Category: Faculty

Dr. Julie Longua Peterson chosen as a Teacher-Scholar Award Winner for the 2020 SPSP convention

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The Psychology Department is pleased to announce that the Society for Personality and Social Psychology has selected Dr. Julie Peterson as a Teacher-Scholar Award Winner for the 2020 SPSP convention. This award recognizes teacher/scholars who teach and work exclusively with undergraduate students and comes with a cash award.  Award decisions were based on the excellence of the submitted conference abstract.

In addition, out of 2289 single presenter submissions to the Society for Personality and Social Psychology annual conference, Dr. Peterson was one of only 36 individuals to be selected for a Data Blitz Session, where “hot” research in the field is presented as part of a series of short talks.

Dr. Peterson shares that the work that led to her selection for the Teacher-Scholar award is based on work completed with former psychology majors Janelle Sherman and Mackenzie Deveau, and current psychology major Hannah Christian.  The title of the talk is Easy, Breezy, Beautiful? College Women Are Willing to Pay More Money for Cosmetic Products in Response to Identity Threats.

Here is a summary of the project to be presented:

College women’s pricing of cosmetic products (e.g., lipstick, mascara, anti-aging cream, foundation) increases following threats to their value as a mate (study 1) or status as women (study 2).  In study 1, 175 women received bogus personality feedback that indicated either they would be alone (mate-value threat) or accident prone (misfortune control) later in life. All participants then evaluated and priced cosmetic products. Analyses revealed that women were willing to pay significantly more money for cosmetic products in the mate-value threat (vs. control) condition even though they did not increase liking for the products. In study 2, 161 women were randomly assigned to memorize statements reflecting either sexist or control beliefs.  Participants then rated and priced a series of products as part of an ostensibly unrelated task.  Women in the sexism (vs. control) condition were willing to pay significantly more money for cosmetic products, but not for other types of products related to domestic labor or daily life. Together this work suggests that college women may exaggerate the monetary value of makeup in response to different types of identity threats.

Dr. Peterson is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. You can learn about her research and opportunities for UNE undergraduates in her research lab at: https://longuapetersonlab.wixsite.com/selflab

Zach Olson presents Northern bog lemming work at The Wildlife Society’s annual conference

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Photo credit: Z. Olson

Northern bog lemmings are listed as a threatened species of statewide conservation concern in Maine, and are similarly listed as species of greatest conservation need in six of the seven U.S. states in which they occur.  There is an urgent need for more information about the distribution of Northern bog lemmings as their alpine habitats are under pressure from climate change and potentially in conflict with wind energy development. Unfortunately traditional tools are not effective at identifying Northern bog lemming populations. To address this issue, the Olson lab has been working with grants from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to create a new, DNA-based tool to find out where Northern bog lemmings are living in Maine and beyond.

On October 1, 2019, Dr. Olson presented the results of those efforts at The Wildlife Society’s annual conference, held in Reno, Nevada. The presentation described the new genetic tool that can identify species like the Northern bog lemming based on DNA extracted from field-collected fecal pellets, the use of which will decrease the time and effort needed to find Northern bog lemmings moving forward. An important result of the work thus far was a reconfirmation of Northern bog lemming presence in Baxter State Park, where Northern bog lemmings were last confirmed nearly 50 years ago. Moving forward, the group hopes to use the new genetic tool to search more broadly for Northern bog lemmings, and to initiate genetic, demographic, and behavioral studies of this cryptic native species.

If you are a UNE undergraduate and are interested in helping Dr. Olson with his research on this species, please email him at zolson@une.edu

Learning about animals — with animals!

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Dr. Seth Davis says hello to one of the rats that will learn in the lab section associated with PSY 384

Hands-on Training:  Understanding Learning and Behavior Change in Psy 384, Animal Learning and Behavior

Sitting at the intersection of Animal Behavior and Psychology are the powerful techniques for predicting and controlling behavior known as Classical and Operant Conditioning.  Originally discovered over 100 years ago, these techniques have proven essential for our understanding of both human and animal behavior, with important applications in animals training, clinical psychology, business management, advertising, physical/occupational therapy and more.  It’s critical that our students learn about this!

