Psych Scoop, 12/31/19

December 31st, 2019 - Last Scoop of the Decade!

The Psych Scoop is sent to all Psychology Undergraduate students and alumni every Tuesday throughout the academic school year. 

Share your news with psyadvis@umn.edu!

Psychology Advising Announcements

1. Office Closed 1/1

Our office will be closed on Wednesday, 1/1. We will be responding to emails and questions starting again on Thursday, 1/2. We hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!

Courses of Interest

2. PSY 3896: Internship in Psychology - 1-4 Credits, Psych Majors

Make your internship experience count toward your Major! The class credits (1-4 credits) are based on the number of hours that you work at your internship during the Spring 2020 semester. The online course assignments are a complement to your learning in your internship setting. A syllabus from Fall 2019 is available for review. Example sites from the past include Minneapolis Public Schools, People Serving People, Sexual Violence Center, Tubman, and the Walk-In Counseling Center. Look for more opportunities in the Psych Scoop and more on GoldPass. The registration deadline is Monday, February 3rd. Steps to register for PSY 3896:

  1. Students secure an internship with a site
  2. Submit a "Request an Experience" form on GoldPASS and receive approval
  3. Permission number to register for the course will then be emailed to you

PSY 3896 is online

Instructor: Michael Houlahan

Note: this course counts as an elective in the Psychology majors. If you are a minor, please reach out to PsyAdvis@umn.edu for consultation.

3. PSY 4960-001: Interventions for Health and Wellness - 3 Credits

This is an advanced topics course for undergraduate students interested in learning about empirically-tested psychological interventions to increase health and happiness. Students will evaluate research on many types of intervention strategies, simultaneously learning about the strategies and learning how to conduct and evaluate intervention research. In the first third of the course, the focus will be on interventions to change health behavior, and students will test different strategies on themselves each week (as well as read the research literature on the strategies) as they attempt to maintain a new health goal. In the second two-thirds of the course, students will read about and test interventions (again, on themselves) to reduce stress and increase happiness. Students will also do a group project in which they use the psychological principles and strategies taught in class to create and implement an intervention to reduce the stress and/or increase the happiness of the campus community. The course will consist of lectures, discussions, and substantial hands-on learning. PSY 3206: Health Psychology is strongly recommended as a prerequisite.

PSY 4960-001 meets Wednesdays from 9:00 am- 11:30 am

Elliott Hall N391

Instructor: Traci Mann

Note: this course counts as an elective in the Psychology majors. If you are a minor, please reach out to PsyAdvis@umn.edu for consultation.

4. PSY 5960-003: Sex, Gender, and Cognition - 3 Credits

This is an advanced topics course for graduate and undergraduate students. Biological mechanisms of sex are variables that affect physiology and development throughout the body, including the brain. Many neuropsychiatric disorders seem to occur differently across genders. However, there are multiple biological mechanisms for sex, and in humans, sex mechanisms are distinct from gender identity. This course is intended to be a critical review of the psychology and neurobiology of sex and gender effects on cognition and behavior. It will focus primarily on executive functions, such as impulse control and decision making, as a candidate cognitive domain where sex and gender effects have been reported, and use these to discuss interpretations, caveats, and best practices in this research area. Over the course, we will cover the independent and dissociable biological spectrums of sex, how these are distinct from gender, and neural mechanisms these can act on. The course will conclude with discussions of how sex and gender can intersect with neuropsychiatric conditions and neurodiversity. Prior or concurrent enrollment in PSY 3011 and/or PSY 3061, and PSY 3001W strongly recommended but not required.

PSY 5960-003 meets Fridays from 9:05 am- 11:35 am

Elliott Hall N227

Instructor: Nicola Grissom

Note: this course counts as an elective in the Psychology majors. If you are a minor, please reach out to PsyAdvis@umn.edu for consultation.

5. EPSY 5401: Counseling Practices - 3 Credits

Are you interested in a career in a helping profession—like counseling, clinical psychology, consulting, teaching, advising, or human resources? Counseling Procedures will help prepare you to counsel and consult with clients, students, or other professionals, help clients manage problems and turn them into opportunities and evaluate conflicting views and best practices in counseling, including face-to-face and online. Upper-level undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to enroll.

