DEPARTMENT PAGES:

Dr. Walsh's Pages

Late Breaking Stories~2008-2009

Phone: 401.341.3120
e-mail:walsh@salve.edu

Bottom ~General Information & NEWS Since 1999

June 18, 2009, Newport, RI : After more than a quarter century, the psychology department is moving. Within the next month or so, the entire department, lock, stock, and barrel, as the saying goes, is moving to the third floor, east end of McAuley Hall(to the right in the photo below). Where's that you might ask? You can't get there from here we might say! But, according to GOOGLE MAPS, however, you get there by going to the second floor of McAuley, take a left, walk past the Registrar's Office, jog to the right and head up the old servant's staircase, go through the fire door, and there we will be.

June 16, 2009, Newport, RI :On June 16, 2009 Dr. Anthony A. Walsh, Chairman, in consultation with department faculty, completed a lengthy and detailed Psychology Department Program Review, an in-depth analysis of our psychology program and its goals conducted every three years for the administration. As part of this process, we receive statistics of one sort or another from the administration related to things such as total enrollments in our classes, average class size, grading patterns, numbers of incoming students expressing interest in the major, and so on. One statistic told us the numbers of majors we have had for

several years and allows us to see where we stand relative to other departments. The university makes a distinction for enrollment analysis purposes between pre-professional programs such as nursing, education, administration of justice, social work, and business studies and all other departments or programs. Non-pre-professional programs, furthermore, include approximately 19 programs normally associated with what are called the "Liberal Arts." For the past two years, psychology has had the largest numbers of majors of any other liberal arts program or major at SRU meaning that our rank is NUMBER 1, Numero Uno.. We thought you would like to know.

June 18, 2009, Newport, RI : Krista Paduchowski, Psychology Majors Class of 2006, Psi Chi National Psychology Honor Society Salve Class of 2004(at right in the photo at the left) has just notified Dr. Anthony Walsh, Department Chairman, that she was awarded a masters degree in community social psychology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell last month. Krista also reported that just this week she has been employed by Hesser College in New Hampshire as an adjunct faculty member teaching in their psychology department. She begins teaching there this summer. In her e-mail correspondence Krista noted that she is "... thrilled to be given the chance to do something that ...[she has] wanted to do for so long [, teach psychology at the college level]. Congratulations Krista from us all. We are confident you will be a great psychology teacher.

June 14, 2009, Newport, RI : Dr. Sheila O’Brien Quinn, Associate Professor of Psychology, and three SRU psychology majors are spending their summer investigating how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can help children with autism become more aware of their social environment. As the result of a successful grant application to the IDEA Network-Biomedical Research Excellence (IN-BRE), Carin Heaney (’11), Alexandra Pereira and Samantha Sandland (’10) are employing basic behavioral research techniques to compare three different approaches to fostering the development of "joint attention" in autistic children.

"Joint attention" includes the ability to figure out what another person is talking about by following that person’s eye gaze, i.e., by understanding what the other person is looking at. Many developmental psychologists believe that this skill is essential in helping young children develop basic vocabulary. Because children with autism tend to be less sensitive, sometimes even averse, to using eye contact, they can miss out on that fundamental learning opportunity. Working under the direction of Dr. Quinn and Dr. Andrea Chait, the clinical director at the Pathways Strategic Teaching Center in Warwick, RI, the SRU students have each assumed primary responsibility for the joint attention research protocols for three children with autism. The children were chosen to participate in the program after consultation with their parents and because of the relevance of the research goals to the children’s clinical goals. The SRU students are currently learning the children’s overall behavioral program and beginning to collect baseline data on the children’s existing skills. The students will present the preliminary results of their research on August 3, 2009 at the Ryan Center at the University of Rhode Island. IN-BRE, funded through the National Institute of Health, will provide continuing support for this project for up to five years. During the academic year, three SRU students will be offered the opportunity of working 10 hours a week at the Strategic Teaching Center on this project. The grant also funds special course work for students involved in the project. Through the life of the IN-BRE grant, it is hoped that 35 children with autism will receive this intensive programming and a minimum of 15 SRU students will be able to participate in the research.

