend status hierarchies. Which strategy most effectively gains status depends heavily on contextual factors (such as environmental instability and perceptions of intergroup conflict) and the characteristics and needs of followers. Political candidates’ abilities to display cues consistent with one of these orientations, in the appropriate contexts, will impact perceptions of them by potential supporters who are critical to their political success. Evolutionary and social psychological research suggest followership evolved as a strategy to overcome multifarious cooperation and coordination problems from social group-living. Hence, left-leaning or right-leaning political followers’ preconceptions about the world may predispose them to defer status to qualitatively different leaders. In Study 1, we investigated whether or not political orientation reliably predicted a preference for traits associated with dominance or prestige-oriented leader. Participants designed ideal leaders, purchasing various characteristics with 3 different budgets. The different budgets unveiled trade-offs made under constraints. In Study 2, we replicated findings from the first study, and extended the understanding of circumstantial triggers for different leader orientations by assessing the role of—self-perceived—socioeconomic (in)security and pathogenic vulnerability on revealed preferences for an ideal leader.
Congratulations again to Curt Kingery ’21 on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Congratulations to Kaillee Philleo ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project entitled “The Effect of Transitions on Parasocial Relationships: An Examination of Surrogate Use in College Freshmen During the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Her supervisor, Dr. Lindsey Osterman was joined by committee members, Dr. Todd Peppers and Dr. Stacy Wetmore to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract:
During the COVID-19 pandemic and with the increasing amount of time people spend interacting with media figures through online or broadcast platforms, an interest in examining parasocial relationships has become more popular. Specifically, little research has been conducted on parasocial relationships and their role during a period of transition. For that reason, this study set out to examine the role of surrogates within first-year college students. Specifically, we were interested in examining what interactions existed between engagement in activities (e.g., parasocial, social, and nonsocial), campus connectedness, loneliness, and closeness. While focusing on first-year college students, we also took into consideration the current pandemic and the state of the college during the time of this study. Results echoed previous research findings in that loneliness was found to be correlated with parasocial interactions. Moreover, we found partial support for our hypotheses through the findings that (1) loneliness mediated relationships between campus connectedness and parasocial and social activities, as well as (2) social activities mediated the relationship between campus connectedness and loneliness. Moreover, even though our moderation analyses did not result in significant main interactions, parasocial surrogate use was suggested within our data set. While some clear limitations were present within this study, we offered ways in which future research could continue to examine these variables.
Congratulations again to Kaillee Philleo ’21 on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Congratulations to the Class of 2021! With graduation being less than 24 hours away, we want to invite, family, friends, community members, faculty, staff, alum and anyone else to join us in celebrating our 2021 Psychology Department graduates.
Using this link you may record a video, upload an image, leave a message or select some options for gifts to share with our 2021 graduates.
As a member of the class of 2021, I speak on behalf of all other 2021 graduates in thanking the entire psychology department for guiding us and being there for us these past four years. We certainly would not have gotten to where we are today without you all and thank each of you for all of your support throughout these last four years.
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Congratulations to Grace Page ’21 for the successful defense of here Honors in the Major and Honors Distinction Project titled, “Examining marriage: A comparison of perceptions based on religious affiliation and religiosity” (abstract below). Her supervisor, Dr. Darcey N. Powell, was joined by her committee members, Drs. Travis Carter and Kristi Hoffman, to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract:
Relationships are oftentimes formed based on the similarities two individuals have in dating relationships; for example, individuals may look for similarities in religion and religious values as a way to choose a partner or to determine the dynamics of their relationships. Furthermore, research has indicated that there is a positive correlation between the similarity of partners’ religious influences and the quality of their relationship. Many religious individuals may often be misunderstood, however, due to existing religious stereotypes. Participants (N = 256) in this study were recruited to take an online survey through Prolific. Using six different beliefs/behaviors, this study examined participants’ self-reports of beliefs and behaviors, whether participants’ reported beliefs aligned with their behaviors, and if participants accurately perceived the beliefs of other religions/worldview’s beliefs. Results indicated that individuals of certain religions/worldviews shared similarities and differences in their beliefs and behaviors. Additionally, two thirds of the behaviors examined aligned with participants’ beliefs and, typically, participants did not accurately perceive the beliefs of others overall.
Congrats, again, to Grace Page ’21 on a successful defense! We look forward to seeing all that you accomplish in the future!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Kaillee Philleo, Celine Taylor, Kelsey Markle, and Melissa Deshaw!
Congratulations! After her graduation, Kaillee plans to move to NYC to pursue her Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology. When asked about her favorite psychology-related memory, she couldn’t pick just one, so she gave three! 1. defending her Honors in the major project 2. presenting at SPSP in New Orleans, and 3. work
as a student assistant and “being able to enjoy the April Fools day pranks, share memes with the department, and enjoy all of Ellen’s lovely treats during the holidays”.
Celine plans on taking a gap year so she can gain more experience through an internship! Then, she is looking to apply to master programs that involve either mental health counseling or applied developmental
psychology. Her favorite classes in the psych department were the ones that Dr. Powell taught. “She has been such a positive influence and has helped me figure out the track I want to take with psychology due to her passion for her field. The human development concentration has been a great experience and I appreciate all the help she has given me over the past four years!” Congrats!
Congratudlations Kelsey! We are so excited to hear that you will be starting to work in the Roanoke area as a Case Manager for Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare! Wishing you the best.
After her graduation, Melissa plans to go to graduate school for school psychology! We are very proud of you and cannot wait to see what the future holds! Congrats.
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Congratulations to Carly Schepacarter ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major and Honors Distinction Project entitled “Art for Healing: Experiencing Art Improves Emotion after a Negative Event”. Her supervisor, Dr. Travis Carter was joined by committee members, Ms. Katherine Shortridge, Dr. Darcey Powell, and Mr. Wes Brusseauto to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract:
Existing research suggests that making art has benefits for mental health, but can other interactions with art still help people (Henderson et al., 2007)? This project endeavors to address the relationship that individuals have with art, and determine if varied interactions with art can improve one’s emotional state—especially for participants primed to recall a negative life experience. Participants in the first study were primed to recall negative memories prior to completing an art rating task, the Discrete Emotions Questionnaire (DEQ; Harmon-Jones et al., 2016), and an art experience questionnaire. The second study primed participants with the same negative writing task prior to their completion of either art or non-art task. Ultimately, interacting with art evoked more positive emotions in both studies. The results of the research studies and a literature review were used to create works of art for a family services center in Salem, VA.
Congratulations again to Carly Schepacarter ’21 on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Kara Lissy ’11 recently published her book “Adult Children of Alcoholic Parents: An Evidence-Based Workbook to Heal Your Past.”
Lissy ’11 received her bachelor’s in Psychology at Roanoke and studied closely under the late Dr. Curt Camac and his wife Dr. Mary Camac, as well as completed her senior thesis relating to alcoholism under the supervision of Dr. Angela Allen.
This book is a workbook that is designed to walk people who grew up with alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional parents through healing and recovery using vignetted, psychoeducation, and evidence-based exercises.
Book Description
“Your healing is in your hands with this evidence-based workbook for adult children of alcoholics
As the child of a parent or caregiver with an alcohol use disorder, you may still feel the impact of your experiences. Take the next steps on your healing journey with this workbook full of therapeutic techniques, journal prompts, quizzes, and other short exercises and activities to empower adult children of alcoholics. The self-guided approach allows you to work at your own pace as you examine how your experiences have shaped you, learn coping skills, grow in self-love, and build healthy relationships free from the harmful patterns you’ve experienced.
Discover evidence-based techniques to help you heal in this workbook for adult children of alcoholics.”
If you are interested in purchasing this book, check it out here, and congratulations again Kara Lissy ’11 for this amazing accomplishment!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Congratulations to Sydney Caulder ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project entitled “Exploring Sensation Seeking and Psychopathy Factors: Associations with Risk-Taking Behaviors and Aggression”. Her supervisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Lindsey Osterman and Dr. Dane Hilton to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract:
Previous research has established a link between sensation seeking behaviors, aggression, risk-taking, and psychopathic personality. The links between both sensation seeking, psychopathy, and risk-taking are well-established, but literature on factors that might mitigate these associations (when healthier coping mechanisms are implemented) is limited. The current study examined associations between sensation seeking, psychopathy, risk-taking and aggression and aimed to extend this research by exploring whether activities that would fulfill sensation seeking tendencies in a safer way may buffer against risk-taking and aggression. Several moderation analyses were conducted to explore the effect of recreational risk-taking on outcomes of aggression and maladaptive risk-taking with predictors of sensation seeking and psychopathy. Correlations replicated previously established associations between these constructs, but the results of many of the moderation analyses were insignificant. However, recreational risk-taking moderated the association between sensation seeking and maladaptive risk-taking, but not as expected. Findings may serve as a good starting point to attempting to understand less maladaptive risk-taking mechanisms.
Congratulations again to Sydney Caulder on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Congratulations to Carolynn Bructo ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her project was titled “STEM Students’ Perceptions of Changes in Motivation and Identity During a Global Pandemic: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective”. Her supervisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Darcey Powell and Dr. Matthew Fleenor to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract:
Student persistence in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) particularly deserves close attention given the alarming attrition rates from such programs. Education and academic achievement are vital pathways to personal and professional success, and the importance of promoting STEM students’ success to enter this field is arguably more evident yet challenging amid a global pandemic. In this study, we aimed to use self-determination theory (SDT), an established theoretical framework in educational psychology that states that individuals’ internal motivation strongly corresponds with the satisfaction of three specific psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), to understand better the perceptions of emerging adults’ satisfaction of these needs during an ongoing global pandemic, and how these needs along with science identity relate to intrinsic motivation, achievement, and intention to persist in STEM. We examined STEM students’ satisfaction levels of both general and domain-specific needs using an online survey (N = 60). As hypothesized, students perceived their domain-specific needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness satisfaction to decrease from pre-pandemic to currently. There was mixed support for other hypotheses. Perceived satisfaction in autonomy, across all measures, was significantly positively related to intrinsic motivation. Students’ perceived satisfaction of competence, autonomy, and relatedness in basic and domain-specific measures were significantly associated with amotivation. Science identity was the most significant predictor of intention to leave STEM. Finally, academic achievement was negatively related to perceived autonomy satisfaction. We hope the results from this study can help us better understand how to promote the success of these students.
Congratulations again to Carolynn Bructo on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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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: http://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology
Instagram: rcpsychology
Carolynn Bructo, Rachel Freshwater, Kaillee Philleo, and Carly Schepacarter (Advisor: Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand)
Background Information
We know from previous research that meditation can provide positive outcomes for the individual, such as more prosocial behaviors, but can separate forms of meditation impact our self-reported feelings of compassion, self-compassion, and self-efficacy (Condon et al., 2013)? We wanted to test this theory with mindfulness meditation that focused on the self, and compassion meditation intended to focus on others. Additionally, a large body of work recognizes the impact of meditation in longitudinal studies but lacks work on more immediate influences of meditation behavior. Through this research, our goal was to address the connection between different types of meditation performed the same day on various self-report scales about understanding the self and reacting to other people. We believed that participants who were asked to perform compassion meditation would report higher levels of compassion than those in the mindfulness meditation and control groups. We also believed that participants who performed mindfulness meditation would report higher levels of self-compassion and self-efficacy than the compassion meditation and control groups.
Methods
113 participants were recruited through Roanoke College’s SONA system in the psychology department and received 1 SONA credit for participating in all parts of the study. Participants then completed a survey in which they were randomly assigned into a group to practice compassion meditation, mindfulness meditation, or listen to a set of random facts for a control group. All of these presented as videos with a dark screen and were three minutes long. All participants then completed questionnaires to test their self-efficacy, compassion, state and trait-based self-compassion, and demographics following their interaction with the videos.
Results and Discussion
The compassion measure proved to be the only statistically significant result of the research. Participants who completed the mindfulness meditation had higher reported levels of compassion than the control group. This may have been true because the mindfulness video encouraged participants to be aware of how they were feeling in the moment, which could have led participants to feel more benefits of meditation than the compassion meditation video, which encouraged a bit more introspection and thoughts of less positive things. When we feel positive, we feel more likely to give, which could have led to this result. We attribute this to our inability to have face-to-face sessions and for experimenters to monitor the behaviors of participants while they were instructed to engage in the various types of meditation. Our meditation conditions did not seem to have an effect on compassion towards self and self-efficacy. Contrary to our expectations, the compassion meditation condition, specifically, did not have any effect on compassion towards others either. These results could indicate that a brief, isolated exposure may not be enough to see the results of increased compassion towards self and others, and self-efficacy.
Reflection
The biggest takeaway is that we likely were unable to find research initially about this topic because there are not strong effects between short-term meditation and social understanding. While instant meditation may quickly reduce stress, compassion (leading to prosocial behaviors) may take time to develop. That being said, our findings were based on a short-term study as well as one specific sample and should be further investigated among larger and more broad sample size. Through this process we learned how to think like researchers, quickly complete a comprehensive literature review, design and carry out a research study, and critically interpret statistical results. We also were able to implement writing strategies and effectively work in a group setting to apply our research knowledge learned throughout the psychology program.
Conclusion
The main finding from our study suggests that college students’ use of a short mindfulness meditation had higher levels of compassion towards others than those in a control group. Those who completed a compassion meditation did not significantly impact their compassion towards others, self-compassion, or self-efficacy.
References
Condon, P., Desbordes, G., Miller, W., & DeSteno, D. (2013). Meditation Increases
Compassionate Responses to Suffering. Psychological Science, 24(10), 2125-2127. Retrieved February 24, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/24539409
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Allison Tice, David Casson, Kelsey Markel, and Sydney Brenner (Advisor: Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand)
During the middle of a global pandemic, one cannot help but wonder about the implications of social isolation and loneliness on emotion regulation. Emotion regulation is the ability to control one’s emotional expression or outlook on a specific situation. As a group, we are interested in this topic after further investigating prior research that discusses the impact of social isolation and loneliness on emotion regulation strategies. Specifically, we looked at the emotion regulation strategies cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Cognitive reappraisal is the ability to change the way an individual can perceive a situation and change their emotions. Expressive suppression is the change in visible emotional state or the ability to change the way one feels about an emotion. For example, someone who is feeling angry might attempt to disguise their anger and display themselves in a happy or content state. We assessed these two strategies to see if cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression was more prevalent in individuals. As a group, we were also very interested to see if there were any gender differences between emotional regulation strategies.
To see any valid relationships between loneliness. social isolation, and emotion regulation, our research team created a survey through software called Qualtrics. In our study, we had 102 total participants who completed the survey. The participants are all Roanoke College students, and many of them are either taking a PSYC-101 or INQ-260 class. The questionnaire consisted of forty-one questions. At the beginning of the survey, we included questions asking about participant’s demographic information and participants’ experiences with COVID-19. The remaining thirty-six questions were taken from three different scales. The University of Los Angeles Loneliness Scale measured participants’ levels of loneliness (Russell, 1996), the Lubben Social Network Scale measured levels of social isolation in participants (“Version of the LSNS”, 2021), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, measured levels of participants’ emotion regulation strategies, specifically expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal (John & Gross, 2004). Using these evidence-supported scales allowed us to study any possible associations between social isolation, loneliness, and emotional regulation strategies.
We predicted that with an increase in social isolation and loneliness, one’s ability to regulate their own emotions using either cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression will be potentially more challenging because difficulties such as feelings of loneliness could be suppressed through expressive suppression which has shown to increase sensitivity regarding the intensity of the emotion exhibited. On the other hand, the negative feelings could also be curbed through cognitive reappraisal which has shown to have benefits associated with positive emotional outcomes as a regulation strategy. We were correct in expecting a higher level of difficulty regulating emotions, as more individuals who had less interaction with family and friends were likely to feel more lonely in general. Expressive suppression is moderately correlated with feelings of loneliness, which indicates that those who experienced the feeling of loneliness were more likely to suppress their emotions. Our hypothesis also suggested that our COVID-19 survey questions would play a role in our results, as well. The analysis of these questions indicates that a negative impact from COVID-19 is associated with higher levels of loneliness. Specifically, regulating emotions can be harder when feelings of loneliness and social isolation are present. Our results also show that the expressive suppression of negative emotions can be utilized to prevent exhibiting negative feelings, even though this method may not be mentally sound or healthy. These findings are important in the sense that it is helpful to understand ways in which social isolation and feelings of loneliness can be exacerbated, but also which strategies and methods can be used to help reduce the severity of negative feelings to more effectively regulate emotions.
We thought that the results were interesting in the way that there were differences between expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal based on gender. A limitation to the study would be the ratio of females to males in this study. With a female dominating sample size, we thought it would be interesting to see if there would be any changes in the results if the ratio of the genders were more equal.
What we hope you, the reader, takes away from our study is that there is a connection between loneliness/social isolation and the ability to regulate one’s emotions. Our analysis of results collected from participants’ answers to the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Lubben Social Network Scale, shows loneliness is moderately correlated with higher levels of expressive suppression. Furthermore, based on the results from our study, those who feel lonely or isolated are more likely to suppress their emotions. Many individuals have felt the lingering impact of COVID-19. The public recognizes that social isolation is necessary to stop the spread, but this does not dismiss the fact that researchers recognize aspects of COVID-19 will have large implications for individuals, both interpersonally and emotionally. We hope that this study also brings forth further research that explores how individuals can remain connected while decreasing feelings of social isolation and loneliness.
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Destinee Sinclair, Katie Caldwell, Megan Karau, and Brianna Webster (Advisor: Danielle Findley Van-Nostrand)
Background Information
Social media is generally perceived as a fun activity to pass time, but there is no denying that social comparisons are abundant and practically unavoidable and can have detrimental consequences to the health and well-being of those who internalize them. Our study focused on young adults’ social comparison orientation via social media and its relation to self-esteem and relationship insecurity. Previous research has found that individuals tend to compare themselves more to others on social media when they spend more time on social media and this might have a negative association with self-esteem and subjective well-being (Vogel et al., 2014). Furthermore, research also indicates that social comparison behavior and increased social media use influences our perceptions of relationship quality and satisfaction (Neyer & Voigt, 2004; Yacoub et al., 2018). It was our purpose to explore and establish distinct relationships between social media use and social comparison behavior, self-esteem, relationship insecurity, and mistrust in an effort to further understand the implications that social media and mechanisms related to social media has on our concept of self and our relationships.
Methods
For the purpose of our study, we specifically focused on social comparison orientation via social media and its relation to self-esteem and relationship insecurity. We hypothesized that our target population of college students spend significant amounts of time on social media, comparing themselves to others, and therefore negatively impacting their relationship quality and self-concepts. In particular, we expected that engaging in upward social comparisons (evaluating others as above or better than you) would be related to problems. To test this theory and measure social media usage and its relationship with self-esteem and relationship quality, we first recruited participants online to participate in our survey which utilized various measures. Regarding our measures of social media usage, we used a subset pulled from the Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes scale. To measure upward and downward comparisons on social media, we used the Scale for Social Comparison Orientation, and for self-esteem we utilized the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. For the last measure in our study, two subscales from the CAT-Personality Disorder Scales Static Form and a 7 item-measure to measure relationship insecurity and mistrust.
Results and Discussion
We expected social media to have a positive relationship with both social comparison measures and have a negative relationship with self-esteem, relationship insecurity, and mistrust. What we found was not as expected, social media use was only mildly positively associated with social comparison orientation; the relationship between social media use and upward/downward social comparisons was not significant. We also found that social media use was positively related to self-esteem but only when controlling for both social comparison measures, but there were no significant relationships shown between social media use and relationship insecurity or mistrust. Next, we looked for the associations of social comparison orientation and upward/downward social comparisons with self-esteem, relationship insecurity, and mistrust. We hypothesized that social comparison behavior would negatively correlate with self-esteem, relationship insecurity, and mistrust, however, what we found was slightly different. We found a negative relationship between self-esteem and both social comparison measures that were moderate in strength but found positive associations between both our social comparison measures and relationship insecurity and our mistrust measure. Our results imply that social media use might be directly related to social media orientation, but that there might be another mechanism about social media use that influences self-esteem, relationship insecurity, and mistrust. This indicates that it is not necessarily social media use that directly impacts our self-esteem, relationship insecurity, and mistrust, but rather the activities we are engaging in, like social comparison, on social media that then become harmful to ourselves and our relationships.
