PSYCHOLOGY AWARD WINNERS

In May 2006, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences hosted the second annual reception for its graduating seniors. Students and faculty were able to share stories and say good-bye one final time before the graduation ceremony. Various programs also gave out awards to their outstanding graduates. In the Psychology Program, the following awards were given to our graduating seniors: • Holly Cunnignham was nominated to be the Psychology Program Student Marshal at the 2006 graduation ceremony. This honor is given to a graduating senior who best exemplifies the goals and spirit of the program. At the graduation ceremony the student marshal leads the other psychology graduates through the pro-cession and the presenta-tion of their diplomas.

• Tammy Herschberger and Jason Scott received the Outstanding Psychology Student Scholar award for their academic performance and work as research assistants in Dr. Burton’s lab.

• Kelsey Dennis and Jill Turner received the Outstanding Service to the Psychology Program award for their work as the Program Student Representatives and being active members of Psi Chi.

• Marco Coelho, Tim Mattson, Gloria Plummer, and Robert Swaner received the Outstanding Psychol-ogy Senior Seminar Portfo-lio award for creating excep-tional portfolios in the Senior Seminar capstone course. Carissa Aho and Justin Powell received the

Outstanding Psychology Student Applied Experi-ence award for their AST projects. Carissa’s placement was at the Child Advocacy Center in Bloomington and Justin’s placement was at the SIU Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Disorder study.

2nd ANNUAL COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS & SCIENCES GRADUATION RECEPTION

Volume 3 Issue 1

Spring 2007

PSYCOPATHS

Points of Interest: • Psychology

Award Winners • Research Assistants • Psi Chi

Officers • New Student

Rep

Psi Chi

2

Student Representative

2

Psychology Research

3

Faculty News

4

Inside this issue:

UIS Psychology Program Newsletter

Newsletter designed by Carrie Switzer

Justin Powell, Jason Scott, Tammy Herschberger, Holly Cunningham, Jill Turner, Tim Mattson, Kelsey Dennis, and Robert Swaner.

PSI CHI NEWS

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE This year Brittany Phillips has served as the Psychology Program Student Representative. In this role, she has regularly attended faculty meetings and given student input on program decisions. She also served on the Psychology Program Personnel Committee that reviewed two psychology faculty reappointment applica-tions. In addition to her role as the Psychology Program Student Representative, Brittany has also served as the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Personnel Committee Student Representative. As a representative on this college committee, she reviewed 22 faculty

applications for tenure, reappointment at the 2nd and 4th year, and promotion to Full Professor and then participated in the committee deliberations.

2006-2007 Psi Chi Officers are: Alicia Barrese, President Amy Barnes, Vice-President Christine McGraw, Secretary Jeremy Studebaker, Treasurer Shawna Cain, Historian Brittany Phillips - Editor/

Journalist The fall 2006 inductees are: Nicolas Bond, Angela Burke, Shawna Cain, Lacy Cobb, Heather Cofield, Jennifer Crick, Nicole Cudiamat, Heidi Fisher, Sara Legate, Aaron Leonard, Christine McGraw, Mary Mehan, Isaac Moore, Stephanie Myers, Amariah Rauscher, Susan Stewart-Reynolds, Rebecca Romberger, Joshua Schact, David Smiley, Nicoli Thompson, Anna Thurmond. The spring 2007 inductees are: Donna Bettis, Amy Byers, Laura Christopher, Rachel Fickas, Anne Finche, Tina Freeman, Kristen Hargrave, Autumn Kamnick, Caleb Kirkpatrick, Jennifer Ladage, Charci Lazoen, Meghan Rogers, Aaron Shilling, Kate Vernor. The UIS chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, is sponsored by Dr. Jason Barker.

Psi Chi has been very busy this year, holding numer-ous meetings and kicking off its events with a Hallow-een Hayrack Ride. November's events included both social and fundraising activities. A pizza and movie night was held at Dr. Barker's house, and a successful bake sale raised money for both the Psi Chi Christmas party and a donation to GA, Julie Faire's, sponsored family. In addition, members conducted a food drive for the family. Other Psi Chi volunteer work has taken place at the Cox Center and UIS Preview Days. In December, Psi Chi members held a Faculty Appre-ciation Luncheon and on December 15th there was a party and Christmas Caroling for Canned Goods. On April 27-28 Psi Chi is involved in the Relay for Life fundraiser that will be held at UIS.

Alicia Barrese & Christine McGraw at the Psi Chi bake sale.

