Applications of Psychological Science

I would also prefer a greater emphasis on forensic psychology. We are looking forward to your visit!

Thank you,
Hannah Murphy

Hi Dr. Stutzmann,
I noticed there was two years after your graduation from Washington and Lee before you entered into graduate school. I plan to receive a Ph.D in psychology, but have received mixed advice on whether it is best to enter the workforce for a few years before starting graduate school. Do you have any recommendations based on your experience?
Thank you!
Hannah Murphy

I was reading that during your post doctoral years, you were studying affective disorders such as Parkinson's disease and drug addiction. And you are currently continuing research on Alzheimer's disease and aging. What factors helped you realize that you have been most interested in these areas? And what all helped you realize as an undergraduate at Washington and Lee what you wanted to pursue as a career?

Thank you!

Kelly Camus

I too would prefer to hear more about forensic psychology.

Thank you,
Diana Burgreen

Dr. Stutzmann,

When did you decide that you wanted to go to graduate school, and at the time what were your ultimate career goals? In other words, were your career plans somewhat consistent with your current employment or were they different?

Diana Burgreen

I am very interested to hear how you think the new administration will affect your research plans. The readings make it seem like there will be new opportunities in research-will this help you with your current research?

Thank you!

Sallie Armstrong

I am interested in the family development field of psychology, so I found the readings very interesting. I read somewhere in the past about how divorce has different effects on children depending on whether or not the children were exposed to parental conflict before the divorce. The way that I interpreted the article was that if the children didn't know that there was a problem, divorce was more of a shock and harder to get over. Where as divorce might be a healthy option in families where the parents fight in front of the children. In your experience, have you found this to be true? If so, what do you attribute this to? Also, how does this fit in with the article that we read about parental conflict resolution? If children never see the conflict, it seems that they might have better feelings towards their parents...but does the divorce without conflict cause confusion?

Thanks,
Grace

I would first like to apologize for the belated nature of this post, and to thank you for the "Importance of stupidity in scientific research" essay. I often feel completely overwhelmed by the magnitude of everything I do not understand, so I really appreciate the message of applying that 'stupidity' for positive advances rather than giving into negativity.
As for my questions, I noticed that you completed a masters program before going on to a Ph.D. program. Why did you decide to go into the masters program first as opposed to going directly to earning your Ph.D? Would you recommend this path to students considering graduate school? On a somewhat related note, do you think that Obama's plans for the sciences will lead to greater funding for graduate school tuition, specifically in the psychological science programs?

I look forward to your visit!
Liz

Like some other students in this class, I greatly appreciated the essay on 'Stupidity in scientific research' and was wondering how you deal with the inherent disappointments that come with conducting research? Similarly, do you have any suggestions for how to best be 'productively stupid'?

Thanks - I am excited to hear about your experiences!

Brooke

I am very interested in the topics of drug addiction and neurological diseases. I wanted to know if your earlier research on drug addiction has aided your research, or related to it in some way, on Alzheimers. How did you decide to move from drug addiction to aging and AD? I believe that drug addiction is, or at least stems from, a neurological disorder/imbalence; does this way of thinking help relate such different disorders in a way that you could combine research on treatments?
I look forward to meeting you and hearing what you have to say.

It has never occurred to me before that experts in the fields of psychology and neuroscience are as daunted by the idea of research as I am. "The Importance of Stupidity" article is definitely encouraging.

In regards to your bio, at what point did you realize what path you wanted to follow in terms of the focus of your research? Did you have an interest as an undergraduate in drug addiction or Alzheimer's? I am currently interested in pursuing a career related to addiction counselling, and was just wondering to what degree your interests as an undergraduate predicted the research that you ended up working on.