Reflection
This (almost) semester-long project has taught us a lot about the process of completing and finishing out a study. The process of working with different minds was so interesting and honestly added so much to our project. When deciding what we wanted to do, we really bonded over the topic we chose to study. Social media is something that is really big in all of our lives just as much as relationships and the self. When creating the study itself, the process of finding the right questions and specific scales for our study was a little difficult. When creating a study, you want everything to come across the way that you intended it to. The best part of this process was getting our data back and being able to analyze it.
References
Neyer, F. J., & Voigt, D. (2004). Personality and social network effects on romantic relationships: a dyadic approach. European Journal of Personality, 18(4), 279–299. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.519
Vogel, E. A., Rose, J. P., Roberts, L. R., & Eckles, K. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(4), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000047
Yacoub, C., Spoede, J., Cutting, R., & Hawley, D. (2018). The Impact of Social Media on Romantic Relationships. Journal of Education and Social Development, 2(2), 53-58. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1490763.
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Congratulations to Morgan Hamilton ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her Project was titled “Family Dynamics and Parents’ Perceptions of Adolescent Social Self-Efficacy”. Her project advisor, Dr. Darcey Powell was joined by committee members, Dr. Hilton and Dr. Jackl, to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract: Throughout adolescence, youth experience increasing autonomy in many aspects of their lives, but especially in social functioning. Previous studies focused on shifts prior to and following adolescence, but less research about the effects of family systems on adolescent-aged children exists. The current study examined how parents’ perceptions of their family’s communication, expressions of affection, reactions to their child’s negative emotions, and their child’s coping is associated with perceptions of their child’s social self-efficacy. Parent participants (N = 146) whose eldest children were between 10 and 15 years old were recruited from English-speaking countries to complete an online survey via Prolific. Analyses revealed associations between affection, family communication, and parents’ perceptions of their reactions to adolescents’ negative emotions. Furthermore, associations between coping, affection, and social self-efficacy were found. Lastly, associations between affection, family communication, reactions to adolescent’s negative emotions, and coping were found with social self-efficacy. Examining the impacts of family dynamics on the child outside of the home adds to the literature about family dynamics and gleans further insight for family therapists about the impact of familial dynamics.
Congratulations again to Morgan Hamilton on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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Looking for ways to get more involved this summer? Or looking to build your resume/CV and experience? Then check out Camp Starfish!
Camp Starfish fosters the success and growth of children with emotional, behavioral, and learning problems by providing individualized attention as part of structured, nurturing, and fun group programs.
You may be thinking, well why should I work at Camp Starfish? Working at Camp Starfish
If you are interested in learning more about interning/working at Camp Starfish this summer contact Jessica Eades at (719) 640-9773 or Jessica.eades1257@gmail.com, as well as if you have further questions contact their staffing team at (978) 637-2617 or staffing@campstarfish.org
Moreover, follow their Instagram @campstarfishstaff and check out their website for more information and to apply today!
Learn more about completing an internship for credit at Roanoke College by going to our webpage or by contacting Dr. FVN at findley@roanoke.edu
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Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Kira Hunt, Abbie Joseph, David Casson, and Carly Schepacarter!
Congratulations to Kira! After graduation, she plans to take a gap year working as a teacher’s assistant while home. Then, she plans on applying to graduate programs in preparation to become a Certified Child Life Specialist. Kira’s favorite memory of the Psychology department was attending the psychology reception for alumni weekend. “It was interesting to hear stories from alumni who had the teachers that I had. It’s also really fun to watch the psychology faculty interact with each other.”
Congrats Abbie! After graduation, she will be attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for her master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Abbie’s favorite psych-related memory has been the opportunities to gain research experience and being able to carry out her own research study. She is “very thankful for Dr. Powell and all her patience and guidance!”
Congratulations to David! His post graduate plans are to move to Easton, MD for the summer, since his folks have purchased a new house there recently. He will be working a job there over the summer and hopefully gaining resume experience while he plans what to do for a graduate school transition in the near future. David’s favorite memory of the Psychology department was when he took a Drugs and Behavior class with Dr. Allen. “This class was extremely interesting, thought provoking, engaging, and fun all along the way. Learning how varying forms of substances affect different parts of the brain and behavior in unique ways was something I did not think I would learn at Roanoke.”
Congrats Carly! In the fall, Carly will be pursuing her Master’s in Art Therapy degree at George Washington University. She hopes to work part-time in a research lab or human services position as she works toward her degree. Carly’s favorite psych-related memory has been working in Dr. Carter’s research lab for the past 3 years! “Our lab meetings have been the highlight of my week each semester and I always appreciated the support I received from my lab partners and Dr. Carter in my time here.”
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If you are a freshman or sophomore wrapping up this semester thinking, “What am I going to do after I graduate in a few years?” or are wondering, “What should I be doing these next few years to reach my career goals?” then make a note to add PSYC 110 to your Spring 2022 schedule!
PSYC 110 is a P/F course taught each spring that helps students consider their post-graduation pursuits, as well as clarifies for students the resources available to them within the department and across the college. In a typical (i.e., face-to-face) semester, students also shadow a professional in a career of interest to them. In this semester’s remote format, students complete two informational interviews with professionals in careers of interest to them. After completing the interviews, the students created posters summarizing what they learned.
Continue reading for some examples of the posters from this semester’s students.
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Alise Bennett, Savannah Brown, Emily Gabrielian, & Alyssa Mattson (Advisor: Dr. Chris Buchholz)
Background
A little over a year ago, our world was quickly turned upside down once the news broke that we were heading into a global pandemic due to the coronavirus. With the rise of the pandemic, we also saw a rise in beliefs in conspiracy theories related to the coronavirus. COVID-19 skepticism became extremely present across the United States as some people demonstrated that they did not believe in the seriousness of the virus or that the pandemic was a hoax (Latkin et al., 2021). Recent research has demonstrated that COVID-19 skepticism is strongly associated with a decrease in engagement in COVID-19 prevention behaviors, such as isolating at home, social distancing, and wearing a face mask (Latkin et al., 2021).
Additionally, the research conducted on COVID-19 skepticism noted that the skepticism was associated with political conservation because there was a relationship between the sources of news that individuals consumed, the negative attitudes towards government spending on public health, and believing in conspiracy theories (Latkin et al., 2021). This current study aims to examine the relationship between paranoia levels and compliance in COVID-19 guidelines, such as wearing facial coverings and social distancing, in order to better understand the conspiracy theories surrounding the coronavirus. The possible limitations that may be present throughout this study are that we used a convenience sample from the Roanoke College student population, meaning that our data is not representative of the general population. Additionally, it is possible that when we were analyzing the data that we overlooked certain responses that may have been associated with the objective of the study. Overall, the findings of this study may reveal how paranoia contributes to these greater sociological problems as well as how to effectively address conspiratorial thinking as it affects our daily lives.
Method
Participants. 96 participants were sourced from either INQ-260 Psychology or Psychology 101 classes at Roanoke College. The students were notified about the survey through SONA, a subject pool software, and were given credit for completing the survey thoroughly and fully.
Materials. We used a survey platform called Qualtrics to build and conduct the following survey:
Following the video, all participants were directed to the main survey:
Procedure. The survey was live for a roughly three-week period. The participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions (videos). After finishing the video, participants will move on to the questionnaire part of the survey. In this section, participants will answer a series of questions ranging from personality and paranoia to questions regarding COVID-19 prevention practices engaged in. At the end of the survey, participants were given the option to redirect to another survey to enter personal information to receive credit. Following the data collection period, data was analyzed and interpreted by our group.
Results
A 2 x 2 between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to examine the effects of paranoia on compliance with COVID-19 public health guidance. It was predicted that participants who viewed the vaccination video would be more likely to respond positively to questions relating to compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. A second hypothesis suggested that those who score high in paranoia will score low in compliance to COVID-19, given a perceived tendency towards conspiratorial thinking and a resulting mistrust or disbelief in the effectiveness of COVID-19 preventative measures.
Our results indicated that the experimental condition (watching the John Hopkins University on COVID-19 vaccinations) did not significantly improve compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. As shown in Figure 1, those low in paranoia did show increased compliance with COVID-19 preventative measures; however, this difference was not statistically significant.
Figure 1. Experimental condition and paranoia on compliance with COVID-19 public health guidance.
Between both experimental conditions, narcissism and psychopathy were two dark personality traits found to be significant in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. Those scoring high in narcissism were most likely to report low compliance with COVID-19 public health guidance (see Figure 2). Similarly, those high in trait psychopathy had much lower compliance with COVID-19 protective measures (see Figure 3).
Figure 2. Experimental condition and paranoia on compliance with COVID-19 public health guidance.
Figure 3. Psychopathy and paranoia on compliance with COVID-19 public health guidance.
While our main hypotheses could not be confirmed by this study, our exploratory variables yielded results in line with our predictions. One may attribute our findings to the multiple ways in which paranoia might play out given the context of COVID-19. For example, someone scoring high in paranoia may score low in compliance given a mistrust in these guidelines, or high in compliance given anxiety around contracting the virus. Regarding our experimental conditions, perhaps a short video, regardless of context, is not a “strong enough” stimulus to influence how people would respond to survey questions relating to an event such as COVID-19.
In contrast, our findings suggest that individuals high in narcissism and psychopathy are more likely to disregard COVID-19 public health guidance, in line with behaviors generally observed from individuals with these traits. In the case of narcissism, a preoccupation with one’s own interests, regardless of the consequences or harm it may cause others, may explain this relationship. A general disregard for others and their safety may characterize this relationship as applied to psychopathy.
Reflection
After completing this assignment, as a group, we have a better understanding of research methods overall. While we have participated in other experiments, now we more fully grasp how to design an experiment, clean and analyze data, and write formally for research. Essentially, this class allowed for the hands-on application of the knowledge we learned over our college careers. Additionally, we believe that it may be beneficial if this study was replicated in order to see if our results would be significant or stay the same. It is certainly possible that our participants were only completing our survey for credit in their course, which may have resulted in students not taking the time to provide complete answers to our questions.
Conclusion
The main findings of this study indicate that the Roanoke College students that participated in the survey demonstrated that paranoia had an effect on compliance to COVID-19 guidelines; however, this finding was not significant. Additional findings indicate that the relationship between both experimental conditions and the two dark personalities (narcissism and psychopathy) and compliance to COVID-19 guidelines was found to be significant. Moving forward, academic institutions may be interested in expanding upon this study in order to further understand the association between beliefs in conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and paranoia in order to see if there is a significant relationship. Additionally, it would be very interesting if academic institutions also conducted future studies on the association between narcissism and psychopathy and beliefs in conspiracy theories about COVID-19.
References
Latkin, C. A., Dayton, L., Moran, M., Strickland, J. C., & Collins, K. (2021). Behavioral and psychosocial factors associated with COVID-19 skepticism in the United States. Current Psychology, 1-9. doi: 10.1007/s12144-020-01211-3.
Luke Harbison, MaryDrew Collier, Hunter Andrews, and Alice Chandler (Advisor: Dr. Buchholz)
Background Information
Why are people inclined to form mosh pits at heavy music concerts (Thrash, Death Metal etc.) but wouldn’t at something like a Barry Manilow concert? Do various genres have respectively different effects on human emotions and behavior? Prior research studies have investigated these questions with findings supporting the supposed answer. Some studies show heavier music made subjects more likely to report negative feelings while other studies demonstrated that songs with negative lyrical content can make people report a higher frequency of aggression (Shafron & Karno, 2013; Anderson & Carnagey, 2003). In this study, we predicted the conditions of aggressive music (Drowning Pool-Bodies) or soft music (Claude DeBussy-Clair De Lune) would produce different results of aggression levels, specifically a greater level when listening to aggressive music compared to soft and no music conditions. Our study specifically focused on state aggression rather than trait aggression, while also taking gender differences into account (male, female) to look for possible interactions. The key aspect of this study revolves around examining participant’s current aggression levels. By examining the participants’ current levels, we should gather results on the immediate effect music has on a person.
Methods
Our study was conducted entirely online. We created a survey on the website Qualtrics and received our participant pool by providing class credit for people in introductory-level psychology courses through a website called SONA. The survey respondents listened to one of three music clips: clip 1 being no music, clip 2 being Clair De Lune by Claude DeBussy, a representation of soft music, and clip 3 being Bodies by Drowning Pool, a representation of aggressive music. Respondents then answered questions related to their current emotional state, particularly how aggressive they felt. Results were put into a Jamovi where it was analyzed. In addition, we also asked respondents to tell us their gender (male and female) so we could look for possible interactions. We had two other gender selections (prefer not to say, non-binary) but they were not used in the analysis.
Results and Discussion
In order to evaluate the effects of gender and music genres on aggression, a 2 (male/female) x 3 (no music, easy listening, and aggressive music) between-subjects analysis of variance was conducted. There were 15 questions related to aggression and 5 related to negative feelings in general. Our analysis found that there was no difference in aggression level across the three groups. We did find a difference between men and women but it was not found to be significantly different. Additionally, we found no interaction between the main groups.
We anticipated that there would be significant findings, but our results show the likelihood of no change in aggression level being present. However, other potential factors are present including the music clips being too short or respondents not paying attention and rushing through the survey. Although females reported higher levels of aggression, this could be affected by other factors that weren’t accounted for. While we did not have any significant findings, this information could benefit future researchers who want to examine aggression and its relationship to music. If this study were to be conducted in the future, we could potentially lengthen music clips and control the setting of where the survey is being taken at. Ultimately, we found no strong evidence that aggressive music poses a difference in state aggression in comparison to no music and soft music.
Figure 1. The effects of music genres on aggression.
Figure 2. The effects of gender on aggression.
Figure 3. The interaction between gender and music genres.
Reflection
Based on this study’s findings, we can conclude that our hypothesis was not supported. In examining the possible reasons for this, we determined there are multiple possibilities. The phenomena of mosh pits may be related to other factors such as drinking and the influence of people being around other people who are all in a highly stimulating environment. Additionally, our study had flaws that could result in missing the real effect that could be present. Our findings do not firmly guarantee that no effect occurs, conducting a different study could potentially identify it. Another important piece of information that we learned was how complex the process of creating a study, getting the study approved, gathering respondents, and compiling data all truly was. Going forward, researchers in the fields of musicology and the behavioral sciences may be able to use our research to examine the phenomena of music genres on behavior even further than us.
References
Anderson C.A., Carnagey N.L. (2003). Exposure to Violent Media: The effects of songs with violent lyrics on aggressive thoughts and feelings. Journal of Personality and social Psychology, 84(5), 960-71. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.84.5.960
Shafron, G.R., & Karno, M.P. (2013). Heavy metal music and emotional dysphoria among listeners. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 2(2), 74-85. doi: 10.1037/a0031722.
Curtis Kingery, Lauren Powell, and Alex Upright (Advisor: Dr. Buchholz)
Background Information
“Genius Grant” award winner Angela Duckworth recently asked, “What is the single most significant choice a human being can make in their life?” Distinguished Psychology researcher David Buss responded, “The selection of a long-term mate.” Since he is esteemed for research in human mating, he might be biased to answer that way. However, it is undeniable that mating is a critical part of human existence. In mate selection, most traits and qualities are considered essential by both sexes (e.g., kind, trustworthy, intelligent), yet some traits are prioritized more by one sex than the other. These differences in preferences on traits most valued in an opposite-sex partner are well documented, along with an evolutionary rationale for their existence. On average, men disproportionately favor youthfulness and physical attractiveness in female mates. Women’s preferences show an asymmetry, on average, towards a man’s ability to acquire resources (Buss, 1989; Li et al., 2002; Walter et al., 2020). These traits may vary in one’s ability to control them. That is, there may be a significant difference between the ability to control one’s level of attractiveness versus the amount of control one has over their earning potential. Prior research on this topic found just that. Traits highly associated with female mate value are perceived as less controllable, by females, relative to traits highly associated with male mate value—and their perceived controllability by men (Ben Hamida et al., 1998). However, there is individual variation within the sexes on how they perceive their control over these traits. That is, males will vary in the extent to which they perceive control over characteristics suggestive of resource acquisition ability. We sought to account for these individual differences, generally, in perceived controllability of traits and, specifically, on critical mating dimensions. (Mis)perceptions of control could inform our understanding of documented differences in human behavior between males and females.
Methods
Participants were recruited from a pool of current students attending Roanoke College through the College’s Psychology department SONA system, primarily students enrolled in PSYC 101 or INQ260-PY who were eligible for extra credit received a half-credit as compensation for the participation. There were 26 male participants and 69 female participants, for a total of 95 participants who completed the study.
Our survey was administered using Qualtrics where participants were asked to respond to a variety of different scales, including the Locus of Control, the Scale for Intrasexual Competition (specified for either male or female, depending on the participant’s indicated gender) and a controllability questionnaire. Participants in the manipulation group were shown eight images, one of a person’s body ‘before’ working out and getting fit, and the second of the same person’s body ‘after’ working out. This particular manipulation was used in order to explore the possibility of intervention where countermessaging could increase people’s perceptions of control of traits that they wish to improve. Participants were also asked demographic questions such as gender identity and sexual orientation.
Results and Discussion
We expected to find a relationship between one’s level of intrasexual competitiveness and their perceived controllability of myriad traits. Although the relationship wasn’t strong enough to make any reliable conclusions, we did see a reduction in perceived controllability as participants, on average, increased in intrasexual competitiveness. See figure 1.
Figure 1: The effect of intrasexual competitiveness and sex on self-perceived controllability
Figure 1 implies that as one focuses more on competing with same-sex peers for mates, their perceptions of control over their traits could be influenced by that preoccupation.
Similarly, we expected our experimental manipulation, where half of the participants saw body transformation images, to increase that group’s average perception of controllability. We did not find evidence for this relationship. This could mean that our manipulation wasn’t strong enough or it could imply that perceptions of controllability may be stable traits within individuals that are unlikely to be influenced in this manner.
As predicted, we did find that males and females, on average, showed substantial differences in their general perceptions of controllability of traits. See figure 2.
Figure 2: Self-perceived controllability of traits by sex
Moreover, we found a statistically significant result for differences in males’ and females’ perceptions of controllability, specifically on the dimensions regarded as critical to men when choosing a female mate. That is, traits related to youthfulness and attractiveness were considered more controllable by men than women. There was no evidence for these sex differences on perceptions of controllability for resource acquisition traits. These sex differences in perceptions of controllability could inform our understanding of behaviors that show increased or decreased occurrence in one sex versus the other (e.g., mate preferences, risk-taking, aggression, jealousy, and several psychological disorders such as depression and eating disorders).
Reflection
Unfortunately, while we were unable to find a strong enough relationship between competitiveness and controllability to make any conclusions, we were still able to determine a statistically significant difference in males’ and females’ perception of how well they can control their youthfulness and attractiveness.
Conclusion
We are all different people with different experiences and lives. There is no need to stress unnecessarily about being as attractive or successful as possible for fear of missing out on the perfect spouse. There is no need to compare yourself to others or feel that you must complete with them to find “the perfect mate.” Be patient, focus on the things that will not be changed by time, such as humor or personality, and make sure that you can be the best you can be, and the right person will be there at the right time.
References
Ben Hamida, S., Mineka, S., & Bailey, J. M. (1998). Sex differences in perceived controllability of mate value: An evolutionary perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(4), 953–966. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.75.4.953
Buss, D. M. (1989). Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12, 1–14. doi:10.1017/ S0140525X00023992
Li, N. P., Bailey, J. M., Kenrick, D. T., & Linsenmeier, J. A. W. (2002). The necessities and luxuries of mate preferences: Testing the tradeoffs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6), 947–955. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.6.947
Walter, K. V., Conroy-Beam, D., Buss, D. M., Asao, K., Sorokowska, A., Sorokowski, P., Aavik, T., Akello, G., Alhabahba, M. M., Alm, C., Amjad, N., Anjum, A., Atama, C. S., Atamtürk Duyar, D., Ayebare, R., Batres, C., Bendixen, M., Bensafia, A., Bizumic, B., … Zupančič, M. (2020). Sex differences in mate preferences across 45 countries: A large-scale replication. Psychological Science, 31(4), 408–423. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620904154
On May 10th, Kira Hunt successfully defended her Honors in the Major and Honors Distinction Project. Congratulations Kira! The psychology department faculty/staff and your fellow departmental student assistants are so proud of you.
Her project was titled: “Ignoring Red Flags: Self Efficacy and Self-Disclosure in Online Romantic Relationships”. In addition to a successful defense, Kira completed an impressive two-lab project working in both Dr. Powell and Dr. Nichols’ labs. Her work beautifully combines aspects from multiple disciplines, including psychology and sociology.
