Roanoke College Psychology Department

Latest

  • New Disabilities Studies Concentration

    This year, Roanoke College has expanded their academic catalog by launching a new concentration in Disability Studies.

    “the concentration was designed with an interdisciplinary approach that reflects the truth that disabilities are woven into every aspect of society.” –Roanoke College

    The interdisciplinary team of faculty directing the concentration include Dr. Teresa Milbrodt, Assistant Professor of English & Communication Studies; Mrs. Frances McCutcheon, Lecturer in Biology; and Dr. Andréa Burchfield, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology.

    Required courses for the concentration focus on disability theory, the lived experience of people with disabilities, elective units, and a capstone consisting of an internship or independent study.

    Dr. Burchfield shares that Disability Studies “prepares students for careers in the human services where they are likely to encounter people with disabilities.” Students who aim to attend graduate programs for special education, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and applied behavior analysis will especially benefit from completing the concentration.

    Dr. Andréa Burchfield, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, Coordinator for Disability Studies

    The concentration is also aimed at providing students with disabilities at Roanoke College a means to “better understand themselves, their disability communities, and what to expect from the world at large, while also deepening their support network here on campus.”

    Prior to teaching at Roanoke College, Dr. Burchfield worked in the field by providing behavior therapy, disability education and consultation, and disability accommodation training. Her past research focused on children with autism.

    She says,

    “I’m motivated to educate students about disabilities after years of witnessing the systemic isolation, negative stigmas, and obstacles to accessing services that people with disabilities face. People without disabilities lack a general awareness about the challenges the disability community faces; I’d like to reduce that gap in awareness.”

    Through disability studies, Dr. Burchfield hopes that students will create “positive changes for people with disabilities on campus and in their communities” and that current and prospective Roanoke students with disabilities will benefit from a stronger sense of community and belonging on campus.

    The Psychology Department is excited that this valuable field of study is now represented on campus.

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  • Lecture Today!

    Psychology students are invited to attend the lecture titled “Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience in the Era of Big Data” hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. On February 9th at 5:30pm, Damien Fair, PA-C, Ph.D. will be speaking on this topic.

    The lecture will be broadcast on Zoom and is free to attend! Click here to join the webinar.

    Read on, or visit the event page for more details!

    “Developmental cognitive neuroscience is being pulled in new directions by network science and big data. Brain imaging (e.g. functional MRI, functional connectivity MRI), analytical advances (e.g. graph theory, machine learning), and access to large computing resources have empowered us to collect and process neuro-behavioral data faster and in larger populations than ever before. The clinical and translational potential from these advances is unparalleled, as a better understanding of complex human brain function is best grounded in the onset of these functions during human development. Here Dr. Fair examines the state of developmental cognitive neuroscience in the era of networks and ‘big data’ and highlight the solid footing we can take forward into future discovery and real world applications.”

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  • Position available: Full-time research assistant at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carillion

    Job opportunity available at Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carillion for a full-time research assistant to support projects in the labs of Dr. Pearl Chiu and Dr. Brooks King-Casas. More information below

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  • Dr. Powell appears in docuseries about ghosting

    Dr. Powell appears in docuseries about ghosting

    Our very own Dr. Powell recently appeared as an expert commentator on ghosting in relationships in the Swiss docuseries “La science das coeurs brises” or “The science of broken hearts.” You can read more about Dr. Powell’s research in ghosting and her appearance in this docuseries in this article.

  • Fall ’22 Poster Session

    On Thursday December 8th, the Roanoke College community gathered to see psychology students present their latest research and internship experiences. This event is held at the end of every semester and always draws a crowd. As usual, Fintel library was packed with students, staff, and faculty alike to celebrate the hard work of driven psychology students.

    Scroll through the photos below to see how our students enhance their learning beyond the classroom!

    Fintel buzzes with excitement as students present research and internships
    Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand and students listen to a presentation.
    Kelsey McCown and Devin Brown speak about their recent internships.

    Research

    Psychology students love research! Senior seminar, honors in the major, and independent studies are just a few of many ways students conduct research under the supervision of faculty. These experiences are all presented at the poster session as seen in the pictures below.

