U.S. News & World Report released the 30th edition of its Best Colleges rankings in September, viewed by many to be a measure of academic excellence.
The annual review places Tulane University at #54, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge at #129, and Louisiana Tech University at #201. University of Louisiana–Lafayette and University of New Orleans were included in the “RNP” group, ranked but not published.
For Regional Universities, Loyola University New Orleans ranked #11 and University of Louisiana–Monroe ranked #81. McNeese, Nicholls, and Northwestern all tied with a #87 ranking.
Ranked but not published were Grambling, Louisiana State University–Shreveport, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern University in Baton and in New Orleans.
The news company bases it ranking on data from the colleges on 16 indicators of academic standards.
In combining the 16 indicators of academic excellence, each factor is assigned a weight that reflects the U.S. News and World Report judgment about how much a measure matters. “Finally, the colleges and universities in each category are ranked against their peers, based on their composite weighted score,” note the authors.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 14. Source pages: 13.
Tulane’s Dr. Michael Cunningham was interviewed earlier this year by The Root Magazine, about what to do when slavery lessons cause Black youngsters to feel uncomfortable in the classroom.
Cunningham is a Professor in the Tulane psychology department and also Associate Provost for the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching, and the African and African Diaspora Studies Program. The online article addressed some of the concerns about the issues for children.
“One thing I would emphasize to the teachers is that when we talk about African- American history, emphasize that this is all of our history, and it is important for all of us to know—white and black,” Cunningham told the interviewer.
“One thing that probably needs to happen is that the school needs to recognize that they shouldn’t just talk about it during Black History Month … this is a part of our American history,” Cunningham was noted to say. The Root is an online magazine of African- American culture launched on in 2008.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
The Institute of Medicine is reviewing testimony from a variety of sources about the value of using symptom validity tests to measure exaggeration or malingering by claimants in Social Security Administration disability evaluations. Two informational meetings have been held, one in June this year and the other on August 11.
The review followed a 2013 report by the Office of Inspector General saying that the Social Security Administration (SSA) should update its policy that disallows certain tests for malingering. The SSA disagreed and sought the help of the Institute of Medicine (IOM).
Among those presenting research or theory for the Institute’s reviewers were Louisiana neuropsychologists Dr. Michael Chafetz and Dr. Kevin Bianchini. Other presenters for the Institute’s panel included nationally recognized neuropsychologist Dr. Glenn Larrabee of Florida, Dr. Michael Kirkwood of Colorado, and Dr. Jennifer Manly of New York.
The Institute convened their “consensus study” at the Keck Center in Washington DC, titled, “Workshop on Psychological Testing, Including Symptom Validity Testing, for Social Security Administration Disability Determinations.”
According to an official at the Institute, the August meeting focused on the use of validity testing and SSA policy. He said the group also explored the application of the policy “on the ground at the state level.”
Subsequent meetings will be closed sessions reserved for deliberations, noted the official. A final report will follow those closed-door deliberations.
Last year U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, known for his critique of government waste and ineffectiveness, prompted the SSA Office of Inspector General (OIG) to study the issue after Coburn’s team uncovered problems with budget overruns and backlogs in the SSA process and their administrative law judges who make decisions about claims.
After reviewing customary practices in the insurance industry and the VA, the OIG said these agencies’ goal was to look at all relevant information in making a judgment. The OIG concluded that the SSA was the only agency that rejects the use of symptom validity tests (SVTs) as an additional source of information.
The OIG concluded that SSA stands out in its unwillingness to allow the use of these tests in appropriate situations, writing, “Medical literature indicates there is consensus in the medical community that SVTs are useful in determining the validity of disability claims …”
The SSA disagreed, saying, “Due to differing opinions on the use of SVTs, and whether they add value to our disability programs, we plan to seek impartial, external expertise to evaluate our policy on the purchase of SVTs, as resources permit.” The OIG encouraged the SSA to move forward with its plans.
An important topic in medical-legal evaluations, symptom exaggeration or malingering is shown to fall between 30 percent and 64 percent when compensation is involved. Dr. Chafetz and others have determined that malingering rates in social security examinations are likely to fall between 42 percent and 45 percent.