Thanks!
Mary Hipp

I am assuming that you asked us to read the article about Stupidity in Research because you have experienced some of those feelings in your own research experiences. Aging and Alzheimer's are fascinating research areas and any new information can dramatically impact many people's lives. Do you feel frustration in your research experiences? If so, are your frustrations balanced out by the possibility of finding something new in those areas? What do you think are the most frustrating and rewarding aspects of all of the research that you have done?
Thanks! We are excited to meet you...
Grace

I found the "Stupidity in Research" article, as most students did, encouraging; however, it did not address what happens when the research you have worked on for a period of time is completely not significant. I recently finished a study that was not even close to achieving significance, and in agreement with the article I felt stupid but I learned from it. But in graduate school, when this happens what do you do? Do you try to change the method and start again until you reach significance? Can you defend a dissertation that did not produce significant results?

Also, I noticed in your biography that you recently published a paper, The pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease: Is it a lifelong 'calciumopathy'?. In regards to the pathogenesis of AD, what are your opinions of prion involvement?

Thanks and I look forward to your visit,
Shannon

At what point in your time at W&L did you realize what you wanted to do with your future? Did you know upon matriculation that you wanted to be a psychology major or was it more happen-stance?

I personally am really curious about the field of forensic psychology, yet have little knowledge pertaining to all it entails so I would love if you focused on that!

Hi Dr. Stutzmann- I have a few general questions to try to help me decide if I want to go to psychology grad school (I would preferably go in a big city like NYC as you did). What were the biggest differences between your undergraduate experience at W&L and your post graduate experience at NYU? What are the things that you wish you knew about psychology graduate school before applying that you know now?

What is your greatest goal for your research in Alzheimers? Is this research career more rewarding than anything else you could have imagined doing?

Mr. Lewis - if it is possible to discuss the highlights of both forensic and clinical psychology, I would enjoy learning a bit more about each. It is my undersanding that many students in Psych 395 (including myself) hope to pursue health sciences and medicine, in which case a greater understanding of clinical psychology would be very useful. As this course also provides the opportunity to explore applications of psychology beyond our own interests, however, I would be useful to investigate forensic psychology, too!

Hope that helps. I look forward to meeting you in a few weeks.

Hannah

Dr. Stutzmann -

I'm sure you would agree that successful careers generate a strong sense of purpose and fulfillment. As a follow-up to Shannon's question regarding disappointing research, how you do maintain daily gratification and focus in a field that requires months if not years to produce meaningful results? Do you set small, achievable goals in order to ensure that you experience little successes each day while working towards a greater goal? In addition, your biography and resume depict what I can only imagine is an extraordinarily busy professional life! Research, writing, teaching, presentations... my need for "down time" and time spent with family and friends has shaped my career ambition quite a bit. When do you find time to relax? And is this how you imagined your life would be when you decided to pursue a career in academia?

Thanks very much for you time. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.

Hannah

Hi all!

I've been reading with great interest your questions and comments, and they are all highly relevant and 'dead on target' for much of my planned discussions. Therefore, I thought they would be better answered in person, and I can certainly make time for individual questions as needed. So, I haven't been ignoring you...

Looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow!

Beth

Hi Dr. Lewis,

I have to admit that I am more interested in clinical psychology, but I think that it would be especially interesting to hear about how you have focused your private practice on forensic psychology. It had never occured to me, until I read your biography, that clinical psychologists could have private practices focused on disciplines outside the realm of abnormal psychological disorders and general therapy. I'm looking forward to your visit.

Best,
Tori Christmas

Some good funding news just released...

I really enjoyed chatting with you all today - please feel you can bombard me with thoughts/questions at any level, or let me know which topics are useful for you.

News:
Senate OKs big NIH bump
Posted by Bob Grant
[Entry posted at 4th February 2009 04:12 PM GMT]
View comments(2) | Comment on this news story

The US Senate, which is furiously debating the details of the economic stimulus package making its way through Congress, passed an amendment yesterday (Feb. 3) to add $6.5 billion in National Institutes of Health funding on top of the $3.5 billion already allotted to the agency in the bill.

