Emil's Epilogue

The Online Psychology Department Student Newsletter

April 2006 * Volume 6, Issue 7

Next Psychology Monthly Event:

Psychology Symposium/Picnic

AND

Recreation Night on Reading Day

Poem of the month (in honor of finals):

BLISS

By Sharon K.

Stresses here, stresses there
Mounting stresses everywhere
Put them all in separate files
Stretch them out for miles and miles

Each has a portfolio
Each one with it's share of woe
How much of this can I take?
Must have limits for my sake

Sharing "freak outs" 'round I say
Gets me through each stressful day
Can't spin out on each the same
So I play the priority game

How much "freak out" for this one?
Through the list 'til I am done
Seems there is a finite share
Of freaking out in life's great snare

There's a choice that I can make
Only so much I can take
Choose how much to spend on this
And choose how much to spend on bliss

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Psi Chi Induction – April 20^th

Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, hosted its annual induction on Thursday, April 20^th. This year the event was held in the St. Peter Room. Inductees and professors enjoyed delicious homemade cake, thanks to Psi Chi co-presidents Chris Rozek and Crystal Smith! The current Psi Chi officers opened with an introduction to what Psi Chi is all about, a re-cap of the past year’s activities, and a list of goals for next year. Psi Chi advisor Dr. Wotton gave a brief address about Psi Chi and the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, a quarterly journal in which Psi Chi members can publish research. This spring we inducted an impressive 37 new members into Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology. Congratulations to everyone who was inducted!

New Inductees:

Melanie Baker, Alicia Blomquist, Lindsey Carlson, Lindsey Cattau, AnnMarie Dahl, Shanna Dawson, Kristina Denison, Jo Ellison, Rachel Elvebak, Jessica Fortune, Hannah Frericks, Emily Gunderson, Jennifer Guptill, Ashley Heironimus, John Henkemeyer, Jody Hissam, Jacqueline Hochstein, Jennifer Hovendick, Sonya Hysing, Stacey Johnson, Stephanie Johnson, Justin Kalemkiarian, Ben Levy, Christine Loos, Brittney Lovdahl, Kimberly Maurelli, Eric C. Miller, Matt Novakovic, Taylor Olson, Jessica Proctor, Stacy Rivers, Siri Rydholm, Christa Saeger, Anne Sitorius, Anna Sorenson, Christopher Sorenson, Laura Watkins

Careers in Mental Health Night – April 11^th

This spring we had the pleasure of having four professionals who volunteered their time for Careers in Mental Health night: Dr. Darcie Gilbertson (Psy.D.) Jacobs, Faith Johnson Wickland (BSW), Dr. Cynthia Belt Rush (M.D.) and Dr. Thomas Breitenbucher (PhD). They each provided insight into their careers and the educational and occupational path that led them to where they are today. Students were free to ask any questions about the panelist’s educational path or career. This was a great event for anyone who was interested in the various career paths psych majors can take. Many students showed up to take advantage of this opportunity.

Further Reading:

Psy.D. versus Ph.D…What are The Differences?

http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_171.asp

This is a great article for those who are unsure of the differences between a doctorate in philosophy and a doctorate in psychology. It was written by national members of Psi Chi!

Ph.D., Psy.D., MSW, Ed.D. : Deciphering the Psychologist Credentialing Options

http://www.psychologytoday.com/pto/credentials.html

Psi Chi Volunteer Event: Ice Cream Social and Game Day – April 22^nd

This spring Psi Chi hosted an ice cream social and game day with the help of Wednesday Friends, a volunteer organization that interacts with members in the community who have suffered from or are currently dealing with a mental illness. The event was held at the PowerUp Clubhouse in St. Peter. Community members came to hang out and enjoy ice cream sundaes with lots of toppings. After ice cream, we played games such as Cranium and Uno Attack! It was a great opportunity for Psi Chi members to volunteer in the community – a big thank you goes out to those of you who were able to attend!

Conferences and Upcoming Events

Be on the lookout for several upcoming conferences where you can present psychology research papers (great for your resume and also lots of FUN). Here are some links and dates to keep in mind (yes, similar to last month, but still important for those who need to know):

TO ALL PSYCH MAJORS AND INTERESTED GEN PSYCH STUDENTS --

Psychology Spring Happening - this one's for you -- Mark your calendars!