In one study, the rates of malingering or symptom exaggeration were found to be highest when claimants were seeking federal benefits, followed next by those seeking benefits from the state, and were lowest in private cases. Researchers have also found that the degree of malingering is “dose dependent,” where the higher the reward the higher the degree of exaggeration.
Currently about 11 million people receive Social Security Disability (SSD) and 8.2 million receive Social Security Insurance (SSI) benefits. Mental disorders make up about 33 percent of the SSD and about 60 percent of SSI.
The Institute of Medicine heard several types of testimony from neuropsychologists. In his presentation on “Performance and symptom validity,” well known researcher Dr. Glen Larrabee noted that validity tests are easy to pass in patients with bona fide problems.
Erin Bigler, PhD, from Brigham Young University, presented his view that symptom validity tests are the best method to infer valid performance, but he also said that there are still questions.
Jennifer Manly, PhD., from Columbia, spoke about using these tests with culturally diverse populations and posed questions about generalizing from one cultural group to another.
Kevin Bianchini, PhD, from New Orleans, presented methodology regarding pain- related disability, and noted that in the SSA population exaggeration of disability is the central issue, not malingering.
Michael Kirkwood, PhD, from Children’s Hospital in California, reviewed validity testing in pediatric populations and deception in youngsters.
Presenters from the VA, Robert Seegmille and Stacey Pollack, PhD, the National Director of Program Policy Implementation, Mental Health Services, VA, explained that VA policy does not require or prohibit any specific tests or categories of tests. The option to order psychological/ validity tests is left to the discretion of the examiner, they said.
The August 11 meeting included presentations by the Chief Psychologist, Office of Medical Assistance, SSA, and Robin Doyle, SSA Medical Policy Expert. An afternoon panel discussion included the President, Past President, and President Elect of the National Association of Disability Examiners.
From the public documents it is not clear if comparisons were made between the current methods for establishing validity in disability evaluations and the neuropsychological methods. Senator Coburn is set to retire at the end of the current congressional term.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
The Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA) and the Association for Psychological Science have teamed up to support the Academic/Research membership of LPA, aimed at helping renew the connections between practitioners and psychological scientists in the state.
Dr. Constance Patterson will facilitate the group within LPA with the help of co-facilitator, Dr. Paul Frick. Dr. Patterson is a Tulane Professor and Frick is Chair of Psychology at the University of New Orleans.
LPA established eight honorary memberships aimed to help connect with psychological scientists and professors of psychology across the state.
They are working with Dr. Alan Kraut, Executive Director of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) on the joint effort.
Dr. Kraut, on behalf of APS, granted complimentary memberships to support this effort. “The Association for Psychological Science (APS) and the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA) share the common goals of advancing the science of psychology, as well as using that science as a vital tool for improving human welfare,” Kraut wrote.
Kraut said that the complimentary memberships were to recognize these shared interests.
Participants so far include Dr. Mitzi Desselles for industrial-organizational psychology from LaTech, Dr. Lore Dickey for counseling psychology from LaTech.
Dr. Elliott Beaton, for neuroscience, stress, and cognition science, from the University of New Orleans, Dr. Paul Frick, for developmental and psychopathology science and Chair from University of New Orleans are also included.
Dr. Constance Patterson, Professor of Practice and in school psychology from Tulane, and Dr. Michael Cunningham, adolescent development, African and African Diaspora Studies, and Associate Provost Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching, will join from Tulane.
Dr. Bryan Gros, LPA Director and Membership Chair, and former President of LPA, said, “In the past, LPA has offered little for academic and research psychologists. I am excited about this group,” he told the Times. “LPA is very much looking forward to their guidance in making LPA a home for academic and research psychologists.”
“The evidence is that mainstream clinical psychology has gotten further and further away from its roots in research and science,” Gros said. “This hasn't helped either psychologists or those we serve.”
“With this effort, and other efforts, LPA is working to correct this problem and provide the interpersonal and scientific connections that sustain our unique contribution within the field of mental health, and also other areas of services.”