May 24, 2009, Newport, RI : Janet C. Titus, Ph.D., Summa cum laude graduate in psychology and math, class of 1984, contacted the department recently with an update on her career since leaving Salve. Janet is currently a research psychologist at Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington, Illinois. Janet received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 1998 from the University of Minnesota where her studies focused on assessment, measurement, and chronic illness and disability. She has served as co-principal investigator, research coordinator, and technical assistance consultant on numerous projects funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Janet is also involved in the ongoing development of the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) instruments, a widely used family of assessments in the substance abuse and treatment field. She has a special interest in cultural and linguistic adaptation of substance abuse and psychological assessments for use by members of multi-cultural populations. She was the project director for the translation of the Spanish GAIN instruments and has a developmental role in current translation efforts focused on French, Japanese, and Portuguese GAIN instruments. She is a member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network subcommittee on adolescent trauma and substance abuse. Her current research activities focus on substance abuse in multi cultural populations (including Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing, Hispanic, and GLBTQ [ gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning ] populations), addressing the treatment needs of adolescent substance abusers with a history of trauma and victimization, the impact of assessment training and certification on data quality, and the development of substance abuse and psychological assessments in international EAP(employee assistance programs) settings. Janet's husband, Charles, is a staff psychologist at Illinois State University’s Student Counseling Services doing individual and group counseling, supervising doctoral interns, and teaching a course on career choice. There son, Jonathan, is in the second grade.

May 20, 2009, Newport, RI : Dr. Arthur Frankel has just learned that he is one of only five recipients of a university financial grant this summer to develop methods and procedures to improve teaching. Dr. Frankel's grant funded project is entitled Introducing Inquiry-Based Learning into the Introductory Psychology Course. In describing the Need Being Addressed by his project Dr. Frankel wrote: "I continually strive to find ways to enhance student learning as well as their enthusiasm for using what they have learned in the classroom outside the classroom. Accomplishing this latter goal is more difficult in the introductory course than in more advanced courses, however, because approximately three-quarters of the students in an introductory psychology course are not planning to be psychology majors.

This proposal describes a plan for redesigning my introductory psychology course in order to persuade students, particularly non-majors, that psychology has much to offer them, regardless of their academic major or career goals." Dr. Dean de la Motte in his call for applications described the award program this way: "Funded by a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation, Summer Stipends for the Enhancement of Teaching are designed to increase dramatically Salve Regina University’s commitment to an academic culture in which the continuous improvement of teaching is an expected, essential part of the professional development of all faculty members. Summer Stipends are designed to be one of the most visible of the many programs of the new Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Dr. Frankel was awarded a $5,000.00 grant to develop and ultimately incorporate his inquiry-based learning methods in his introductory psychology classes. Congratulations Dr. Frankel!

April 7, 2009, Newport, RI : Kristen McLaughlin(2009) has just notified the department of her acceptance into the graduate program in Forensic Psychology at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. Kristen awaiting word from other graduate programs but for now, she is all set for the fall. Kristen, who is graduating this May, was inducted into Salve Regina's chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, last fall. Congratulations Kristen!

July 1, 2009: Kristen McLaughlin(2009)has just notified the department that she has been accepted into the program in forensic psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY and will commence her studies there in August. Congratulations once again Kristen!

April 7, 2009, Newport, RI : The Department of Psychology has just been informed that Meaghan Callanan(2009)has been accepted to New England Law Boston founded in 1908. Additionally, Meaghan has been awarded the school's Sandra Day O'Connor Merit Scholarship which will give her free tuition for three years. Meaghan, a 2008 inductee into Salve Regina's chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, graduates in May. Congratulations Meaghan!