EPSY 5401 meets Thursdays from 4:40 pm- 7:30 pm

Appleby Hall 303

Instructor: Sherri Turner (turne047@umn.edu)

Note: this course does not as an elective in the Psychology majors or minors.

6. EPSY 5114: Psychology of Student Learning - 3 Credits

This course is an introduction to the theories, data, and methods that compose educational psychology. The course begins with a review of those aspects of developmental psychology that are foundational for education. We will then consider how cognitive psychology informs questions of learning, memory, knowledge, and reasoning. With this background in place, we end the course with a focus on the classroom: instruction, motivation, assessment, and individual differences.

EPSY 5114 meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 pm- 2:15 pm

Burton Hall 123

Instructor: Martin Van Boekel (vanbo024@umn.edu)

Note: this course does not as an elective in the Psychology majors or minors.

7. EPSY 5116: Education of the Gifted and Talented - 3 Credits

Are you interested in the development of talents among all students, including students in minority communities, students with disabilities, students in urban communities, and students in rural communities? This course is completely online with no quizzes. A variety of topics will be covered throughout the semester: talent identification, instructional strategies, family influences, counseling approaches, and school community programs.

EPSY 5116 is completely online

Instructor: William Bart (bartx001@umn.edu)

Note: this course does not as an elective in the Psychology majors or minors.

Research

8. *Volunteer or Credit* Research on Longitudinal Study of Resilience in Military Service Members RA Position

The Readiness and Resilience in National Guard Soldiers (RINGS) research lab, under the direction of Drs. Melissa Polusny and Drs. Christopher Erbes at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System, is looking for research assistants! The current longitudinal study examines processes contributing to resilience in military personnel. Research assistants who join the RINGS lab will receive extensive training and gain hands-on experience conducting a large cohort study that utilizes evidence-based longitudinal tracking and survey methods. Duties include: recruiting soldiers to participate and collecting baseline data at National Guard armories on Saturdays/Sundays, conducting participant outreach and follow-up calls, conducting eligibility screenings for lab visits, data entry, attending lab meetings, and assisting lab technicians with lab visits. In collaboration with Drs. Scott Sponheim, Nick Davenport, and Shmuel Lissek (co-investigators on this project), research assistants may also gain experience with the collection of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data in conjunction with cognitive tests, interview-based assessments of symptoms, and questionnaires. This is a volunteer position and requires an 8-10 hour per week commitment. Students can receive research credit for the course PSY 4993. Preference will be given to students who are available in the summer and fall, and those able to make a multiple-semester commitment. The start date is June 2019. Successful candidates must have a valid SSN (required to work on-site at the VA). Those with experience working with veterans or the military may be given priority. To apply, send an email with “RINGS RA Position” in the subject line to the project coordinator, Shelly Hubbling at michelle.hubbling@va.gov. Include your name, email, class year, and reasons for applying in the body of the email, and attach your resume/CV and copies of your unofficial transcripts.

9. *Credit* Spring 2020 Undergraduate Research Opportunity in Social Psychology

We are seeking undergraduate students to work in Professor Marti Hope Gonzales’s research lab to help with a research project on how people explain wrongdoing and react when others confront them about their bad behavior. RAs will primarily assist in reviewing the literature, creating study materials, coding, and analyzing data. In addition, RAs will attend weekly meetings, which are typically 1-1.5 hours. During Spring Semester 2020, meetings will be held sometime between 1 and 5 on Wednesdays and sometime between 1-5 on Thursdays, depending on RAs’ availability. The specific day and time for meetings will be determined once students commit to registering for PSY 5993. Preference will be given to students (a) who have previous research experience, (b) who can attend weekly meetings, and (c) commit to two or more semesters in the lab. If interested, send your current transcript and your CV to Hyunsuk Lee at lee01960@umn.edu by January 7th at noon. Students will then be sent the application and considered for the position. Students may earn 3 credits for PSY 5993.