Project Abstract:
With the advancement of technology, dating has changed drastically, especially for emerging adults who make up a considerable portion of online daters. However, dangers surrounding dating someone met online (e.g., misrepresentation) are a major concern. Additionally, without the social cues usually gathered from face-to-face interactions, individuals often have intense feelings of intimacy and are more willing to self-disclose more than in face-to-face interactions. The first study aimed to examine if romantic self-efficacy and target attractiveness impacted the likeliness to self-disclose in online initiated relationships. There were no significant differences in likelihood to self-disclose based on romantic self-efficacy or target attractiveness. However, likeliness to disclose did appear to be affected by whether misleading information was included, and the depth or level of the information being disclosed. The second study utilized electroencephalogram (EEG) to determine if target attractiveness and presence of misleading information impacted brain activity. There were no significant differences in brain activity based on target attractiveness or vignette type, nor was amount of self-disclosure associated with brain activity. Although most of the hypotheses were unsupported, the current study suggests more research needs to be done to determine what characteristics of individuals or of potential partners might influence online dating behaviors (e.g., falling victim to online romance scams).
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Therapy4thePeople is a new non-profit making it easier to access mental healthcare in the US by focusing on three of the biggest barriers to care: cost, complexity, and cultural mismatch. They are currently looking for an intern to help plan their social media content and manage accounts on Twitter and Instagram. 
Therapy4thePeople is building the first national directory of free and low-cost mental health services that goes beyond therapy to include overlooked sources of support like chat services, support groups, research studies, and self-guided programs. They also bring expertise and insider knowledge onto their blog, where they publish guidance on navigating the mental health system and finding culturally sensitive care.
We are excited to expand our communications team to ensure that we get these important resources to the people who need them most.
More information about the organization can be found on their website, on their About Us page. You can also check out their existing Twitter account, @therapy4theppl.
From the organization: “We’re looking for an intern to help plan our social media content and manage our accounts on Twitter and Instagram. The intern will play a key role in disseminating our work to help-seekers and mental health professionals on these platforms. Their primary role will be to create social media content that promotes our directory and blog and provides updates on our work. We’re also looking for someone who will find, create, and share online content aligned with our organization’s values (e.g., health equity, culturally sensitive care, evidence-based treatments, social justice). The intern will track social media engagement to help us maximize Therapy4thePeople’s impact and reach. One year commitment is required, with a flexible schedule of approximately 3-5 hours per week, including regular check-ins with our Executive Team. If looking for additional hours or experiences for internship credit, this role can be expanded.”
This organization says the role includes the following benefits…
Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter that includes information about relevant mental health and social media experience, and two sample Twitter posts (preferably with visual content). Applications are due Sunday June 6. Applicants should expect to hear back regarding their application within two weeks, and if deemed a strong fit for the role, will be invited to a Zoom interview with the Therapy4thePeople co-founders. Please direct all inquiries about this position and application materials to:
Therapy4thePeople Executive Team
therapy4thepeople@gmail.com
“Our work centers the needs and experiences of people from marginalized groups, especially Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and those from lower income backgrounds. We know that we can only achieve our mission if our team reflects the communities we aim to serve. Applicants who bring a diversity of lived experiences and identities are strongly encouraged to apply.” – Therapy4thePeople
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Finals are quickly approaching being less than two weeks away. Now is the perfect time to start studying and putting the finishing touches on final projects and assignments that will be due. Of course, this time of the year is not without stress especially now during the pandemic.
Keep reading for more helpful advice about stress management and how to succeed during the finals.
College-wide events:
Chair Massages
Chair massages for students for stress relief!
When: Monday, May 10th, Wednesday, May 12th, & Friday, May 14th 2021
Time: Sign up here
Where: The WELL (Alumni 216)
Below are some tips on completing projects and how to study to avoid stress and turn in quality work.
How to Prepare
The best way to make sure that you have adequate time to start and complete all of the assignments is to come up with a plan.
Take Breaks
The best rule to follow for work/life balance is 80/20 where 80% is focused on academics and 20% is focused on having fun. Studying for long periods of time can be draining and isn’t efficient in the long run. Breaks can be as simple as meditating or going for a walk. Just remember to come back to studying when you’re mentally prepared.
Ask for Help
Sometimes it can be really helpful to talk with other classmates for clarification. This can also apply to professors. It’s better to ask before to make sure you’re prepared for the test. In addition, being able to explain the material to someone else and having them understand it is a good strategy for understanding and remembering the material.
Where to Study
Now that 9 AM to 9 PM access to other residence halls has been restored to all residential students, you can use the study lounges across campus to your advantage. Make sure the spot you pick to study is quiet and free from distractions. The library also has some great resources such as the individual study rooms on the top floor and group study rooms in the basement.
These are just some tips and not all of these work for everyone. This is also by no means a comprehensive list. Starting early will help you figure out which strategies work best for you. Remember the psychology department is cheering you on!
Good luck with finals and enjoy your summer!
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Please join us in congratulating the following students for their hard work and dedication within the psychology department! These students were honored in a ceremony on May 3, 2021.
Senior Scholar in Psychology
Autumn T. Cox
The psychology major who has the highest overall grade point average (a minimum of 3.2 is required) after completion of at least 27 units is designated as the Senior Scholar in Psychology.
Karl W. Beck Memorial Prize
Kaillee M. Philleo and Carly M. Shepacarter
A monetary prize that is made possible by gifts of friends in memory of the late Karl W. Beck, who was a professor and chair of the Roanoke College Psychology Department. This award is given for excellence in Psychology.
Curt R. Camac Student Research Award
Sydney M. Caulder, Kira N. Hunt, Abbie L. Joseph, and Curtis E. Kingery
From 1986 to 2012, Dr. Curt Camac was one of the leaders of a campus-wide movement to increase student-faculty research. As an inspiration to both students and faculty, he helped pave the way for the tremendous growth in research experiences we offer at Roanoke. This grant was developed in his honor to support student research.
The Charles E. Early Award
Aaron J. Rogers
In honor of Dr. Charles Early, retired Professor of Psychology, who taught at Roanoke from 1988
to 2015, this award goes to the student who best embodies Dr. Early’s love of learning, powerful work ethic, keen intellect, warm humor, and deep appreciation for pie.
The Jan H. Lynch Human Development Concentration Award
Morgan J. Hamilton, Abbie L. Joseph, and Grace E. Page
In honor of Dr. Jan Lynch, retired Professor of Psychology, who taught at Roanoke from 1980 to 2015. This award goes to the students who have demonstrated excellence in the Human Development Concentration.
Outstanding Junior Psychology Majors
Hunter J. Andrews, Kyra R. Baker, Benjamin S. Campbell, Alice R. Chandler, Jessica A. Fritz, Emily P. Gabrielian, Kaitlyn S. Gifford, Carey S. Linkous, Claire M. McDonald, Sara C. Moody, Naomi H. Painter, Carrie N. Pohlman, Kaeley E. Pollock, Kristi R. Rolf, Hannah N. Schetselaar, Rebecca A. Shannon, and Sarah E. Young
Recognition given to the junior students who are deemed by the faculty as having demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and potential for continued success in Psychology.
Outstanding Student in the Neuroscience Concentration
Kira N. Hunt
This award is given annually to the student who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement in the neuroscience concentration and has shown potential for continued success in the field.
Psi Chi Achievement Award
Kaillee M. Philleo
A gift given to the Psi Chi member who has best exemplified excellence in scholarship, leadership, and service. The recipient is chosen by student and faculty members of Psi Chi, the honorary society in Psychology.
Again, please wish these students congratulations if you see them around campus! Additionally, thank you to our amazing faculty and staff who help guide our students towards success! We are so very grateful to you!
Are you looking for a summer job? How about an internship experience? Well, look no further, because Camp Easterseals is hiring summer staff!
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There’s no denying it. We love our Alumni! The Psychology department at Roanoke College is an inclusive group that wants everyone to feel welcomed into our community, both before and after your graduation! If COVID-19 has shown us anything, it is that connections are more important than ever. This post is outlining some ways for our Alumni (old or brand-new) can stay connected with the Psychology department.
The Psychology department has a couple different social media accounts that Alumni are encouraged to follow and engage with. The first is our Instagram, @rcpsychology. Our posts are always fun to look through, but make sure you’re also staying up-to-date with our Instagram stories!
And let’s not forget about Facebook! Our account on Facebook is used similarly to our Instagram. You can find information on research, events, alumni updates, shared articles, and so much more. Our account is again, @rcpsychology.
And finally, Twitter! The Psychology department at RC is full of kindness and humor, which makes students and professors alike spend a lot of time scrolling through Twitter. The department’s account is @RC_Psychology.
Good news! If you’re reading this, you’re already one step closer to becoming an active alumni for the psychology department. We hope you enjoy taking a look through these blog posts and staying in the loop on what is happening for RC Psychology, both on and off campus. Here you can find similar news and stories to the ones shared on our socials, but you may get more frequent updates with details.
You guys already know the drill. Join the department’s LinkedIn group to stay informed on news, jobs, and graduate school information. Multiple faculty members are a part of the group, along with alumni and current students!
Don’t forget that no matter how you stay involved, the Roanoke College Psychology community is eager to welcome you as an alumni. Feel free to reach out the faculty via email to share opportunities, hear about departmental news, or even to just catch up with your favorite professors!
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Congratulations to Abbie Joseph ’21 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her project was titled “Cyberstalking Behaviors After the Use of Ghosting”. Her supervisor, Dr. Darcey N. Powell was joined by committee members, Dr. Osterman and Dr. Berntson, to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract:
The purpose of the current study was to examine the differences in cyberstalking behaviors after the dissolution of a romantic interaction based on the dissolution strategy used (i.e., ghosting or explicit reasoning). Participants included emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 29 (N = 240) who had a romantic interaction end. A survey was used to collect information regarding participants’ most recent relationship dissolution, their experiences with ghosting and cyberstalking, their engagement in cyberstalking behaviors towards an ex-partner and the ex-partner’s new partner, their social media app usage, and their relationships with their ex-partner. Analyses revealed that participants whose most recent romantic interaction ended via ghosting did not engage in significantly more cyberstalking behaviors than participants whose most recent romantic interaction ended via explicit reasoning. There were no significant differences in the length of engagement in cyberstalking behaviors after the breakup between participants whose relationship ended through ghosting and participants whose relationship ended explicitly. There were no significant differences in engagement of cyberstalking behaviors between participants who initiated the ghosting and participants who were ghosted. Participants who were ghosted engaged in cyberstalking behaviors to seek out information about their ex-partner and the ex-partner’s new partner. The findings of the current study provide information on how the dissolution strategy is associated with post-dissolutional cyberstalking behaviors.
Congratulations again to Abbie Joseph on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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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, follow this link, and once again congratulations to Dr. Powell for her recent publication!
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Calling all recently declared psychology majors! The Psychology Department is excited about your interest in the field that we love, and are passionate about working with you to explore the many facets of psychology and prepare you for life after graduation!
If you have recently declared the major, we want to welcome you to the department this Wednesday or Thursday through the New Majors Orientation event! This event will be held via Zoom and all-new majors, including those who missed the event in the past, are welcome to join!
New Majors Orientations
When: Wednesday, April 28
Time: 4:00 PM-5:00 PM
Where: Click this Zoom link to join!
or
When: Thursday, April 29
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Where: Click this Zoom link to join!
We look forward to welcoming you to the department then!
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Want to get ahead or catch up? Just want to take an interesting course? You might be interested in taking summer courses.
This summer the psychology department is offering five summer classes in 2021, three in the first term and two in the second term. All courses still have seats available. See below for which classes are being taught in which term, who they are being taught by, and their times. This information can also be found on self-service which is also where you can sign up for these courses.
See our class registration 101 blog post found here to refresh on how to do so.
Summer Session 1
Psych 381: Abnormal Psychology TBD (Dr. Hilton)
PSYC 251: Personality 10:50 AM-1:00 PM (Dr.Whitson)
PSYC 332: Drugs and Behavior 8:30 AM-10:40 AM (Dr. Allen)
Summer Session 2
PSYC 354: Evolutionary Psychology 8:30 AM-10:40 AM (Dr. Osterman)
PSYC-390: History of Psychology TBD (Dr. Buchholz)
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Congratulations to Naomi Painter and Ben Campbell for being selected as Summer Scholars!
Roanoke College’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.
Naomi will be working with Buchholz on her project in light of the occurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic and issues involving prejudice and discrimination where she intends to examine the effects of disgust on the presence of prejudicial responses and the individual differences that contribute to said relationship.
Ben will be working with Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand on his project, inspired by his interest in traditional or toxic masculinity, where he intends to research the effects of jealousy on threatened masculinity and relational aggression (i.e., aggression used to harm peer relationships) use.
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Internships are one of the main forms of experiential learning experiences offered at Roanoke College and within the psychology department. Each semester, our department sends students to work with various different organizations, across a number of fields or professions within psychology, to gain exposure to the field and to share their experiences with the department and other students on campus.
While COVID-19 has come with many challenges, this semester, many internships were able to resume, allowing one student, Kait Gifford ’21, to gain an internship that allowed her to overlap her two academic areas of interest, psychology and criminal justice. Specifically, this semester, Kait Gifford has been interning with the Salem Commonwealth Attorney’s Office. Continue reading to learn more about this experience and what Gifford does during this internship.
Can you tell me more about your internship?
At my internship, I have gotten to review past and current criminal cases here in Salem. I pretty much have free range over the case files including any important videos from the crime scenes, witness statements, and any other supporting documents which is very interesting and exhilarating. After I have reviewed the cases, I report what I have learned back to the Commonwealth Attorney and we discuss the pertinent portions of the cases and what would be relevant at trial.
What drew you to interning at the Commonwealth Attorney?
I was actually recommended to this internship by Interim Chief of Campus Safety, Joe Mills. I am a student dispatcher at Campus Safety and I knew that I wanted to have an internship that combined psychology and criminal justice. I want to go into Forensic Psychology, and I felt that this internship would give me a better handle on some of the legislative principles of the field, while also allowing me to apply what I have learned through my psychology courses at Roanoke.
What does a normal day look like for you?
For the most part, I spend the majority of my time at my internship pouring over the case files. However, I also sit in court and watch court proceedings and trials in addition to talking to the people that work in the different aspects of the court system. I feel that this has been particularly interesting and beneficial for me because everyone takes different paths, so it is interesting to hear how some of the essential people to the courts have made it to where they are today.
Thanks again to Kait Gifford ’21 for sharing this experience, and if you are interested in completing an internship, you can reach out to the psychology department’s internship director, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand, as well as check out the Psychology Departments, and Career Services websites for more information and resources.
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We have all struggled throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but along with the bad days came some very good ones! Psychology students at Roanoke College are no exception to this experience. This post is highlighting some of the good that has come out of the past year: we are so proud of all of our students, but we especially want to shoutout the following graduates who have made the best of their situation and are one step closer to living their dream!
Rachel Harmon graduated after the Spring 2020 semester. We recently heard that she will be entering graduate school at the University of Alabama in the Fall of 2021! She will be working towards her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology. Congratulations Rachel!
Sophie Bacon graduated after the Spring 2020 semester. We were so excited to hear that she will be working towards her Masters in Human Development Counseling! She will be completing her masters degree in graduate school at Vanderbilt University in the Fall of 2021. Congrats Sophie!
Ji’Asia Anderson is a recent graduate from Roanoke College. We are so proud to hear that she will be entering the workforce through a company called New Essecare of NJ as a case manager! This company focuses on helping people with mental illnesses in their daily lives and making sure that they are able to have basic skills to cope with their triggers and live independently. Congratulations!
Ji’Asia says that “you can tell that the people we work with appreciate the help and sometimes it’s the only help that they can get to help with their basic needs. I usually help my clients with making doctor appointments or finding primary doctors, working through coping skills to help them control their triggers for their disorders or help them identify them if they aren’t aware of their triggers. I talk to my clients daily to evaluate how they are doing and help provide them with activities to do at home, since most of them are bored and stressed out from being at home most of the day.”
In addition to the amazing work of the alumni showcased above, soon-to-be-graduated students like Lauren Powell are also working harder than ever!
Lauren Powell is graduating at the end of this semester and has already solidified her plans to go to graduate school. She will be getting her M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Lynchburg. She is excited because the department there seems a lot like the psychology department at Roanoke in that it is tightly knit and everyone is close.
“I am so sad to leave Roanoke behind but my time here was incredible and I’m excited to move forward with my education. I know Roanoke prepared me well.” – Powell
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From April 15-17, Roanoke College will be holding their annual Alumni Weekend virtually to bring Maroons together from all over the world to celebrate. On Friday, April 16th, the psychology department will be hosting a psychology reception from 3:30 to 5:30 pm hosted via Gatherly. You can sign up for Alumni Weekend by clicking this link. Come join us to see your favorite Psychology faculty members!
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It’s almost that time of year again: registration time! Advisors might be reaching out to you either this week or the next to set up meetings since registration will begin on Monday, April 19th. Students should be notified about their registration time in the next few weeks through email and it should be visible on self-service as well. Thus, this post will provide a simple step-by-step guide on how to register for classes as well as some helpful reminders!
How to Register
Self Service helps to organize and visualize your class schedule. The following link should bring you to the self-service login page. Your username and password is the same for self-service as it is for inquire.
After you log in, you should see the student home page seen below. Click on Student Planning near the bottom left, above Grades.
This should bring you to the student planning page where you can either check your academic progress or register for classes. Click on Plan for your Degree & Register for Classes on the right side of the screen (seen below).
Finally, you’ve reached the page where you can schedule your courses. Here is where register for You can use the arrows near the top left to change between terms. To add courses to your schedule, you can search for courses at the top right search bar.
Let’s say you wanted to add psychology 251 to your schedule. You would type it into the search bar and you should be brought the course catalog seen below. Clicking on “Add Course to Plan” and selecting a term won’t put the available class sections on your schedule, it will only show the class on the left sidebar in the planned classes. You’ll have to manually add a section by clicking view other sections.
If you click on “View Available Sections for PSYC-251” you’ll see all sections available for both the current and next term as shown below. Make sure you scroll down and click on “Add Section to Schedule” on a section under Fall Term, 2021.
You can also follow this post for instructions on how to register on the Ellucian Go app.
On the day of your registration time, a button should appear that says “Register Now” on the right that if pushed should register you for all classes currently on your course schedule. A confirmation email should be sent that notifies you of what classes you have registered for.
If you would like to see these steps in action, Roanoke College provides two videos on using Self-Service to plan schedules.
Other Tips
Courses being taught Fall 2021
PSYC-101 : Introduction to Psychology
PSYC-221: Developmental Psychology
PSYC-231: Biological Psychology
PSYC-251: Social Psychology
PSYC-381: Abnormal Psychology
INQ-260PY Soc Sci Reas:
PSYC 241: Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 202: Research Methods in Psychology
PSYC 204: Quantitative Method
PSYC 204L Quantitative Methods in Psych Lab
PSYC 319: Special Topics Psychology and Law
NEUR 330: Principles of Neuroscience
PSYC 321: Child Development
PSYC 322: Adolescent Development
PSYC 410 Research Seminar Social Personality
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Miami University is now accepting applications for their third annual Diversifying Psychology Weekend being held virtually, May 1st, 2021. This weekend is designed to help students from underrepresented and diverse backgrounds learn more about research and graduate school in psychology, prepare to apply for a doctorate in psychology, network with graduate students and faculty, and learn more about what their department has to offer. The event is supported by Miami University’s Psychology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, and Graduate School, and Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion. Students who are early in their college careers and/or who are less familiar with doctoral degrees in psychology are encouraged to apply.
To receive full consideration, successful applicants should:
To apply, follow this link. Applications are due April 7th, 2021.
More information about their psychology department can be found here.
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A current Psychology student at Roanoke College, Grace Page, is completing an internship with Thriving Families Counseling, so we decided to highlight this local organization and share her experience and story. Thriving Families Counseling is a counseling center that provides services for adults, children, and adolescents.
Their services include individual, family, and group counseling sessions, and creative therapeutic modalities to address psychological distress (such as depression or anxiety), substance abuse, stress, family problems, grief, and much more.
The mission statement for Thriving Families Counseling (TFC) is: “to provide support, encouragement, compassion, and unconditional positive regard to adults, children, adolescents, and families while guiding them to find their inner resources and true Selves so that they may heal, grow, and learn to thrive in life”.