“This is a win-win-win, in my view,” Gros said.
Dr. Gros also noted that the idea meshes well with the organizational mission of LPA. He noted that the mission is “… To support and advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare.”
The research-academic psychologists’ group will be looking at how mutual goals might best be met by the state association, and what areas could help the larger society within the state.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 13. Source pages: 2.
Who knows if the recent appointment of Dr. Joe Comaty to the psychology board was due to behind-the-scenes politics of LAMP or the board’s piling-on the first-ranked candidate. All the fuss and bother surrounding the election could have been just a distraction for us in the peanut gallery, while stealthy LAMP did its usual thing.
But even if the outcome was predetermined, it doesn’t excuse the board’s behavior.
Dr. Comaty had every right to pepper the Governor’s Office with complaints and accusations; he had every right to plop down in the front row at the Ethics Board; and he had every right to confuse the distinctions between dual roles, conflict of interest, ethics and efficiency.
The psychology board, on the other hand, had no such rights. They should have sat unobtrusively on the sidelines while the democratic process played out.
But the situation does provide us with some insights about how the board solves problems and manages its group dynamics. Their trip over to the Ethics Administration was an impressive, albeit embarrassing, example of the Einsellung Effect.
The Einsellung Effect is the name for the common human tendency to ignore new information that doesn’t fit with our initial idea. There is a long list of related cognitive biases: Kahneman’s WYSIATI, the availability heuristic, focusing and framing effects, illusion of validity, confirmation bias, and so on.
The Einsellung Effect explains why physicians ignore new information after they’ve made a diagnosis, why government agencies overlook new facts that contradicts their current programs, and why even scientists, whose job it is to remain open to new data, adhere so strongly to their favorite theory that they can’t see information that is right in front of their eyes.
The Effect works on us unconsciously. By studying eye movements, we’ve found that even chess masters will fixate on a familiar solution, their eyes returning to it repeatedly, even when a better solution is present and should be obvious.
When in the grip of the Einsellung Effect, International Masters, who generally perform at five standard deviations above the mean, drop to the level of Class A players, National Masters drop to Class B, average players drop well below average, and so on. The Effect causes a loss of three standard deviations in performance.
If we translate this to teams, using a standard IQ type scale, we can predict a team that performs at 130 can drop to 85, or a team at 115 drops to 70. Pretty soon, even rehab can’t help.
Of course there are other individual and group dynamics that impact outcomes, such as Need for (premature) Closure, Need for Power, over- confidence, defensiveness, etc. Characteristics such as openness and self-awareness become critical also, since they act as antidotes to some of the biases. And then there is motivation.
It’s a little hard to know for sure which cognitive biases were in operation for the board without knowing what they were thinking––and they are fairly stubborn when it comes to explaining themselves. But it seems a good guess that they accepted Joe Comaty’s “direct conflict of interests” frame, because they took the issue to where people take conflict of interest questions, suggesting they were pretty confident of their frame because no one goes to the state Ethics board to brainstorm with them.
The psychology board defined the problem incorrectly then went looking for confirmation, which made them look silly. The Ethics members were puzzled to see the question brought before them. (By golly, there really is such a thing as a stupid question.)
The Einsellung Effect, along with other cognitive biases and power issues, helps account for some of the more regressive decisions we’ve seen. Act 251 taking the top spot and Opinion #12 running a close second.
A litmus test for the psychology board to prove it is performing well would be when it decides that Opinion #12 just might not be right after all — that all the other states in the US might actually have it right, and we’re the ones who have it wrong. The probability of correcting that is near zero, what with Dr. Comaty back on the board and LAMP having written itself into the two latest psychology bills.
Regardless, it would be nice if the psychology board worked on its group processes using science whenever possible. Like Eduardo Salas says, ”There’s a science for that.” Luckily, it’s ours.
One approach they might borrow from the cognitive psychologists is to place mirrors in front of themselves during meetings, an experimental method that has been shown to increase both self-awareness and moral behavior. Since their new meeting room has no windows, this could be a real win-win.
