The Psych Report

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Psychology, Service, Inquiry: The PSI Talks are Returning 2020

November 6, 2019 / sielsm05 / 0 Comments

PSITalks- Blog pic Do you have powerful ideas that are worth spreading? If so, here’s an opportunity to share those ideas as a PSI Talk! The UWGB Psychology Program would like to invite you to apply to do a short, 8 to 10 minute, presentation on an aspect of psychology as part of PSI Talks, an event we are hosting on March 3, 2020 at 7:00pm. This event will include several engaging and thought provoking student presentations, followed by a reception. See video of last year’s talks here.

Possible topic areas for talks might include:

a meaningful personal experience you have had that can be connected to psychological concepts
service you have done for the community or on campus that is connected to your psychology education (e.g., an internship or volunteer experience)
a way that you use psychology in your work or your career
a review of a psychological concept or literature and how it is relevant to everyday life
original research you have conducted as a Research Assistant, Honors Student, or in class

The PSI Talks Will Be Held On Wednesday, March 3th, 2020 at 7:00pm in Fort Howard Hall of the Weidner Center.

To be considered, you must:

be a UW-Green Bay Psychology major or a graduate of the UW-Green Bay Psychology program,
submit a 200-word abstract describing your talk, and
provide the name of a UW-Green Bay Psychology faculty member who would be willing to endorse your talk and supervise your talk if you are selected.
not have given a talk at the 2017 PSI Talks.

Please email the information below to Dr. Jason Cowell (cowellj@uwgb.edu) by 8:00 pm on Sunday December 1st. We will then select semi-finalists who will meet with the selection committee for a brief interview the week of the December 9th. The final presenters will be identified and notified that week.

PSI Talk Proposal

Name:
Email Address:
Title of Your Talk (does not need to be final):
Type of Talk (check one):

__ a meaningful personal experience you have had that can be connected to psychological concepts
__ service you have done for the community or on campus that is connected to your psychology education (e.g., an internship or volunteer experience)
__ a way that you use psychology in your work or your career.
__ a review of a psychological concept or literature and how it is relevant to everyday life
__ original research you have conducted as a Research Assistant, Honors Student, or in class

Abstract: Please describe the talk you would like to do in 200 words or less, making it clear how it connects to Psychology.

Faculty Sponsor (Please make sure to ask him or her before submitting the form):

What’s in the Box Video Challenge

November 4, 2019 / sielsm05 / 0 Comments

Finding Little Albert: A Journey to John B. Watson’s Infant Laboratory

Watson’s original experiment looked to classically condition baby Albert to be afraid of fluffy objects or animals. Watson and graduate student Rayner used loud noise to eventually classically condition Little Albert to fear fussy objects such as rats and bunnies. When they would show Albert the fluffy object or animal, Continue reading

School Psychology: Featured Alum Q&A

October 30, 2019 / sielsm05 / 0 Comments

Tessa Evenson

What first interested you in school psychology?

During my time at UWGB I always looked for volunteer opportunities or jobs working with children so I could figure out exactly it was I wanted to do
I started working at Tank Elementary my sophomore year in one of those afterschool programs, where I worked for my remaining years at UWGB
I then completed the Camp Lloyd Internship, working with grieving children at a summer camp, and the Alternative Recess Internship, where I spent lunch with kids at an intermediate school.
All of these experiences, with the help of the psychology program at UWGB, helped me decide what career path was right for me!

What did you learn in your undergraduate career that contributed to your current knowledge?

At UWGB, I always felt that I could go to professor’s office hours to ask specific questions.
I’m currently in a class that is statistics based, which I was super nervous for. However, I actually find myself raising my hand and answering questions often. I owe that to the knowledge I attained in my undergraduate classes.
I also feel that UWGB really helped me understand culture, biases, stereotypes, and privileges. I have to use this understanding and knowledge every day in grad school and eventually every day when I become a School Psychologist.

Do you have any advice for any aspiring school psychologists?