Unfortunately, with over a 100 years of vocabulary terms, complexity, theory refinement and experimental data, these topics can get pretty complex and sometimes start to seem a little dry to students sitting in a classroom.  However, that is NOT the case here at UNE.  Using equipment donated from UNE’s COBRE project and a collaborator, Dr. Seth Davis, Associate Professor Michael Burman, has developed an exciting hands-on curriculum in which students get to work with live rats. 

However, it’s not all snuggly fun with the animals. The purpose of this experience is to recreate and expand upon some of the classical operant conditioning experiments in order to better understand how these techniques work.  The students are trained in the use of modern high-tech cages called “operant chambers” or “skinner boxes.” In these cages the rats, just like UNE students in the cafeteria, are motivated to earn sugary treats.

The students in the course will first habituate the subjects to the chambers and teach them that sugar pellets or sugary water is available to them.  Once an animal is excited to play, the students will then begin to train them to work for their rewards.  The student’s job is to teach the rats to press a lever to earn their treats.  After that, the students can start to ask more sophisticated questions: Does the size of the reward matter?  What about a delay between the effort and the reward?   How does changing the rate of pay effect behavior? 

At the end of the class, a member of the group will often adopt their rat, bringing home a new friend and a constant reminder of the strength of operant conditioning in our lives. 

Thanks to Dr. Burman for providing the photos and information for this story. To learn more about the Animal Behavior major, visit our webpages at: https://www.une.edu/cas/psych/animalbehavior/program

Meet the students and faculty of ANB, NEU, and PSY

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The faculty of the department invite all of our Neuroscience, Animal Behavior, and Psychology majors and minors for an evening with ice cream! Come and meet us and your fellow students, learn about the clubs associated with all our majors, and have some fun!

Questions can be directed to Kana Colarossi at kcolarossi@une.edu

Understanding Aging Through Virtual Reality in PSY 325, Psychology of Aging

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Guest post by Dr. Christina Leclerc

Nic Africo virtually embodying Beatriz as she first begins to struggle with the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease while working as a classroom teacher

The phrase is often heard that we learn by doing.  While this is very often true, in order to learn about aging, it is typically really hard to “do.”  As a young person, there is only so much to be learned from perspective taking and reading about age-related change.  There are many media portrayals of older adults, but often characters in these outlets are colored by the negative stereotypical biases of society or the director, or show only the most glossy portions of life as an older adult.  A large part of the real aging process is a mystery until we reach older age ourselves…until now!

Embodied Labs (https://embodiedlabs.com/) has created Virtual Reality (VR) lab experiences that can give us a more realistic view of life in the shoes of simulated older adults who are experiencing one of a number of common age-related challenges. 

A glimpse into Alfred’s perspective with macular degeneration. Photo: Embodied Labs

Students in my Psychology of Aging (PSY 325) class this semester were asked to experience life as an older adult in three different labs over the course of the semester.  At the beginning of the semester, when the class was covering some of the physical changes that take place to the body during the normal aging process, students completed the “We Are Alfred” lab that presented a virtual older man Alfred, a 74-year old man who was struggling with both macular degeneration and high-frequency hearing loss.  During the lab, Alfred struggles to see and hear as he spends time with his family, visits a doctor, and receives a diagnosis.  Upon receiving hearing aids, Alfred’s struggles to hear sounds from his environment decreases remarkably, but the effect of the macular degeneration persist.

Later in the semester, we discussed some of the clinical and mental health challenges that are frequently correlated with later life.  In our class discussions, we covered Alzheimer’s Disease among other neurocognitive disorders found in the aging population.  While many students have had a life connection, either through a grandparent or other older relative, to someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, it is a very different perspective living as the older person directly experiencing symptoms of the disease themselves.  In order to get a glimpse into this experience, students completed the Beatriz Lab, which allows students to virtually embody Beatriz, a middle-aged woman, as she progresses through early, middle, and late stage Alzheimer’s Disease.