    Seminar students (left to right) Avery Jackson, Jackson Shumate, James Orphanos, Lindsay Jones, and Casey Bowles present their capstone project.
    Seniors (left to right) Daniel Jewell, Morgan Bamrick, Kirra Eveland, Madison Dorn, and Allison Verbeke present their capstone project.
    Seminar students (left to right) Sadie Wallace, Karen Kohler, Caroline Powell, and Mia Clary present their capstone project.
    Maryam Nishtar presents her project conducted with Dr. Nichols, Physical Changes in the Brain as a Function of Clinical Dementia Ratings in Women with Alzheimer’s Disease.
    Jarod Le presents his research conducted with Dr. Nichols titled Decoding the Temporal and Spatial Frequency of Time Varying Stimuli Points to Utility of Complex Cells.

    HNRS 260 Projects

    This semester, Dr. Findley-Van Nostrand taught an Honors-260 course titled The Psychology of Aggression. For their final project, students in the class worked in groups to create informational brochures or flyers summarizing practical applications of the topic they studied throughout the semester. In this course, students from a variety of academic backgrounds learned about the discipline of psychology and its applications.

    HNRS 260 students present Psychopathology in Crime and Drug Use
    HNRS 260 students present their brochure on intimate partner violence.
    HNRS 260 students present Gender Differences in Aggression.
    HNRS 260 students enjoy pizza while sharing their brochure about psychopathy in children.

    Internships

    Many students also shared the workplace experience they gained through internships during the summer or school year. A broad range of internships qualify for academic credit and prepare students for the workforce after graduation.

    Morgan Michallef presents her fashion internship at Amiee Lynn in Manhattan
    Logan Pasley presents her work at Youth Connect
    Devin Brown presents her work at Mainstream Mental Health in Roanoke, VA

    Get Connected to RC psychology!

  • Psychology Department Poster Session

    Come have some pizza and hear about the latest research and internships conducted by psychology students in the Library on December 8th from 12-1 pm!

    Get Connected!

    Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology

    Twitter: @RC_Psychology

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about

    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • Kiah Coflin (’19) Honors in the Major Project Published

    Kiah Coflin ’19

    Kiah Coflin (’19) recently had her Honors in the Major project published in the Journal of Couple and Family Psychology. The article, titled “Comparison of emerging adults’ bid responses based on their gender and attachment” examines how individual differences in bid responses (i.e. turning toward, turning away, and turning against)  effect relationship quality and duration.

                Kiah completed this project under Dr. Darcey N. Powell, who she credits with encouraging her to become involved in research. She __ that the experiences that she gained from research – including presenting at research conferences, May Term, and the Honors in the major process were both fun and useful for her future beyond Roanoke

    “It was an incredibly fun and enlightening time that shaped my undergraduate career, and certainly helped as I continued on into graduate school for my Masters.” – Kiah Coflin ’19

                After graduation, Dr. Powell continued to support her through the publication process, as they worked together to edit and create manuscripts and submit for publication at various journals. Kiah graduated from Boston College with her Masters in School Counseling in Spring 2021, and has been working as a School Adjustment Counselor with hopes to continue to grow in the profession.

    “I’m continually in awe of the opportunities Roanoke College has been able to provide myself and fellow graduates, and consider myself lucky to continue to have the support and guidance of the Psychology Department years beyond my leaving campus.” – Kiah Coflin ’19

    Here’s the abstract for the paper:

    This project explored individual differences in bid responses, focusing specifically on participant gender and attachment. Bid responses (i.e., turning toward, turning away, and turning against) have been demonstrated to predict relationship quality and duration. However, to date, individual differences have not been explored. A pilot study of college-enrolled emerging adults (N = 51) demonstrated variability in responses to the created vignettes about hypothetical interactions with a romantic partner. Participants in the main study (N = 172) were emerging adults recruited from Prolific who responded to the finalized vignettes, as well as attachment and demographic questions. Turning toward was the most endorsed response type, and participants’ responses did not differ based on their gender. Bid responses did differ based on their romantic attachment, but not on their friend or family attachments. The results reiterate that practitioners should consider clients’ romantic attachment when discussing their interactions in romantic relationships and suggest additional research examining individual differences in bid responses is warranted.

    Citation is: Coflin, K., & Powell, D. N. (2022). Comparison of emerging adults’ bid responses based on their gender and attachment. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000236

    Get Connected!

    Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology

    Twitter: @RC_Psychology

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about

    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • RC Psychology Alum in the News

    Stephanie Walsh ’14 was sworn in as a police officer in Vinton and was recently highlighted in Vinton’s weekly newspaper, which you can read here. Congratulations Stephanie!

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    Get Connected!

    Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology

    Twitter: @RC_Psychology

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about

    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • Phi Beta Kappa News: Elected Psychology Students

    Congratulations to all Roanoke College students who have been elected into Phi Beta Kappa. PBK is the oldest honors society in the country and recognizes stellar students in the liberal arts and sciences who are championed in free thought. PBK is America’s most prestigious honors society, and as such, serves as the forefront of recognition in liberal arts education. The Psychology Department would like to say a special congratulations to this year’s juniors and seniors who have been selected to join PBK:

    Devin Brown
Edmond Dixon
Emma Kalinski
Skyler Pokorny
Kristi Rolf
Molly Willingham
Sydney Willingham
    https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=congratulations

    The Psychology Department is proud of all of your hard work this semester and previous semesters! Your hard work during your college years has paid off tremendously, and for that we commend you.

    Stay tuned for upcoming posts highlighting each student!

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    Get Connected!

    Blog:  https://psych.pages.roanoke.edu/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcpsychology

    Twitter: @RC_Psychology

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/RC-Psychology-8140491/about

    Website: https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/psychology

    Instagram: rcpsychology

  • What is APA?

    You may recognize the acronym APA as the citation style psychology students use to write papers. But who or what is APA and what do they do? This post is APA 101: a beginner’s guide. The American Psychological Association has a wealth of resources you should be taking advantage of as a student and professional. Read on and click the underlined links throughout this post to explore how APA can serve you!

    Background

    The American Psychological Association is a professional organization representing the field of psychology in the United States. Founded in 1892, today’s APA has more than 13,000 members who are professionals and students connected with the study and practice of psychology (source).

    (Important note: APA could also stand for the American Psychiatric Association, a similar group which focusses on the related field of psychiatry. Try not to mix them up!)

    Citations

    Let’s start with the basics for college students: citations. As a student, you will use APA style for papers and projects for class. If you conduct research in undergrad, graduate school, or during your career, you will publish your findings using APA guidelines. All current American psychology research is published and presented in APA format, so it is important to understand it so you can read the latest findings in the field.

    But APA citations aren’t just standard in psychology. This style is also widely used in other social sciences as well as the fields of engineering, nursing, and business.

    Luckily the APA’s website has a guide for using this style. This page features sample papers, helpful tips, and instructions for formatting your work and citing your sources. Bookmark the guide so you can find it for your next project!

    Psychology Student Network (PSN)

    Are you an undergraduate student who loves psychology but is looking for direction? Click here to find the latest edition of Psychology Student Network (PSN), the APA’s publication just for undergraduates.

    PSN articles discuss topics such as available jobs with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, undergraduate research, and tips for applying to grad school. Each bi-annual publication offers fresh content to guide you throughout your journey as a psychology student.

    Grad School Hub

    It’s no secret that many psychology careers require a graduate degree. If you are planning to attend graduate school, visit APA’s grad school page for information about finding and applying to graduate programs, and how to succeed once you get there.

    Don’t forget to take advantage of the graduate program search tool as you prepare for the next step in your education.

    Career Hub

    If the student chapter of your life is coming to an end, APA is there to guide you through your career.

    Start here with the career options guide to learn about potential careers in psychology. Then, read APA’s job search tips to guide you before diving into the job search tool to locate current job openings nationwide.

    Media

    Last but not least, on to the fun stuff! APA has a number of resources to satisfy your curiosity about all the current topics in psychology.

    Speaking of Psychology is a podcast hosted by Kim Mills, the APA’s senior director of strategic external communications and public affairs. Each episode, Mills interviews psychology researchers and practitioners to highlight new research and practices in the field. You can listen to the podcast on APA’s website, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher.

    To learn about the most pressing topics that connect psychology to everyday life, check out this hub of current issues featuring articles about the biggest themes in the field today.

    Finally, you can read the freshest scholarly papers on APA’s current research page. Here you can stay current on the latest findings in psychology.

    The biggest takeaway from this post? You should visit the APA website! Whether you are a student, researcher, professional or just someone who thinks psychology is cool, there’s something for everyone at APA

    Get Connected!