Brittany Phillips bphil04s@uis.edu

206-2391

PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

Amy Barnes, Meghan Rogers, & Jeremy Studebaker are research assistants for two studies being conducted in Dr. Sheryl Reminger’s lab. The first study, Physiological Links to Attention, Cognition, and Emotion, is designed to examine how emotionally salient information affects attention and related physiological responses. The second study, Neurological Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation

Treatment, is designed to investigate the use of mag-netic imaging to identify neurological effects that may result from cancer and its treatment, and to deter-mine how such effects may impact neuropsychological function and quality of life.

Heidi Fisher, Michael Gammon & Isaac Moore are research assistants in Dr. Jason Barker’s lab. The group is studying the cognitive processes involved in reading using eye tracking equipment. Michael Gammon has been assisting with the software and hardware associated with the eye tracking equipment since the fall of 2006. In the spring of 2007, all three research assistants have been creating well designed language stimuli using a number of language databases and administering standardized tests that assess basic reading and comprehension skills.

Kristen Hargrave, Stephanie Myers, Dawn Tompkins & Kate Vernor are research assistants in Dr. Keith Burton’s lab. The group is conducting a study of emotion psychophysiology, chronometry, and regulation. The research assistants are responsible for running participants independently, and included in those responsibilities are providing informed consent, skin

preparation, electrode attachment, and computer data acquisition. After data collection is complete, they condition and score the physiological data, enter it into a database and perform z-score transformations to make it usable. They also participate in weekly meetings at which recently published emotion-related articles of interest are discussed.

Alicia Barrese, Holly Cunningham, Jennifer Ladage, & Tori McColez are research assistants for a study Dr. Marcel Yoder is conducting that investigates the area of person perception; the study of how we form impressions of other people. Using the Social Relations Model of person perception, developed by David Kenny, the group is addressing questions about how our personality and thoughts about ourselves influence how we see other people, how accurate we are in judging others, and how accurately we predict how others view us.

Dawn Tompkins & Stephanie Myers

Kristen Hargrave

Heidi Fisher, Michael Gammon, & Isaac Moore

Holly Cunningham, Tori McColez, Alicia Barrese, & Jennifer Ladage

Amy Barnes & Meghan Rogers

Amy Barnes & Jeremy Studebaker

New Faculty Member

Holly Cunningham is the newest graduate assistant in the Psychology Program. She graduated from our program in 2006 and is currently in the Community Counseling concentration in the Human Development Counseling program at UIS. Her office is in UHB-3137.

Karen Mooney joined the Psychology Program in the fall of 2006. She received a M.S. degree in Developmental Psychology from Purdue University in 2003. She is currently working on her dissertation titled, Patterns of Early Adolescent Friendships and their Associations with Individual Adjustment from Florida Atlantic University.

At UIS she is currently teaching Child Development, Adolescence, and Principles of Psychology.

• Keith Burton was a co-author of the journal article, Burton, K. W., & Kaszniak, A. W. (2006). Emotional ex-perience and facial expression in Alzheimer’s Disease. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 13, 636-651.

• Dr. Burton was a co-author of the poster, Menchola, M., Kaszniak, A. W., & Burton, K. W. (2006). Age differ-ences in self-report and physiological responses to emotional images of varied content. Presented at the 46th annual meeting of the Society for Psychophysiological Research, Vancouver, British Columbia.

• Karen Mooney was a co-author of the chapter, Laursen, B., & Mooney, K. S. (2007). Individual differences in adolescent dating and adjustment. In R. Engels, H. Stattin, J. Coleman (Eds.). Friends, lovers, and groups: Who is important in adolescence and why? (pp. 81-92). New York: Wiley.

• Ms. Mooney was a co-author of the poster, Mooney, K. S., & Laursen, B. (2007, March). Stable early adolescent friendships: Profiles and associations with adjustment. Presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, Massachusetts.

• Lynn Pardie was promoted to Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Education and Research at UIS. • Sheryl Reminger is a co-investigator on the Excellence in Academic Medicine of Southern Illinois University

School of Medicine Research Grant (Principle Investigator: Rogers). The project title is: Quality of Life, Physical Functioning, and Head and Neck Cancer.

• Dr. Reminger presented a paper titled, Neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive function in cancer survivors, at the Sangamon Chapter Society for Neuroscience Third Neuroscience Retreat in Findlay, Illinois.

PSYCHOLOGY FACULTY NEWS

New Graduate Assistant

PSYCHOLOGY CONFERENCES Midwestern Psychological Association American Psychological Society Date: May 3-5, 2007 Date: May 24-27 Location: Palmer House Hilton Location: Washington, DC Chicago Illinois American Psychological Association Date: August 17-20,2007 Location: San Francisco, California