Science advocacy groups praised passage of the amendment, which was sponsored by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Richard Marchase, president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), said that the sponsors of the amendment were "champions of biomedical research," in a statement. "Millions of Americans who suffer from devastating illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer's disease, as well as the hundreds of thousands whose jobs depend on NIH funding, owe a great deal to these leaders," he added. "It is our hope that the economic recovery package is one step forward towards a long-term, sustainable investment in medical research."

Dr. Stutzmann,

I was glad to hear you say that you encourage people to take some time off before going on to graduate school. I was wondering what types of jobs, or post-college experiences, stand out to you as you look to take on graduate candidates for your lab. Thanks!

Brooke

On February 27 classes are canceled so that W&L students can present the results of their academic efforts to the W&L community. The schedule can be found at:

http://ssa.wlu.edu/schedule09.asp

For alums: When you get to the schedule, press on the blue items to get access to the poster presentations abstracts. Here you see many posters by neuroscience and psychology students. It is really exciting to see the work respresented in these posters. The remainder of the schedule is also impressive. W&L is alive and well.

Hi all-

Just wanted to reiterate how much enjoyed this class with you - you're an impressive and motivated group. Please don't hesitate to contact me - email is grace.stutzmann@rosalindfranklin.edu. Certainly, if you're in the Chicago area, please stop by!

Best of luck to you...I have no doubt you'll accomplish great things.

Beth

Dr. Lewis,

I am very interested in hearing about your experiences in both clinical and forensic psychology.

As for my questions:
Do you think your W&L experience contributed to where you are now? If so, how? Did you know what you wanted to do leaving W&L?
I imagine that as a forensic psychologist you deal with very disturbing issues on a regular basis. Is ever it difficult to maintain your own sense of 'sanity' (for lack of a better word) in the context of an environment that seems so negative? If so, how do you do it? Or, is this a complete misconception, and something you never have to deal with? In a similar vein, what qualities do you think are necessary to be a successful clinical or forensic psychologist? With the distinct conflict between therapeutic and forensic roles as outlined in the article, are there any legal regulations to make sure a therapist doesn't testify as an expert witness? If not, is there anything else that can be done to limit this?

Thank-you! I look forward to your visit.

Liz Van Leer

Dr. Miller,

How much research did you do as an undergraduate, and do you feel that you were more prepared for graduate school? How important are undergraduate research opportunities?

I am interested in your clinical psychology work on individuals with learning disabilities. Does the clinic focus on diagnosing learning disabilities? I have heard a lot about over-diagnosing learning disabilities, especially ADHD. Do you feel that some may be too quick to diagnose a child with ADHD and prescribe medication?

Thank you!
Sallie Armstrong

What was your major when you attended W and L? And what led you to become interested in clinical psychology?

Does your job allow much time for reaserch and are you currently involved in any research? What type of research did you do in graduate school and during your post doctorate?

And like Sallie, I am also curious if many are too quick to diagnose children with ADHD and prescribe medications. Do you find this to be a serious problem and know anything of how children may be later impacted by this?

Hi Dr. Miller,

I'm looking forward to hearing your case study on Wednesday. Your profession seems very relevant to our class not only as psychology majors but as college students in general. After reading the article that you posted on the blog, I'm wondering...

1) How much influence does someone in your position have on your state's policy regarding "leveling the playing field" for college students with learning disabilities? What have been some recent debates relating to this kind of policy?

2) Adderal and Ritalin use by college students who are not prescribed these drugs has become widespread. Do you feel that this type of behavior is unfair to college students with learning disabilities and puts them at a disadvantage in comparison to their "normal" classmates using these drugs? Do you feel that this behavior violates the honor code at W&L by giving unprescribed students an unfair advantage? Do you think that it will ever become legal for these drugs to be prescribed to people without learning disabilities who merely want to improve their performance in school/at work?

