Psychology Commons^™

Engaging Undergraduates In Comparative Psychology: A Case Study, Lauren Highfill, Deirdre Yeater

Psychology Faculty Publications

With many comparative psychologists teaching at small colleges and universities where resources are limited, maintaining a traditional animal laboratory housing rats or pigeons is not realistic for many of these researchers. One way to overcome this lack of overhead costs and extensive lab space, is to forge collaborations with local zoos and aquariums. Zoo and aquarium research projects provide a way to examine a wide range of species, which is an important tenet within the field of comparative psychology. Furthermore, many undergraduates are innately attracted to the prospect of working with exotic animals. Here, we propose utilizing visitor behavior research …

Enhancing Student Altruism Using Secure Attachment Messages (Sam) In Lecture, Kelly Campbell, Stephany Ramos

Psychology Faculty Publications

In this brief report, we examine whether students’ (N=230) willingness to help individuals in distress (altruism) would be augmented after viewing Secure Attachment Messages (SAM) during lecture in a college racism course. Students were presented with SAM in alternating weeks as part of the PowerPoint presentation slides. In each of the weeks, their likelihood of engaging in altruistic behaviors was assessed using hypothetical scenarios and a student response system, Top Hat Monocle. We predicted that the SAM would prompt students to think of their attachment figures and enhance their feelings of security, which would increase their willingness to engage in …

Alcohol Use And Strenuous Physical Activity In College Students: A Longitudinal Test Of 2 Explanatory Models Of Health Behavior, Heather A. Davis, Elizabeth N. Riley, Gregory T. Smith, Richard S. Milich, Jessica L. Burris

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: To help clarify the effect of gender on the bidirectional relationship between alcohol use and strenuous physical activity in college students. Participants: Five hundred twenty-four (52% female) college students recruited in August 2008 and 2009 and followed up in April 2009 and April 2011, respectively. Methods: Participants reported their alcohol use and strenuous physical activity on 2 occasions (baseline and follow-up) spaced approximately 1 or 2 years apart. Results: For females, alcohol use quantity at baseline was associated with increased strenuous physical activity at 1- and 2-year follow-ups, and alcohol use frequency at baseline was …

Learning From Texts: Activation Of Information From Previous Texts During Reading, Katinka Beker, Dietsje Jolles, Robert F. Lorch Jr., Paul Van Den Broek

Psychology Faculty Publications

Learning often involves integration of information from multiple texts. The aim of the current study was to determine whether relevant information from previously read texts is spontaneously activated during reading, allowing for integration between texts (experiment 1 and 2), and whether this process is related to the representation of the texts (experiment 2). In both experiments, texts with inconsistent target sentences were preceded by texts that either did or did not contain explanations that resolved the inconsistencies. In experiment 1, the reading times of the target sentences introducing inconsistencies were faster if the preceding text contained an explanation for the …

Collective Impact Versus Collaboration: Sides Of The Same Coin Or Different Phenomenon?, Kelly Prange, Joseph A. Allen, Roni Reiter-Palmon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Collective impact is a recently developed concept and approach to solving social problems that rectifies many of the issues associated with isolated impact. We compared collective impact and the formal definition of collaboration and made integrations between the two concepts. Specifically, we explored effective assessment and facilitation methods and applied them to collective impact initiatives in order to facilitate more purposeful implementation of collective impact. We concluded that collective impact is a specific form of collaboration.

Love Of Place: The Metropolitan University Advantage: 2015 Cumu National Conference In Omaha, Joseph A. Allen, Kelly Prange, Deborah Smith-Howell, Sara Woods, B. J. Reed

Psychology Faculty Publications

The theme for the 2015 CUMU National Conference in Omaha, NE was “Love of Place: The Metropolitan University Advantage”. The 2015 theme celebrates key elements that establish the identity of metropolitan universities and CUMU as an organization. The theme recognizes the unique opportunities and benefits provided by metropolitan universities for students and communities. Metropolitan universities provide students with enriching educational experiences while contributing to building and strengthening the community. These enriched experiences also support faculty and staff growth as members of the university and community. The theme encouraged conference participants to explore new pedagogical approaches, strategies for sustaining meaningful partnerships, …

Volunteer Program Assessment At The University Of Nebraska At Omaha: A Metropolitan University’S Collaboration With Rural And Spanish-Speaking Volunteers, Lisa Leahy Scherer, Victoria Graeve-Cunningham, Sheridan Trent, Stephanie Weddington, Adam Thurley, Kelly Prange, Joseph A. Allen

Psychology Faculty Publications

The Volunteer Program Assessment at UNO (VPA-UNO), a faculty-led student group, partners with nonprofit and governmental agencies to provide free assessments and consultations to enhance volunteer engagement, organizational commitment and retention. Three recent initiatives are discussed representing an intentional effort of a metropolitan university to extend love of place to love of state through outreach efforts to rural volunteers and to promote inclusivity to Spanish-speaking volunteers by translating the VPA assessment into Spanish.