Then we can do the same with the legislature, and maybe even Congress.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 13. Source pages: 4.
Mark Reynaud, a member of the Louisiana Professional Counselors Board and the Marriage and Family Therapy Advisory Committee (MFTAC) has stepped down from his service on the Board and the MFTAC effective in July.
“He was a Board member for just over 4 years— so we’re very thankful for his service!” Executive Director Mary Alice Olsan told the Times. “The MFTAC will determine who will be the next Chair of the MFTAC probably at their September meeting, Olsan said. She also noted that the Louisiana Association of Marriage and Family Therapy is currently working on who will replace Mr. Reynaud on the MFTAC and Board.
In other news, the LPC Board received notification in July that Mr. Earl Augustine has been appointed the new Member at Large. “He will be joining us for his first meeting with the Board on September 19th,” Olsan said.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 13. Source pages: 6.
Published August 1
An Emergency Rule was published August 1 to continue the process for provisional licensure of psychologists related to Act 137 that took effect on August 1. Emergency Rules will remain in effect for 120 days. The Rule defines the applicant requirements, qualifications of supervisors, and includes a section on fees. Application for Provisional Licensure is listed as $150, and renewal is $100.A complete text of the Emergency rule is available at the Louisiana Register.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 13. Source pages: 6.
Published August 4 Emergency Rules for Behavior Analysts
Emergency Rules were published on August 4 to continue to regulate the practice of behavior analysis. The Emergency Rule was effective August 4, 2014, and will remain in effect for a period of 120 days, noted the announcement. Included are sections on applications procedures for state licensure for Behavior Analysts, for Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts, and for registration of Line Technicians. Behavior Analysts will need to provide proof of a master’s degree and submit verification of passing a national exam, among other requirements. Assistant Behavior Analysts will need to provide proof of a bachelor’s degree, passing an exam, and line technicians must complete a criminal background check. Fees are listed as $400 for application for Licensed Behavior Analyst, $250 for State Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, and $50 for Line Technicians.
The complete text of the Emergency rule is available at the Louisiana Register.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Editor’s note: It will be a real treat to explore the creativity in Dr. Ed Chandler’s photography, this month’s Gone Fishing feature. Be sure and study the photo before you read the caption, so you can get the full “aha” experience.
Dr. Ed Chandler, and his wife, Dr. D’Lane Miller, both graduated from the LSU doctoral program in clinical psychology in 1981. Now they operate their clinic, Turning Point Center for Psychological and Family Growth, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
Ed purchased his first digital camera in April 2008, though he’d played with cameras from his boyhood days in Grand Island, New York, a few miles upstream from Niagara Falls, he said.
“My psychologist friends will no doubt delight in one of my repetitive dreams as a child, of my island breaking loose from its underpinnings and floating irreversibly downstream, as I awaited the horrendous endgame,” he admits.
Years later, in the digital age, he was “freed from the expense of developing every frame of film,' and “I could and did experiment at will,” he said.
In recent years, Ed has nurtured his avocations in photography and stained glass, allowing him creative expression and garnering some well-deserved acknowledgements along the way. “My macro shots produced the nicest surprise of my artistic life,” he explained, when he won 'Best of Show' for a body of work at the 2009 Southeast Regional Juried Fine Arts Show.
He noted a parallel between artistic expression and the process of psychotherapy, stating, “Following the impulses arising from one's creative spirit is a process which fuels psychological recovery. In psychotherapy, you must learn to listen for feelings, impulses, and memories which arise from within, even from dark corners, rather than discarding such unwelcome feelings into a disowned subconscious junkyard. You must also learn to access the wise, loving, and creative side of yourself to heal the most damaged parts of self,” he said. “So it is when conceiving rectangles of reality, whether they be photographs or stained glass panels. Following feelings, impulses and spontaneous associations down the rabbit hole leads to inspirations which can then be tempered by the dictates of realistic and conventional thinking.”
In his photography Chandler engages his keen eye for what is waiting to be discovered, and invites his audience into an experience he has named Aha! reactions.
