Department News & Events
Calendar Events
- Location:
- THH 105
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
The Psychology Department invites you to attend a screening of Patch Adams documentary Clownvets.
Followed by Q & A with Patch Adams.
Patch Adams is a Physician, Founder and Director of the Gesundheit Institute, and subject of the popular film Patch Adams.
Followed by Q & A with Patch Adams.
Patch Adams is a Physician, Founder and Director of the Gesundheit Institute, and subject of the popular film Patch Adams.
- Location:
- Conference room THH 275
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
Presenter: Dr. Vivian Ta-Johnson
What Social Psychological Factors Predict Appropriate Police Use-of-Force Decision-Making and Performance?
Incidents involving inappropriate use-of-force (UoF) by law enforcement officers continue to occur despite public scrutiny. While much research has focused on factors that lead to bias and inappropriate UoF, Dr. Ta-Johnson examines factors that predict appropriate UoF. She will present findings from studies analyzing officer behavior in training and body-worn camera footage, discuss their implications for police training, outline ongoing federally funded projects and future research directions.
What Social Psychological Factors Predict Appropriate Police Use-of-Force Decision-Making and Performance?
Incidents involving inappropriate use-of-force (UoF) by law enforcement officers continue to occur despite public scrutiny. While much research has focused on factors that lead to bias and inappropriate UoF, Dr. Ta-Johnson examines factors that predict appropriate UoF. She will present findings from studies analyzing officer behavior in training and body-worn camera footage, discuss their implications for police training, outline ongoing federally funded projects and future research directions.
- Location:
- Conference room THH 275
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
Presenter: Laura Melzer (visiting doctoral student from Germany)
"Is asking about suicidal ideation enough? Targeting non-disclosure of suicidality."
Disclosure of suicidal experiences is crucial for suicide-specific treatment. However, more than half of patients deny having suicidal ideation (SI). In this talk, we are going to rethink the questions we ask about suicidality in order to identify and support those at risk. From a scientific perspective, instruments which do not rely on the disclosure of SI could be a solution. From a clinical perspective, forming a strong therapeutic alliance could reduce patients‘ reluctance to disclose
"Is asking about suicidal ideation enough? Targeting non-disclosure of suicidality."
Disclosure of suicidal experiences is crucial for suicide-specific treatment. However, more than half of patients deny having suicidal ideation (SI). In this talk, we are going to rethink the questions we ask about suicidality in order to identify and support those at risk. From a scientific perspective, instruments which do not rely on the disclosure of SI could be a solution. From a clinical perspective, forming a strong therapeutic alliance could reduce patients‘ reluctance to disclose
- Location:
- Conference room THH 275
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
Presenter: Marden Umanzor
Factors Influencing Affirmative Action Attitudes
In the U.S., although Blacks and Hispanics continue to experience inequities in various domains (e.g., high school and college graduation rates, employment/unemployment, income), there have been increasing bans on affirmative action policies that aim to reduce those inequities. This talk will present research on the factors influencing attitudes toward affirmative action meant to help Blacks and Hispanics. Most notably, this research reveals that affirmation action support is greater among those who are given facts about current inequalities, and is associated with a Democrat affiliation, a Black or Hispanic race, and greater perceived discrimination against Blacks and Hispanics. The findings additionally support social dominance theory and the altruism-born-of-suffering theory.
Presenter: Tasnia Shiva
Cultural Associations with Prosocial Behaviors and Attitudes Among Asian Americans
Past research shows that people in Asian countries exhibit greater prosocial behaviors overall than people in the US, but the findings regarding prosociality of Asian Americans have been mixed. This talk will briefly review this past research and then present the method and results of our recent study exploring associations between different aspects of culture and different forms of prosocial behaviors and attitudes among Asian Americans. This study’s findings suggest that both enculturation of Asian values (e.g., collectivism) and development of a blended bicultural identity contribute to greater prosociality among Asian Americans.
Factors Influencing Affirmative Action Attitudes
In the U.S., although Blacks and Hispanics continue to experience inequities in various domains (e.g., high school and college graduation rates, employment/unemployment, income), there have been increasing bans on affirmative action policies that aim to reduce those inequities. This talk will present research on the factors influencing attitudes toward affirmative action meant to help Blacks and Hispanics. Most notably, this research reveals that affirmation action support is greater among those who are given facts about current inequalities, and is associated with a Democrat affiliation, a Black or Hispanic race, and greater perceived discrimination against Blacks and Hispanics. The findings additionally support social dominance theory and the altruism-born-of-suffering theory.
Presenter: Tasnia Shiva
Cultural Associations with Prosocial Behaviors and Attitudes Among Asian Americans
Past research shows that people in Asian countries exhibit greater prosocial behaviors overall than people in the US, but the findings regarding prosociality of Asian Americans have been mixed. This talk will briefly review this past research and then present the method and results of our recent study exploring associations between different aspects of culture and different forms of prosocial behaviors and attitudes among Asian Americans. This study’s findings suggest that both enculturation of Asian values (e.g., collectivism) and development of a blended bicultural identity contribute to greater prosociality among Asian Americans.
Presenter: Christopher Soens
Visual-Spatial Dynamics in Cross-Domain Structural Priming: Insights from Mathematics and Language
Structural priming between cognitive domains, such as mathematics and language, highlights shared syntactic processing mechanisms. However, the role of visual-spatial dynamics in shaping these priming effects has been underexplored. This research explores how visual cues, specifically line breaks in syntactically ambiguous sentences, interact with mathematical structures to influence language comprehension. By combining insights from both math and language processing, this presentation will offer a novel perspective on how spatial alignment in visual displays might affect cross-domain priming, supported by preliminary eye-tracking data that reveal how participants process and interpret syntactic structures when exposed to mathematical primes.
- Location:
- Conference room THH 275
- Cost:
- Free
- Contact:
Presenter: Dr. Jim "Patrick" Harris
Playful Pedagogy
Dr. Harris explores the transformative impact of gamification, humor, and play on student learning and engagement. The session will delve into recent research highlighting how these playful approaches improve student engagement, foster deeper understanding, and improve academic outcomes. Participants will gain practical insights and strategies for incorporating playful elements into their own teaching practices to create a more dynamic and effective learning environment.
Playful Pedagogy
Dr. Harris explores the transformative impact of gamification, humor, and play on student learning and engagement. The session will delve into recent research highlighting how these playful approaches improve student engagement, foster deeper understanding, and improve academic outcomes. Participants will gain practical insights and strategies for incorporating playful elements into their own teaching practices to create a more dynamic and effective learning environment.