Grace Page is the first undergraduate intern TFC has ever had and sets a great example of how students can seek out engaging opportunities in the Roanoke Community. Grace had previously been a part of Roanoke’s Career Services’ Maroon Mentor program, and her mentor happened to work at TFC. After getting to know the Mentor, she was able to talk to her boss to work out an internship for Grace, creating the position based on Roanoke’s internship criteria.
“My favorite part about doing an internship is getting real-life experience working with someone in a position I hope to be in someday in the future.” – Grace Page
While TFC may not have other positions available for students, Grace sets an amazing example of what can happen when students step outside of their comfort zone a bit and independently search for meaningful opportunities. If struggling to find a place to start, students can always reach out to faculty members or the department’s head of internships, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand.
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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!
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As we approach the mid-way point to this semester, hopefully, you’re feeling less like Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell (as pictured above) and rather, prepared to tackle all your assignments in this coming week! While it may come as a shock to some that we are already half-way through this semester, we are here to help guide you through this stressful time, with some tips, tricks, and advice to make mid-terms more doable and less stressful. If you’re feeling the weight of mid-terms knocking you down, then keep reading to learn ways to get through these coming weeks successfully.
Plan ahead and tackle one thing at a time
Planning ahead and looking to see when assignments are due or when tests/quizzes are coming is a good place to start. Once you have your schedule, begin by tackling one assignment at a time. For some, that may be going in order of what is due first, for others, it may be tackling the hardest/most time-consuming assignment first. Whatever it may be, try to minimize your point of view from focusing on every assignment all at once, to focusing your attention on just one at a time. Remember, you will get everything done and if you’re feeling overwhelmed with how much you have, then keep reading to learn some additional tips/tricks to ease this feeling.
Set up a meeting with your professor
Are you having trouble understanding the assignment? Are you experiencing something else in life that is making it hard for you to complete an assignment on time? No matter what it may be regarding, professors offer a lot of advice, and odds are good that they understand their own assignments better than anyone else. That said, do not fear reaching out to your professors to get a better understanding of the assignment, for advice on how to move forward with it, or to discuss with them why you may be behind. Professors want to help in any way they can, and by planning ahead and looking over the assignment early, you can reach out and gain clarification before you too closely approach the deadline.
Meet with other classmates
If the option is there to meet with your classmates, then take it! While meeting with a professor is best practice, if you still find yourself struggling in a course, and happen to know some others in the class, reach out to see what tips/tricks they have to best tackle and complete an assignment, or ways they have found success in studying for an exam/quiz. Before doing so though, consult your course syllabus for the professors’ policies on meeting with other classmates, and as always, keep Academic integrity policies in mind.
Study with friends
Create study sessions with friends! Whether you set up hammocks on the back quad, head to Mill Mountain Coffee, or meet in the library, studying and completing assignments alongside friends can sometimes lead to greater productivity, or at least can take some stress off.
Take part in Yoga
Yoga has been linked through research to a reduction in stress and enhanced relaxation. Roanoke College group fitness currently offers two yoga classes
Virtual Yoga: Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30 PM (Must RSVP online to receive Zoom Link https://today.roanoke.edu/14491)
In-person Yoga: (Bast 138) on Thursdays from 8:15-9:00 PM.
If neither of these dates and times works for you, there are also various resources online where you can follow an instructor on your own time.
Do something you enjoy
Whether it be reading a book, listening to music, getting exercise, playing an instrument, or playing video games, make sure you take time between completing assignments and studying to do something you enjoy!
Practice self-care
Above all else, make sure you practice self-care during this time. Simple things such as getting a good night’s sleep, showering, eating well-balanced meals, and taking time to do things you enjoy will make the world of difference during mid-terms. While some days it may seem impossible, there is always some time you can take for yourself to take care of yourself.
We hope this blog helps you get through mid-terms with a bit more ease and as always, the psychology department will be cheering you on through these next few weeks!
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Each student at Roanoke College is required to take the Intensive Learning (IL) or May Term which provides the opportunity to learn in an immersive environment. For 2021, several psychology professors are offering classes to meet this requirement. Currently, there are four seats for Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand’s and Dr. Carter’s INQ 177 course Psychology of Teams. This course will last for 3 weeks (June 1st to June 18th) and will be in-person on the Main Campus.
The goal of this course is to examine what makes teams effective, drawing upon classic and modern research in psychology. What changes when individuals must function as part of a team? How do effective teams solve problems and make decisions? What group dynamics lead to challenges in effectively solving problems? What kinds of team environments foster cooperation and allow for successful communication? What makes for a good team leader? What kinds of personality traits make for the most (and least) effective team members? We will attempt to answer these questions through a combination of readings and daily activities, including a number of cooperative and competitive team-based games and local field trips.
Other ways to satisfy the IL requirement are through an IL Independent Study or an IL Internship. Students must apply for these 400-level projects to satisfy the IL requirement. These projects are usually within the student’s major and must meet the requirements of the department in addition to those specific to IL. The project must be undertaken when the student is not enrolled in other classes meaning that many projects may start in May but will continue through part of or all of the summer. Students will work closely with a faculty mentor who supervises the project to provide one or more final products (ex. paper, portfolio, oral presentation, artistic works, etc.).
The deadline for the application for using an independent study, research project, or internship to fulfill the IL requirement is May 6th for May Term/Summer projects in 2021. Completed applications (cover sheet, description of internship/project, and signatures of a faculty mentor and department chair) must be submitted to Dr. Dave Taylor, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs by the deadline.
Follow this link to find more information about the IL requirements and for the applications to use either an independent study or an internship to satisfy the IL requirement.
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This time last year our lives were put on pause for three weeks. Little did we know, a year later, the COVID-19 pandemic would be as present as ever, and unfortunately, those active quarantine activities have turned, for many of us, to enjoying a little bit too much Netflix and various delicious snacks. Nonetheless, while a new March is upon us and many of us have experienced a year pass between with little to no change in our daily routine, during the last 12-months there have been some major accomplishments across our department and in psychology. That being said, we hope this blog helps lifts some spirits, create some laughs, and act as a friendly reminder that this is a fact a new March.
Roanoke College Psychology Department Highlights
In the spring of 2020, we had 37 students graduate from the psychology department, many of which completed an Honors in the major, went on to various graduate programs, have obtained jobs, and/or have continued contributing to the field through research and practice.
Many students have continued working through internships both in Roanoke and Salem, as well as in various other cities and states.
Six psychology students were inducted in Phi Beta Kappa.
Numerous students, alum, and faculty have published or prepared manuscripts and articles.
Eight students presented virtually at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference.
All students and faculty have found ways to stay connected, create cozy office spaces, and try new things to help adapt to the new normal that has been sprung upon us for the time being.
Psychology Highlights
The introduction of a new variable in research – with the COVID-19 pandemic came the opportunity to examine the effect of this major event on various aspects of research that may not have ever been addressed before.
Virtual events – while in-person events may be preferable, everyone lives busy and separate lives. Therefore, with the introduction to virtual conferences, virtual psychology meetings/forums, etc. comes the fact that more people can attend and not only contribute to the field of psychology, but also learn from all that is evolving within it.
Adaptability in practice – As all have experienced over the last year, the ways things used to “have to be done” have proven to be untrue! Whether it be in clinical assessment, research, application, counseling, therapy, teaching, etc. many aspects of psychology that used to rely on the in-person nature to run, have adapted to online/virtual formats, opening the field to future opportunities to adapt and successfully reach those that may require an online format to succeed.
As evidenced by this blog, while the last 12-months may have been a bit of a blur for many, there have been accomplishments throughout our psychology department and the field as a whole, something that should leave all proud!
While it may be shocking that March has re-arrived, just know you’re not alone. With that, have a laugh at some ways others have depicted the return of March, and let us all look forward to the new accomplishments and successes that will fill our department and field over the coming months!
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Looking for ways to get involved with your community, both on and off campus? We’re here to give you some ideas how to do just that!
Roanoke College has a ton of different opportunities to get more involved in the psychology department.
If you are looking for ways to get involved in the community beyond Roanoke College, one of the best ways to do so is to volunteer! Depending on what your interests are, Roanoke City and Salem have plenty of opportunities suited for you!
Besides volunteering, check out this calendar of events to stay up-to-date on what fun stuff is happening in and around Roanoke!
Whatever your passion is, we hope this gave you an idea of some of the awesome opportunities Roanoke College and the surrounding areas have to build a sense of community. Have any more ideas or great suggestions? Leave a comment below!
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Dr. Dickens’ social psychology research lab at Spelman College is looking to hire an undergraduate research assistant to help with research focused on the experiences of Black women in STEM education.
During a 6-week summer program (June 7th – July 16th, 2021), students will have the opportunity for one-on-one mentorship and research experience with a faculty member. This opportunity will be virtual but working full time for the full 6-week commitment is required for the program. A stipend will be provided.
Responsibilities of the research assistant include:
It is preferred that interested students have the following qualifications:
Selection into the program is rolling and will last until March 19th, 2021.
If you are interested in applying, please complete the online application using this link and email your curriculum vitae/resume, and your most recent unofficial academic transcript to the lab director Dr. Danielle Dickens, at ddickens@spelman.edu.
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Are you still debating what to do over the summer but are interested in research? Roanoke College offers several opportunities to get involved with research this upcoming summer.
Roanoke College Summer Scholars
As the March 15th deadline quickly approaches, we will highlight Roanoke College’s Summer Scholars program. Summer scholars work one-on-one with faculty on a project that will be presented during Family Weekend (late September/early October). On-campus housing is provided and summer scholars will be paid $3000 and earn a summer course credit.
To apply students must have a 3.0 or higher GPA, have completed 8 units by the start of the grant period, and plan to return the following fall. The application consists of a cover sheet, a student application for summer scholars, and a faculty nomination to mentor a summer scholar. These forms and more information about the process can be found on the summer scholars page, here.
Below are some past psychology majors and their summer scholars projects:
2018
Aislinn Foutz. Parental and Peer Factors in Children’s Theory of Mind Development. Major: Psychology. (Faculty Mentor: Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand, Psychology)
Yipeng Wang. Gender Difference of Domestic Abuse and How Honor Culture Would Affect those Differences. Major: Psychology. (Faculty Mentor: Lindsey L. Osterman, Psychology)
2017
Sabrina McAllister. Time Perspective as a State-Based Measure. Major: Psychology. (Faculty mentor: David Nichols, Psychology)
Megan Miller. Self-driving cars as a test of the potentially harmful effects of empathy on moral decision making. Major: Psychology. (Faculty mentor: Chris Buchholz, Psychology).
Summer Research Incentive Program
As part of the Summer Experience Incentive Program, students are provided reduced summer tuition for one unit of internship, research, or independent study credit. To qualify for reduced summer tuition, approval for their project must be received no later than May 15th.
Students have the responsibility of finding a faculty member who is willing to supervise the project. It is recommended that students start working on proposals by Spring Break to give faculty members time to review the plan and give the students time to make revisions and acquire needed signatures.
Projects, required reflections, final paper, and final reflection (3-page minimum) must all be completed and submitted to their faculty supervisor by September 30th. Students in the program are also required to participate in a showcasing event.
A more in-depth description of the program, as well as the applications for the program, can be found on the Summer Research Incentive Program page, here.
Salem VA Medical Center and Roanoke College Undergraduate Research Experience
Please note that the program is currently on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic but those interested should email the director of undergrad research at research@roanoke.edu to get on the mailing list for when applications become open.
This collaboration with the Salem VA Medical center allows Roanoke College undergraduates to work in research with a Principal Investigator (PI) on current medical research and present it. Research has included topics such as “Predictors of Treatment Response Among Veterans with PTSD”, “Mental Health in Rural Veterans with and without Traumatic Brain Injury”, and “Effect of Exercise Training on Inflammation and Function in HIV Infected Veterans”.
It is recommended interested students meet with the Director of Undergraduate in the fall semester or early in the spring semester to discuss the program. To apply, students must submit a cover letter (with research interests), a curriculum vitae, an unofficial transcript, and two letters of recommendation to the Director of Undergraduate Research by the deadline.
More information about expectations and other important information can be found here.
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On February 9-13, eight students attended the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference virtually, to present research through poster sessions and to attend presentations. The students included Sophie Bacon ’20, Carolynn Bructo ’21, Ben Campbell ’22, Sydney Caulder ’21, Kira Hunt ’21, Abbie Joseph ’21, Naomi Painter ’22, and Carly Schepacarter ’21.
This blog post will highlight reactions to presenting and attending the SPSP conference virtually.
Sophie Bacon ’20
While presenting a poster at a virtual conference was a different experience, I ended up finding a silver lining! Something that I ended up enjoying about the virtual format was having all of the information about the conference and the research that was being presented at my fingertips. I think I ended up reading and viewing more posters on the SPSP app than I did at a different conference that I attended in person!
Carolynn Bructo ’21
It was exciting to have my independent study project accepted for presentation at the SPSP convention. SPSP is the biggest organization of social psychologists and personality psychologists globally, and it is an achievement to have my work displayed. A benefit of the online format of the conference was that it was low pressure. Instead of a formal presentation, attendees can look at the poster and post any questions they may have. The online format also provided flexibility. I did not have to miss any classes, and I could look at other presentations in my free time. Although the experience of an online conference was undoubtedly different from getting to travel, I enjoyed the opportunity.
Ben Campbell ’22
I thought the conference did the best it could to make it interactive and interesting for presenters and attendees. I uploaded my poster and then added a 4-minute recording of myself presenting my study. I saw that several people watched and liked my poster/presentation. I however did not receive any questions for my Q&A, so I hope that the attendees found my work to be interesting and easy to comprehend. Though being online was a bit disappointing, I found it to be a great experience for me to present my work.
Sydney Caulder ’21
My experience at the SPSP conference this year was a true reflection of these uncertain times. Although the way that it was conducted was unconventional, I was still met by a few professionals in the field that were supportive and interested in my work. I appreciated the organization into subsections of research and those who conducted the conference were able to keep a personalized feel. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of getting a taste of what conferences are like!
Kira Hunt ’21
Presenting at SPSP this year was certainly different because of the online format. I felt less pressure about having an audience because I recorded a video of me presenting the poster but I did miss the exhilaration from being around other people. However, I didn’t feel as though I missed seeing any posters I wanted to see, and having access to so much information for several days was nice.
Abbie Joseph ’21
Presenting at SPSP was a great experience, even though it was completely virtual. People from all across the country (and even across the world) were able to see the research I was doing and ask me questions. I was able to view as many posters as I wanted to on the app, and I still learned about a lot of the research that was going on, just like I would have if the conference was in person.
Naomi Painter ’22
Presenting virtually at the SPSP 2021 conference was an eye-opening experience. I greatly enjoyed the freeform aspect of a virtual conference that encouraged exploration and illustrated increased accessibility I had not experienced in past conferences. With the online platform, I was able to view multiple posters and recorded presentations at my own pace and convenience. As a presenter, I appreciated the various means by which questions and comments could be communicated in addition to the expanded time for individuals to view the poster and materials beyond a limited time period.
Carly Schepacarter ’21
Presenting at SPSP was a really positive experience. While I was skeptical at the beginning about an online conference, I feel like it was easier to navigate and find talks/posters I was interested in, as well as for others to engage with my work more than just for the hour that my presentation was scheduled. There was a whole host of topics to explore and I really enjoyed taking the time to listen to a few presentations and enjoy the conference environment (and the psychology meme group!). I would definitely present at another virtual conference and recommend the experience to others.
Congratulations once again to all those that presented at SPSP!
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On February 9-13, eight students attended the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference virtually, to present research through poster sessions and to attend presentations. The students included Sophie Bacon ’20, Carolynn Bructo ’21, Ben Campbell ’22, Sydney Caulder ’21, Kira Hunt ’21, Abbie Joseph ’21, Naomi Painter ’22, and Carly Schepacarter ’21.
This blog post will highlight the posters that the students presented and a brief summary of their research.
Sophie Bacon ’20
Research has shown that social networking platforms (Instagam, Facebook, Snap Chat, ect) afford the opportunity for identity development, specifically through engaging in different types of self-presentation. In this study, we examined the association between social goals (including, authenticity, the need for popularity, and need for belonging) and presentation of the real, ideal, and false self on social media.
Our main findings were that Authenticity predicted greater real self-presentation on social media, a high need for popularity predicted higher false self-presentation, and a high need for belonging predicted greater ideal self-presentation.
Carolynn Bructo ’21
In this study, we examined achievement goal orientations (mastery, performance-approach, and performance-avoidance) in association with intention to remain in STEM majors and differences in these variables and associations by gender and unrepresented minority status in a large sample of undergraduate students. Results suggest achievement goals are meaningfully related to STEM persistence.
Ben Campbell ’22
This study aimed to expand on past research on relational aggression in adolescents, but in emerging adults (age 18-25). Relational aggression is an indirect form of aggression used to harm relationships (e.g., silent treatment, excluding others from a peer group, gossiping, verbal threats). We examined associations between relational aggression, resource control strategies (coercive and prosocial), social status (popularity, likeability, and social status insecurity), dominance, and prestige. Results showed that like in adolescents, relational aggression in emerging adults is associated with higher use of dominant behavior, coercive resource control strategies, greater social status insecurity, and greater valuing of popularity. This suggests that people who desire popularity and dominance within a peer group use higher amounts of relational aggression to attain and maintain that status.
Sydney Caulder ’21
Research has found that narcissism predicts heightened provoked aggression and hostility. However, less understood is the role of hostile attribution bias (HAB) in these associations. In this study, we examined multiple conceptualizations of narcissism (grandiose and pathological) in relation to HAB and aggressive responses to provocation.
Kira Hunt ’21
My poster “Ignoring Red Flags” pertained to online dating and how self-efficacy in romantic relationships impacted how much-emerging adults self-disclosed (i.e. shared information about themselves) to hypothetical online romantic matches. I also wanted to determine if disclosure levels would change if these hypothetical online romantic matches differed in physical attractiveness and were paired with vignettes that varied in honesty. We found that self-efficacy was not associated with disclosure and photo attractiveness did not influence participants’ disclosures but the level of honesty did influence disclosure. Participants were less likely to disclose and continue communicating for deception vignettes.
Abbie Joseph ’21
This project explores the use of ghosting as a romantic relationship dissolution strategy and its association with post-dissolutional cyberstalking behaviors. Due to the uncertainty that ghosting involves, it was expected that ghosting would be associated with more severe and more frequent cyberstalking behaviors than relationships ended by other strategies (e.g., an explicit breakup).
Naomi Painter ’22
COVID-19 has impacted the food industry’s means of operation and employment. We examined the effect of stigmatization against Asian restaurants on the perception of contamination and willingness to order takeout. We found statistically significant effects as participants with a higher fear of contamination were less likely to order takeout and were also less likely to order Chinese food.
Carly Schepacarter ’21
This project’s goal was to determine if people experiencing a negative life event have different tastes in art than others, as well as if interacting with art can help those people have an improved emotional state. In the first study, we were interested in studying if individuals reported a different preference for art after recalling a negative event, and we wanted to know how exposure to art would impact their emotions. Ultimately, participants did not have a specific preference for a subject matter in art, but there was an interaction between Prime and Order which means that the Prime did impact the emotional state of the participants when they did the emotion questionnaire right after the prime, but this effect disappeared when they did the art rating first. The second study tested if this happened because of some impact of the art task, or because of natural decline over time. The results indicated that participants who completed an art task had more positive emotions on a questionnaire than those in a non-art control task. From this, we can say confidently that experiencing art after recalling a negative event increases positive emotions more than the control task. Research from this project was used to create paintings for Hopetree Family Services in Salem, VA.
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We dedicate every February to Black History Month. A month that celebrates the incredible achievements of African Americans and highlights and recognizes their central role in U.S. history. Roanoke College is celebrating Black History Month through a series of events, of which more information is provided below.
Keynote Speaker – “An Evening with Yusef Salaam”
Date: Tuesday, February 23
Time: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Virtual webinar
Roanoke College Blood Drive
Date: Thursday, February 25
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Fintel Library – Preregistration required
Community, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Symposium
Date: Saturday, February 27
Where: Roanoke College Campus
Schedule of events:
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
9:30 – 10:00 a.m.
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
2:15 p.m.
More information on each event and registration details can be found here. We hope to see you at these events!
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For those students still looking for graduate programs, Shippensburg University, located in south-central Pennsylvania, is providing a complete asynchronous (online) program that can be completed in one year as a full-time student or two years as a part-time student. To earn the degree, a total of ten courses (thirty credits) of graduate work is required.