Resources

10. Thank a Teacher

Have you had a teacher that has made a difference in your education? Take a moment to let them know why! Instructors receive a letter with your comments after grades have been submitted for the semester. You may choose to remain anonymous if you desire. You can fill out the form here.

11. Summer Research Internship - Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School seeks applicants for the 2020 Summer Research Internship Program. This highly selective program provides interns an opportunity to work with Columbia Business School's faculty on a research project in finance, economics, marketing, management, decision sciences, operations, accounting, or data analytics. Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, most interns work on one research project. The work may include literature reviews, data collection and cleaning, web scraping, and statistical analysis. Behavioral interns may be staffed on multiple projects: conducting literature reviews, coding data, performing statistical analyses, and running experiments with the Behavioral Research lab. All interns will present their final results to the faculty at the end of the program. Examples of past research projects can be found on this page. The program will likely run from June 1, 2020, through August 1, 2020 (final dates to be confirmed). On-campus housing and a stipend will be provided. Applications can be found on the website and are due March 1st.

12. Pathways to Research Program - Clinical and Translational Science Institute UMN

The Pathways to Research Program provides undergraduate students with knowledge, skills, and experience in translational science and health equity research through a structured core curriculum including a mentored research project, weekly training seminars, small group discussions, and a final poster to present research findings at the annual University of Minnesota CTSI Poster Session and Reception held in fall 2020. See the application here. The deadline is February 3rd.

Grad School

13. I-O Psychology Master's Program at Texas A&M University

Are you thinking about graduate school? Have you thought about the Master’s program in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology at Texas A&M University? I-O psychology is the scientific study of human behavior at work and the application of that science to the workplace challenges facing individuals, teams, and organizations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that I-O psychology was the fastest growing in-demand occupation, with an anticipated growth of 53% between 2014 and 2022. Graduates with I-O master’s degrees are employed in consulting, private practice, government, and corporations. The Master’s program in I-O psychology at Texas A&M University is a 33-credit hour, full-time, non-thesis, cohort-based (team-focused) program designed to be completed in 16 months. The curriculum balances scientific discipline with professional practice and the required industry-based internship experience gives our students a competitive advantage on the job market. Students will also learn from faculty who are engaged in the field and who also teach courses in a nationally ranked I-O psychology Ph.D. program. We are now accepting applications for fall 2020 and February 15 is the annual deadline for admission. Applicants who wish to be considered for the Diversity Excellence Fellowship nomination must have a completed application on file by January 3rd. Visit our website to learn more about the program. Please contact Bisi Atoba at 979-458-8611 or bisi.atoba@tamu.edu for more information.

14. Diversifying Psychology Visit Day - Department of Psychology, University of Virginia

This event is for research-oriented, junior and senior undergraduate students (and recent graduates) from underrepresented groups (e.g., students who identify as an ethnic/racial minority or who are the first in their family to attend college) who want to learn more about psychology graduate school and the Psychology Department at UVA. To apply, view instructions on the website or email Dr. Bethany Teachman at bat5x@virginia.edu or Dr. Noelle Hurd at nh3v@virginia.edu for more information.

Also, be sure to check out Psychology Undergrad Advising's list of Diversity in Psychology Programs!

Jobs/Internship Opportunities

IMPORTANT: Organizations listed below are not necessarily affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Psychology or Psychology Undergraduate Advising. Please exercise the same discretion you would in viewing any other source.

15. Position Openings with MN Center for Twin & Family Research (Full- and Part-Time)

The Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research (MCTFR) is seeking applicants for one full-time position, as well as another part-time paid undergrad research assistant (UGRA) position. To view full job postings, go to the UMN Job Board and follow the instructions below.

Full-Time: MCTFR Research Professional 1: CoTwins Study Coordinator. Click "External Faculty and Staff Applicants" or "Current U Employees" then search for the Job ID 334588.

Part-Time: Student Academic Support (Twin Locator UGRA). Click "Students," then search for the Job ID 334760.

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