Applications of Psychological Science

I would prefer to hear more about your experiences in forensic psychology than about the practice of clinical psychology. Thank you for asking!

Brooke

I'd like to hear more about forensic psychology since I know much less about that area than I do clinical psychology.

Thank you for asking!

Kelly Camus

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 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

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

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?

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

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

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

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."

I am excited to having you come in this week and giving us a different perspective of applied psychology. I found it interesting you majored in both economics and psychology while at W&L. What led you to this choice? There does not seem to be any overlap with these two areas. Was it difficult having those two areas be your majors? You have had much experience in investment banking and the marketing world. Did an internship earlier on help lead you to this path? And did you do any research or internships as an undergraduate at W and L? How do you think W and L helped prepare you for your career?

Thank you!

Kelly Camus

Your path is very different from the speakers we have heard thus far, and I am interested in your reasons behind pairing psychology with economics. Was it purely for the sake of intellectual curiosity in psychology (or economics) or do you believe that a degree in one or the other helped give you an "edge" in your career? I am very interested in your topic "the concomitant utilization of the scientific method, to common decision-making dilemmas" and how much of your psychological knowledge was relevant to the business world? Did you ever think about going to graduate school to focus on psychology?

Thank you!

I am also excited to get a new perspective on what you can do with psychology. Do you feel that having a degree in psychology has made you a more desirable and successful employee? The chapters that you had us read were very interesting. Do you work with situations like those? Do you think that the characteristics of the people in those chapters is a flaw in human nature or is it what allows our economy/market to succeed? Thanks!

I am interested in hearing your responses to my classmates' questions that have already been posted. More specifically, I'm very interested in learning how consumer insights have impacted your success in the highly volatile industry of finance.

Thanks,
Tori Christmas

Hello,

In relation to the articles you posted, how do you see the "madness of the crowds" playing out in our current economy? Judging by the shark article, it seems like the psychology of the marketing world is used in a manipulative fashion. Would you agree or disagree with this assessment? Have you seen or used this kind of psychology in your career experiences? Do you see it as a necessary force in our economy rather than a negative one? On a more personal note, do you find that your psychology background has helped you in your career? How did you like living abroad and working for an international company? How did you end up back in Lexington?

Thanks!
Liz

From looking over my classmates' questions it seems as though we're all very interested in hearing about similar things. You are an anomaly at this point in the 395 course so I think we're all very excited to hear about your extensive and unique history in the psychology field. Most of my questions have already been asked but I'm curious as well about your time here at Washington and Lee past and present.

I also share many of the same questions that my classmates have already posted. I am also curious as to whether or not, as an undergraduate, you were torn at all between pursuing a career in psychology versus business, or if you knew all along that you wanted a career in the business world that a background supplied by a psychology degree would be helpful in? I don't know very much about the field of business, so I am very much looking forward to hearing about what you have done in your career.

Thanks!
Mary Hipp

Mr. Grigsby -

Both "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark" and "Auction Psychology" imply that psychosocial contests between dealers, auctioneers, and bidders reduce intellectual appreciation for the arts. Thompson writes that "money, lust, and self-aggrandizement of possession" are all "important elements of the world of contemporary art" (7) and that the aesthetic value of art decreases as "rivalry and competition" become the primary focus of those purchasing art (120). Do you think product quality suffers as the result of psychosocial competition between businessmen? In other words, are businessmen and buyers are too preoccupied with quantity rather than quality? And, do you think individuals who are involved in the worlds of economics and art should detach themselves from psychosocial competition in order to preserve and promote product quality? Is this detachment even possible?

Looking forward to hearing your lecture as it will be unlike any we've had thus far! Thanks.

Hannah

Hi Mr. Grigsby,

I would love to learn something more about the psychology of market bubbles. Why do we continue to make so many "bubbles" in markets, from tulips and modern art, to beanie babies and sub prime mortgage? Why don't people ever learn if something seems too good to be true, it is?

Is greed a reason to let free markets run themselves? Or should greed be contained by more government control over our economy?