The program according to Shippensburg University “emphasizes the application of psychological principles and methodologies to real-world problems.” Many of their graduates assume research-related roles (e.g., program evaluation, survey research, data analyst, etc.) across various areas in business/industry, government, and non-profit settings.
Students in the program are able to pursue one of two specialties. Those interested in quality control careers can pursue a Six Sigma greenbelt certification. Those who are interested in working with individuals with learning or social impairments such as those with autism can earn a Behavior Specialist Certificate which provides advanced coursework in applied behavioral analysis.
Remote assistantships are available on a competitive basis but are subject to change based on university funding.
Shippensburg University has rolling admissions which allow students to begin and complete the program in any term.
More information on the program can be found on their official webpage found here. For answers to any other questions or more information about the program, feel free to contact the graduate program coordinator, Dr. Thomas Hatvany at Tchatvany@ship.edu.
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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, follow this link, and once again congratulations to Dr. Powell, Jensen, and Preston for their recent publication!
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If you are anything like the majority of psychology students across the country, you are probably trying to find a meaningful experience to fill your time over the 2021 summer. For some, this could mean going home and spending time with family, while others may have a job lined up and waiting for them. Whether you have an idea of what to do or not, we encourage everyone to take a look at summer internship and research opportunities for psychology!
Internships offer real-world learning experiences that allow students to apply what they are learning in the classroom in a professional setting and broaden their education from abstract to applied contexts. Internships also give you valuable information to add to your resume, allow you to develop a professional network, and there are opportunities for you to earn academic credit or pay for the work you are performing.
Research in psychology is a broad field that has endless topics to conduct research on. Psychology research occurs every day and providing support to research does not require extensive degrees, or prior experience. Research experience is a very valuable component to any graduate school or job application. Just like with internships, research experience provides a wealth of knowledge about the research process that your classes may not even begin to cover. It also opens a window of academic networking opportunities, is an outstanding experience to list on your resume, and often earns you course credit.
All Roanoke College students should remember that internship credits can be earned for research-based internships, and/or paid opportunities as well! This year specifically, credit can be earned locally, through a virtual opportunity, or wherever home is.
Not sure where to start looking for an internship? Check out this list of paid internship positions in developmental and general psychology. OR take a look at this site, which offers both psychology job listings and opportunities for internships for undergraduate students.
Additional information about internships and research can be found here, as well as contact information for Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand, the Internship Director for Psychology.
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Melissa DeShaw, Abbie Joseph, and Grace Page (Advisor: Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand)
Background Information
In the midst of a pandemic, how have our relationships changed? Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we suspected that the number of individuals in long-distance relationships may have increased as a result of quarantine and travel restrictions. We also thought this may have disproportionately affected college students who were used to being in geographically-close relationships when they were living on their school’s campus. This shift from being in a geographically-close relationship to being in a long-distance relationship could be a major source of stress that ultimately decreases couples’ satisfaction, and we were interested in considering how this relational dissatisfaction could potentially be reduced in such unprecedented times. After researching relational maintenance behaviors, we decided to examine how the education and implementation of relational maintenance behaviors in college students’ romantic relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially affect satisfaction in their relationships. Relational maintenance behaviors refer to the several behaviors used to maintain a healthy and successful relationship (Weigel & Ballard-Reisch, 2001). The most common way to measure this is by using the Relational Maintenance Strategy Measure (RMSM) which contains five groups of strategies: positivity, openness, assurances, social networks, and sharing tasks (Stafford & Canary, 1991). These behaviors have been proven to increase satisfaction levels when implemented into a relationship (Weigel & Ballard-Reisch, 2001). Satisfaction was measured using the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) which describes several relationship dimensions such as love, problems, and expectations (Hendrick, 1988). Several studies have been conducted on how the use of relational maintenance behaviors correlates with satisfaction, but there are no studies that have used an experiment to test this like ours did. An experiment allows us to determine whether something like relational maintenance behaviors may have a causal impact on satisfaction, and whether they may be able to change through intervention.
Methods
The 36 participants were recruited through Roanoke College’s SONA system in the psychology department and received 2 SONA credits for participating in all parts of the study. Participants had to have been in a romantic relationship. Participants signed up for a Zoom session where they were asked to complete a pre-survey in order to measure satisfaction within their current relationships. After the completion of the pre-survey, participants were asked to return to the Zoom session. Those in the experimental group were read a list of examples from the RMSM and encouraged to try some in their current romantic relationships, and those in the control group were asked to watch a 5 minute video about helpful habits for better sleep. The purpose of a control group is to have a base-line to be able to compare the changes in the experimental group to. Within a week, all participants received an email with a link for a post-survey, and their satisfaction in their romantic relationship was once again assessed using the RAS.
Results and Discussion
Contrary to expectations, participants in the experimental group, who received the informational session on relational maintenance behaviors, did not report more satisfaction at the time of the post-survey compared to the time of the pre-survey. Additionally, participants in the experimental group did not report more satisfaction than participants in the control group at the time of the post-survey. However, we did find that participants in both the control and experimental groups who reported using more relational maintenance behaviors at the post-survey also reported more satisfaction at the post-survey. Participants in both the control and experimental groups who reported more use of relational maintenance behaviors at the time of the pre-survey also reported more use of these maintenance behaviors at the time of the post-survey. Also, participants from both groups who reported high satisfaction at the pre-survey also reported high satisfaction at the post-survey.
Relational Maintenance Behaviors (Post-Survey)
Satisfaction (Post-Survey)
Due to our very low sample size, the inability to have face-to-face sessions, and the inability for us experimenters to monitor the relational maintenance behaviors of participants, we did not find what we had previously expected. We did, however, find what previous studies have found, as the participants reported more satisfaction when they used more relational maintenance behaviors in their romantic relationships.
Reflection
Through this process, we gained some much needed insight on what was beneficial to the success of this study, as well as what kept the study from reaching its full potential. First, we believe this study aimed to measure important variables and believe that a replication or partial replication of this study could result in significant and useful findings. Considering the majority of our findings were insignificant, however, we noted a few different aspects of our study that, if changed, may have led to greater significance. For example, the outcome of our study might have been significantly different if everything did not have to be done through online surveys and Zoom sessions. Additionally, we believe that the pressing SONA credit requirement for Psychology students at Roanoke College may have encouraged students to complete our survey for the sake of completion, rather than to provide quality data. If this study were replicated in the future, it would be important to ensure that the participants take the study seriously.
Conclusion
While we found that an information session regarding relational maintenance behaviors given to some participants did not significantly increase satisfaction, we found that all participants seem to already implement these maintenance behaviors in their relationships. The main finding from our study suggests that the use of relational maintenance behaviors in college students’ romantic relationships is associated with their relationship satisfaction, even during a global pandemic.
References
Hendrick, S. S. (1988). A generic measure of relationship satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50(1), 93–98.
Stafford, L., & Canary, D. J. (1991). Maintenance strategies and romantic relationship type, gender and relational characteristics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8(2), 217–242.
Weigel, D.J., & Ballard-Reisch, D.S. (2001). The impact of relational maintenance behaviors on marital satisfaction: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Family Communication, 1(4), 265-279.
Ethan Abbott, Sydney Caulder, & Morgan Hamilton (Advisor: Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand)
Background Info
Emerging adulthood is a highly exploratory and developmentally rich period of time in an individual’s life. Between the ages of 18 to 29 is a big transitional phase for young adults to develop their own identity and find their niche in society. There are frequent changes experienced through changing vocations, relationships, and living situations attributed to a significantly reduced sense of stability as compared to parts of life prior to and after emerging adulthood (Arnett 2000; Arnett et al., 2014). In order to properly evaluate how young adults are handling the transitional stressors of their lives coupled with the extenuating circumstances brought on by COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to see if individual’s locus of control helped mitigate stress. Specifically, an internal locus of control refers to how much one believes their actions are the result of their own efforts, relative to the belief that outside events influence their future (external locus of control). If individuals perceive to have some form of control over a situation then they will find the aversive stimulus to be less threatening.
Another facet of stress management we wanted to measure is an individual’s intolerance of uncertainty. This term refers to the cognitive ability to compartmentalize unknown potentially negative events so that it won’t hinder mental health or physical actions. This anticipation of uncertainty derives from the desire for predictability and an active engagement in seeking certainty and paralysis of cognition and action in the face of uncertainty (Birrell, Meares, Wilkinson, & Freeston, 2011). Emerging adults will also employ various coping strategies for the sake of their physical and psychological well-being. Coping mechanisms are vital towards a young adult maintaining proper mental health because poor maintenance of mental thoughts and adjustment can lead to instability. The four types of core coping mechanisms that young adults utilize are problem-solving, support-seeking, escape, & accommodation (Skinner, Edge, Altman, & Sherwood, 2003). Given the current circumstances of the world at large, we thought it wise to conduct and evaluate a survey administered to the Roanoke College student body to see how these three facets of handling mental stressors are being employed amongst the young adult student population. For the sake of our study we used locus of control and intolerance of uncertainty as predictors of various coping mechanisms.
Methods
Participants in this study were recruited from current students at Roanoke College through the Psychology Department’s SONA system. Participants who were enrolled in psychology courses eligible for extra credit upon participation received one half credit. In total, 145 participants completed the study.
The survey was administered online through Qualtrics where participants were asked demographic information including gender, race, age, year in school, and impact of COVID-19. Previously constructed measurements were used for locus of control, intolerance of uncertainty, and coping. For locus of control, the 24-item Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale was used. Intolerance of uncertainty was measured using the 27-item Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Finally, coping was measured using the 60-item COPE inventory.
Results & Discussion
We decided to focus on intolerance of uncertainty and locus and control as predictors of coping in a multiple regression model. A multiple regression model demonstrates the strength of two individual predictors controlling for one another while also controlling for shared variance in a single outcome. The COPE inventory included different subscales focusing on specific forms of coping such as focus on venting of emotions or active coping. There were several significant associations found among the different subscales of coping when intolerance of uncertainty and locus of control were used as predictors. And, in each set of tests, there was a large effect size, meaning that these explained a fairly significant amount of the individual type of coping.
Having a higher internal locus of control was related to greater use of managing distress emotions rather than dealing with the stressor (positive reinterpretation) and less use of behavioral disengagement when controlling for intolerance of uncertainty which was related to less use of positive reinterpretation and more behavioral disengagement.
Internal locus of control was unrelated to, and intolerance of uncertainty positively related to both venting of emotions and mental disengagement.
There was one subscale, active coping, that was positively related to internal locus of control but unrelated to intolerance of uncertainty. See the figure below for an overview of regression results across models; the positive sign indicates as the level of the predictor increases the level of the outcome also increases, and the negative sign indicates that as the level of the predictor increases or decreases the outcome would do the opposite of that increase or decrease).
We also explored differences of mean scores between males and female participants. There were no significant differences based on gender in internal locus of control and intolerance of uncertainty scores, or coping subscales of use of instrumental social support, positive reinterpretation, active coping or behavioral disengagement. There were significant differences in scores based on gender for the coping subscales of focus on venting of emotions, use of emotional support, and mental disengagement.
Our data collection and analysis produced logical results that were mostly as expected. Our research can open the door to future research on how different forms of coping may indicate how individuals perceive changes within their life or the amount of control they feel they have over those changes. This research was especially meaningful given the current COVID-19 pandemic and associated mental health difficulties. Intolerance of uncertainty and internal locus of control may be influential in encouraging adaptive forms of coping.
Figure: Visual Representation of Regression Results: Intolerance of Uncertainty and Internal Locus of Control as Predictors of Forms of Coping.
Reflection
Creating a study which was interesting to all of us and able to be done efficiently through remote learning certainly posed a tough challenge to our group. Initially we thought a study more focused on the current challenges for emerging adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic would be interesting, but we ultimately decided emerging adults face many challenges with uncertainty regardless of if they are enduring a pandemic or not. The beginning stages were relatively easy to manage by dividing up the work and checking in on each other periodically, but as we started using Jamovi our difficulties took a turn. One of the many challenges posed due to remote learning was the opportunity to learn an entirely new data analysis application, Jamovi. Although Jamovi is user friendly when conducting data, we struggled getting it to be compatible with Qualtrics, and those problems were difficult to work through together. Ultimately these issues were ironed out through many meetings with our group and Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand via Zoom trying to figure it out. Although ultimately our outcome of our research was largely unchanged, it was difficult to manage each challenge together while completing our tasks remotely, but I think we all understood the value of good communication and patience through completing this experience remotely.
References
Arnett, J.J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: a theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480.
Arnett, J.J. (2014). The new life stage of emerging adulthood at ages 18-29 years: implications for mental health. The Lancet Psychiatry, 1(7), 569–576.
Birrell, J., Meares, K., Wilkinson, A., & Freeston, M. (2011). Toward a definition of intolerance of uncertainty: A review of factor analytical studies of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(7), 1198-1208. doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.07.009
Skinner, E.A., Edge, K., Altman, J., & Sherwood, H. (2003). Searching for the structure of coping: a review and critique of category systems for classifying ways of coping.. Psychological Bulletin, 129(2), 216-269.
Caelan DeMuth, Mason Wheeler, Maggie Lewis (Advisor: Dr. Findley Van-Nostrand)
Background Information
Many changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have affected well-being of individuals, with college students being uniquely affected given the changes in their academic environment. Specifically, remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way students are expected to learn, potentially driving issues related to focus and to social isolation. Younger students with less experience in university level education may be at higher risk of struggling more than their older peers during the pandemic (Ledman, 2008). In this study, we students’ psychological well-being in relation to their individual need for structure (that is, the extent to which they desire structure and clarity and find ambiguity troubling), academic motivation (the extent to which they are motivated to remain in and do well in school), and academic year. We expected responses that underclassmen or younger students would report higher levels of a need for structure and lower levels of academic motivation, and that both motivation and need for structure would predict well-being. As motivation in academic settings during the ongoing pandemic had yet to be assessed this research may be used to provide insight into how to provide resources to students during upcoming academic terms.
Methods and Measures
Participants for this research were individuals currently enrolled at Roanoke College. There were 115 participants, of which 39 were freshmen, 39 were sophomores, 21 were juniors, and 16 were seniors; 30 identified as male, 83 identified as female, and 2 identified as nonbinary. Participants were recruited via the Roanoke College Psychology Department through SONA and led to an external survey using Qualtrics. Participants answered a combination of questions pertaining to their academic year, gender, and demographics in addition to questions intended to assess individual needs for structure, academic motivation and well-being. Questions pertaining to structure were taken from the Personal Need for Structure scale. Academic motivation was assessed via questions in the Academic Motivation scale. Psychological Well-Being scale was used to gauge the well-being of participants. Ultimately the three scales demonstrated relationships between individualized preferences for structure, mental health and motivation to remain focused and engaged in coursework during COVID-19.
Results and Discussion
This study was facilitated successfully, especially given the challenges of a nontraditional semester. Contrary to the initial expectation for this study, participants enrolled in their senior year reported the lowest scores for perceived wellness whereas underclassmen reported the highest scores for this criteria. Although students in lower academic years reported higher values of perceived wellness, responses from first years did have the largest standard deviation, suggesting that there was more variation among participants in lower academic years. However, it was found that there was no statistically significant differences when separating between the psychological well-being subscales (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, self-acceptance) between academic years.
Personal need for structure was unrelated to academic motivation. Academic motivation was positively related to psychological well-being in the era of COVID-19 learning. Academic motivation is the voluntary engagement with coursework in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic variables (Cerino, 2014), suggesting that those who can maintain high levels of motivation are likely also experiencing higher well-being in other areas. It was found that personal need for structure statistically significantly predicted the psychological well-being subscale of purpose in life, while academic motivation as a whole statistically significantly predicted the psychological well-being subscale of personal growth, and somewhat significantly predicted the psychological well-being subscale of autonomy. Overall, results suggest that need for structure and academic motivation during the pandemic are related to well-being, but this depends on type of well-being.
Reflection
This research study challenged each of us extensively throughout the duration of the semester. The first and largest obstacle we as a group encountered was transitioning Research Seminar class typically taught in person to a fully remote and functional formatt. We were given the additional task to complete the workload together across time zones via Zoom rather than have the ease of access to be able to meet whenever necessary in person. Our initial research topic was a much broader version of our final product, with the first intent to be to examine COVID-19 impact on wellness in all of its dimensions and definitions. This was evidently too broad as the eight clinical dimensions of wellness (Stoewen, 2017) would have introduced a myriad of confounds to our research. The goal of our work was to examine if academic motivation and perceived wellness had been impacted during a semester of exclusively remote learning.
As our study was conducted via online survey, the ease in accessibility for participants was likely beneficial to the recruitment process. The convenience of the survey being administered online allowed for more people to complete it on their own time. An additional positive to the survey being conducted online eliminated the risk of observer bias and made participants more comfortable by removing the risk of potential exposure to COVID-19. Despite the challenges of conducting research in a fully remote manner, our group was able to find significant associations within our data and report conclusive findings.
Conclusion
The main findings of this study indicate that college underclassmen are experiencing higher perceived wellness than upperclassmen in the era of COVID-19, and that personal need for structure and academic motivation only significantly correlate with three of the six psychological well-being subscales (purpose in life, autonomy, and personal growth). COVID-19 has caused significant changes to what is defined as a normal academic setting. With this knowledge moving forward, academic institutions may use this information to provide adequate mental health resources for students as well as modify course plans to proceed in more academically efficient means.
References
Cerino, Eric. S. (2014). Relationships between academic motivation, self-efficacy, and academic procrastination. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 19(4).
Ledman, R. (2008). Comparing student learning in online and classroom formats of the same course. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from https://absel-ojs-ttu.tdl.org/absel/index.php/absel/article/view/424/390.
Stoewen, D. (2017). Dimensions of wellness: Change your habits, change your life. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5508938/.
Autumn Cox, Christian Galleo, & Celine Taylor (Advisor: Chris Buchholz)
Background Information
Our study investigated how COVID-19 suddenly reshaped the school environment and whether this change has influenced introverts’ and extraverts’ perceived performance differently. While previous research from Teichner, Areess, and Reilly (1963) has examined the relationship between one’s degree of extraversion and the impact noise has on performance, there has been little research into how COVID-19 has modified today’s learning environment. This study intended to examine the auditory changes COVID-19 has had on the work environment and how this has affected introverts’ and extroverts’, and their perceived performance. We hypothesized that introverts would be more adversely affected by their home’s auditory environment and that they would have a larger decrease in perceived performance from pre-COVID-19 to the present. Meanwhile, we predicted that extraverts would not be as adversely affected by the auditory environment and may even display a slight increase in their perceived performance compared to their pre-COVID-19 perceived performance rating.
Methods
Ninety-four participants from Roanoke College completed our online survey. Participants completed measures of introversion/extroversion, as well as a Perceived Performance Questionnaire, Change in Auditory Environment Questionnaire, and a Noise Sensitivity Questionnaire (measures how sensitive an individual is to auditory disruptions while working). Many of these scales were created to evaluate how variables such as auditory environment and perceived performance changed from before COVID-19 to now, so that we can examine whether perceived performance has been negatively impacted by environmental changes.
Results & Discussion
Our analysis revealed that our results supported several of our hypotheses; college students indicated that not only had their auditory environment become more distracting but that their performance had worsened during the COVID-19 crisis (see Figure 1). When evaluating the relationship between time period (Pre-COVID-19, Post-COVID-19), perceived performance, and auditory environment, we found that both perceived performance and auditory environment were negatively impacted by COVID-19. This indicates that COVID-19 is responsible for increasing the amount of auditory disturbances that are experienced while working and that it has also decreased students’ perceived performance.
Figure 1. The effect that time period has on auditory environment and perceived performance
Our results also supported our prediction that introverts would be more sensitive to noise disturbances, and that introverts would also have lower levels of post-COVID-19 perceived performance than extraverts would. A possible explanation for the poorer performance may be that introverts are more sensitive to noise disturbances, which means that an increase in auditory disruptions, caused by COVID-19, would result in this group’s poorer perceived performance. This supports Eysenck’s theory of personality, which theorizes that introverts’ performance would be more adversely affected by, in this case, their sensitivity to noise disturbances than extroverts would be (Eysenck, 1997). Therefore, the more sensitive an introvert (i.e. high introversion) is to noise the worse their perceived performance is, but the more sensitive an extravert (i.e. low introversion) is to noise the better their perceived performance is (see Figure 2). Overall, our results indicate that the current school environment has been detrimental to the introvert’s perceived school performance and should be changed.