The best advice I have for aspiring school psychologists is to have strong relationships with undergraduate professors and to have as much experience as possible working with kids and being in the school environment, as a whole.
I know of others who were not or were waitlisted because they did not have professors to write their recommendations and/or because they did not have as much experience or knowledge with the field.
If you are interested in school psychology, set up a time to shadow a school psychologist and do your research on the profession.
It is also ok if you do not attend graduate school right away. A lot of the people in my cohort took a year or even more off after undergraduate school to work in schools or with kids as paraprofessionals or in mental health facilities. One person in my cohort was actually a 2^nd grade teacher before applying and another was a mental health counselor before deciding to apply for school psychology.
Having a year or more to get some experience helps those people understand the content in class faster than me, since they have more experience in schools.
School Psychology is a great career path for those who love working one-on-one with kids and those who have great interpersonal skills in collaborating with others.

For more information specifically on Graduate School see what advice Tessa has about graduate school related to school psychology.

Graduate School Alum Advice: School Psychology

October 30, 2019 / sielsm05 / 1 Comment

Tessa

Tessa Evenson

What steps did you take to get to where you are now?

First, over the summer before my senior year at UWGB, I researched potential graduate schools I was interested in. Then I went to see some of my professors when my senior year started to ask them about the programs I was interested in.
After bringing it down to 3 graduate schools I thought were the best fit, I made checklists for each one. (Each school has a completely different application process, so it was a lot of work on top of a full school and work schedule.)
- For two of the programs I was applying for, the GRE was needed, and a minimum score was required to be considered into either of those programs. So, I scheduled myself to take the GRE, which was also about $200, as well as each grad school application being about $75. I studied for the GRE using online resources and talking with my professors. I took it on a Saturday morning, and it took about 4 hours, if I remember correctly. From there, I was able to send my scores to the schools I wanted.
Next, all applications required I write some sort of personal statement or essay describing my skills and why that program would be a good fit for me. One of the programs asked for an APA writing sample from my undergraduate career. I also had to submit at least 3 references and most programs recommended 2 of those references be professors.
Most of the applications were due in December or January and I waited about a month before I heard back from any of them.
- Two programs called me, and scheduled interviews.
- One program emailed me to inform me that they did not choose to interview me, therefore they were not an option anymore.
In February, it was down to two schools, UW-Stout and UW-La Crosse.
- My interview at UW-Stout comprised of two one-on-one interviews with the program director and a professor in the program. I was also able to meet many of the other applicants, as well as talk extensively with current School Psychology students. I was also able to eat lunch with those students and get a tour of the school.
- The UW-LaCrosse interview was much different. I also had two interviews on interview day, however, one of them was with 6 people and the other was one-on-one with the program director. I also had a Q-and-A with three current students and only met two other applicants.
- I was given a tour of the school, but did not have as much contact with the current students as I did at UW-Stout. A couple weeks later after each interview I was contacted.
The program director at UW-Stout, herself, called to let me know I was accepted into the program, which I very much appreciated.
After careful consideration, I chose UW-Stout because I really enjoyed my experience on interview day and felt that the program, overall, was the best fit for me.
- After becoming admitted in the UW-Stout School Psychology program, I attended an orientation laying out the classes I needed and information needed for my first year. The current students also gave me and my cohort (the other first-year school psychology students) information on financial aid, ideas of where to live, and cool places to visit in the Menomonie community. I met a girl from my cohort that day and we decided to live together. During the summer, I enrolled in classes and we found an apartment and here I am now living in Menomonie going to UW-Stout for graduate school!

What is a typical day schedule for you?

