Participants Needed—Civic Engagement in Adulthood
What causes people to become involved in their communities and with politics? Dr. Tara Johnson from the Psychology Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is seeking participants of all adult age groups to complete an on-line survey at their own convenience. This study seeks to examine age differences in and predictors of civic engagement. Participants will have a chance to receive compensation for their time and will have the opportunity to review group results once the study has ended. To learn more about this study, contact Dr. Johnson at civicstudy@gmail.com or 724-357-4529.
Faculty and Students attend APA in Toronto
A number of students and faculty members travelled to fabulous Toronto for this year’s APA Convention. Some of them had more fun than others. We see some of these celebrants below! Of course, one easily recognizes Dr. Zimbardo on the left, but who is that with him ???
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Cognition and Development Center is Recruiting Children for a Study
The Cognition and Development Center is recruiting children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typically-developing children between the ages of seven and ten years. If you, or anyone you know, have children that meet these criteria and are interested in helping us learn more about social processing in children, or if you have any questions, please contact us.
What is the Cognition and Development Center?
The center is a research lab in the Psychology Department devoted to understanding the development of social cognitive skills, such as remembering faces and understanding other people’s intentions.
What will the children be doing?
Children will be asked to watch a series of pictures on a projection screen and answer some questions about them. Children will also be asked to complete an assessment of verbal skills with an experimenter. Parents will be asked to fill out a short questionnaire about their child’s behavior. Children with an ASD will also get a diagnosis confirmation from a student in our graduate program.
What will the children get?
Participants will receive a small gift for participation, such as a gift card to a local business. Participants will also receive feedback about their verbal IQ score, and participants with an ASD will receive a clinician’s report for confirmation of diagnosis.
How can I contact the Cognition and Development Center for more information?
You can contact the center via e-mail at cdcenter@yahoo.com or by calling 724-357-4063. You can also visit Dr. Lisa Newell’s webpage for more information about her research interests.
Check out the Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research (SITAR)
The Society for Interpersonal Theory and Research (SITAR: it’s not just a cool instrument) is an “international, multidisciplinary, scientific association devoted to the advancement of interpersonal theory and research. We welcome any individuals interested in understanding interpersonal process.”
The mission of SITAR is “to provide a stimulating forum for facilitating and communicating work in the area of interpersonal theory, research, and application. We work to provide an inclusive, supportive atmoshere for budding ideas as well as well-established approaches.”
These brief notes are from the society’s website. There is complete information about this dynamic organization at the SITAR website.
Pentagon seeks alternative treatment methods
WASHINGTON—The Pentagon is seeking new ways to treat troops suffering from combat stress or brain damage by researching such alternative methods as acupuncture, meditation, yoga, and the use of animals as therapy, military officials said.
“This new theme is a big departure for our cautious culture,” Dr. S. Ward Casscells, the Pentagon’s assistant secretary for health affairs, told USA Today.
Casscells said he pushed hard for the new research, because “we are struggling with” post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) “as we are with suicide and we are increasingly willing to take a hard look at even soft therapies.”
So far this year, the Pentagon is spending $5 million to study the therapies. In the previous two years, the Pentagon had not spent any money on similar research, records show.
For the story, check out USA Today.
— From USA Today (October 8)
Brain Differences and Functional Impairment in BPD Patients
Investigators at the University of California at Davis and at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have just reported on MRI findings that link brain differences to functional impairment in BPD patients.
Check it out at the National Institute of Mental Health.