Thank you and looking forward to your presentation!
Hannah Murphy

Mr. Grigsby,

Like many of the other students in this class, I am very excited to hear about the role that your psychology degree played in your career path. In particular, I am interested to hear your thoughts about the psychology of regret in high stakes business transactions, a topic that was mentioned in "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark." Do you have any suggestions for how to remain clairvoyant in situations that could lead to consumer regret?

In addition to this, I was also interested to learn about your experiences working in Japan and London. What led you to take positions abroad and how were these experiences?

Thank you! I look forward to your presentation.

Brooke

I am very interested in your responses to the questions the other students have already posted. In addition, I was wondering why you went into business with a psychology degree, and how knowing about psychology has helped you in this field. Are there any particular times you found having a psych degree has particularly aided you in your work?

Thanks,
Shannon Williams

Mr. Grigsby,

I am a senior Psychology major who is interested in using my psychology degree in the corporate world. I have not taken any economics classes, and I was wondering if you could give us any advice on entering the business world as a Psych major without business experience?

Thank you,
Diana Burgreen

Mr. Lewis,

I am very excited to hear your presentations this week and to meet your daughter. I think that you both have a lot of information to share that will provide us with a new and interesting perspective on having a psychology degree. After reading about the vast differences between clinical and forensic psychology, I am wondering what made you decide to go into forensic psychology? Was it an interest that you have always had or was it inspired by a class or personal experience? Also, what made you decide to get both a Masters and PhD? Do you think that your practice has benefited because of the extra knowledge/experiences that you gained by pursuing both types graduate schools?

Thanks,
Grace

Mr. Lewis,

I am very excited to meet both you and your daughter this week. I think that you will provide us with a very unique and interesting perspective on forensic psychology. I was very impressed with all you've accomplished. I was wondering what all made you decide that you wanted to open your own private practice? And what where the steps that helped get you to that point? And what would you say are the best and the worst parts about your job? And finally, how did you feel W and L prepared you for your career?

I'm very excited to hearing what both you and your daughter have to say!

Kelly Camus

Mr. Lewis,

I am interested in what you have to say about your field of forensic psychology. Would you please describe the typical work that you do in terms of how involved you are in cases? Do you find that it is difficult to do both forensic psychology and therapeutic psychology with your practice? When did you become interested in this field?

Looking forward to your talk on Wednesday!

Hi Mr. Lewis,

I would like to know what is a typical week for you, and how being a forensic psychologist is different than a forensic scientist. Does the nature of your case dictate your flexibility from week to week, or do you make your own schedule? I would also like to know, from your daughter, what are the benefits of studying psychology and law, and why she chose to study both.

I am looking forward to your visit,
Diana Burgreen

Hi Dr. Lewis,
I am really looking forward to meeting you and hearing about your work in forensic psychology. My initial question is if you have ever been an expert witness in court and what that is like? And during the psychological evaluations you conduct on criminals, what are some of the more extreme or shocking individuals and stories you have encountered? Can it be hard to determine if someone is 'competent' to stand trial? Or do you usually find that the answer is pretty apparent? I am interested in how the psychological evaluations are performed and the legal questions are answered.
Thank you!
Hannah Murphy

It seems as though there are many conflicts/controversies within your field of work, is there a part of your job you would deem more difficult than others? Is there a particular portion of your field of work (criminal, civil, family court cases, etc.) that you find most interesting?

I recently looked into how one becomes a CSI (which I realize is a little different than your particular career) mainly because I love both the shows CSI and The First 48. Unfortunately my dreams were quickly squashed when I realized that the most respectable CSIs were those who had previous police experience. Do you work closely with any CSIs and if so can you offer any insight about the possibilities of becoming a CSI without first becoming skilled in hand to hand combat?

Before I read the article that you assigned, I thought that a patient's real therapist would make the best forensic evaluator for his/her case. I had not thought about how different the roles of the two jobs were, especially in their goals and to whom they were responsible and how these differences might cloud a judgement.
One question I did have was if the forensic psychologists deems that the patient-litigant needs therapy after the trial, who should be responsible for this? Since a therapist getting involved in a patient's case can cause problems regarding trust or reliability, should a patient-litigant's previous therapist be given a role such as this? It seems to me that they would know how best to handle and treat the client, but would the fact that they have to report back to the court ruin the relationship in your view?