Nic Africo, as he virtually experiences cognitive testing as an Alzheimer’s patient

Finally, we closed out the semester with discussions of some of the end of life decisions and related caregiving.  These topics tend to be the most foreign to students in the typical college demographic.  Many of my students expressed surprise with the wide range of emotions they experienced while working their way through the last of the virtual reality labs.  In this VR experience, the students embodied Clay Crowder, a 66-year old man with stage IV terminal lung cancer.    

A virtual view of Clay’s perspective as he works through the end of his life. Photo: Embodied Labs.

Prior to this semester, UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine students were the primary viewers of these labs.  By integrating these virtual lab experiences into the Psychology of Aging course, I have been able to bring a bit more of the “do” into the learn by doing notion for the students in my class and continue to expand the active learning components for students interested in the Psychology of Aging.

UNE, through the UNE Library Services and the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s  2016 National Network of Libraries of Medicine New England Region (NN/LM NER) Technology Grant, is working with Embodied Labs and offering virtual, immersive case studies designed to teach students about the aging experience, from the first-person patient perspective. 

Thanks to Dr. Leclerc for providing this content and photos. You can find Dr. Leclerc in PSY 250 Lifespan Development every semester. She will teach PSY 324 Social and Emotional Development in Childhood in Spring 2020 and will offer Psychology of Aging again in 2020-2021. Dr. Leclerc is currently working with other faculty at UNE to develop an interdisciplinary Gerontology minor.

Infusing Research Into the Curriculum in the Psychology Department

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Students in Dr. Stiegler-Balfour’s section of PSY285 at the 2019 CAS Undergraduate Research Symposium

The University of New England Psychology Department prides itself on offering students with the opportunity to get involved in scientific research whether they’re studying psychology, animal behavior or neuroscience.

Daria Cassaza, Nikonas Aganis, Brianna Jewett & Jessica Larsen investigated whether positive self-affirmation could offset levels of stress in college students depending on whether someone had internal or external locus of control

A terrific example of how we enable students to get hands-on experience with science is in our Research Methods (PSY285) class. For Dr. Stiegler-Balfour, one of the department faculty members who teaches this class, taking Research Methods as an undergraduate was the course that inspired her to become a researcher and make a positive contribution to the world of science and the field of psychology.

Meagan Thompson, Ashley Johnson, Cassidy Morey & Erin Murphy investigated how an individual’s perception of dogs is effected by their experiences and the breed

At UNE, one of the goals of the research methods course is to teach students to use the tools of psychological science to answer everyday questions and/or to become better consumers of research. As part of the class, students work together in groups to complete a research project under the direction of the instructor.

Nicole Martin, Bobbi Brandau, Zane Getman and Elizabeth Vigue explored the effects of mood and trait level optimism on one’s perception and judgements of others

At the beginning of each semester, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour encourages students to explore research journals and articles for inspiration, and consider which questions remain unanswered or require a more extensive examination. But great research ideas aren’t limited to building on existing studies. Looking closely at everyday life and identifying potential solutions to practical problems or establishing a deeper understanding of why a phenomenon occurs often reveals exciting research ideas.

Kaela Kee, Riley Kelly, Amanda Bettencourt and Josh Morris researched how individuals interpret horoscopes depending on their locus of control and perception of their future success

Once students begin to develop an idea of what they might be interested in studying, Dr. Stiegler-Balfour likes to use a “speed dating” activity where students chat with classmates to see whether there are overlaps in interests. Ultimately, this results in students being put into groups of 3 or 4 to work on developing a research idea together. Students are involved in all aspects of research from determining a research idea and forming a hypothesis to developing the study materials, data collection and analysis, and interpreting the results.

The students who come up with the best projects are invited to present their findings at the CAS Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end of the academic year. The CAS Undergraduate Symposium is one of the biggest events on campus each spring and students from all departments get to present all the wonderful work they have done in their classes and research labs throughout the academic year. For more information about the CAS Undergraduate Symposium also see this UNE news release (https://www.une.edu/news/2019/2019-college-arts-and-sciences-spring-research-symposium-awards-announced).

Most students who have taken the class would probably agree that this is one of the more challenging classes they will take during their college career; however, many students find it also very rewarding. All you need to do is look at their proud faces when you see them presenting their projects. Dr. Stiegler-Balfour had a fantastic lineup of students complete four different research projects in her Research Methods class in Spring 2019. The students worked extremely hard to put together their research projects which ranged from examining the impact of a person’s experience on their perceptions of different dog breeds to examining whether the use of positive self-affirmation can offset stress in college students.