To do this he sometimes zooms his lens inside the boundaries of an object, removing perceptual cues from the observer. Other times, he uses water or mirrored surfaces to achieve the desired degree of distortion. “I enjoy the distortions of reality offered by reflections, via puddles, chrome, tubas, mirrored skyscrapers, or whatever,” he noted. “When possible, I like to invite you into an ‘Aha!’ experience, where you find yourself wondering what in the world you are gazing at, but only for a few seconds, before your perplexity yields to surprise.”
Another target of his camera is The Micro World. These are shots with a macro lens that bring the smallest of creatures details of everyday life into clear display for the viewer. “I enjoy the small world,” he said, “the unnoticed details of life that delighted us as children, as well as the small gems that a macro lens can bring into focus.”
In another vein, he noted that "Unusual combinations are also intriguing, whether it be a dragonfly on a string of barbed wire, a lottery billboard intruding over a graveyard, or ice encased azaleas in February,” he explained. “Conventional shots can be beautiful or inspiring; atypical ones can be arresting, perplexing, and convey unexpected emotions.
Ed has also branched out into stained glass which allows him even more freedom for expression, in a more painstaking art form. He has been creating portraits over the last few years, using geodes for eyes, ears, and mouths. One is a representation of Katrina, with swirling white and black glass for the face, Mardi Gras doubloons for earrings, and jugular wound covered with a FEMA band aid.
In the Glass Gallery in his online photo website, one can find portraits of various icons who require only a first name, Pablo, and Albert, with an atomic blast rising from his face. “I guess I can’t escape my 60s political angle,” he said. The glass work gives him the chance to creatively work without language. He finds it a “good getaway from the abstract, verbal, and social world of psychotherapy,” he said, “escaping to the more tangible, visual world of glass.”
“You know you’re in a more concrete world when if you make a mistake, you bleed.”
To see Ed's full gallery of photos and stained glass works go to www.ahaphotoandglass.com.
The La Counseling Assn will hold its annual conference at the InterContinental Hotel, 444 ST Charles Ave., in New Orleans, September 21 through 23. Pre- conference workshops will begin on September 20.
This year’s conference is packed with speakers and topics, including some samples below.
The invited keynote speaker, is Dr. Samuel Gladding.
Gladding is Chair and Professor in the Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University. He is a fellow in the American Counseling Association and former President. He will speak on “Some Fun and Funny Facts about Wellness: How Humor Adds to Your Health.” He will explain how “Humor adds to the quality and longevity of life. This keynote will highlight the value of humor and how the comical can be cultivated creatively and effectively in counseling.”
Gladding will also speak on “Becoming Creative or More Creative as a Counselor.” Counseling is a creative way of helping individuals to make choices and changes in their lives, he said, and the program will focus on ways counselors can be creative in sessions.
Dr. Gary Gintner will speak on “New Disorders and Specifiers in DSM-5.”
The DSM-5 introduced a number of new disorders and specifiers which may be unfamiliar to many counselors. Gintner will discuss these conditions and review treatment implications and recommendations. He will also present, “DSM-5 Informed Case Formation,” and “DSM-5 Depressive Disorders: Diagnostic and Treatment Implications.” Since DSM-5 introduces a new chapter on Depressive Disorders, Dr. Gintner will review the disorders in this area such as Major Depressive Disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder, and Persistent Depressive Disorder. He’ll present diagnostic criteria, assessment issues and treatment recommendations and examples to illustrate diagnostic and treatment planning issues.
Dr Laura Choate will be speaking on “Treatment for Depression in Girls and Women.” Girls and women are twice as likely as men to experience depression, she notes and because of the differences, it is important for counselors to consider gender issues in the conceptualization and treatment of depression. The presenters will cover best practice treatments for depression with particular attention to girls’ and women’s needs.
Dr. Jan Case, will present “Humor and Service: The Importance of Not Being Too Earnest.” She notes in the program, “At times, the spirits of those who serve as counselors soar, but at other times, the cares and challenges experienced by the counselor can cause those same spirits to sink.” Presenters will help counselors to revisit the roles and significance of humor, and explore the fresh implications of humor for their own well- being and for the well- being of their clients.