He's Sarcastic And She's Caring: Students' Stereotypes Of The Typical Male And Female Professor, Pamela L. Bacon

Psychology Faculty Publications

Gender stereotypes are prescriptive. For example, if people have a stereotype that women are warm and caring, then they also tend to have a societal prescription that women should be warm and caring. When an individual fails to fulfill a gender prescription, he or she may face social punishment. For example, if a woman is cold and uncaring, then she might be judged more harshly than a man who is cold and uncaring because the woman is violating the gender prescription but the man is not. Research on gender stereotypes suggests that students' perceptions of the best and worst college …

Video Game Addiction And College Performance Among Males: Results Of A One Year Longitudinal Study, Michael Livingston, Zachary L. Schmitt

Psychology Faculty Publications

Video games are played by the vast majority of Americans between the ages of 2 and 17, with males showing higher usage rates (Lenhart et. al., 2008). Furthermore, recent research has demonstrated that 9% of male gamers ages 8 to 18 are addicted to playing video games. Those addicted were significantly more likely to have a lower GPA, have greater difficulty paying attention in class, and were more likely to have been involved in a physical fight over the past year compared to non-addicted gamers (Gentile, 2009).

The majority of video game addiction research has focused on adolescent gamers. The …

Cultivating Sacramentality Through Administrative Work: Guidance From St. Benedict On Being A Catholic Department Chair, Rodger Narloch

Psychology Faculty Publications

One dilemma encountered by department chairs and administrators at Catholic colleges and universities is how to respect the pluralistic religious views of the faculty while being faithful to one's own and the institution's Catholic tradition. The Rule of St. Benedict offers guidance that can result in deepening the respect for all individuals by welcoming all as Christ, adapting to the temperament of the individual, and listening with the ear of one's heart. Through these practices one may cultivate a sacramental vision of the world in oneself and within the academic culture of the department or institution, creating an environment in …

Materials For Incorporating I/O Into An Introductory Psychology Course, Joseph A. Allen, Carrie Bulger, Chris Cunningham, Lisa Kath, Mike Horvath, Morrie Mullins, S. Tonidandel

Psychology Faculty Publications

The following materials were created by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) in an effort to produce some “shovel-ready” modules for incorporating I-O Psychology topics directly into Introductory Psychology courses. Although interest in I-O psychology has grown among students, very few introductory psychology textbooks cover the topic. Therefore, we have designed modules that correspond directly with the topics typically discussed in introductory psychology courses (e.g. Biopsychology in the workplace, Memory and Job Performance, etc.) that can be “cut-and-pasted” into already prepared lectures.

Incorporating I-O Into An Introductory Psychology Course: A New Set Of Custom Modules By The Education And Training Committee, Joseph A. Allen

Psychology Faculty Publications

One concern that SIOP members often express at conferences and other gatherings of I-O psychologists is the general lack of visibility of I-O among the majority of the undergraduate students in psychology. Although interest in I-O psychology has grown among students, very few introductory psychology textbooks cover the topic. In an effort to address this concern, Mikki Hebl, the former Education and Training Committee Chair, invited a subcommittee composed of committee members and others who have expertise in undergraduate education to develop “shovel-ready” modules that introduce I-O topics to an introductory psychology audience. Those responsible for preparing the modules include …

Applying Feminist Perspectives To Teaching Diversity: The Experiences Of Two Female Professors, Roudi Nazarinia Roy, Kelly Campbell

Psychology Faculty Publications

In this paper, we narratively describe our perspectives and experiences as two female professors teaching courses on family diversity. We begin by outlining our subjectivities, including an explicit identification of the ways in which our identities are privileged versus not privileged. We then use a feminist lens to discuss the teaching goals and strategies used in our courses. The teaching goals discussed in this paper include: self-awareness of the instructor, reducing hierarchy in the classroom, empowering students, and caring for the individual student. Our strategies include: promoting dialogue, encouraging respect, and creating a class environment in which individuals feel safe …

The More You Know: Reviewing Concepts Using Student-Created Public Service Announcements, Pamela L. Bacon

Psychology Faculty Publications

In past course evaluations, my social psychology students consistently reported that they started offering their roommates unsolicited social psychological interpretations of their behaviors and beliefs. I began to wonder if my students’ desire to educate others could be harnessed to help them review course material. I reasoned that elaborating on the material covered in the class would help them learn (Loyens, Rikers, & Schmidt, 2007) and finding a creative outlet for their desire to teach others might preserve some roommate relationships.

In an attempt to encourage students to build on past material, I turned to one of the most well-known …

Factors That Predict Academic Reputation Don't Always Predict Desire To Attend, Michael J. Conard, Maureen A. Conard

Psychology Faculty Publications

The study assessed indicators of educational quality and selectivity as predictors of Academic Reputation (AR) and desire to attend a college. Surveys were mailed to 1,004 high school seniors randomly selected from a large database, yielding 198 respondents. Educational quality indicators were regressed on AR. Curriculum rigor and social/cultural activities were significantly predictive of AR. Class size and individualized attention from faculty were not. Curriculum rigor and individualized faculty attention were predictive of desire to attend. Class size and social/cultural activities were not. Selectivity variables (min. high school GPA, class rank, SAT scores) were regressed on AR and all were …

An Analysis Of Academic Reputation As Perceived By Consumers Of Higher Education, Michael J. Conard, Maureen A. Conard

Psychology Faculty Publications

A college's academic reputation (AR) plays a significant role in positioning the institution. Survey responses of college-bound high school seniors suggest that a majority of respondents view successful postgraduate careers as very important to the perception of AR and very likely to be attributed to a college with very good AR. A principle components factor analysis revealed three factors that describe the perception of AR (i.e., Academic Concerns, Campus Ethos, Practical Value). In a similar analysis three factors were found likely to be associated with very good AR (i.e., Curricular Concerns, Exclusivity, Career Preparation).