Thanks,
Tori Christmas

Dr. Miller,

I am very interested in clinical psychology, especially working with children and adolescents, so I have several questions:
Is there an age group you work primarily with?
What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most? The least?
In regards to the case report, although I realize that the learning environments between high school and college are different, It almost seems like the student's high school G.P.A. was relatively high for having such an extensive list of recommendations. Is it possible to give a student with learning disabilities too many privileges, thereby giving them an advantage over other students?
Besides giving students with learning disabilities certain privileges (i.e. more time on tests, etc.), are there any non-medical therapies for treating learning disabilities such as ADD/ADHD that you have found to be particularly effective?
Looking at the extensive lists of tests in the case report and the guidelines for assessment in the article, it seems like such testing is quite expensive and time consuming. Do you think that this creates a disadvantage for students who are not able to afford such testing? Do you think it would be advantageous (or even possible) for high schools to administer testing to any student they suspect of having a learning disability, thereby giving students in need the assistance they need earlier than the college level?

Thanks!
Liz Van Leer

Hi Dr. Miller, I'm really excited to hear your talks this week! I find clinical psychology very interesting and am eager to hear more about it. Can you describe what a typical day is like for you? What age group is your specialty or do you deal with all types of people? Did your time at W&L prepare you for your future in psychology; were there more things you could have done that would have better prepared you for grad school?

Dr Miller,
I am very excited about meeting you this week and hearing about your work with learning disabilities. Reading the extensive list of recommended accommodations in the case study made me wonder: do people who grow up with special accommodations have trouble integrating into the work place? In the real world, employees are frequently expected to meet deadlines, maintain attention during meetings, etc. If these individuals are taught to expect special treatment for their learning disabilities, does it make it more difficult for them to meet job expectations?

Also, (I am not sure if this is related to what you do) my little brother was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in lower school. He has received special tutoring ever since but continues to use his dyslexia as a crutch for failing. He doesn't study to the best of his abilities or challenge himself because he is "dyslexic and stupid". When he doesn't do well, he claims that he can't do well because he has dyslexia and that prevents him from succeeding. Is there therapy for children who are diagnosed with learning disabilities early in life so that they do not develop such negative attitudes about their academic abilities?

Thank you!
Grace

Hi Dr. Miller. I am really looking forward to hearing what you have to say this week. Like many of the other students I am quite interested in clinical psychology. I saw that one area of you job involves neuropsychological evaluations. What does that entail; is it part of assesing learning disorders or more for other types of disorders? I found it very exciting that UGA had its own center for assessing learning disorders. I was wondering if this was a free tool for students or whether they had to pay for it? I know that undergoing asessment for learning disorders can be quite expensive; do you think this affects who is able to get the necessary accomadations?

Good evening everyone,

Thanks so much for the great questions. Some of them match up well with the presentation materials I've prepared. Thats good. Some of the questions do not match with what I prepared....thats good, too. For the latter group, there are a few things I'd like to research. I'm going to try to answer any posted questions when we meet in person. Please keep posting. Anything we do not cover I will try to handle over the blog. Thanks again and see you soon.

Hello!
I have definitely considered clinical psychology as a possible career choice, and after taking abnormal psychology last term, this option has become more and more appealing. I struggle, however, as one who shies from intense situations, when considering what types of disorders I think I would like to study and learn more about. How did you decide that you wanted to do research on learning disorders, and did you ever consider working with patients who may be suffering with more life-altering disorders, such as schizophrenia or Tourette's syndrome?

Thanks,
Mary Hipp

Dr. Miller,

I found the reading regarding systemic issues related to the establishment of consistent eligibility criteria for students with learning disabilities to be very thought provoking, and was wondering if you had any information about the current stance of Virginia universities and/or legislation on this issue.

I also noticed that during your clinical psychology residency you specialized in geropsychology. Have you ever integrated that specialization with your current focus on learning disabilities?

Thank you - I am looking forward to your talk on Wednesday!

Brooke

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on the clinical vs. forensic emphasis for my visit next month. From this feedback I will plan to spend roughly equal time on each area. Perhaps looking at career paths in general and my own career path on day one and getting into details of what each area involves (the good, the bad, and the ugly) on day two.
Keep the questions coming!