Dr. Erin Dugan, will present, “Addressing Attachment Styles.” Dr. Dugan reminds us that individual psychotherapy is not always the most appropriate intervention when providing psychotherapy to young children. “Clinicians must first assess the child-caregiver relationship in order to determine the most appropriate treatment intervention. Assessment and evaluations are becoming key ingredients in establishing on-going treatment to children and their families.” According to materials, the presenters will give an overview of assessments and evaluation tools used to define the attachment style between a child, or children, and their caregiver(s). Additionally, this workshop will present varied approaches used to enhance the relationships between children and their caregivers.
Dr. Beth Christensen will present, “Of Mind and Matter: Physical Effects of Trauma.”
“Psychological trauma is becoming better understood as mental health professionals deal with survivors of combat, relational, and environmental traumas in a variety of settings. This session will familiarize the counselor with the effect of trauma on the brain and body in order to enhance understanding of clients and promote effective treatment planning and multidisciplinary coordination of care.”
Dr. John Simoneaux will present, “What Makes People Happy.” “Throughout the history or psychology and the mental health profession, most of our attention has focused on pathology—those things that lead to and hopefully ameliorate emotional discomfort,” noted the program. “For the past twenty years, however, significant resources have been directed at offering science in “positive psychology”’ with attempt to understand and explain how people experience fulfillment and contentment in this life. Thanks to these studies, we now have a better understanding about how people become and stay happy.” He will briefly review major research findings that informs professionals about effective ways to facilitate and enhance the lives of others.
For a complete listing of offerings, go to http://www.lacounseling.org/lca/Conferen ce.asp.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 12. Source pages: 9.
Dr. Aline Hitti, Tulane Adjunct Faculty and Visiting Scholar, will present her research, “Outgroup and Ingroup Deviants with Exclusive and Inclusive Norms: Adolescents’ Evaluations,” as part of the APA paper session on “Intergroup Relations.”
Hitti examined adolescents’ views about those who challenge inclusive and exclusive norms. She studied sixth and tenth graders and found that both age groups positively evaluated those who challenged exclusive group norms. They evaluated both ingroup and outgroup deviants negatively when expressing exclusive orientations.
Her findings indicate that adolescents evaluate and reason about group dynamics using multiple forms of social knowledge, such as social conventions, moral concerns, and individual autonomy.
Hitti also is co-author on a paper, "Context Differences in Children's Ingroup Preference in Moral and Conventional Domains," with Drs. Kelly Mulvey and Melanie Killen, and others.
Dr. Hitti examines intergroup phenomena such as prejudice and group-based social exclusion from a developmental perspective.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
In the first ever reunion of Louisiana State University doctoral psychology students, alumni from as far away as Italy, California and Massachusetts, converged on the LSU campus for a three- day event to renew friendships and to celebrate the past and present.
The event included a campus tour and pizza at the Pastime on Thursday and a TGIF at the famous Chimes Street bar. The centerpiece was a four-hour reception and brunch hosted by the Department of Psychology held at The Club at Union Square (the LSU Faculty Club) on Saturday, July 26.
Over 50 alums from the 1970s and 1980s, faculty and guests shared cocktails, Louisiana cuisine and ample time “… to reminisce about college, renew friendships, share life stories,” said one of the alums and organizer Dr. Courtland Chaney.
Attendees also had the opportunity to celebrate the contributions of retiring Professor and Chair Robert (Bob) Mathews, who began his career as an Assistant Professor in 1975 and recently retired.
The group was treated to a chance to chat with retired Comparative Psychology Professor Dr. Bill Seay and retired Developmental Professor, Dr. Robert Coon, at the Saturday event.
The new Chair of the LSU Psychology Department, Dr. Jason Hicks, spoke to the group about current events and Dr. Mathews’ accomplishments.
Hicks told the group that psychology was doing well with 900 undergraduates and about 100 active doctoral students, and said that 15 to 20 new graduate students arrive each year.
