November 25, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Psychopharmacologist Named UMW Psychology Graduate-In-Residence

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Annie Kleykamp, a scientist with Pinney Associates Inc., has been named Graduate-in-Residence for the University of Mary Washington’s Department of Psychology. An expert on the effects of nicotine, alcohol and opiates on cognitive function in healthy and drug dependent adults, she also is an accomplished scientific writer who has taught at the University of Maryland and the United States Naval Academy.   Annie Kleykamp '01 Kleykamp will visit the Fredericksburg campus for three days, including Thursday, September 18, when she will present a public lecture, “And Now for Something Completely Different: Using a Psychology Degree in the 21st Century.” The talk will take place in Combs Hall, Room 139 at 7:30 p.m. Kleykamp will talk to psychology classes about both her research on the effects of addictive drugs and her work as a technical writer in the field of health technology and pharmacology. She also will meet with students who are interested in pursuing careers in experimental psychology. After graduating UMW in 2001, Kleykamp received a master’s degree from Wake Forest University and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. She completed post-doctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins University, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The Graduate-in-Residence program began in 1995 as a part of career advising within the psychology department, helping expose psychology majors to UMW graduates working in their field. Each year, the psychology department faculty nominate alumni who participate in interesting work in the psychology field. The Graduate-in-Residence program is partially funded by the Campus Academic Resources Committee. For more information about the Graduate-in-Residence program, contact the Department of Psychology at (540) 654-1054.

UMW Student Wins Virginia Psychological Association Award

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University of Mary Washington senior Leanna Papp has been named the winner of the Frederick B. Rowe Award for an outstanding paper at the Virginia Psychological Association conference. Leanna Papp '14 (right) worked with Professor Mindy Erchull (left) on her award-winning paper. Papp received the award for her paper “Looking Over Her Shoulder: Women’s Justifying Beliefs and Experiences of Objectification Predict Fear of Rape and Rape Avoidance Tactics.” The work serves as her psychology honors thesis and her women’s and gender studies capstone project with Associate Professor of Psychology Mindy Erchull. The paper explores the effects of the history of rape and attempted rape, sexual objectification, and justifying beliefs on the fear of rape and rape-avoidant behaviors of women. The results suggest that women’s fear of rape is often more contingent on more subtle factors than obvious trauma, and that rape avoidance behavior may be a more complicated construct than originally hypothesized. In 2013, Papp received an undergraduate research grant from Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, to begin her project. “The fact that Leanna sought off-campus grant funding for this project is indicative of her drive and determination to see this project through,” Erchull said. “I look forward to working with her in the coming months to revise her thesis for publication.” A psychology and women’s and gender studies double major, Papp is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi and Mortar Board. She has worked as a writing tutor for the past three years and as a research assistant/lab aide for the Department of History and American Studies since her junior year. She is a founding member of the campus feminist club, and has served as its president.

Psychology Professor to Appear on Radio Program

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Mindy Erchull, associate professor of psychology at the University of Mary Washington, will appear on the public radio show “With Good Reason” to discuss her research on the connections between female jealousy and abusive relationships. The show, “A Jealous Kind of Love,” will air beginning Saturday, April 26. Mindy Erchull, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Mary Washington, has received the 2011 Psi Chi Southeastern Regional Faculty Advisor Award for her active involvement as the university’s Psi Chi chapter advisor. During the show, Erchull will suggest that women who see jealousy as a positive thing may be more likely to find themselves in abusive relationships, based on findings from a recent survey. The program also will feature commentary from instructors at several Virginia institutions, including George Mason University and the University of Virginia. Erchull was recently named the 2014 recipient of the Florence L. Denmark Faculty Adviser Award by Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology. Audio files of the full program will be posted online at http://withgoodreasonradio.org/2014/04/jealousy/. With Good Reason” is a program of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. The show airs weekly in Fredericksburg on Sundays from 1-2 p.m. on Radio IQ 88.3 Digital. To listen from outside of the Fredericksburg area, a complete list of air times and links to corresponding radio stations can be found at http://withgoodreasonradio.org/when-to-listen/.

UMW to Host Psi Chi Symposium, April 17-18

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James P. Morris, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, will deliver the keynote address at the 29th annual Psi Chi Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Psychology at the University of Mary Washington. The lecture, “Characterizing Individual Variability in Neural Circuitry Underlying Social Perception,” will be delivered at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 18 in Lee Hall, Room 411.

James P. Morris, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Virginia

James P. Morris, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Virginia

UMW students will present their research as part of the symposium on Thursday, April 17from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Friday, April 18from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Lee Hall, Room 411. Morris’s lecture and the symposium are free and open to the public.

Morris is the head of the Social Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Virginia.  He also teaches courses in human neuroscience, social neuroscience and social neuroscience research at UVA.  In his research, Morris focuses on how social perception is represented in the brain, with research relating specifically to the neuroscience of autism spectrum disorder, epigenetics and social perception. He is a member of the International Society for Autism Research, the Society for Experimental Social Psychology and the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society.

Sponsored by UMW’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, the symposium provides a forum for students to share their research and findings with their professors and peers.

For more information, contact Mindy Erchull, associate professor of psychology, at (540) 654-1557.

Liss and Erchull Publish in Psychology of Women

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Miriam Liss, professor of psychology, and Mindy Erchull, associate professor of psychology, published a paper in the September 2013 issue of Psychology of Women Quarterly titled “Differences in Beliefs and Behaivors Between Feminist Actual and Anticipated Mothers.” They found that feminist non-mothers anticipated an egalitarian division of labor but feminist mothers were more likely to do the majority of the household chores and childcare. They also found that young feminist women anticipating motherhood hoping to give their children nontraditional name choices while feminist mothers were more likely to give their children their husbands’ last name.