Hi Dr. Miller,

We are all really looking forward to meeting with you this week! I have always been curious about learning disorders and what causes lie behind them. Do you believe that learning disorders are diagnosed more recently than in the past because there is a higher prevalence of people with these disorders, or the scientific community has refined the definition and proper measurements needed to diagnose these disorders? Do you find certain methods of testing for learning disabilities more reliable and insightful above the others?

-- I am fascinated with the field of clinical psychology but I know that it is not for everyone. When (and what made you) certain that this is what you wanted to do? Do you have any further advice or warnings for those of us who are considering making this our profession? Did you have any internships related to clinical psychology that helped you realize that this was your talent?

Thank you very much!
Hannah Murphy

Hi, Dr. Miller!

I am looking forward to your presentation tomorrow and further discussion later this week. I have a few quick questions in response to the "Eligibility for College Learning Disabilities Services" article and some of your research interests.

First, how do psychologists collect accurate measures of intelligence if the subject suffers from a learning disability? The article suggests that learning disabilities often inhibit effective verbal/nonverbal reasoning, attention, communication, etc. Though learning assessments include measures and tests beyond the discrepancy equation, I question the legitimacy of the intelligence-achievement comparison in light of the subject's obvious disadvantage (inability to focus, understanding wording, etc.) when participating in WISC and other testing.

Second, it seems that you've explored the full spectrum of the human psychological lifespan - from childhood assessment to geropsychology. Do you find that over the years you have developed a more holistic clinical perspective because of your experiences studying both early and late life disorders?

Thanks very much for the opportunity to ask questions!
Hannah Schwartzstein

Dr. Miller,

In another psychology class I have learned that boys are more likely to be diagnosed with a learning disorder than are girls. Do you think that girls are underdiagnosed, or that boys are more likely to have a learning disorder? At the college level (specifically in the UGA system) are men also diagnosed with a learning disorder more often than women?

I am looking forward to meeting you,
Diana Burgreen

mjbresume.doc

Folks,
I am uploading my resume in Word format.
It is the file mjbresume.doc.
I am hoping this will work this time!

Mike

Hi Folks,

I wanted to thank everyone for providing such great discussion during our meetings. If I can provide any further information, do not hesitate to contact me (scmiller@uga.edu). I wish you all luck in your future endeavors. For the immediate future, have a good Feb. break.

To subsequent presenters/Alumni in Residence: You are in for a treat.

Take care,

Scott Miller

A student suggested that there are likely to be issues for discussion that might be embarassing or personal. I suggest that we handle this by taking advantage of the generic user. That is, if you have a personal or sensitive issue you wish discussed by the class, simply ask the alum the question(s) and not include your name in the title of the question.

If you would rather the class not discuss the issue, send your question to the alum's personal email.

I have entered a new category "Anonymous Questions" to handle this.

Dr. Shifflett,

I see that you have worked in both academic and community settings. Do you prefer academic or community settings, and what are the pros and cons of both?

Also, why did you choose to work specifically in the Lexington community, and are related job opportunities available in the area?

Thank you,
Diana Burgreen

Hi, Dr. Shifflett -

I enjoyed reading your "Mixed Message Resolution" article. Though each trial of that study pertained to the perspective of a single child alone, did you take into account the effects of sibling relationships or birth order on each child's interpretation of emotional content/emotional tone of communication between parents? Do you think strong sibling bonds help to reduce emotional distress generated by marital conflict as siblings experience a shared sense of grief? And, do you think birth order might influence the degree to which children try to mediate conflict between parents (based on feelings of duty to or responsibility on behalf of younger/older siblings)?