The 21 active, full-time faculty members include seven in Clinical and seven in Cognitive–Development, with four faculty members for school and three for biological, Hicks said. The department had dealt with some difficult times, he explained, but even so has produced 200 peer-reviewed articles for 2013 with research interests ranging from substance use disorders, to autism, schizophrenia, cognitive aging, educational policy, and evidence-based outcomes.
Hicks praised Mathews for his service to the department and particularly for Mathews’ building of the doctoral program in cognitive psychology which began in 1986 and which has now gained national visibility, he said.
Hicks also reminded listeners that Mathews was named LSU Distinguished Research Master, one of the highest honors of the university, as well as LSU Rainmaker. Mathews also and served for over 10 years on the LSU Institutional Review Board.
One of Mathews’ students, Dr. Bill Sallas, spoke to the gathering about his relationship with Mathews and his appreciation for his guidance and mentoring through the years.
A special surprise at the Friday TGIF was an appearance by Ms. Elaine Moore, who served as the executive assistant for the psychology department through the 70s and 80s and who many students considered of primary practical and emotional support for them during their graduate school challenges. Ms. Moore has since obtained a law degree.
Professor Emily Elliott, current Director of Graduate Studies for the psychology department, greeted the guests at the Saturday luncheon, and provided updates on the department’s status and academic programs.
Some of those attending the reunion were Courtland Chaney, Roberta Chinn, Mark Paris, Cynthia Gracianette Fuerst, Richard Maples, Ed Chandler, D’Lane Miller, Frank Adair, Darlyne Nemeth, James Russell, Michael Carey, Gary Rosenthal, Catherine Seiler, Lewis Roussel, Eleanor Callon, Sally Davis Cuyler, Robert Cuyler, Kim VanGeffen, Sydney Parker, Brian Bienn, Christine Angellos, Randy Lemoine, Julie Nelson, Patricia Aptaker, Keith Wismar, Barbara Hardin, Linda Floyd, Jodie Guth, Same Marullo, Karen Speier, and Tony Speier, Bill Sallas, and Benjamin Hill.
Dr. Chaney, said, “The original idea for the reunion began when alumni Sam Marullo and Richard Maples were sharing a glass of wine in Italy and discussed how much fun it would be to get together with their entering psychology graduate school class of August 1975.” The two recruited Chaney to help and the reunion plans evolved. “All agree,” said Chaney,” it was an unquestionable success.”
“Many alumni gathered in smaller groups later on Saturday and Sunday to catch-up and make plans to stay in touch now that we have reconnected,” he said. “It was a delightful time with many asking when we could do it again.”
Chaney said that alumni are invited to visit the psychology department web site to learn more about the reunion events, view the postings and photos, and to submit biographies to the department.
Left: New LSU Psychology chair, Dr. Jason Hicks, addresses alumni, faculty and guests at a recent gathering.
Dr. Robert (Bob) Mathews listening to address by new Chair of the LSU Psychology Department, Dr. Jason Hicks. Mathews recently retired and was honored by faculty and alums at a reunion of doctoral program psychology students from the 70s and 80s.
Retired professor Dr. Bob Coon (L) talks with LSU alum Dr. Courtland Chaney about theoretical issues of mnemonic techniques, an independent study on narcotic addiction, and Professor Coon’s pastime with model electric trains. Coon was on Chaney’s thesis committee. The reconnecting happened at the recent LSU reunion that Chaney helped organize with Rich Maples and LSU psychology faculty member Dr. Emily Elliot.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 12. Source pages: 9.
Jennifer Rious, Xzania White African-American Adolescents Dr. Michael Cunningham
Jennifer Rious and Xzania White, doctoral students in psychology at Tulane will present research co-authored with Dr. Michael Cunningham. Both will present in the “Adolescent and Adult Development” area.
Rious will present, “Prosocial Altruism as a Protective Factor in African American Youth Exposed to Community Violence.” Rious and Cunningham explain that African American adolescents in urban areas are more likely than any other group to be both witnesses to and victims of violence, a condition associated with numerous negative outcomes. However, they point out that this association is “… not causal, nor is it deterministic.” They point to research that shows that the majority of youth exposed to violence continue to be “ok,” and some even thrive.