Annual Psychology Symposium on Monday, May 8th -- 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. (lower level SSC) (immediately followed by the Psych Department Spring Picnic - to which you'll need to rsvp - see below)

Dr. David Rudek has extended the following invitation: "Please plan to join your fellow majors at the Annual Psychology Symposium on Monday, May 8th from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. Students who have participated in research this year will present their work/posters in the SSC lower level hallway from 3 - 4 PM and will be followed by oral research presentations given by Psych Honors students in SSC 28 beginning at 4 PM. This is a great opportunity for psych majors to see the variety of research being conducted in the department and a chance to support your peers in their hard work this year. "

Immediately following the Symposium is the Spring Psych Picnic - Interpretive Center/Arboretum at 5:30 PM -- Food, Games & Door Prizes
For the picnic - you need to reply to Lee via return e-mail (with student meal id number - if you have one) by Monday, May 1. It's a good time -- hope you can come!

Things for Psych Majors to Watch for:

Psi Chi monthly events! Each month, Psi Chi will have events open to all Psych majors or students taking psych classes (and friends!). Come and have fun (and often FREE FOOD)!

Investigative Interviewing

By Julie Severson

Let’s be honest - how often have you been dying to get information out of someone? You’ve racked your brains and just haven’t been able to successfully uncover the scandals you’ve been longing for. We are constantly on the prowl for tidbits about others lives, whether it be uncovering the latest gossip about the cute guy or girl in class or wondering why our roommate has been so secretive lately. To aid in this difficult feat, Charles Yeschke’s book “The Art of Investigative Interviewing” can help. Although specifically written for those who need objective interviewing skills on the job, such as police and detectives, many tips he offers can be related to every day life. These guidelines may especially come in handy one day for those interested in any type of criminal justice work. According to Yeschke, interviewers who use the interviewing tactics he discusses are “less harsh, less vulnerable to criticism, more cognitive, more subjective, and more intuitive than [those] who use coercive tactics (xvii).” Not to mention, forcing information out of someone can be quite unpleasant for both parties, as well as illegal in the professional realm.

Although the following techniques are written specifically for formal interviews, they may all be generally applied to daily conversation and attempts to sneakily gather information from friends. To begin with, first impressions are made within the first 10-45 seconds of meeting someone, and are extremely important. Even if you are secretly questioning your friend, you must be aware of your mannerisms towards them. If you have hopes of obtaining any information, appearing calm, cool, collected, friendly, and compassionate is crucial. Once you have engaged in a conversation with a friend or interview with a stranger, body language is an important part of active listening. Your posture, movement, gestures, facial expressions and eye contact all play a part in how comfortable a person will feel with you, and subsequently, how much they will be willing to reveal. Eye contact is extremely important in establishing good rapport, as is overall creating an environment that is comfortable for the other person. Note how the individual reacts to certain gestures. For instance, a simple touch of the arm may be encouraging to one, but offensive to another. Carefully observing their behavior will help you adjust accordingly. It is also important to note that silence, used wisely, can be an important tool in a conversation. Silence between questions may bring out a “meaningful tension” when the interviewee least expects it and/or encourage further disclosure of information.

Hidden persuaders are certain tactics that can be quietly incorporated into an interview and have a huge impact on the level of trust the interviewee will have towards the interviewer. In the attempt to solicit information from someone, consider the following techniques:

The Hidden Persuaders

~build and maintain rapport

~use a positive attitude

~apply flexible methods

~cover suspiciousness

~use creative imagination

~exhibit human warmth, sensitivity, empathy, respect, and genuineness

~use nonjudgmental acceptance

~listen actively and attentively

~be patient

~cover personal values

~maintain a positive, neutral stance

~control personal anger – avoid antagonizing interviewees

~avoid coercive behavior

~keep questions simple, and avoid ambiguously worded questions

~dare to ask tough questions

~assume more information is available (p. 118)

Although there is no foolproof way to ensure receiving the information you would like to uncover, the techniques mentioned and listed above offer a brief and simple way to get started.

Now that you’ve got the skills needed, go ahead and practice your ethical interviewing on your friends! See if it helps you discover the juicy gossip they just haven’t disclosed. These techniques will also help you be more effective with establishing rapport and good communication in general, and can be applied to a variety of situations. When you become the next Sherlock Holmes, just make sure to give a little credit to the Gustavus psych department for presenting you with this priceless information (

Source:

The Art of Investigative Interviewing by Charles Yeschke

Psychology Student of the Week!

(Students honored for their incredible excellence in psychology for a particular week)

April 3rd-7th

Name: Ben Levy

Year in School: Junior

Plans after Gustavus: I hope to go to medical school

Favorite Psychology Course and Why: social psychology, it taught me why people think and do the things they do.