Figure 2. The effect that introversion level has on an individual’s noise sensitivity and perceived performance after COVID-19.
Reflection
The data collection process was a limitation because we could only obtain participants through Roanoke College’s SONA system which limited our pool of participants. Our limitations also included a lack of accessible research, the convenience sample, and the necessity to develop many of our own measures. Although there is very little research available, we learned how greatly COVID-19 has impacted the work and school environment and believe that further efforts should be made to understand the impacts of this ongoing pandemic.
Conclusion
Our results indicate that the new work environment, initiated by COVID-19, has not adversely affected extraverts and their perceived performance, which suggests that they may be able to continue functioning in this work environment after the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, our results also indicate that the new work environment has brought on higher levels of auditory distractions into the work environment, which have negatively impacted introverts and their perceived performance. Our results indicate that, as COVID-19 comes to a close, employers and schools should give introverts the opportunity to return to their work environment and to work in a quieter environment that maximizes their performance.
References
Eysenck, H. J. (1977). Personality and factor analysis: A reply to Guilford. Psychological Bulletin, 84, 405-411.
Teichner, W. H., Arees, E. & Reilly, R. (1963). Noise and human performance, a psychological approach. Ergonomics, 6, 83-97.
Aaron Rogers, Vanessa Pearson, Courtney Ashley, & Ayars Lamar (Advisor: Chris Buchholz)
Background Information
Humans are in fact social beings by nature—in addition to food and water, we also need social interaction to be healthy. For instance, research shows that that social isolation can lead to an increase in mental disorders (Santini et al., 2020). When considering the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen a divide between individuals through the promotion of social distancing and the temporary closure of recreational businesses such as movie theaters and amusement parks. Institutions have implemented guidelines that have affected college students to limit the spread of the virus on campus. These guidelines are seen in various ways such as online teaching, social distancing of 6 feet in food courts, and the elimination of sporting events. These necessary precautions from institutions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 have also decreased social connectivity. The point of this study is to determine if increased social isolation causes increased levels of depression and daily stress in college students. There is limited research on the effects of social isolation from the pandemic on college students.
Methods
Our study included 52 college students as participants. In order to run the study, we had participants complete three questions on depression, daily stress, and social isolation. The participants went through each of the scales twice. The first time the participants completed the section, they had to reflect on how they remember themselves feeling before Covid struck around January of 2020. Once the participants completed each section reflecting back to January, they were given the exact same questionnaire but asked to answer it with how they are feeling now in the current semester. Researchers then compared their answers pre-Covid to how they were feeling post-Covid.
Results and Discussion
We found that both social isolation and daily stress increased during the pandemic; however, only the increase in stress was statistically significant (see Figure 1). We also found that depression showed an increase that was statistically significant from pre-Covid compared to post-Covid. (see Figure 2). This indicates, that contrary to our predictions, on average participants were not reporting significant increases in social isolation. However, this is an average and the reality is that some participants did see an increase. In conclusion, the increase in depression and stress is consistent with larger national trends and that is concerning.
Figure 1. Social Isolation and Daily Stress over time.
Figure 2. Depression levels from pre-Covid to post-Covid.
Reflection
As a group, and individually, we have learned a lot about this pandemic and how it has affected the college-aged population in terms of depression and stress levels. A new normal has been set for the foreseeable future and that has been a tough pill to swallow for the Roanoke College community and for the entire world. All of us are upper-level college students, so we have seen the contrast between in-person schooling and online schooling, and it is not the same. We empathize with the new freshman because they may not have some of the same college experiences that we once had in a pre-pandemic world. Conducting this study and analyzing the data gave us an idea of how our community is feeling, and we cannot stress how important maintaining your mental health during these times are.
Conclusion
We would like people to realize how important it is to stay connected and to check up on each other during these extremely tough times. Being socially isolated has major effects on the psyche and realizing that is so important. Check in on your friends, family members, significant others, and try not to assume that everyone is doing okay during these times because more than likely someone is struggling.
References
Santini, Z. I., Jose, P. E., Cornwell, E. Y., Koyanagi, A., Nielsen, L., Hinrichsen, C., Meilstrup, C., Madsen, K. R., & Koushede, V. (2020). Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and symptoms of depression and anxiety among older Americans: A longitudinal mediation analysis. The lancet public health, 5(1), e62-e70.
Founded in 1776 by students at the College of William and Mary, Phi Beta Kappa is recognized as the oldest, largest, and most prestigious honor society in the nation. PBK’s main objective is to emphasize the importance of liberal arts and sciences while also recognizing those who strive for excellence in academics.
Membership in Phi Beta Kappa is a distinct honor. Only 10% of the nation’s colleges and universities have chapters, and Phi Beta Kappa graduates include some of the country’s most distinguished citizens, including 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 Supreme Court Justices, more than 150 Nobel Laureates, and many other notable figures.
The Psychology Department would like to congratulate Kira Hunt, Abbie Joseph, Grace Page, Kaillee Philleo, Carly Schepacarter, and Lynsey Wyatt on their induction into the Nu Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Continue reading to hear from some of the students themselves!
Kira Hunt
I am a senior psychology major with a concentration in neuroscience and a minor in sociology. I was really ecstatic to hear that I was selected because I had been working towards this since hearing about it in my freshman year. While at Roanoke, I’ve been a student assistant in the psychology department as well as an academic coach in the Center for Learning and Teaching. I am also a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Psi Chi. In addition, I have also participated in research in Dr. Powell’s lab as well as with Dr. Nichols, which is one of the things I am most proud of. I haven’t finished my Honors Distinction Project yet but I’m really proud of the progress I have made on it. After graduation, I plan on being in Teach for America while I prepare to go to graduate school to become a Certified Child Life Specialist.
I am a senior psychology major with a concentration in human development and a minor in Spanish. I was very excited when I found out that I was elected into membership of Phi Beta Kappa, and it felt good knowing that I was being recognized for all my hard work throughout my time here. Here at Roanoke, I am a Subject Tutor in the Center for Learning and Teaching, a member of Stat Crew, and a Spanish cohort/activity leader. I am also a member of Psi Chi, Xi Theta Chi, and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies. I am involved in research in the psychology department as a research assistant in Dr. Powell’s developmental self-knowledge lab. One of my biggest accomplishments while at Roanoke has been my independent study for my Honors in the Major project titled, “Cyberstalking behaviors after the use of ghosting.” After I graduate, I plan to attend graduate school for my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
I am a senior psychology and criminal justice double major. I received a voicemail from Dr. Peppers letting me know that I was selected for membership into PBK and I was ecstatic! I have been working towards membership into PBK since freshman year and I was so pleased that my hard work had finally paid off. While at Roanoke I have been involved in many things – from running on the Track and Field team, singing in the Roanotes acapella group, co-hosting a radio show, working as the campus activities director and creating fundraising events for Make-A-Wish in Chi Omega, working as the trip supervisor and guide with Outdoor Adventures, working as a student assistant in the psychology department, conducting research with Dr. Osterman, leading Psi Chi, NSLS, and Alpha Lambda Delta as president, as well as also being a member in Alpha Phi Sigma, Xi Theta Chi, Order of Omega, and Omicron Delta Kappa. It’s safe to say my time at Roanoke College has been far from boring. That all being said, my biggest accomplishments, besides being selected into PBK, are definitely presenting at the SPSP conference in New Orleans last spring, having the opportunity to ask Justice Sotomayor a question during her Zoom visit with Roanoke College, and working towards completing my honor in the major project. Upon graduating from Roanoke, I intend to enter into a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program and eventually become a forensic psychologist for juveniles.
I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Art and Psychology. When I received the news on Phi Beta Kappa, I was ecstatic. I have worked closely with Dr. Carter on research and a number of other things while on campus, so when he made a point of emailing me personally to let me know that I was selected it really had an additional layer of excitement with it. On-campus, I am a member and past President of the Honors Program, the current President of Alpha Phi Omega, a student assistant at Resource Development, and I do social psychology research with Dr. Carter in the Psychology Department. This semester, I am also an Artist in Residence in Olin Gallery, where I am currently creating and displaying the paintings I am producing for my Honors Distinction Project. One of my proudest accomplishments beyond Phi Beta Kappa was being selected as a Fintel Senior Scholar this summer, as well as being named the Senior Scholar for the Art Department this past year. Beyond awards, I am very proud of the work of the Alpha Phi Omega executive board during quarantine disruptions, where we worked tirelessly to still provide a valuable experience to new and existing brothers while at such an unexpected time. Upon graduation this May, I am looking to enroll in a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program or an Art Therapy Master’s program, with hopes to work in Family Services.
Congratulations again to everyone and we look forward to seeing what you accomplish in the future!
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© MIT ADMISSIONS
It is that time of the year again: Finals! Albeit much earlier in the year, next week marks the finish line for the fall semester. This is both a very exciting and stressful time because you are so close, but you may have so much more left to do.
A few days ago, we reached out to students on Instagram to ask how they prepared for finals. We received some great advice such as “Prioritizing sleep and eating over late-night study cramming” and “Organizing printed notes and making physical notecards”.
Keep reading for more helpful advice about stress management and how to succeed during finals next week!College-wide events:
Yoga for Stress Relief
There will be an online via zoom and in person yoga session.
When: Monday November 16th, 2020
Time: 3:00 PM to 4:00
Where: Bast 138 and on zoom
To learn more contact Colleen Quigley, cquigley@roanoke.edu.
In the Moment: Creative Practices for Medication and Wellness
Amy Herzel, a visual artist whose work is focused on meditative practice is hosting a workshop about using creative practices as a method of meditation.
When: Saturday November 21st, 2020
Time: 2:00 to 3:00 PM
Where: Online via Zoom (will be recorded)
Contact: Lacey Leonard, leonard@roanoke.edu (540-354-6282) to register, for questions, or if there is difficulty joining. Each registered user will receive a kit.
Roanoke College Wellness
There are still some spots for chair massages for students provided by Health Services. You can find open slots and sign up here .
College Resources
As always our student health and counseling services are still available to all students through telemedicine services.
Students can drop into counseling for a short duration through Let’s Talk on Tuesdays from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Thursdays 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, and Fridays 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.
If you’re interested in talking in a group about stress or anxiety, Love Your Selfie is on Mondays via Zoom from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Other Organizations and the college may also have events that pop up this week or the next so watch out for those!
Below are some tips on completing projects and how to study to avoid stress and turn in quality work.
Study Schedules
The best way to make sure you have adequate time to start and complete all of the assignments coming up is to plan.
Take Breaks
The best rule to follow for work/life balance is 80/20 where 80% is focused on academics and 20% is focused on having fun. Studying for long periods of time can be draining and isn’t efficient in the long run. Breaks can be as simple as meditating or going for a walk. Just remember to come back to studying when you’re mentally prepared.
Group Sessions
This doesn’t work for everyone but sometimes it can be really helpful to talk with other classmates for clarification. This can also apply to professors. It’s better to ask before to make sure you’re prepared for the test. In addition, being able to explain material to someone else and having them understand it is a good strategy for understanding and remembering the material.
Study Strategies
Using a variety of different studying strategies such as retrieval, elaboration, organizational, and rehearsal strategies makes it easier to remember and understand the material.
These are just some tips and not all of these work for everyone. This is also by no means a comprehensive list. Starting early will help you figure out which strategies work best for you. Remember the psychology department is cheering you on!
Good luck with finals and be sure to revel in the two-month break that follows!
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Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare (BRBH) is the Community Services Board serving adults, children and families with mental health disorders, developmental disabilities, or substance use disorders in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia. They believe that everyone has the right to be treated with respect and to participate fully in decisions that affect his or her life and value fairness and diversity.
BRBH offers a plethora of services and there are unique ways for volunteers and interns to become involved with each one. They have a mental health crisis program that offers both crisis screenings and stabilizations. BRBH’s child and family services includes case management and counseling. Their adult services are counseling, medications, housing and homeless services, addiction treatment, and much more. BRBH also provides services for individuals with developmental disabilities and overall prevention and wellness.
Follow BRBH on their social media account (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter) and check out their NEWS blog on their website, where they post information about events, mental health awareness, trainings, and more. If you are interested in more information about internship or volunteer positions with BRBH, email hr@brbh.org for instructions on how to apply. Also feel free to reach out to Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand, findley@roanoke.edu, office 509-B Life Science, to talk more about psychology internship sites.
“I interned at Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Care in the Child and Family Services [Department] … That was just really interesting to me to just see how complicated the behind-the-scenes of mental health is and trying to get people the services that they need. I would tell everyone to do an internship if they can, especially if they are not a hundred percent certain.”
– Victoria Preston ’17
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This Spring we will be having 3 May terms offered by the Psychology department! All of these classes are very unique and dive deeper into niche areas. For more information, take a look down below!
Psychology of Teams
Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand and Dr. Carter
In Person
The goal of this course is to examine what makes teams effective, drawing upon classic and modern research in psychology. What changes when individuals must function as part of a team? How do effective teams solve problems and make decisions? What group dynamics lead to challenges in effectively solving problems? What kinds of team environments foster cooperation and allow for successful communication? What makes for a good team leader? What kinds of personality traits make for the most (and least) effective team members? We will attempt to answer these questions through a combination of readings and daily activities, including a number of cooperative and competitive team-based games and local field trips.
This class will focus on teamwork in a broad spectrum of situations including games, scavenger hunts, and sports!
If you have any questions, email findley@roanoke.com or tjcarter@roanoke.edu!
Making Fear Your Friend
Dr. Hilton
In Person
Fear is a construct that is inextricably linked to our biology, psychology, history, and cultural context. When we think of fear, we often imagine terrible things but what if that didn’t have to be the case? What if instead of paralyzing or harming us, fear was actually a friend meant to instruct us, guide us, and help us grow? In this course, students will be asked to step outside of their comfort zone and learn to befriend their fear through experiential exercises, field trips, and assignments.
*This class will have a fee of about $80 , assuming some limited travel is possible*
If you have any questions, email hilton@roanoke.edu!
Photography and Vision Perception
Dr. Nichols
Online Synchronous
This class will utilize the digital camera as both a metaphor for the human eye and as a tool to create photographic representations of perceptions of human vision. Cameras and the human eye will be compared and contrasted in order to better understand both. Mechanisms of human visual perception, such as color vision, depth perception, and motion perception will first be discussed in lecture format and then assignments will be carried out wherein students take purposeful photographs to illuminate the discussion topics. The idea is that application through photography of principles discussed in relation to human vision, i.e. how we sense and perceive the world, will give you a better understanding of how and why the human vision system works the way it does.
*For this class students may use their phones, but if they would like training in a digital SLR, Dr. Nichols is happy to train them!*
If you have any questions, email dnichols@roanoke.edu!
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Internships are one of the best ways to gain experience in the field of Psychology and explore future careers that you may end up working in as well as explore future careers that you may end up deciding are not for you.
Paid internships are hard to come by in the field of psychology, but there are currently three that are approaching application deadline for 2021 admission. Continue reading to learn more about each program.
Program: Carnegie Mellon University Summer Program for Undergraduate Researchers (SPUR)
Deadline: December 15, 2020
Pay: $3,000
Other Info: According to the programs website, “PIER’s SPUR program allows talented undergraduates to spend 8 weeks during the summer in a research laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, SPUR 2021 may be offered on a remote basis. Each student will receive a fellowship stipend of $3,000 and apartment-style housing will be provided if SPUR 2021 takes place face-to-face. Guidance and supervision of the research project will be provided by a faculty member as well as, in some cases, a postdoctoral fellow and/or advanced graduate student. Admitted students will also participate in the Go Research! Summer Program at CMU. This program brings undergraduate researchers from across departments together in apartment-style dorms with resident assistants to facilitate community building, manage housing, and provide programming. A Summer Seminar Series is provided for all students to help prepare for graduate education and research careers.”
Deadline: February 15, 2021
Pay: $5,000 stipend for the ten-week period housing, a $500 food allowance, health insurance (if needed), and full travel expenses to and from Madison, WI
Other Info: According to the programs website, “The Psychology Research Experience Program (PREP) provides intensive mentoring and experience in scientific research and professional development to undergraduates from historically underrepresented populations — those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, those from low-income backgrounds, those with disabilities, and first-generation college students — who have expressed and demonstrated an interest in a career in scientific psychology.”
Program: RISE program and Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Deadline: Applications opened November 1, 2020 and reviews start in late January 2021
Pay: $4,500 – $5,000 stipend (varies for partner REU programs), free on-campus housing, $500 travel allowance, free GRE prep course
Other Info: According to the programs website, “RISE at Rutgers is a nationally acclaimed summer research program for outstanding undergraduates from diverse backgrounds. Scholars participate in 10 weeks of cutting-edge research in the biological, physical, and social/ behavioral sciences, math, engineering, and exciting interdisciplinary areas under the guidance of carefully matched faculty mentors. A comprehensive professional development component, including GRE preparation, complements the research.”
If interested in any of these internships, click the links provided to learn more. Furthermore, Meltem Yucel frequently adds paid internships to their list so be sure to check back for more potential paid internships in the future.
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Even as this semester draws to a close, it’s a great time to start thinking about next semester (and future semester) pursuits. There are a variety of ways students can apply concepts learned in the classroom with real-life examples, as well as hone their skills outside of the classroom and learn new skills. Here are some of the ways you can make the most of your time in the Roanoke College Psychology department.
Research Labs
Putting time into research can give you a great experience applying the information you learn in the classroom and experiencing the research process firsthand. Students even have published their research and presented at psychology conferences around the country. Research opportunities are strongly encouraged for students planning to continue their education in either graduate or doctoral programs in psychology.
Research experience and research practicum are great for students to get a foot in the door and learn more about research in psychology. Work-study also allows eligible students to assist with faculty research for an hourly wage. Students can talk to a faculty member with who they share research interests with. Looking at the faculty’s past presentations and research papers is another great way to get an idea of who you would most like to work with. You can find information on faculty research interests here and here are recent student conference presentations and publications with faculty.
For less directed student work, Independent Study (Empirical Study) and Honors in the Major allow students to conduct their own empirical study under a faculty member. It is common for students to take research practicum prior to enrolling in an Independent Study as they have already completed a research proposal but it is not required to do it in this way. For Honors in the Major, the results are required to be presented to a committee during a defense. Independent studies can be used to fulfill the Intensive Learning (May Term) requirement.
Students can also conduct research during the summer through the Summer Scholar Program where they can be paid $3000, receive housing, and a summer course credit to conduct research with a faculty member. Projects are presented during Family Weekend. More information can be found here.
For more details about all avenues to become involved in research click here.
Some comments from students currently involved in research
“Getting involved in research within the psychology department has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my college career – not only do I get to actually use what I have learned throughout my courses, but I get to explore my research interests while working one-on-one with a knowledgeable professor. This experience of conducting and presenting my own independent study will give me a bit of an extra boost as I enter the next stage of grad school.”
“I got into research for the chance to be able to dive into a topic that I was really interested in. I learn skills every day that I am able to take and use in my other classes to improve my academic performance. On top of this, I have gained peers who I can share things with and get helpful feedback from people who I trust.”
“After several assignments in classes where I was required to write a research proposal, I found myself writing a similar proposal every time about a topic I really enjoyed reading about and I wanted to see if I could actually translate my ideas from paper into the real world. With research in the psychology department, I found I could and not only do I feel fulfilled, but research has also provided me with great time management skills.”
Sign up for research studies
Some classes have a research participation requirement in which 5 participation amount credits need to be earned for a percentage of students’ final grade. However, signing up for research studies through SONA is a great way to get firsthand experience of how studies operate and possibly get some ideas for research studies you would like to run in the future. A lot of these studies are student studies that are needed for courses such as independent studies, so it also benefits your fellow classmates. More information about how and where to sign up for these studies can be found here.
Internships
Internships take place in a variety of places from community agencies to businesses and students have the chance to see how their knowledge of psychology is applied in work settings. Internships can be used for credit (.5 for 60 hours or 1 unit for 120 hours) and can be used to satisfy the Intensive Learning (May Term) requirement. Reflections will be completed throughout the internship leading up to a reflection paper and poster presentation on the experience. The experience and skills gained from it can be added to resumes or crriculum vitaes (CV). Click here to learn more about internships and how to be contacted about opportunities.