Past research has looked at protective factors that moderate the effects of community violence but has focused on structural or personality factors that are beyond an adolescent’s control. Rious and Cunningham look at the “… potential compensatory effects of a self- initiated behavior: prosocial altruism.”
In their study of 207 urban African American adolescents, the researchers found that exposure to community violence was positively related to antisocial behaviors, which was inversely related to prosocial behaviors. They found a moderating role of prosocial behaviors between exposure to community violence and antisocial behaviors. The authors explore age and gender pathways.
In another study by first author Xzania White and co-author Cunningham, “Academic Achievement, Substance Use, and the Importance of Valuing School in African American Adolescents,” the researchers explore the relationship between adolescent substance use, school experiences, and a measure of “academic future expectations” in a group of African American adolescents.
The researchers found that older students valued school more than younger and that they experimented with substances more. Academic future expectations approached statistical significance in relation to substance use, and the AFE construct was a significant buffer in the relationship between valuing school and substance use.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 12. Source pages: 16.
The World Council for Psychotherapy will meet in Durban South Africa, August 25 to 29. Baton Rouge clinicians Dr. Darlyne Nemeth, Co- Secretary of the Council, Dr. Kelly Ray, VP for North America, and Ms. Chelsie Songy, have contributed to the conference. Dr. Nemeth will present an invited address as well as a symposium.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 12. Source pages: 10.
Richard Chambers APA Science Student Council, “Hire Me!” Symposium Dr. John Buckner, Dr. Tilman Sheets
Louisiana Tech graduate student in Industrial- Organizational Psychology and member of the APA Science Student Council, Richard Chambers, will co- chair the APA symposium, "Hire Me! Being Strategic When Seeking Employment in Academia.”
He is also presenting research in two poster sessions. “Beyond Internet Use at Work: Measuring Technology-Related Counterproductive Behavior,” which he is co-authoring with Louisiana Tech graduate Dr. John Buckner and Louisiana Tech Professor and previous Chair, I-O Professor, Dr. Tilman Sheets.
The “Hire Me!” topic emerged from the APA Science Student Council, explained Chambers. “I actually got involved in this because part of the mission of the Science Student Council is to provide programming at APA for science-oriented students. The idea came out of one of our Science Student Council meetings and we just ran with it,” he said.
Chambers is one of the nine doctoral students that compose the APA Science Student Council and that represent various areas of psychology. Chambers represents I-O psychology.
“The purpose of the SCC is to advocate for the needs of science-oriented graduate students,” he said. “A few examples include: promotion of psychology as a STEM discipline; advising the Board of Scientific Affairs and the APA Science Directorate on research- oriented student issues; and administering an award to recognize early research accomplishments of graduate students,” explained Chambers.
One of the tasks of members is to write for the Psychological Science Agenda. Chambers recently published an article under the Science Agenda, to help others create better communications about their work, titled “Presenting our research effectively,” in the February issue. (http://www.apa.org/science/about/ psa/2014/02/presenting.aspx)
Chambers will also co-chair the National Research Service Award Grant-Writing workshop which will be held in the Science suite on Thursday, part of the Science suite programs.
“Are Core Self-Evaluations a Statistical Fallacy? An Empirical Content Validation Approach,” is another research presentation that Chambers has co-authored with Evan Theys.
“My research tends to focus on the use of technology in the workplace,” he said. “I have spent time looking at technology related loafing behaviors in the workplace. I am very interested in employee selection and the application of technology and social networking sites. I recently co-chaired a panel at SIOP this spring on the topic of using social media for selection decisions.”
In his work with SIOP (Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology) Chambers has served on the Electronic Communications Committee and became a member of its Marketing Subcommittee. Earlier this year he was asked to lead the Engagement Subcommittee. “All of the work produced by the committee is a collaborative effort,” he said. “The largest initiative that the ECC has helped lead has been the redesign and implementation of my.SIOP, the social networking site for SIOP members.
John Chambers (Courtesy photo)
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