Thanks to Dr. S-B for all she does with the students and for the information for this post.

Dr. Lynn Brandsma, Guest Lecturer in Introduction to Art Therapy course

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Dr. Brandsma interacts with students in PSY 430 Introduction to Art Therapy

The Psychology Department is proud to participate in the delivery of a special minor, Introduction to Art Therapy. This minor is interdisciplinary, with students completing courses in counseling and mental health from Psychology and courses in drawing, painting, and ceramics or sculpture with the Department of Creative and Fine Arts. One thing that is definitely true about the minor is that it involves lots of hands on activities. In the capstone course, PSY 430 Introduction to Art Therapy, students frequently can be found working on art projects in the classroom with Professor Nancy Rankin and learning how such work can be used with others. While the minor does not lead to certification as an art therapist, it does provide students with a good foundation in the principles of the discipline and prepares them for further study (e.g., a master’s degree in art therapy).

To help students consider how art, writ broadly, can be integrated into counseling approaches, in the spring semester of 2019 Professor Rankin invited Dr. Lynn Brandsma to present to her class. Dr. Brandsma is a music therapist, UNE ambassador extraordinaire, and an instructor here at UNE.

Armed with her guitar and an IKEA bag full of small instruments and colorful fabrics, Dr. Brandsma led the students in many of the common musical activities she uses with her clients.  As a group, the students and Professor Rankin participated in a drum circle as well as a sing a-long, moved to the music with a particular directive (i.e., “pretend you’re walking in water”), and played “follow the leader” with the fabrics.  In addition, Dr. Brandsma shared information on the rigorous curriculum to become a music therapist and showed several videos demonstrating the impact of music therapy with a variety of clients. 

Professor Rankin shared “It is often said that music is a universal language, and in the brief time that we had, I know my students developed an appreciation for the power of that language, both clinically and personally. We had so much fun!  Thank you, Dr. Brandsma”!

Thanks to Professor Rankin for the information and pictures for this post. You’ll find Professor Rankin teaching PSY 430 again this coming Spring. Dr. Brandsma is offering PSY 295 Listening & Communication skills this semester (Fall 2019) and will be offering a special topics course on Group Leadership in Spring 2020 (PSY 305).

Welcome back Animal Behavior, Neuroscience, Psychology, Art Therapy, and Mental Health majors & minors!

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Students get to know one another at the Meet the Department event in August

The faculty are happy that you are all here and we are looking forward to another exciting year on campus! To all our returning students, please welcome our incoming class of 2023.

The faculty are happy that you are all here and we are looking forward to another exciting year on campus!

Plans are currently in development for a social and each of our clubs (Neuroscience, Psychology, Animal Behavior, and Psi Chi) are busy creating plans for fun activities for the year.

We, and your team of professional advisors, are here to help you.

Professional Academic Advisors gear up for the new year

We hope you’ll stop by our faculty offices to say hello.

PSY, NEU, and ANB Present!

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Julia Beebee, Dr. Trish Long, & Kristin Macek (along with Savannah Vanduyn) present their research to President James Herbert and first lady, Lynn Brandsma (far right)

On Friday the 3rd of May, UNE’s College of Arts & Sciences hosted the 20th Annual Spring Research Symposium. Students from all of our majors were in the house, presenting amazing work that they have completed over the past year!

Students from the department presented 26 research posters and 16 oral presentations over the course of the day! That reflects the work of 87 students and 7 faculty members!

Mackenzie Deveau (left) and Ashley Karpowicz (right) discuss their research with Dr. Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour

A panel of faculty from across the College of Arts & Sciences had conversations with students about their work and four of the ten projects receiving Honorable Mention Awards were from the Psychology Department! Congratulations go out to Mackenzie Deveau, Kana Colarossi, Ashley Karpowicz, and Dr. Julie Peterson who presented on Sexism and Female Consumer Behavior.