Dr. Lewis,

After reviewing the websites and your biography, I was wondering, if you could without breaching confidentiality, tell us what was the most interesting/memorable individual case you have ever had to handle.

Also, many of the other presenters described that they had an "ah hah" moment, where they knew they didn't want to keep going on a course, or that that knew what they did want to do. Did this happen to you, or did you fall into this field serendipidously?

Thanks, and I look forward to you and your daughter's visit,
Shannon Williams

Dr. Lewis,

I was very interested to see that you currently work in both clinical and forensic psychology practices. With the reading you gave us in mind, I was wondering if and/or how you deal with the diverging roles of those two types of practice? Going along with that, have you ever had to serve as an forensic expert in a trial regarding someone you had worked with in a clinical/therapeutic setting, or have you compartmentalized your two careers? The article also mentioned that forensic work in criminal cases differs from that of civil litigation - how so?

Thank you - I look forward to hearing from you and your daughter on Wednesday.

Brooke

Hi Dr. Lewis,

When using forensic evaluation techniques relevant to the claims against your patients, is it ever difficult to keep your personal opinions on a patient's sanity or insanity from impacting the outcome? For example, is it difficult when a patient's results deem him/her insane, but your own logic/gut feeling tells you that the patient should be held responsible for a crime?

Also, are your patients sent to you by the legal system?

Also, while I don't foresee a career in forensic psychology for me, I am very interested in learning about opportunities to combine psychology and law, so I'm very glad that you are bringing Rian on wednesday!

Thanks,
Tori Christmas

Hello!
First of all, I am very sorry for the tardiness of my post.
Secondly, I think that your job sounds fascinating! As a lover of crime TV shows, I am sure that I have a very miscontrued idea of a lot of details that the legal system entails, and am looking forward to hear you talk. I was wondering how you decided to enter this field. Have you always had an interest in the interaction between psychology and forensics?

Thank you!
Mary Hipp

Dr. Lewis -

One of the first articles we read this semester in Psych 395 described the development of phrenology and its role in the history of psychology. No doubt, 21st Century forensic psychology utilizes diagnostic criterion far more scientific and legitimate than the shape of one's skull. In your experience, however, have you found that - just as early phrenologists suggested - there is a "criminal profile"? Is there a particular set of traits that predisposes or best predicts one's future involvement in criminal activity?

On a more personal note, I am interested in your thoughts regarding the responsibility of a clinician to protect and heal his patients. Though the Hippocratic Oath requires good intention alone and not necessarily successful treatment - were you ever afraid as a young psychologists that you might fail your patients? Did you fear that you might say the wrong thing or that a simple clinical oversight might cost a patient his or her life? I understand that clinicians cannot be expected to cure or even effectively treat every patient - but how do you personally deal with the pressure associated with clinical psychology and its potential to help those in need? I am hoping to go into nursing upon graduation and often think about (with great anxiety) my future responsibilities to patients.

Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow!
Hannah

I am really looking forward to your talk this week. With your position as director of hospital services, are you exposed to many of these families that have to make the tough decision of ending their loved one's life? Do you find that these presumptive approaches with next-of-kin to be more effective in following the donor's wishes than previous neutral approaches?

Would you also talk about your degree in Public Health Communications-does this focus on areas that you are involved in now such as the WRTC? How has psychology helped you with this particular degree?

Thank you!