March 28, 2009, Newport, RI :On Friday, March 27th, 2009, department faculty members Drs. Arthur Frankel, Paula Martasian, Sheila Quinn, and Anthony Walsh(Chairman) held a "Graduate School Admissions" and field experience information session in the Jazzman's Café. Jennifer Sousa(2008), now in graduate school at Wheelock College in Boston in its Child Life and Family Centered Care program, spoke about her current studies, field work, and what experiences as an undergraduate helped her to get where she is today. Dr. Marcy Atkins from Psychological Centers of Providence was a guest as well. Dr. Atkins described her organizations outreach programs and current employment opportunities for our students. Refreshments were provided by Dr. Martasian.

Angela Moniz and Dr. Sheila Quinn(top) and Dr. Debra Curtis, Angela Di Ruggerio, Nicole Cecala, and Dr. Arthur Frankel during their poster sessions at the 2009 annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Pittsburgh, PA. Click on each image for a larger view.

January 18, 2009, Newport, RI : Once again this spring student-majors in psychology have had their research with faculty accepted on the official program of the Eastern Psychological Association whose annual convention will be held in Pittsburgh, PA from March 5th to 8th. Angela Moniz(2009)conducted her research with Dr. Sheila Quinn and will present the results on Saturday, March 7th at 2:00pm in the Allegheny Room of the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

The abstract of their project entitled Concurrent Validity Study of the Golden Stroop vs. the Computer Stroop: Is what they Measure the Same? may be read here. Nicole Cecala(2011) and Elsa DiRuggiero(now at Holy Cross) worked with Dr. Arthur Frankel from psychology and Dr. Debra Curtis from anthropology on their research entitled Assumptions College Women Make about College Women who use Condoms based in part on other research Frankel and Curtis have conducted earlier on(see article below). The abstract of their project may be read here. Their presentation of their research results will presented on Saturday, March 7th at 11:00am in the Allegheny Room of the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh. Congratulations to all!

January 16, 2009, Newport, RI : Dr. Arthur Frankel(Psychology) and Dr. Debra Curtis(Anthropology) have had their research article "What's in a Purse? Maybe a Woman's Reputation," published in the online journal, Sex Roles ~ A Journal of Research. The publication reports on two research investigations conducted at Salve Regina University and ties it in to related research literature on impression formation, gender roles, sexual reputation, women's health, and related matters. The abstract and full text of their report may be viewed on line here.

Congratulations to them both!

December 8, 2008, Newport, RI : Allegra Lovoy(2009), a near straight A psychology major, is in the news once more this week for her superlative skill on the basketball court. For the second time this year, Allegra has been named The Commonwealth Coast Conference [women's basketball] Player of the Week. A news release published by the SRU Athletic Department on December 8th reads: "Salve Regina University senior guard Allegra Lovoy (Charlestown, R.I.) was named The Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Week after leading the Seahawks to a pair of non-league victories. Lovoy enjoyed two strong performances averaging 17.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the process. In a 70-46 win over Johnson & Wales, Lovoy came up one assist shy of a triple-double, tallying 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. She added a second double-double in a 68-66 victory over Wheaton (Mass.), recording 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. At 5 feet, 3 inches tall, Lovoy is the shortest player on her team yet she leads the Seahawks in rebounding (8.5 rpg). She is also the team leader in scoring (15.6 ppg) and assists (6.0 apg). Lovoy is just 61 points shy of becoming the eighth Seahawk women's basketball player to reach the 1,000-point milestone." Congratulations Allegra!

November 21, 2008, Newport, RI : Dr. Sheila O'Brien Quinn has just learned that she has been invited to be a panel member at a "mini workshop" discussing how to prepare for graduate school in psychology at the Eastern Psychological Association's March, 2009 annual convention in Pittsburgh, PA. According to the announcement(above), "This mini-workshop draws on accumulated wisdom, literature reviews, and recent studies to prepare students for applying to graduate school in psychology. Designed for both faculty advisors and prospective graduate students, the panelists will present strategies on preparing for admission requirements, acquiring research and practical experiences, and selecting compatible graduate programs. Handouts adapted from Graduate Study in Psychology, the Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, and the Complete Guide to Graduate School Admission will supplement the presentations." Dr. Quinn's topic will be "Identifying and Targeting Compatible Graduate Programs". The workshop will be chaired by Dr. John C. Norcross of the University of Scranton and will include a third member, Dr. Susan K. Whitbourne of the University of Massachusetts. Congratulations Dr. Quinn.