I have some concerns in regards to the "Marriage and Public Policy" article and its proposed government strategies for reducing rate of divorce and pregnancy before marriage. I certainly support increased funding for family counseling as I think every family could benefit from a little guidance. I worry, however, about government-funded promotion of particular family lifestyles. Is there research-based evidence to support that two-parent homes are in fact the healthiest family units (from a psychological standpoint)? And, is scientific research frequently manipulated by the government to satisfy other social agendas? There is always the risk that political funding that promotes a particular family unit will lead to social prejudice and restrict personal freedoms. For example, the government may begin by promoting pro-marriage attitudes within our school systems and end up promoting heterosexual parenting as preferable to that of homosexual couples...

Looking forward to hearing what you think!
Hannah

Hello Dr. Shifflett-

Thank you for providing us with those articles to help us understand your diverse interests and experiences! You have obviously done alot of research on your topics of interest, like familly conflict and the impact of divorce on family functioning, as well as providing direct clinical services to children and families. My question is, do you feel that your time has been best spent doing the research that provides other clinical therapists with the proper tools to help children, parents, and families, or has it been more fulfilling to actually work with patients. For example, would you rather spend more time researching how marital conflict impacts children's socioemotional development or coaching parents to control their emotional expressions around their children and maintaining warm relationships with children in families suffering from recent divorces?

Looking forward to hearing from someone who has applied her psychology background to her career in a wide variety of ways! Thanks, Tori Christmas

Dr. Shifflett,

I have a few questions about your biography. It seems like you have done quite a lot in a short period of time. Did you go right to graduate school from W&L? Did you know what you wanted to do while you were at W&L? Do you think your time here had an influence on your subsequent career path? I notice that you got your PhD in life span developmental psych and that you are now involved in direct clinical services. Did you have to get certified to do clinical work in addition to your PhD, or was clinical experience apart of your PhD program? Do you implement the kinds of parent education programs mentioned in the first article? Do you ever act as a marriage counselor?

In regards to the article on marriage public policy, do you agree that such marriage encouraging programs could be successful? It seems as if that article is looking at marriage and pregnancy in general terms, and glazing over many other external factors at work. As far as encouraging marriage in at-risk communities, what about unexpected pregnancies, or situations in which the father is not present or could be a harm to the mother and child? Do you ever deal with situations like this in your work? How do you think these policies would affect groups like Planned Parenthood?

Looking forward to your visit!
Liz

Dr. Shifflett,

I found the "Marriage and Public Policy: What Can the Government Do?" article particularly interesting. The article was clearly concerned with marriage, but I didn't see it mention anywhere about Common Law Marriage, or how two parents who live together for years but aren't married differ from parents who are married, or if there are differences within the children of these two groups. The same questions apply for Civil Unions, has there been research into those dissolution rates, or how children cope in these situations?

Also, given the recent controversy in the news, I was wondering about your opinions on single moms, multiple births, and IVF. I know its horribly cliche, but I am interested in the situation because of the ethical issues that it has illuminated about childcare and allocation of Govenment funding and how that funding is being used.

Thanks and I look forward to your visit!
Shannon Williams

How did you become interested in this particular field of psychology? Were there specific psychology classes that you took in your time at Washington and Lee that helped guide you in your career choice or did those thoughts come at a later point?

Looking forward to your visit!

I found your background in psychology to be very extensive and interesting. You definitely have had much accomplished. I have several questions regarding your biography. What all exactly does your job as Director of Public Relations and Prevention Services for Rockbridge Area Community Services entail? Could you prossibly discuss more about the two articles that you and Professor Elmes have collaborated on? Did you major in psychology when you attended W and L? What was some of the research you did as both an undergraduate and a graduate student? Did you do any post-doctorates? And do you still perform such research?

I found the "Marriage and Public Policy.." article to be very interesting. What's your opinion about it? Do you think such propositions could be effective, or do you think that they would not really do much?

Looking at the study on "Mixed Message Resolution,.." do you think the results would have differed in any way if the children and families in the study came from very high or very low socioeconomic backgrounds? I found it very interesting that few gender differences were found in the study. I would think there'd be significant differences. Why do you think there are few gender differences? Would this mean genetics and biology play a larger role on how children are effected by martial distress?