Hi! I am really interested in talking with you this week. I wanted to know whether your work with WRTC personally entails you dealing with who gets a transplant and who doesn't. Is this typically based more on a kind of "first-come-first-serve" basis, or whether the available organ goes to whoever needs the transplant the most or fits the requirements the best? It seems that there are a lot of people who aren't able to get transplants, or at least not for a while. Is this due to the fact that their bodies are not ready for the transplant or that there is a large shortage of available organs. I feel that most people are registered as organ donors, so how can there be a shortage? Lastly, do you find that organ donors are more often the relatives of the recipients or more often strangers? Is there counseling typically provided to both sides, seeing how both are entering into a major life-alternating decision? I look forward to hearing your insights and views on these issues.
Sarah Jenks

I am really looking forward to hear about your unique application of psychology. I am interested in what led you to your work with WRTC and how your interest in organ donations was formed. Are organ donations something you became interested in through personal experience or was it from career work that made you aware of a need to improve an important community/hospital service?
I noticed that you also received your masters in marketing. How did this help you with your career choices? Did you take any marketing classes while you were at Washington and Lee?
Thank you and looking forward to meeting you this week!
Hannah Murphy

I am very interested and excited to having you come in and speak with us this week especially because I do not know much about organ donation and would like to know much more about it.
What all made you become involved in the Washington Regional Transplant Community? And what exactly all does your job as Director of Hospital Services & Professional Education entail? And what would you consider to be the biggests pros and cons to your job? You majored in both Psychology and Biology while at Washington & Lee. How did you transition from where you were then to get to where you are today? And how do you think psychology is an important part of your job?

Excited to meet you this week!

Kelly Camus

Hi, I'm really looking forward to your visit this week! How did your time as an undergraduate at W&L prepare you for your career path? When you were here did you know this was the area in which you wanted to enter? See you Wednesday!

Mr. Birdwhistell,

While reading through your biography and bigsight page, I was struck by how many different things you have done since you graduated from W&L. Could you tell us about how you got involved in these different companies? I stress out about having a plan for my future, but many of the visiting alumni have told us about how serendipity has played such a large role in where they have ended up. Do you feel the same way? Also, which experiences at W&L prepared you for the most for the things that you have done since you graduated?

Thanks and I am excited about your presentations,
Grace

Mr. Birdwhistell,
I was also very impressed by how many companies you have been involved with over the years. What inspired you to create bigsight? I also was interested that you also co-founded a toy company. Can you maybe describe your experiences with that? Your research that you did as an undergraduate at W and L with engendering creativity in students sounds very interesting. Could you elaborate more on your experiences with this research? And several years ago, you did "flow" research. Can you please explain exactly what is "flow" research?

Thank you, and I am very excited to meeting you!

Kelly Camus

You seem to have a very interesting and busy life, especially for someone so young! How do you find time to sleep between developing toys, working with bigsight, researching for the QLRC, and doing things like playing in the World Series of Poker? I'm just very interested in what a typical day is like for someone who seems to be involved in so much. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hello,

Much like the previous posts from my classmates, I am blown away at the diversity of your career experiences up to this point. I was wondering how you manage these various ventures, and what your day-to-day life is like. I worked for a group of entrepreneurs this summer and they emphasized the importance of networking in order to find new opportunities. Would you agree with this? If yes, do you have any advice for building successful contacts? Finally, in regards to your involvement with bigsite, were you always interested in doing things on the internet or did you get involved in another way? Did you have any idea that this, and everything else you are involved in, was something you wanted to do when you were a student?

Thanks and see you tomorrow!
Liz

Drs. Cober, Levy, and Rosen,

First, I was hoping that you could each tell us a little about how you decided to go into the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Also, what were your personal experiences in PhD programs? After reading about the field of I/O Psychology, I think that the three of you probably have a lot of good advice for us (as soon to be employees). The article about misconceptions stressed that intelligence is the main predictor of success. Other than intelligence, what are good qualities to present to potential employers in interview type settings? It obviously doesn't hurt, but how much do employers look for qualities like contentiousness and good values?

Thanks,
Grace

Mr. Birdwhistell,

Like many of the other students that have posted, I am very interested to hear about your diverse career experiences. I was also excited to learn about your interest in positive psychology, and was wondering if you could spend some time discussing this research. I would also like to hear about how you have balanced researching with your current business ventures. Additionally, I noticed that you spent time working abroad. How was this experience for you?

Thanks - I look forward to hearing your presentation.