November 21, 2008, Newport, RI : Dr. Anthony A. Walsh, Department Chairman, recently learned that Kimberly Muhlbauer, Class of 2009, has been accepted into Salve Regina University's graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling" This program, according to remarks contained on its web site "...is committed to offering a professional program in counseling that encourages students to seek wisdom through study and service and to promote universal justice. The program has been developed with the belief that opportunities for people with disabilities (including physical, psychological, developmental, cognitive, sensory, behavioral, and substance abuse) should equal those of all other individuals. The program supports the premise that all individuals, including those with disabilities, are vital resources for the betterment of society. " Congratulations Kimberly!

November 6, 2008, Newport, RI : Shortly after November 6, 2008, Dr. Anthony A. Walsh, Department Chairman, was contacted by a member of the Takacs family of Massachusetts and informed that Casey Tango(2009) had been awarded a Senior Year Scholarship in the amount of $1,000.00. Casey had been nominated for this award by Dr. Arthur Frankel, wrote an essay as part of the competitive award process, and was selected as the winner. Congratulations Casey!

November 6, 2008, Newport, RI : On November 5, 2008, seven new members of Psi Chi were inducted in a formal ceremony in Ochre Court. In the proceedings conducted by Erin Vadaro, Jennifer Corcoran, and James DeMelo, all officers in Psi Chi, Asako Hyuga, Katherine Jedynasty, Marykate Pascazi, Matthew Maynard, Nicole Baldassari, Stephen Masso, and Luke Hawksley(in photo from left to right) were formally welcomed as new members of Salve's Psi Chi chapter. Not in attendance and inducted in absentia were Meaghan Callanan, Meaghan Costello, Kara DiPaola, Molly Jacobus, and Lindsay Underhill. We congratulate them all.

October 8, 2008, Newport, RI : On October 6th, 2008 Dr. Sheila O'Brien Quinn was an invited speaker at the Families for Effective Autism Treatment of Rhode Island(FEAT/RI) meeting held at The Trudeau Center in Warwick, RI. The FEAT/RI organization is holding a six week "Fall Autism Training Initiative(ATI)" for members. The lead instructor for the series is Andrea Chait, Ph.D., BCBA, NCSP, who is the Director of Clinical and Educational Services at Pathways Strategic Teaching Center(PSTC) in Warwick. According to the FEAT/RI brochure announcing the program, "PSTC is a comprehensive behavior analytic education and treatment program serving children with autism and pervasive developmental disorders." Dr. Quinn was the guest speaker for their first session which was entitled "Introduction to Basic Principles of Learning and Autism."

	September 15, 2008, Newport, RI : The Salve Regina University Psychology Department was well represented at the recent American Psychological Association 116th Annual Convention held in Boston from August 14th to 17th. Dr. Sheila O'Brien Quinn, Associate Professor of Psychology, was both the sponsor and mentor/co-author of Julie Grieco's(Class of 2008) poster entitled Stroop Interference and Working Memory: Measurement Differences. Their poster session took place on Sunday, August 17th, at 10:00am. Asako Hyuga(Class of 2010) was also on the program representing Salve's Psychology Program. Her poster was entitled Motora Yuzero and the Birth of Academic Psychology in Japan.
Asako's poster session took place on Saturday, August 16th. Gina Liguouri(Class of 2005), who is presently a psychometrician at Brown University Medical School, was on the convention program as well. Gina's poster session was co-authored with several other Brown faculty members and was entitled Childhood Psychopathology and Curiosity about Fire: The Impact of Juvenile Fire Setting
Click on an image below for a larger view.