I also was wondering what your opinion is about the "Nationwide Survey of Mandatory Parent Education." I found it kind of strange that not all the states have parent education programs. Why do you think this is? I also found it interesting that children with divorced parents easily have severe emotional and behavioral problems while only a minority of all divorces have high levels of chronic conflict. What's your opinion on this?

I'm very much looking forward to your visit this week!
Kelly Camus

Hello!
I have noticed from my experiences that my peers that have divorced parents or ones with a shaky relationship tend to fall at opposite ends of the behavioral spectrum. I know some that get bad grades, party too much, and hate authority, yet also know many that are wonderful students, abstain from drinking, and are basically the model of what every parent would want their child to be. Have your experiences shown similar trends? If yes, do you think that this is related to how the parents deal with the divorce proceedings or simply arises from differences in these people's personality and motivations?

Thanks!
Mary Hipp

Dr. Shifflett,

I was very interested to read the articles you suggested, particularly those that were focused on family conflict and the effects of divorce on children. As a product of a divorced family, I can definitely speak to the residual effects of divorce and of the potential benefits of divorce counseling/parent education (my parents did not have parent education, and I definitely think that it could have helped!) I found "A Nationwide Survey of Mandatory Parent Education" to be specifically informative, and was wondering if you could discuss the concept of "good cause" that is utilized in the Virginia court system; how often do judges require parent education and how often do they suggest similar services for children? On a related note, how does this state legislation affect RACS and its ability to serve the Rockbridge Community?

Thank you - I am excited for your presentation!

Brooke

Like several of the other posts, I found the articles on marriage and divorce very interesting. With so many marriages ending in divorce this day, it is an issue that almost every family has to deal with (if not first hand, then at least with a relative or close friend). One thing that I have noticed with children of divorced parents, especially with girls, is there potential to get married, or at least develop deep relationships, rather early in life. It seems to me that many children, especially when their parents have had a bad divorce, tend to mend the relationship by establishing their own family, through which they can fix what their parents couldn't and establish a new safety nest. Have you noticed this trend in your work? If so, do you find that this is a good approach or that it often leads o more failed relationships?
I was also very interested in your article about the CSB. I have volunteered with the board a couple of times, helping with groups of families with disabled children and found it very rewarding. I wanted to know whether you thought that the laws and regulations set up by the government have generally led to increased aid to these families, or whether guidelines have hindered how much can be done? How do you think things will change, if at all, under the new Presidency?

I am very interested in your work on the counseling side of psychology, especially prevention. How did you choose to work in counseling, especially divorce counseling? Also, I have never heard of a community services board- how did you become apart of the CSB in Rockbridge county? Could you describe your daily routine or a taste of what your work entails?

Thank you!

Hi Dr. Shifflett,
I really enjoyed reading the articles that you assigned. I had particular interest in your article on children's responses to interadult conflicts. The study paid attention to emotional aspects of conflict endings in adddition to the content. I thought that was very important because non-verbal language is the dominant component of communication.
I have a question concerning the comparison of the younger and older children and their reactions to the adults' conflicts. It seems there was a trend for the older children to participate more in task-oriented interventions and express less emotional distress after viewing the conflicts. If children were exposed to parental conflicts that ended negatively and unresolved when they are younger, do you think that they would still exhibit these mature reactions (seen in the study) when they are older? Mainly, I am curious if age and experience increase children's abilities to cope with interadult conflicts or it is dependent on how they responded to adult conflicts when they were younger.
I am looking forward to your presentation and thank you!
-Hannah Murphy

Good morning,
I very much look forward to seeing you next week, Wed/4th and Thur/5th March.
While I know that this week you'll be focusing on Dr. Kelly Shiftlett's program, I'd like to outline a few advance thoughts regarding my time with you.