My school day as a graduate student is not much different than my school day as an undergraduate student.
I do not think I will ever have more than 2 classes in one day. This is because the classes are a bit longer. Some classes are 2 hours and some are 3. I also have a Saturday class this semester and we only meet 5 times throughout the semester, but it is an 8-hour day.
On a typical day, I start class around 9-9:30 and sometimes end around noon and sometimes end around 4:30, with a 2 hour break in between.
Then some days I go to the GA (graduate assistant) lab after class to ask the GAs questions about my assessments or to turn in assignments. I’m usually in the GA lab about 2 or 3 times a week, sometimes more.
The class structure, in general, is not much different than undergraduate classes, except there’s just more material and it is always school-based (content applies to practice in K-12 public schools), in general.
- I have some papers to write, I had to complete volunteer hours working with kids, I had to shadow a school psychologist, I have discussion posts, quizzes, assignments, and exams.

Do you enjoy your school psych graduate experience? Anything in particular?

Probably the best part about the program is the people. My professors, just like UWGB, are extremely helpful.
My professors also always make a point every class that they will do everything in their power to make sure we are successful.
This school psychology program at UW-Stout is cohort-based. Therefore, all of the first-year school psychology students are in all of my classes. It is meant so that we have that support throughout graduate school, as well as when we become school psychologists.
It is nice to have those people to relate to when classes are difficult. They are also the first people I go to for any school-related questions or comments.

Independent Learning Experience Event

October 9, 2019 / cowellj@uwgb.edu / 0 Comments

This year was the very first Independent Learning Experience Event sponsored by the PsycHD Club. You can learn more and access the information that was covered at the meeting and all those amazing opportunities here: Independent Learning Experience Information

What is Sport Psychology?

Have you heard of Sport Psychology before? Can you describe it? Did you know that the Psychology program here at UWGB had two sport psychologists on the faculty and a Sport Psychology masters program?

Let’s break it down…

Drs. Jana Fogaca and Alan Chu are the two Psychology faulty who are Sport Psychologists. They both work with students on research regarding sport psychology and they are the two in charge of the master program. Here is what they had to say about some further information on sport psychology for those of us who are fairly new to the topic.

How would you describe sport psychology?
- Sport psychology focuses on the use of psychological skills to perform well
- typically work with athletes, but the field has been expanding to work with other performers, such as musicians, dancers, surgeons, and pilots
- Psychological skills include strategies like deep breathing, mindfulness, self-talk, imagery, developing a growth mindset, working well with others, being a good leader, etc
- One nice thing is to use sport activities to teach these skills to kids. It helps them build their confidence and perform better at school and engage less in risky behavior.

What are the important aspects to know about the sport psychology master’s program?
- The masters program is prepared to receive students who want to work in applied sport psychology (with the applied track) and who want to focus on research and pursue doctoral studies (thesis track).
- We designed it in a way that the students will have opportunity to take all the courses necessary for the CMPC (certified mental performance consultant) certification.
- We also have two faculty, Dr. Fogaca and Dr. Chu, who are certified and part of the list of approved mentors.
- We also have great connections with the community and they are excited to receive potential interns and researchers from our program.

What kind of work is done with students in the sport psychology research lab?
- RAs help with literature review, design, and may do some pilot data collection and analysis
- “This semester, we are finishing up the plan for an intervention at the YMCA where we will use basketball and volleyball drills to teach psychological skills to the participants. They are helping me think about the drills, how to incorporate psychological skills into them, and how to communicate difficult concepts to kids. On the second half of the semester, they will help me implement the project and collect data.” – Dr. Fogaca
- “For field experience, some of my RAs and I will go to several high schools in this areas to collect data on sport motivation, meet with coaches to provide suggestions, and deliver some mental skills workshops to athletes. For lab experience, we have been planning projects on the effects of novelty on motivation (in collaboration with Dr. Cowell) and gender and racial biases in sport (in collaboration with Dr. Fogaca) that will involve experiments with the use of physiological measures such as eye tracking.” – Dr. Chu

Episode 74: (LIVE) Fantasy Psychologist Draft

May 9, 2019 / Ryan Martin / 0 Comments

What happens when our faculty and students get together for a fantasy psychologist draft? Also, what’s a fantasy psychologist draft? Find out in the latest (live) episode of Psychology and Stuff. Listen to the episode and pick your winner in the poll below.

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