Psychology Student Organizations
Both the psychology club Roanoke College Psychology Association (RCPA) and the psychology honor society Psi Chi host several social, academic, and philanthropic events throughout the semester. Some examples of these include a Veteran Affairs Medical Center Talk, Pie-a-Prof, and Toy-like-Me. However, while RCPA is open to all students, those eligible to join Psi Chi need at least four units of psychology and at least a 3.0 GPA and be in the upper 35% of their class. Both usually set up tables at the activities fair. To learn more information about each click here.
Student Assistant Job
If you’re interested in helping the department behind the scenes, students with a 2.5 GPA overall and a 2.5 GPA in psychology are selected to be departmental assistants where they work for an average of 5 hours a week. Common jobs include grading multiple-choice tests and running errands. Student assistants are also in charge of posting to the psychology department blog and Instagram page. You can learn more by clicking on this link.
Some comments from recent student assistants
“I became a psychology department student assistant to become more involved in psychology and to build relationships with the faculty in the department. Through this position, I have had the chance to interact with all the professors, learn new skills, keep the community updated on all that is happening in our department, and have had fun decorating the fifth floor as well as being involved with pranks on the professors.”
“Becoming a psychology department student assistant has allowed me to interact with more psychology faculty than I might have interacted with just taking classes. I had never paid much attention to social media but being in charge of the blog and Instagram for the psychology department has provided me with new skills. Being able to help faculty in the department is also satisfying.”
Participating in even just one of these activities can make your time in the RC psychology more meaningful and it may make a difference in you falling in love with the subject even more.
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With October nearing to an end and November on the horizon, for those graduating in the coming months, it is time to start considering graduate programs. Whether you already know where you are going to be applying to graduate school, or aren’t quite sure if graduate school is for you, follow this blog as a way to learn more about the programs available and for resources on where to find more information.
Talk with your advisors/professors
Over the next few weeks, it would be best to reach out to your advisor(s) and professors for advice or guidance, especially if you are still uncertain about what post-graduate option appeals to you the most.
Look into programs
There is a multitude of graduate programs available to psychology students. While having a variety is nice, it can also be overwhelming, so you may want to reduce what you are looking at.
Some options:
Exploring is key, so whether you are not sure where to begin or know the program, state, and area you want to go to graduate school in, explore your options and come up with a list of 10-20 programs that interest you.
Moreover, while you look at programs you should also make note of professors that align with your interests and that are accepting students for the coming academic year. Especially if you choose to go into a Ph.D. program, you will likely need to declare which professor you wish to research alongside, so making this list early is helpful.
Start Planning
Once you have determined that graduate school is for you, start planning when and how you will get everything done. Here are some common items to complete before application deadlines:
Finalize Your List
By the time it comes to applying to programs, you should limit yourself to applying to between 10-15 programs. While it will not hurt you to apply to more, the cost of graduate school applications vary and can add up quickly. Therefore, having a few reach programs, a few middle of the road programs and a few safety programs tend to be best practice.
Seek Advice
Seek advice from your professors and advisor(s) throughout the application process. Moreover, seek the advice of other graduate students. Don’t be afraid to continue to ask questions, the process can be daunting, but relying on the help of others can make it doable.
For more information, check out some of our other blog posts highlighting graduate programs and providing more graduate advice here.
Applying to graduate programs can be stressful, but by reaching out to your professors/advisors and starting to do some research on different programs, you will soon find yourself generating a list of potential programs and beginning the application process.
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PSYC 110 – Pursuing your Purpose is a 1/2 credit course that assists students in considering career paths and informs them of the opportunities available to them within the Psychology Department and across the College. The course is particularly well-suited for sophomores or others who have recently declared the major, but all are certainly welcome and have benefited from the course. The course will meet virtually one time a week on Tuesday evenings with part of the class being synchronous and the rest of the work being asynchronous.
Three students that recently took this course, Kristianna Jenner, Emily Gabrielian, and Kristi Rolf took some time to answer questions regarding this course:
Why did you decide to take PSYC 110?
Kristianna Jenner: I decided to take PSYC-110 because I needed a little more direction and guidance. Psychology is just so broad and I felt like I needed a different perspective on the field as well as to gain more practical information for my future.
Emily Gabrielian: After the fall semester of my sophomore year, I decided to switch my major from biochemistry to psychology. I really enjoyed the psychology courses that I had taken before, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with a psychology major. Right after I declared my major in psychology, Dr. Allen recommended this class to me. Dr. Allen emphasized that this class would help me find my path in psychology and would allow me to learn more about the amazing opportunities that Roanoke College and the psychology department has to offer. I decided to take PSYC 110 because I really wanted some guidance on what I wanted to do with my psychology major.
Kristi Rolf: I decided to take PSYC 110 on a friend’s recommendation because I had just declared it as my major and was totally in love with psychology, but had no idea what discipline or career path I wanted to pursue.
What did you and other students do in the class?
Kristianna Jenner: So in the class, we get to learn more about the practicality of the science of psychology. We do our own research to find out what things we are interested in and to find the degree requirements, location of the prevalence of jobs, and also the salaries. All of these are super important for making decisions on where you want to go to school, where you may end up living, and what things you’re genuinely interested in. There is also a community-Based learning aspect of the course, where we go out into the real world here in Salem and the surrounding towns to shadow people who are working in the fields (or are adjacent) you are interested in.
Emily Gabrielian: One of the reasons why I loved this class so much was because of the other students in the class. During this class, the students really get to know one another and become more comfortable with sharing their goals and dreams. Everyone in the class was motivated to learn more about the opportunities that Roanoke has to offer. Also, everyone in the class wanted to discover the potential paths they could go after graduating from Roanoke. It was clear that everyone in the class wanted to grow and develop. I am thankful for this class because it gave me the opportunity to connect with my peers and create new friendships.
Kristi Rolf: Each week Dr. Powell assigned readings and/or activities on a certain topic that we discussed in class that ranged from potential career choices to resources at Roanoke College. Everything we discussed was backed up by empirical articles and Dr. Powell brought guest speakers in for many classes which really enriched our learning. In the second half of the semester, Dr. Powell and Jesse Griffin from the office of civic engagement helped match each of us to a location for job shadowing where we would complete 20 hours before the end of the semester (sadly last semester we had to cut the job shadowing short due to COVID-19).
How has PSYC 110 helped you and what did you get out of it?
Kristianna Jenner: I learned about aerospace psychology, which might just be the coolest thing ever. I never would have found this entire subfield had I not been in this class. Aerospace psychologists work with airline personnel, airplane manufacturers, engineers, and airlines themselves. They work to help make the skies safer for everyone and the interfaces easier for those working in the airline industry. I found this to feel like it was something I could see myself doing with my life and I found the guidance I wanted out of the class.
Emily Gabrielian: Although our time was cut short due to the Coronavirus, I still got so much out of this class. This class helped me figure out that after Roanoke, I want to go to graduate school in order to further my learning and work towards becoming a counselor. After every class, I was so giddy about all of the opportunities that Roanoke has to offer. I was so excited about the opportunity to study abroad, complete an internship, and conduct research. Also, from my volunteer experience at the West End Center, I realized that in the future I want to work with children. Overall, I got so much more out of this class than what I was expecting. This class truly made me more motivated with my studies and more excited about what the future holds.
Kristi Rolf: PSYC 110 helped me the most by providing clarity on my degree path at Roanoke and all the resources that are available for me in the department and throughout the College.
Why would you recommend PSYC 110?
Kristianna Jenner: I definitely think that if you’re struggling while considering the future or even if you’re like me, where all you want is just a little more guidance on life, this is the class to take. Overall, I think that this class will only help, never hurt.
Emily Gabrielian: I would recommend PSYC 110 because this class gives you the opportunity to learn more about yourself, but also learn more about what Roanoke has to offer. When I would talk with my friends about this class, they all emphasized how they wished their majors offered a class like this. Even if you know what you are going to do after Roanoke, I still encourage you to take this class because you may discover that there is another path that is more interesting. Also, this class gives you the opportunity to give back to the community and meet new people. I fully recommend taking this class because it will be so beneficial for you and your future.
Kristi Rolf: I would recommend PSYC 110 because it is a fantastic tool for getting more involved in the department and absorbing lots of wisdom from Dr. Powell which has been invaluable for me!
If you are interested in taking this course or would like to know some more information, please reach out to Dr. Darcey Powell at dpowell@roanoke.edu.
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Clinical Psychologists study psychopathology in order to assess and diagnose mental disorders.
At Appalachian State University, located in Boone, North Carolina, you can study Clinical Psychology through their Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) program.
Through this 5-year program, students follow the practitioner-scientist training model, meaning that you will not only be trained in applied clinical assessment and intervention, but also will be trained in applied research.
According to the Appalachian State Psychology Department “this training program will focus on the impact of culture and diversity on clinical practice, including the factors that affect individual and community development, specifically in rural areas.”
This program is quite selective as only six to eight students are admitted into the program each year. However, each student that is admitted receives some form of funding through scholarships or assistantships.
If interested in applying, applications are due December 1 and require the following:
If interested, our very own, Dr. Hilton, attended Appalachian state and received his B.A. and M.S., so if you have any further questions feel free to contact him at hilton@roanoke.edu.
More information on the program can be found in these two graphics as well as on their official webpage, found here.
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In this post, recent alumni Brice Hinkle discusses what she has been up to since graduating from Roanoke College. After graduating in the midst of the pandemic, Brice has some great insight to share with current Roanoke College students and soon-to-be graduates!
Tell us about yourself. What are you up to now?
I got a job at a local Health Food store called Nature’s Outlet back in March. Even though it’s not in the counseling or social work vein I want to go into, I haven’t left because I was learning so much there, but now I actually feel it is time to move on to other things, so I’ll be sending out applications to other places over the next few weeks. Between school and work a lot of my free time was taken up in my undergrad, so I wanted to take some time between undergrad and graduate school to focus on my personal goals that I hadn’t had time for. I’m really into making sample- and synth-based music and yoga as a spiritual practice and lifestyle, so I’ve been trying to dedicate more time to those. I’m searching for jobs through Career Services, my network of friends and family, and Indeed.
How did the pandemic impact your plans for after Roanoke College?
The pandemic has been interesting. A group of friends and I were looking for a place to live and the pandemic put us all on a time crunch to do so and cut my friends jobs temporarily, so being able to make rent was scary for a while.
What was your graduation like? Did you get to step on the seal?
I graduated this past May so I didn’t get much more than a Zoom call, which was still great. But I had already stepped, sat, and even danced on the seal I can’t count how many times every year since my freshman year.
What do you miss about Roanoke College?
I recently walked around campus again with a friend and I really missed the late nights out with my friends there and the gorgeous campus and views of the sunset. I am happy to have the time to dedicate to exploring other interests now though.
What has been your favorite part of life since graduation?
Honestly, the time I’ve been able to spend on music has really improved my mood stability. I recommend everyone pick up an instrument of some sort.
Where do you hope to be in the future?
I hope to be living somewhere out west, up north, or abroad working with the mentally ill or the youth.
Do you have any advice for students at Roanoke College now?
Don’t do something that you feel your parents or society or your peers expect you to do. Do what you are passionate about and work your tail off for it. Manage your time well and make the most of it, because you only have so much time. Be good to yourself and to others; everyone deserves to be heard and met with patience, compassion, and understanding.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I honestly am saddened by my high school’s attempt at education. I don’t feel that way about Roanoke. You are in a good place, take advantage of it, and revel in it.
Thank you, Brice, for taking the time to answer our questions and congratulations on starting your post-grad life. We look forward to hearing about how you are in the future and will continue to cheer you on! A special thanks for the kind words you had to share with current Roanoke College students.
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Have you considered graduate school? Are you currently in the process of applying? Or are just looking to explore options post-undergrad?
If so, then join the Graduate School Advice Panel over Zoom on Tuesday, October 27th from 12-1 PM.
Join current Roanoke College Psych Professors and recent Roanoke College Psych Alumni to learn more about graduate school and the application process, as well as to learn general advice about different programs and the graduate school process.
We will be joined by Alumni in a variety of programs ranging from Clinical Psychology to I/O Psychology, all of whom are working towards an M.A., Ph.D., or Psy.D.
If you’re interested in attending join the following Zoom meeting on Tuesday, October 27th at Noon.
Topic: Grad School Info Session
Time: Oct 27, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://roanoke-edu.zoom.us/j/81556902405?pwd=UElKOGZPWlVSSS81N0lXd0ZBOEYyQT09
Meeting ID: 815 5690 2405
Passcode: 310880
We look forward to having you join us!
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Are you interested in studying how the mind changes with age? Or maybe you are interested in helping the elderly cope with issues associated with age? Would you like to work within a network of providers to comfort and care for aging patients? If you think that any of these things may interest you, then look into geriatric psychology, also known as geropsychology!
As people grow older, they are faced with a variety of different challenges that include physical, emotional, and social impacts. Some of these issues stem from losing loved ones and others around them, while some of these issues are a result of the body breaking down with age.
Geriatric psychologists play a critical role in the care of aging individuals. They may provide counseling for illnesses and diseases or even research the effects of aging. Additionally, if their patient has a serious or terminal prognosis, they may work within a network to provide care for both the patient and their family. There is an increased need for geriatric psychologists as the Baby Boomers age. If you think that this is something that might interest you, use the links below to discover more.
To find out more, click this link!
For information from the APA on geropsychology, use this link!
For info on careers in aging, visit this link!
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It’s almost that time of year again: registration time! Pre-registration advising will begin next week on Monday, October 26 and registration will begin on Monday, November 9. Students should be notified about their registration time in the next few weeks through email and it should be visible on self-service as well. Thus, this post will provide a simple step-by-step guide on how to register for classes as well as some helpful reminders!
How to Register
Self Service helps to organize and visualize your class schedule. Typing in this link https://selfservice.roanoke.edu/Student/ should bring you to the self-service login page. Your username and password is the same for self-service as it is for inquire.
After you log in, you should see the student home page seen below. Click on Student Planning near the bottom left, above Grades.
This should bring you to the student planning page where you can either check your academic progress or register for classes. Click on Plan for your Degree & Register for Classes on the right side of the screen.
Finally, you’ve reached the page where you can schedule your courses. You can use the arrows near the top left to change between terms. To add courses to your schedule, you can search for courses at the top right search bar.
Let’s say you wanted to add psychology 251 to your schedule. You would type it into the search bar and you should be brought the course catalog seen below. Clicking on “Add Course to Plan” and selecting a term won’t put an available class section on your schedule, it will only show the class on the left side bar in the planned classes. You’ll have to manual add a section by clicking view other sections.
If you click on “View Available Sections for PSYC-251” you’ll see all sections available for both the current and next term as shown below. Make sure you scroll down and click on “Add Section to Schedule” on a section under Spring Term, 2021.
You can also follow this post for instructions on how to register on Ellucian Go app.
On the day of your registration time, a button should appear that says “Register Now” near the top right that if pushed should register you for all classes currently on your course schedule. A confirmation email should be sent that notifies you what classes you have registered for.
If you would like to see these steps in action, Roanoke College provides two videos found here and here on using Self-Service to plan schedules.
Other Tips
Advising Meetings
Meet with your advisor. Some advisors should be reaching out to you this week if they haven’t already for a pre-registration advising meeting. If not, it might be a good idea to reach out to them first. It’s always a great idea to meet with your advisor just to check in with them to make sure you’re taking the right classes and that you’re on the right track to graduate on time.
Your advisor can help you indicate what classes are available next semester but you can (and should) look what is being offered through self-service by typing in the class name or number in the search bar in self-service. You can also search courses through the course catalog on self-service or in the directory.
Plan Ahead
Before you meet with your advisor, pick classes that are required and/or that you want to take and make a draft of your schedule using self-service. Class registration goes in order with those who have the most credits prior to the current term picking their classes first so it is possible that you may not get your first choices. That’s okay! Having a plan B and sometimes even a plan C helps reduce disappointment and worry about not taking classes that are interesting to you but also meet requirements. Here you can check the requirements for majors and concentrations in the psychology department.
Be Early
Remember being early is being on time. Opening self-service a few minutes before your designated time and making sure you’re ready to push that register button may be the difference in you getting your first choice or second choices or not.
Registration can be stressful but your advisors are a great resource and are willing to help. In addition, it gets easier the more times you do it and in no time you’ll be a pro. Good luck Maroons!
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No matter what year you are, it is never too early or too “late” to begin considering what you want to do during your time at Roanoke College, in order to stand out to potential future employers or graduate programs. Therefore, whether you are a first-semester freshman or a first-semester senior, there are always things you can be doing on and off campus to prepare you for your future post-grad studies or jobs in psychology.
If you plan to pursue a career or graduate program in psychology then follow this post as a guide to begin building up your resume or CV with experiences that will help you stand out to future employers or programs.
Plan ahead
You do not need to have your future plans set in stone at any point during your college career, but it may be good to start considering different options and creating plans around those options. That is, look at what courses you will need to take to complete your major/minor/concentration and roughly layout when you will take them. Moreover, consider what you do and do not want to do while in college (e.g., internships, research, study abroad, etc.). This initial planning stage will help you in the long run but is not limited to those in their freshman year.
Seniors, planning may look different, but consider different post-grad options and begin looking at what they require. From here, plan out what to do during your final two semesters and post-undergrad to help you get into the job/programs that you are looking into.
Explore options
When considering what you want to do in psychology consider the multiple options available to you. Look into different career paths, graduate programs, or post-grad internships and research opportunities. Do not be afraid to take a gap year after graduating from Roanoke College to explore these options and to gain some more work experience or research/internship experience. There is no specific plan that you need to follow to become a successful psychologist, so look into options to find a plan that works best for you.
Look at expectations/requirements
If you are looking to enter into a graduate program or a specific job, look at the application requirements and deadlines early on. Even if you have no idea where you want to go or what you want to do, looking into different programs and seeing what they require of applicants is a good start. In doing so, you may find that multiple programs are expecting similar requirements such as research experience or a GRE score. In noticing these commonalities, you can adjust what you are doing to ensure you complete these items on time.
Get involved
It goes without saying, but getting involved is important to all employers and graduate programs. Whether it be gaining world-experience in the form of internships, study abroad, or jobs, or gaining academic experience in the form of research, honor societies, and a variety of courses, or through being apart of outside activities such as sports teams, and other clubs and organizations, it is beneficial to get involved both on and off-campus.
Consider an internship
An internship is one of the best ways to gain work experience while in undergrad. Not only are internships a way to build connections, they also give you real-world experience, and introduce you into the field you may be interested in. Moreover, they are also beneficial as they can lead you to realize you want to pursue a different path. Do not feel discouraged if an internship leaves you wanting to explore a new area as this is equally as beneficial as an internship that proves to you that you are on the right path.
All in all, internships can help guide you in solidifying your interests as well as showcase to you what your interests may not be.
More information on internships can be found here!
Consider research
If you plan to enter into a graduate program, specifically a Ph.D. track, considering research is highly important. Most graduate programs suggest or require that you have some research experience at hand. While taking quantitative methods and research methods is a good introduction to research, conducting research alongside a psychology faculty or other students is a way to further enhance those skills. Moreover, conducting research can lead you to present at conferences or getting published, which as an undergraduate is a major accomplishment.
More information on the research can be found here!
Consider studying abroad
While studying abroad is not for everyone, it is a great experience that not only enhances cultural knowledge but leads to self-development. Studying abroad offers a lot of self-development that can be beneficial and will look notable when applying to jobs or graduate programs. There are a variety of study abroad options available, and if you plan ahead early, you can ensure that courses you take while abroad can fill requirements you may need, as well as find a semester where studying abroad works best for you.
More information on studying abroad can be found here!
Reach out to Professors/Advisors
After reading all of these options you may feel lost, which is completely normal! That said, you are not alone and your professors and advisors can be a great resource in guiding you towards your next steps. Reach out to your advisors if you are struggling with where to begin or on what you can achieve during your semesters at Roanoke College. Moreover, reach out to professors that share similar interests to learn more about how they went about applying to programs, finding jobs, or for advice on what specific things you should or could be doing.
Here are current professors specialties and interests:
Dr. Allen: Psychopharmacology and abnormal psychology
Dr. Buchholz: Self, consciousness, evolutionary psychology, and moral decision making
Dr. Carter: Social and personality psychology
Dr. Cate: Cognitive and neuroscience
Dr. FVN: Developmental, social, and educational psychology
Dr. Hilton: Clinical and cognitive psychology
Dr. Nichols: Cognitive neuroscience
Dr. Osterman: Social psychology and evolutionary psychology
Dr. Powell: Developmental psychology
Dr. Wetmore: Experimental psychology and cognitive psychology
More information about specific professors’ interests can be found here!