Firstly, I know that Dr. Elmes' coursepack has already provided a great selection of papers on careers deploying psychology coursework (e.g., references to Scott's "Theory of Advertising", Griffith and sports psychology, Dr. Roediger's excellent article, etc.). So, presumably you'll be pleased to know that I propose only modest preparation on your part - just a few short articles to read for our discussion, which I'll either give to Dr. Elmes for his circulation to you by this Thursday, or post on our blog. More on this in a moment...

Secondly, given that my career developed away from traditional applications of academic psychology, and that many of this year's alumni speakers will share their experiences as professional psychologists, I hope y'all may be interested in discussing the considerable value of a psych major in a variety of business contexts. Please allow me to table a couple of themes: the remarkable impact of 'herd' psychology on people's financial behavior, and; the application of the lessons learned via undergraduate psychological research, and the concomitant utilization of the scientific method, to common decision-making dilemmas.

Given that most of my career has been in the field of international finance, I plan to address examples of economic 'bubbles' which illustrate the enormous consequences of herd psychology. Further, I also would like us to discuss the role of psychology in the art world. Although some of us may have considerable interests in these specific fields, the underlying themes are easily transferable to many daily activities beyond national economic policy and personal finance or art appreciation. Your thoughts invited....

The articles, actually short chapters from two books, that I'd ask y'all to read are as follows (there may be another, or perhaps a short you-tube video to watch, but I promise to keep it down to a mild roar). I'll deliver the two books to Dr. Elmes in class tomorrow, to ensure that he is able to get the materials to you in good time.

From: "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds", by Charles MacKay, the one page preface, and the six page chapter 'The Tulipomania'. The preface states the book's main theme succinctly; to quote, "...(people)...think in herds; it seems that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one." Can you imagine paying the equivalent price of a fine house for one tulip bulb? Sober Dutchmen did! Read on....

From: "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark - The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art", by Don Thompson, please read the 13 page chapter 'Auction Psychology', and if inspired the seven page introductory chapter, entitled as the book.

Both books are interestingly written, and might even grab your attention sufficiently to read more (especially 'Shark', if topics including Warhol, Sothebys, museums, or branding have any appeal, while if you enjoy pondering French cultural history, or economic history, MacKay's chapter on 'The Mississippi Scheme' may amuse).

All for now.
Of course, do blog any comments or questions.
Until we next connect, all kind regards,
Ben Grigsby

greetings all!
just wanted to say i am really looking forward to our time this week. i have left my own outline very, very loose so that we are free to explore my particular career path, my research, community mental health as a field, and whatever else we might stir up and to do so as it best suits us each day. i will probably start out telling my "story" (which might take us a while, or maybe not!) and then we can pick up along the way or afterward the pieces y'all want to look at in more depth. y'all have posed some great questions -- about my former field of research, my current field, as well as life in general as you look to moving out and beyond campus. i really look forward to sharing this opportunity with you, and thanks for your engagement in it already ~k

Students: I'm going to go light on the reading for my class segment as you seem to be doing an awful lot of reading for this course. While my topic will be the MOST INTERESTING, we can cover a lot with my presentation and your questions.
The one reading assignment I would like for you to review is: Greenberg, S.A. & Shuman, D.W. Irreconcilable Conflict Between Therapeutic and Forensic Roles. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 50-57.
I'm awaiting your questions and look forward to meeting with you. I may bring a surprise guest - another W&L alum.

Hi! I am really looking forward to your talk this week and hearing a different kind of application of psychology. I was wondering what psychology courses you thought were most useful for the career path that you chose. I have seen how helpful psychology can be for all aspects of life, but was there any particular topic that really helped you on your way? Also how did you choose your career? I see that you also majored in Economics; was that your main focus and psychology was just an area of interest?
In reference to one of the articles, how do you think that the "herd" philosophy affects our economy? During the great Depression, such mass hysteria sent people swarming to the banks, causing banks to crash and have to close. At the same time, there are always cheaply made objects for sale at huge prices, which people are willing to pay, even if they can't afford it, just to keep up with their "neighbors."