February, 2002

PSYCHOLOGY CLUB

Honorable mention:
Bonnie Prizio: The relationship between fear of success and locus of control
Leslie Urbec: The relationship between gender, social anxiety and fear of speaking in front of groups
Joseph Granger: The effects of alcohol use upon the self esteem of female college students. 
Pamela Pechinis: The relationship between achievement anxiety and gender

PLANNING FOR FALL 2002
Several possibilities will be available in fall for students interested in developing their research skills.

Advanced Experimental Psychology, taught by Dr. Pearl Mosher-Ashley, is designed as a continuation of the Research Methods course and gives students advanced research skills for graduate school. As part of the course students are provided with sets of original data on which they conduct individual research projects. The projects involve formulating hypotheses, analyzing the data and writing formal experimental report. Efforts are made to have students examine different aspects of the data so that every project will be eligible for presentation during the following semester at one of the three undergraduate conferences in Massachusetts. The best projects will then be submitted to national conferences. All of the students in the Fall, 2001 class submitted papers for presentation at the Eastern Psychological Assn Conference this spring. Several students plan to submit their papers for publication. Dr. Mosher-Ashley provides a supportive learning experience with much individual attention.  Anyone interested in more infor-mation about the course should contact Dr. Mosher-Ashley in person, phone (929-8761) or email pmosherashley@worcester.edu.

Junior Psychology majors might also consider an Independent Study their senior year. To do this you must plan and complete a project under the supervision of a faculty mentor, so it is wise to begin discussing possibilities with faculty during February and March. Information on faculty research interests is available on the department website and on the bulletin boards near A103.

The Psychology of Aging course should be considered by Psychology and allied health majors who would like to present a paper at a professional conference. This course, taught by Dr. Mosher-Ashley, features a writing project that can lead to such presentations. Four students are submitting projects based on last semester’s course assignment to the Board of Higher Education Undergraduate Conference in May. An additional six students have had projects accepted for presentation at the American Society on Aging in March, 2002 in Denver, CO.

Working toward a presentation based on a project for this course is very well suited to sophomores who are considering graduate school in the future. Sample reports are available on Dr. Mosher-Ashley’s web page web.meganet.net/robmich/pmosherashley under course information for Psychology of Aging. Go to Sample Program Descriptions. A hyperlink to this web page may also be located on the Psychology Dept. web page www.fac.worcester.edu/psychology

REMINDER: March 15 is the last day to declare or change your major/minor.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS

Publishing a research paper or presenting a study at a conference is one of the most effective ways to increase the likelihood of graduate school acceptance. Two or three conferences focused on undergraduates are held each spring. Notices of these conferences will be posted on the Psychology bulletin boards.

Also, the New England Psychology Association  will hold its annual meeting at Rivier College in Nashua, NH, October 18-19. Each year a number of under­graduates make poster presentations at this conference. The deadline to submit abstracts for consideration is April 1, 2002.

If you have completed or are currently involved in a research project that might qualify for presentation, discuss it with the faculty member supervising your project.

HONORS PROGRAM IN PSYCHOLOGY

In the fall of 2000, our department instituted an Honors Program for select students majoring in Psychology. The Program is designed to equip students with additional experience in research, which will assist them in reaching their goal, be it employment in the Human Services field or graduate education Applications for the Honors Program will be accepted through March 22^nd for entrance into the program this Fall. Minimum requirements for acceptance include:

1) declared Psychology major; 
2) completion of 90 credits by September 2002; 
3) completion of: General Psychology I and II, Social and Behavioral Statistics, and Research Methods by September 2002; 
4) minimum GPA of 3.5 in all Psychology courses; 
5) minimum overall GPA of 3.2;
6) minimum of 2 full-time semesters at WSC. 

 Applicants must obtain a faculty sponsor who agrees to supervise an independent study involving an original piece of research. Students are encouraged to contact Psychology faculty and to discuss possible projects in that faculty member’s area of specialization. Some faculty have on-going research projects a student may use as the basis for a study. It is also possible to set up project in a community agency. Request an Honors Booklet from Dr. Mosher-Ashley by emailing her at pmosherashley@worcester.edu. It includes additional information for students who are interested in working on particular faculty members’ projects or in an agency that has expressed an interest in having an Honors student carry out a project.

FACULTY/ STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Nicole Cote, Dr. Pearl Mosher-Ashley and Holly Way Kiernan have also had a paper accepted by the journal, Activities, Adaptation & Aging. The paper is entitled “Somerset, MA Pilot Pen Pal Program Involving Senior Citizens in Long Term Care Becomes a Community Tradition.”

Kenneth A. Caron, Impact of spirituality and religion on social supports of long-term care residents

Renee M. Desjardins, Aging anxiety levels by gender, age, visiting contacts and employment in long-term care facilities

Audrey J. Kemp,The influence of spirituality on coping with life in long-term care

Holly Way Kiernan & Jaime Silva, Stressors and sources of support for traditional and nontraditional undergraduates

Katie A. Lambert, Caregiving burden experienced by the caregiver’s children

Suzanne Robertson, Patterns of confiding and factors influencing mental health service use in older adults.

Four students (Louise Bouchard, Jessica Jolin, Nicole Melanson, and Rosemary Powers), sponsored by Dr. Mosher-Ashley, will submit applications to present at the 8^th annual conference on Undergraduate Research, Scholarly, Creative, and Public Service Activities sponsored by the Massachusetts Public System of Higher Education for presentation in Boston, April.

INTERNSHIP

Experience is critically important to successful applications for employment or graduate school. Current juniors should plan on an internship next year and/or part-time job or volunteer experience. Check the bulletin board outside A103 for openings. Also, a book listing internships is on the table outside A104.

COMPUTER LAB

GRADUATE SCHOOL GUIDE

The directory was recently updated and includes graduate programs offered by each of the colleges and universities as of January, 2002. Websites, street addresses and telephone numbers are also provided so you can request catalogs or application materials. Copies are available from your advisor or in the hall outside of A103.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP

Over the semester break, Dr. June Allard delivered workshops and lectures on research, evaluation and statistics in La Paz, Bolivia to U.S. and Canadian embassy personnel and to Bolivian educators. Despite the high altitude 13,000 feet, the weather was nice as it is summer there.  In addition to the professional work, Dr. Allard took a side trip to Lake Titicaca. She even went to the island of the Sun and spent a short time on a reed boat, something like Kontiki.

EMPLOYMENT