Favorite Professor and Why: all of them, they are all great.

Best Psychology Related Memory: meeting all of the other psychology majors

Do you have any Advice or Suggestion to other Psychology Majors for making the Most out of your Psychology Career at Gustavus: get involved with different activities and take advantage of the opportunities offered within the department

April 10th-14th

Name: Kaija Daniel

Year in School: Freshman

What would you like to do with your Psychology major? As of now I am a Psychology and English double major and I hope to further my education in both and eventually become a Social Psychologist or an educator.

What is your favorite Psychology topic to study and why? I am really looking forward to further studying social psychology, because I think human interaction and behavioral studies are fascinating.

What is your favorite first-year memory from a Psychology class and what did you think of the teacher(s) you had? I really enjoyed doing my first pscyh experiment in my J-term Psychology and the Law class. It was fun reading different psychology research experiments and attempting to create my own. I also really enjoyed both of my professors for that class.

If a friend told you they were thinking of becoming a Psychology major, what reasons would you give to convince them to do so?: I would tell them that, in my experience, it is the most interesting field to study because it gives you a universal perspective on the human mind.

April 17th-21st

Name: Samantha Haseltine

Year in School: Junior

Plans after Gustavus: I wanna be a bobsledder.

Favorite Psychology Course and Why: I’m going to go with cognitive psych (social psych being a close second) because the prof was great and the material was interesting.

Favorite Professor and Why: I haven’t had every professor in the department, but I’ve really enjoyed the one’s I’ve had. Ackil and Rudek are among my favorites.

Best Psychology Related Memory: It’d probably have to be the fun times I’ve had in metacognition with my fellow rugger Denison.

Do you have any Advice or Suggestion to other Psychology Majors for making the Most out of your Psychology Career at Gustavus: Don’t think of class as a chore, it’s not as fun and you won’t get as much out of it that way.

April 24th-28th

Name: Pamela Bechtle

Year in School: Junior

Plans after Gustavus: Attend Graduate school to get my PSY. D.

Favorite Psychology Course and Why: S.T. Remembering Our Past- was a 300 level course on autobiographical memory. It was my favorite because the course material was really interesting and I felt like what we learned was very applicable to everyday life, and I liked the small size of the class, I really got to know the other students and that helped make really fun and interesting discussions.

Favorite Professor and Why: So far I’ve liked all the professors that I’ve taken classes from, each one has taught me something different and has challenged and supported me in different ways.

Best Psychology Related Memory: My Stats II research project I did with Rachel Elvebak that we decided to present at MUPC entitled The Effect of Disparity on Intra-Couple Attractiveness and the Probability of Mate Poaching. Let’s just say “Take it to the grave Rachel, take it to the grave”.

Do you have any Advice or Suggestion to other Psychology Majors for making the Most out of your Psychology Career at Gustavus: Get involved in research and get to know your professors and fellow psychology major students. By getting involved you’ll feel much more connected to the department and the resources you need as to where and what you want to do after Gustavus.

Look out! You could be the next Psychology Student of the Week!

My Experience at MUPC

By Julie Severson

I recently presented my research at the Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference. This was a new experience for me, as I have never done such an extensive research project or presented in front of a room full of 40 or more strangers. Although I was a bit apprehensive about the presentation, I ended up feeling satisfied that I had completed the research I intended to and was able to share it with others. The fact that others attended the presentation showed me that they were actually interested in the research I and other researchers had done. It was reassuring to know that I was the expert on my project, and knew more about it than anyone in the room. I also found it interesting to talk to the other student researchers about their projects, as each one had a specific interest or reason for researching what they did. There were a wide array of subjects represented, and many students completed their research project about something I had never even heard of or thought about. Talking to other students about their research was very casual, yet informative, as I felt that we were all on pretty much the same level with the research we were doing.

Dr. Robert Levine, a famous social psychologist, also presented some of his work during the conference. Hearing from someone who is very knowledgeable and has done extensive research on many projects was a wonderful opportunity. What surprised me most about his lecture is that I could understand everything he said! When I think of “expert psychologists,” I typically get the impression that they are going to be much more capable and knowledgeable than myself. Although he has had much more experience and is a qualified professional, I knew that throughout the last four years I have also learned the same skills he used in his work and could one day apply them if I chose to. Overall, attending and presenting at MUPC was a great experience, and I would recommend it to anyone who has a research project to share.

Here are some other pictures of GAC students at MUPC!