Start drafting your Resume and cover letter, and/or your CV and purpose statement
If you are interested in pursuing a career or graduate school in psychology then you want to start drafting your CV and purpose statement. On the other hand, if you are looking to go into more general work, you should have an updated resume and cover letter. Whether it be your CV or Resume, these items should be updated when major changes are made, or at least at the beginning and end of each semester, or before they are to be submitted to someone.
Cover letters and purpose statements can be made quite broad to begin with but should always be specified to match the program you are going into.
More information on how to write a CV can be found here!
Refer to the Roanoke College Psychology page for more information
You may still be feeling a bit overwhelmed on where to begin and where to go for information. While the blog will continue to share advice and information on graduate school or post-grad career information, you may also refer to the Roanoke College Psychology Page for more resources and information.
Best of luck to all of you as you continue on your journey towards becoming a psychologist and know that the fifth floor is always cheering you on and here to help (even if virtually)!
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Mainstream Mental Health Services provides goal-directed training to individuals who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Their services are intended to support the individual in achieving and/or maintaining independence within their community in the most appropriate and least restrictive environment. It is Mainstream’s mission to enable eligible older adolescents and adults to acquire life skills and develop stronger family and community relationships that will enhance their quality of life in the mainstream community.
Mainstream’s three main areas of service include mental health skills building, psychosocial rehabilitation, and an outpatient crisis stabilization and outpatient psychotherapy unit. Roanoke College students have previously held internships with the psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) program.
Mental Health Skills Building: a Qualified Mental Health Professional provides individual – one to one service – focused on the individual client’s personal goals and individual service plan. Mainstream follows a supportive strength-based approach to helping individuals recognize personal strengths and natural supports that help support a happier, fulfilling life.
PSR: person-centered service emphasizing a continuum of psychoeducational programming, daily life skills training, socialization opportunities, and satisfying recreational activities in a group setting. Provides an individual with an opportunity to move from social isolation to interacting with others in a positive, supportive environment.
Bridges to hope: Mainstream Outpatient Crisis Stabilization and Outpatient Psychotherapy Services, also referred to as Bridges to Hope, aims to provide quality, immediate interventions and ongoing support focused on stability with the least restrictive treatment possible. Programming will vary from day to day, depending on the needs of individuals in the program.
Mainstream values the opportunity to provide undergraduate and graduate level internships for individuals pursuing a career in the mental health field. Internships are centered around learning experiences and supervision that provide a basic, yet fundamental skill set that is the root of all direct mental health service practices. Students seeking an internship with Mainstream Mental Health Services, Inc. should be pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in one of the following areas:
More information about internship opportunities can be found here on their webpage. You can also reach out to psychology department professors and fellow students who have had experience working with Mainstream. The Internship Director for Psychology is Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand, findley@roanoke.edu, office 509-B Life Science.
You can find more information on Mainstream Mental Health Services’ website: https://mainstreammh.com/ If you are interested in volunteering and not committing to a full internship experience, try reaching out to Bobbi Cook at bcook@mmhservices.com to see what alternative opportunities they have available. Make sure you tell her that you are from Roanoke College!
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Each year, Roanoke College is proud to host the Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide prevention and mental health awareness. While much of this year looks different, Psi Chi and RCPA are proud to continue to host this event.
On Saturday, October 10, 2020, at 11:00 AM, join members of Psi Chi and RCPA, as well as the greater Roanoke College Community to take part in this walk! We will be meeting outside in the parking lot near the Life Science Building. If you plan to walk in person please follow the COVID guidelines and precautions set forth by the CDC, VA State Health Department, and Roanoke College by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and most importantly by staying home if you are feeling ill, have any symptoms of COVID-19, or have been around someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
If you do not feel comfortable meeting in person, no worries, just walk whenever you can Saturday and wherever you feel most comfortable! Moreover, you can scan the QR code on the poster above to join our team and help raise donations to support the American Foundation for suicide prevention.
We look forward to walking with you Saturday, wherever you may be, and appreciate any and all support!
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In this post, recent alumna Lauren Furlow discusses what she has been up to since graduating from Roanoke College. She is currently attending graduate school and has an interest in researching within the field of LGBTQ+ psychology and spiritual trauma. Lauren also had some kind words to say to current Roanoke College students, and would love to give some advice on life after college.
Tell us about yourself. What are you up to now?
I am a first-year graduate student at Marshall University in the PsyD program. When looking at graduate programs, I searched the APA website for accredited programs in the area & type of program I wanted to study.
How did the pandemic impact your plans for after Roanoke College?
Thankfully, I was not impacted too much. Some of my classes are still in-person but a few are virtual.
What was your graduation like? Did you get to step on the seal?
I was a December 2019 graduate. I was not planning to attend the graduation ceremony in May, 2020 so COVID-19 didn’t change anything for me.
What has been your favorite part of life since graduation?
I moved to West Virginia in May of 2020 and I adopted a puppy in June! His name is Malakai and he is a lab-mix.
Where do you hope to be in the future?
Next year, I hope to have been successful in my first year of graduate school and studying for my master’s test! I will also be starting to work with patients in a clinical setting. In 5 years, (I hope) I am finishing my internship placement and looking for a full-time job after applying for my license to practice clinical psychology.
Do you have any advice and/or uplifting words for students at Roanoke College now?
Your professors understand what an unusual time this is. If you are struggling, you are most definitely NOT the only one. Talk to your professors, they want to help you and they want to see you succeed.
Thank you, Lauren, for taking the time to answer our questions and congratulations on graduate school. We look forward to hearing about how it goes in the future and will continue to cheer you on!
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There are many interesting fields of psychology that cater to different interests! An example of this is sports psychology. In this field, the interaction between psychology and sports is studied. Sports psychology includes a broad array of topics including athlete well-being, the relationship between sports and social interactions, and the issues associated with sports and their respective organizations. Sports psychology can be used to help many different people including kids and Olympic athletes. Additionally, sports psychology is a complex field with many different areas of reach. For example, sports psychologists may work with participants with eating disorders, a team that is struggling to work together, or even assist with concentration and attention techniques. This field is incredibly interesting and limitless!
To view the American Psychological Association’s post click here!
To learn about a career in Sports Psychology click here!
Sports Psychology. (2008). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/sports
Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame announced 2019 inductees. (2019, June 3). Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.halifaxtoday.ca/local-news/nova-scotia-sport-hall-of-fame-announced-2019-inductees-1487559
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On Saturday, October 17th, Towson University will be hosting a virtual Graduate Studies Open House! Roanoke College alumni Diane Nyugen is currently attending Towson University to earn her M.A. in Experimental Psychology! Attendees of the open house will hear from current students and faculty, and will have the opportunity to ask questions. Finally, students who attend the open house will have the fee waived on their Towson University Graduate Application! For more information, visit the links below.
To register for the event, click here.
For more information about the Experimental Psychology program, click here.
Follow their Facebook for updates on current students and alumni.
Contact our program director, Dr. Justin Buckingham at jbuckingham@towson.edu
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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.
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!
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As a part of Dr. Powell’s HNRS 260 – Psychology in the Media course, students read Van Bavel and colleagues’ (2020) article, Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response, and created flyers that they thought would grab RC students’ attention to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
See what some students came up with below!
Do the Right Thing
Uncle Sam
Combatting the Pandemic
COVID Practices
Great job to all the students who completed this project and created new graphics to share on campus!
Continue to stay safe, and remember, keep wearing a mask, wash your hands, and social distance to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep all of the Roanoke College community safe!
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With mid-terms fast approaching (sadly with no relief of a fall break), it can be easy for stress to quickly overcome the life of a college student. Here are some simple reminders and helpful tips on how to reduce stress in your life.
College resources
As always, our student health and counseling services are still available to all students through telemedicine services.
Click here for the full counseling services schedule where you can also find meeting information.
Using your school email address, you also have access to Therapy Assistance Online (TAO) Self-Help which is a private online library of behavioral health resources. Modules and practice tools can assist in learning how to manage stress and mindfulness skills.
Organizations and the college may also have events that pop up this week or the next so watch out for those!
©THRIVEGLOBAL
Remember midterms are just a reminder that you are halfway through the semester and you have come so far! This list of some potential stress reducers is simply a reminder but there are way more. Feel free to share any other ideas of stress relief during midterms week in the comments below!
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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, follow this link and once again congratulations Dr. Nichols for this recent publication!
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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!
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Why not check out RCPA at the student activities fair this Friday, September 11 that will be taking place from 5 pm to 8 pm on the back quad?
In the past RCPA has hosted exciting events ranging in activities from tie-dying and pieing professors as well as Toy-like-me modification day and psychology-related talks.
Live streaming and individual club clips will also be available on Maroon Tube for those who cannot attend in person.
Extra information about the fair can be found on Roanoke College’s website under events.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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Industrial and organizational psychology, or I/O psychology, is an applied discipline within the field of psychology. Typically, I/O psychologists focus on employees in the workplace, applying psychological principals and research methods in order to improve the work environment, specifically thing such as performance, communication and safety.
With I/O psychology becoming a growing discipline, students who may be interested in a program related to I/O psychology or who may want to learn more about what such program would entail, should check out the virtual open house led by the Graduate Center and Baruch College.
Baruch College will be holding virtual open houses for fall 2021 admissions on Tuesday, September 22 from 5:00 pm-6:00 pm EST and on Thursday, October 22 from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST.
During these open houses, prospective students will have the opportunity to learn more about the Ph.D. program and the application process, hear from current students, such as recent alumna Kaitlin Busse ’18, and faculty, as well as attend a question and answer session.
Advanced registration is required, and can be done here.
Please contact Dr. Charles Scherbaum (Charles.Scherbaum@baruch.cuny.edu)
with any questions on the registration or event.
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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
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
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. Osterman
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
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
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. Nichols
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
I’m looking forward to making the best of this semester and learning how to deal with it all together!
Dr. Carter
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!
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Kira Hunt, a rising senior in Psychology is recruiting participants for a study as part of her Honors Distinction Project. Please see below for details:
We would like to invite you to be in a research study focused on sharing information in online dating that would take no more than fifteen minutes of your time. We ask participants are between eighteen and twenty-five. Participants who provide contact information are eligible to enter a raffle for a ten dollar gift card. Click on the link below to get started!
https://roanoke.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3QS0ZIww5B4BhZz
On February 27-29, four students and three psychology professors attended the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, to present research through poster sessions and to attend presentations. The students included Hayley Mulford ’20, Naomi Painter ’22, Kaillee Philleo ’21, and Lauren Powell ’21. These students were joined by Dr. Buchholz, Dr. Carter, and Dr. Osterman.
Those in attendance have since given some insight onto what it was like presenting at the conference as well as their reactions to the conference and New Orleans, LA:
Hayley Mulford
While I did not present at the conference, It was so cool to see how many different research projects were being done and how enthusiastic people were! Everyone was really professional and genuinely interested in the research. Moreover, people held such intellectual conversations. I got to talk to some people that go to grad school at FSU, which is where I am going, so I was so excited! New Orleans is one of the coolest places I have ever been to. I loved the culture, the people, the food, and the area. I would go back in a heartbeat!
Naomi Painter
Kaillee Philleo
Going into SPSP I was quite nervous, as I have never presented at a conference before. However, after attending a few presentations and talking with other poster presenters, when it came time to present on my own research, it was not nearly as nerve-racking. I loved getting to learn about the variety of research topics in the field of psychology and enjoyed getting to meet other psychologists from across the world and discuss their projects and my own. Beyond the conference, we were able to explore New Orleans and I was able to try gumbo, which has since become my newfound favorite meal. I cannot wait to return to New Orleans in the future and hope to return to SPSP one day as well.
Lauren Powell
This was my second conference but it was the first conference that I have attended that I presented my work independently! It’s not as scary as it seems, and you get to meet a lot of cool people who have the same interests as you – I had a lot of great conversations with people from all over the world! Moreover, it was fun to see what other people were there to present. It’s always interesting to see that there are so many unexplored topics within the broad category of psychology. Beyond the conference, New Orleans was so much fun and I definitely plan on going back! I am really glad we were all able to experience New Orleans for just long enough to enjoy it but not long enough to be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak that has been happening.
Dr. Buchholz
I always enjoy going to the Society of Personality and Social Psychology annual conference. This year it was in New Orleans, which was a lot of fun. At the conference, we have a chance to interact with some of the leading scientists in the field and to hear about cutting-edge research. It is also a great opportunity for our students to present research that they have been conducting in our research labs. This year Naomi Painter and Lauren Powell were both able to present as first authors on our research examining empathy.
Dr. Carter
I had a great time at SPSP! I wasn’t able to attend last year due to the birth of my son, so it was great to catch up with colleagues and friends from graduate school that I hadn’t seen in a while, and of course to soak up some culture in New Orleans (and several really good meals). I saw a number of really excellent talks, learned a lot, and took inspiration for a few new research projects. My favorite part, however, was getting to see one of my graduate advisors (Tom Gilovich) win the society’s prestigious Campbell Award. He’s a giant in the field, and he absolutely deserves the recognition.
Dr. Osterman
SPSP was a blast as always, and I’m so proud of how well our students did with presenting their research! They represented the college and department well. Kaillee even talked to some people from NPR about her podcasting research!
Congratulations to all those who attended the conference and for having successful presentations!
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Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Ryen Beach, Sophia Bacon, Athey Crump, and Emily Deeds!
Ryen Beach
My plans after graduation are to take a gap semester and then attend nursing. I want to be an emergency department nurse and become a flight nurse.
Sophia Bacon
This summer I have been accepted to participate in a clinical internship at Southeast Psych based in Charlotte, NC. In the fall, I plan to both nanny part-time and work at Easterseals UCP where I will be providing ABA therapy to children on the spectrum. I also plan to apply to various graduate school programs in clinical psychology for the 2021 academic year.
Athey Crump
My favorite memory is when I was walking down the hall one day and heard each class make a joke and laugh, one after the other. It made me smile and be so happy to be amongst so many good spirited people.
After graduation, I plan to spend some time with my family while I’m home. Then I plan to attend graduate school nearby so I can be a little bit closer to home.
Emily Deeds
My favorite memory was passing out in Dr. Powell’s Developmental Psychology class watching the video on fertilization.
After graduation, I plan to move down south and pursue a career in Human Resources.
Congratulations to you all on the success you have achieved while at Roanoke College and we look forward to seeing all that you do in the future!
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Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 4 seniors: Casey Gough, Carter Smith, Emily Townley, and Ji’Asia Anderson!
Casey Gough
My favorite part of the psychology department is that we are a family. I remember studying with psych students I didn’t even know in the library, studying while goofing off with all my friends, and taking naps on the psych lounge couch together.
After graduation, I will be attending Appalachian State University in the Fall (2020) for a three-year dual degree MA & EDs school psychology program.
Carter Smith
I love the community of the psychology department. Being apart of it was like having our own little family on the fifth floor that would occasionally go to the brewery together, pie each other in the face, and, oh yeah, take classes.
After graduation, I will be serving in the Peace Corps as an English teacher and teacher trainer in Indonesia!
Emily Townley
Though it was daunting at the time, I greatly enjoyed defending my Honors in the Major/Distinction Project for psychology. It was the culmination of 3 semesters of independent work and I was excited to share my results.
After graduation, my plans are to attend a Master’s program for psychology, with a focus on clinical psychology. As of writing this, I have gotten into four so we’ll see where I end up!
Ji’Asia Anderson
Carly and I were able to present our poster of the research we were helping Dr. Carter with all semester at the APS Conference in Washington. Sadly, we got a slot on the last day, so we only got to present to Carly’s mother and the group that had a poster next to us. Even though we didn’t have a lot of people to present to, we had a lot of fun seeing the different research that others had been conducting and talked to some really nice people.
After graduation, I plan to find a job as a counselor or a social worker, so I can use everything that I have learned at Roanoke to help other people. Hopefully, one day in the future, I will be able to work in the prison system as a counselor.
Congratulations to you all on the success you have achieved while at Roanoke College and we look forward to seeing all that you do in the future!
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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!
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Congratulations to Casey Jo Gough ’20 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her Project was titled “Adverse Peer Experiences on Social Media: Adjustment of Emerging Adults and Moderation by Social Support”. Her project advisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Darcey Powell and Dr. Johanna Sweet, to oversee her defense.
Project Abstract: Although data suggests adverse peer experiences persist past adolescence, studies beyond this cohort are limited (Kochenderfer & Ladd, 1996). Peer rejection and bullying research have recently expanded to examine online experiences (Landoll et al., 2013), but there is an inadequate understanding of adverse peer experiences via social networking sites. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between adverse peer experiences online and the adjustment factors of stress and loneliness among emerging adults. In child and adolescent cohorts, social support has buffered the maladjustment impacts of bullying (Hong & Espelage, 2012). We hypothesize this trend will continue into emerging adulthood; specifically, people who are high in social support will feel less loneliness and less stress from adverse online experiences than those who are low in social support. Results indicated significantly more stress among females, but also more overall support. Further, college students received more belonging support than non-college students. Stress and loneliness were positively related to adverse peer experiences and negatively related to support. Social support did not moderate this relationship as expected. There was a significant interaction between high appraisal support and loneliness. Further analysis is recommended on the subscales of support concerning cohorts and adjustment variables.
Congratulations again to Casey Jo Gough on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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Over the next few days, we will be highlighting the Psychology Department graduating seniors! This post will highlight 5 seniors: Emily Jones, Lauren Furlow, Kinsey Overfelt, Hayley Mulford, and Dionne-Louise Liberia!
Emily Jones
After graduation, I plan on working with children for a few years before I go to pursue a career in guidance counseling.
Lauren Furlow
One of my favorite memories from being in the Psychology Department was watching Dr. Buchholz cover Dr. Osterman’s office with googly eyes for April Fools. I definitely had nothing to do with the prank.
After graduation, I am starting a PsyD program at Marshall University in August 2020.
Kinsey Overfelt
After graduation, I will be continuing my education at Virginia Tech by pursuing a Master’s Degree in Counselor Education.
Hayley Mulford
My favorite memory from being the Psychology Department was getting the chance to attend the SPSP Conference in New Orleans 2020!
After graduating I will be attending Florida State University to get my Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis! This will allow me to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst!
Dionne-Louise Liberia
After graduation, I plan on finding a full-time job as a Graphic Designer, dealing with digital marketing.
Congratulations to you all on the success you have achieved while at Roanoke College and we look forward to seeing all that you do in the future!
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At the end of each year, the Roanoke College Psychology Department decorates a bulletin board and holds a reception to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating senior class. Unfortunately due to the current circumstances, these events are unable to take place this year. Nonetheless, the graduating seniors of 2020 deserve to be recognized! For that reason, over the course of the next few days, we will be sharing the senior class and their plans after graduating from Roanoke College.
To the seniors, congratulations on all you have accomplished at Roanoke College. The Psychology department is so proud of each of you and we will continue to cheer you on from the fifth floor of Life Science no matter where you end up!
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Congratulations to Sophie Bacon ’20 for the successful defense of her Honors in the Major Project! Her Project was titled “Peer Group Motives and Authenticity: Associations with Self-Presentational Strategies on Social Media “. Her project advisor, Dr. Danielle Findley-Van Nostrand was joined by committee members, Dr. Lindsey Osterman and Dr. Kristen Schorpp, to oversee her defense.
This research was the culmination of over a year of work, and the next steps are to work towards presenting the findings at a conference and submitting for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Project Abstract: Research has shown that social networking platforms provide a space for identity development, specifically through engaging in different types of self-presentation. However, research on the relationship between social networking sites (SNS) and identity development is limited and has not been tied directly to peer relationship mechanisms. In this study, I aimed to integrate recent research on self-processes on social media and recent theoretical advances in the role of social media in peer relationships during emerging adulthood. This study looked at social motives including the need for popularity, and the need for belonging, authenticity, and presentation of the real, ideal, and false self. Correlational analyses indicated that authenticity was positively related to real self-presentation and negatively to false self-presentation. The need for popularity was negatively related to real self-presentation and positively to false self-presentation, whereas the need for belonging was unrelated to real-self presentation but was positively associated with false and ideal self-presentation. Regression analyses controlling for each predictor indicated that authenticity was a positive predictor of real self-presentation and a negative predictor of false self-presentation. The need for popularity negatively predicted real self-presentation and positively predicted false self-presentation. The need for belonging and ideal self-presentation were positively associated.
Congratulations again to Sophie Bacon on a successful defense and we look forward to seeing all you accomplish in the future!
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