Developmental Psychologist Named UMW Graduate-in-Residence

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Developmental psychologist and early intervention expert Brianne Friberg, has been named Graduate-in-Residence for the University of Mary Washington’s Department of Psychology. Friberg-1Friberg, assistant professor of psychology and director of the Daniels Research Program at Liberty University, will visit the Fredericksburg campus for three days, including Thursday, September 19 for a public lecture, “A Change in Perspective: Lessons from the Field of Early Intervention.” The talk will take place in Combs Hall, Room 139 at 7:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. During her visit, Friberg will talk to five psychology classes about her research on risk and resilience in children from birth to age three and models of family-based intervention in the treatment of early childhood disabilities. Friberg also will meet with students who are interested in pursuing careers in early childhood development. After graduating summa cum laude in psychology from UMW in 2001, Friberg received a Ph.D. in human development and family studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Friberg also completed two years of training at the Waisman Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Her research examines the effects of early intervention on/for children with disabilities, including the impact of early Head Start and in-home autism programs. The Graduate-in-Residence program began in 1995 as a part of career advising within the psychology department to expose psychology majors to UMW graduates working in their field. Each year, the psychology department faculty nominate alumni who participate in interesting work in the psychology field. The Graduate-in-Residence program is partially funded by the Campus Academic Resources Committee. For more information about the Graduate-in-Residence program, contact the Department of Psychology at (540) 654-1054.

Virginia Psychology Group Recognizes UMW Students

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University of Mary Washington psychology majors Drew Hickey and William “Heath” Sharp were recognized for their outstanding undergraduate research at the Virginia Psychological Association’s spring conference April 25 in Richmond.

They received the Frederick Rowe Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Paper,

the highest award given for undergraduate research by the association. The honor is determined by a panel of judges who examined nearly 50 presentations by undergraduate researchers from Virginia colleges and universities, including Virginia Tech, James Madison University and Old Dominion University.

Their research, entitled “Does Gender Classification of Faces Benefit from Right Hemisphere Presentation?” looks at the role gender plays when recognizing a face. The duo, under the supervision of Associate Professor Steve Hampton, studied more than 100 people during their yearlong research project. “They determined that deciding the gender of a face is a much slower process than determining if a face is human (versus, say, a monkey),” said Hampton. “Their research suggests that processing a face proceeds from the primitive, such as ‘what is it?’ to the complex, such as ‘who is it?’.  In between these two decisions is the decision about the gender of the face.  All of these decisions are made in well under a second and are automatically computed by the brain.” “It’s important to understand how we process faces,” said Hickey, a senior from Stafford County.  At UMW, he helped organize SAVE, a student antiviolence education club aimed at bringing awareness to domestic violence. He also works part-time at Snowden, a mental health facility operated by Mary Washington Healthcare. Sharp, a senior from Arlington, is pursuing a double major in psychology and Spanish. He has been treasurer of UMW’s club basketball team and plans to pursue graduate school after he graduates.  

UMW Hosted Psi Chi Research Symposium

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Bruce Rybarczyk, associate professor and director of clinical psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, delivered the keynote address at the 28th annual Psi Chi Symposium for Undergraduate Research in Psychology at the University of Mary Washington. The lecture, “The Sleep System: Your Owner’s Manual for Maintenance and Repair,” was held on Friday, April 19 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Chandler Hall, Room 102.

Bruce Rybarczyk, associate professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University
Photo courtesy of VCU

As part of the symposium, psychology students presented their research during sessions on Thursday, April 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Chandler Hall, Room 102. A reception followed the conclusion of the symposium on Friday.

Ryabarczyk is a faculty member and director of the clinical psychology program at VCU.  His research focuses on understanding and facilitating the psychological adaption to chronic medical illness and disability. Ryabarczyk’s studies, which have been published in numerous scholarly journals and book chapters, include coping mechanisms and intervention techniques for recovering patients and behavioral sleep medicine.

Sponsored by UMW’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, the symposium provides a forum for students to share their research and findings with professors and peers.

For more information, contact Mindy Erchull, associate professor of psychology, at (540) 654-1557.

Christopher Kilmartin Delivered Commencement Address at VCU

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Professor of Psychology Christopher Kilmartin spoke to an audience of more than 1,300 as the keynote speaker at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Psychology diploma ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 8. The ceremony honored psychology graduates from August through December.

In his speech, Kilmartin encouraged graduates to embrace the uncertainties of the future, while remaining confident in their abilities.

“Create the voice that says, ‘I hope this is the worst thing that ever happens to you.’ Learn from your disappointments, but learn that you can survive them,” he said.

Kilmartin received a master’s and a doctorate in counseling psychology from VCU.

Miriam Liss and Holly Schiffrin Publish Research

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Miriam Liss

Associate Professors of Psychology Miriam Liss and Holly Schiffrin’s research article “Maternal Guilt and Shame: The Role of Self-Discrepancy and Fear of Negative Evaluation” appears in the Journal of Child and Family Studies, published online on Oct. 19, 2012. Liss and Schiffrin co-wrote the article with Kathryn Rizzo ’12.  The study shows mothers who compare themselves to other mothers and fear that others are judging and evaluating them experience the emotions of both guilt and shame – emotions that have been shown to lead to negative mental health consequences.

 

 

Holly Schiffrin