Jimmy Welch and Christina Torlone presenting their work at the symposium

James Welch, Christina Torlone, Alina Mauthe, Brooke Shea, Dr. Zach Olson, and Dr. Kristin Burkholder received an award for their work on Animal Foraging and Disgust: Effects of Pathogen Cues and Pathogen Risk on Scavenging Behavior.

Makaela Rice at her poster presentation

Makaela Rice and Dr. Mike Burman were awarded for their work entitled The Influence of Neonatal Pain on Maternal Behavior.

Aubrey Sahouria and Nicole Martin with their poster on reading comprehension

Nicole Martin, Ellie Leighton, Aubrey Sahouria, and Dr. Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour were also honored for their project, Can Font Change How You Read: Exploring Font Types’ Effect on Comprehension and Reading Speed.

Here’s a selection photos showing many of our students and faculty with their work.

We are very proud of the amazing work all our students and faculty completed over the past year and showcased at the symposium! Congrats to all!!

Thanks to Drs. Linda Morrison, Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, and Zach Olson for all the great photos.

Championing Undergraduate Research on Capitol Hill

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Ellie Leighton presents in Washington DC

One of the hallmarks of the psychology department here at UNE is the opportunity students have to participate in research projects led by our faculty. Working in a lab, collecting data and disseminating research at conferences and in publications not only enhance the learning experience but also help build invaluable skills students take with them when they leave UNE.

One of our recent graduates, Ellie Leighton (Psychology, Dec.’18), and faculty mentor Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, Ph.D., associate professor and psychology program coordinator in the department of psychology, just came back from Washington, D.C. where they had a unique opportunity to present research to members of Congress as part of the Council on Undergraduate Research’s (CUR) Posters on the Hill event.

Posters on the Hill isn’t your typical research symposium. While you do get to stand in front of an over-sized poster detailing every facet of a research study, the audience consists of Senators, Representatives, legislative staff members and other Federal Government employees. And the poster session is just the conclusion to a busy day in which students and mentors get to meet with members of their state Congressional Delegation and advocate for continued support of higher education and the importance of undergraduate research programs.

Ellie Leighton, Dr. Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour, & Senator Susan Collins

Ellie and Dr. Stiegler-Balfour’s poster, “Reading for leisure v. reading to learn: E-readers and the influence of text type on reading speed and recall ability,” was one of only 60 chosen for this very selective event (there were more than 500 applications) and the only project from a college or university in Maine! Ahead of the poster session, Ellie and Dr. Stiegler-Balfour spent time with Senator Angus King (I) and Senator Susan Collins (R), and staffers for U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree (D) and Jared Golden (D).

Ellie Leighton, Dr. Jennifer Stiegler-Balfour,
and Senator Angus King

“Through this opportunity, I learned how to advocate for undergraduate research in a meaningful way. When connecting with members of Congress, I was able to share how my involvement in research projects has personally impacted my life and give them a real-life example of how beneficial their continued support of higher education is to students,” said Ellie. “One of the most influential parts of this event was having individuals from diverse backgrounds display a strong interest in our research and its future paths. I hope that many more undergraduate students will have the opportunity to represent Maine at this event in future years” (Ellie Leighton, Dec. ’18).

The study was made possible through the support of a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) grant awarded through the College of Art and Sciences (CAS) to Ellie in 2017 and examined the impact of e-readers on reading comprehension of expository and narrative texts. 

As schools increasingly push students to adopt e-textbooks, a firm understanding of the consequences that reading on digital devices has on reading and comprehension has yet to be established. Study results show that while reading narrative text on an e-reader was easy for most participants, fully comprehending expository text required significantly more time to read. And for those who did not adapt to the device by slowing down their reading pace, comprehension and memory of the text suffered significantly. Travel to the conference was made possible through the generous support of the Office of Research and Scholarship and CAS Dean’s Office.

Despite the busy agenda, Ellie and Dr. Stiegler-Balfour did find a little time to check out some of the site in D.C., including the Washington Monument, Hirshhorn Museum, and of course the Capitol. Check out some of the pictures from the event – what an amazing opportunity!

If you would like to learn more about the research opportunities in the Reading Comprehension and Cognition lab, reach out to Dr. Stiegler-Balfour at jstiegler@une.edu.