Brooke

Drs. Cober, Levy and Rosen,

I was interested to see that while you all followed similar academic paths, your careers have taken diverging routes. I would love to hear you discuss the similarities and differences in your day-to-day work experiences. In addition, I must say that I was amazed to read about the breadth of social and cognitive theory that you must be familiar with in the various applications of I/O psychology. How do you all keep up with the current research related to your field, particularly (this is directed at Dr. Cober) when working primarily in the private sector?

Thank you!

Brooke

Mr. Birdwhistell,

I see that you are the founder of several small companies. Statistically, about nine out of ten small companies fail within the first five years. What do you do to ensure success in your companies? Also, do you find that schooling or real life experience is more important in your profession?

I am looking forward to your visit,

Diana Burgreen

Hi Dr. Birdwhistell,

My questions is acutally more of a request. I'm very excited to hear about your career path tomorrow. As a senior with no set plan for next year, I'd love to learn about your thoughts and feelings while on your career journey. I'd love for you to highlight the great and not so great decisions you made pertaining to your career path, as well as any life-changing opportunities that you took or let get away. If you could go back, would you do anything differently?

Thanks,
Tori Christmas

Drs. Cober, Levy, and Rosen,

In another psychology class at W&L, we discussed the importance of emotion regulation in the workforce. A brief course on efficacy in emotion regulation would cover topics such as confidence in voicing opinions and ideas, controlling angry outbursts, and techniques for building solid relationships with others. Would you support mandatory employee training in emotion regulation as part of an I/O consultation?

Diana Burgreen

Like many of the other students, I am interested in your diverse career path. Was there any part that, looking back, was more influential than another? Also, if you had to go back what would you have wanted to spend more time doing? Thanks, and I look forward to you visit!
Shannon Williams

Drs. Cober, Levy and Rosen,

I am very interested in a career in industrial/organizational psychology. Once I graduate from W and L, I am planning on going to graduate school after a year or two off doing research or internships. Would you have any advice about how I can best find out if a career in I/O psychology is right for me? What do you think are the pros and cons to a job in this field? And what sorts of qualities do you think a person should or shouldn't have that would make him/her a good I/O psychologist? How did you all decide that you're most interested in this area of psychology? And since I'm thinking I'm most interested in this area of psychology, what sort of opportunities would you recommend I try to take advantage of to look most appealing to I/O psych graduate programs? Could you tell me about what it was like going through graduate school for I/O psychology? What sort of reasearch is done in an I/O psychology Ph.D. program? Is research still heavily emphasized in an I/O graduate school program? And this question is specifically directed to Dr. Rosen: You earned both a masters and a Ph.D. in I/O psychology. Do you think earning the Ph.D. gave you many more options job and career path wise, and why did you decide to get both degrees?

Thank you! And I am very excited to hear all of your presentations this week!

Kelly Camus

Hello-

I had not previously considered I/O psychology as a way to apply my interest in psychology to a career. I'de like to hear y'alls perspectives on the pros and cons of a career in I/O psychology as opposed to a career in clinical psychology, since I see many differences between the two. For examply, I would imagine that an I/O career would place less emotional stress on the psychologist, since he/she wouldn't be dealing with troubled patients. However, this may be a misassumption, so that's why I'm asking this question. I'm also interested in the amount of research and type of research topics that a student in an I/O grad program participates.

Thanks,
Tori

I look forward to hearing the answers to the questions my classmates have posted, and in addition, I had more specific questions for each of you:

Dr. Cober, What lead you into the hospitalities industry specifically. Has what you do changed in the last 6 months with the economy?

Dr. Levy, What are some of the consulting jobs you have done for the government, for non-profits?

Dr. Rosen, How does having a background in psychology help you with organizational politics/ justice specifically?

Thanks, and I look forward to your visit!
Shannon Williams

First of all, I am so sorry for the tardiness of this post.
I share many of the same questions as my classmates, and am really looking forward to learning all about I/O psychology! I have never before heard of this field, but I saw that all three of you earned Ph.Ds in I/O pyschology. At what poing did y'all become familiar with this subcategory of psychology and what specifically attracted you to earn a Ph.D in it?

Thanks,
Mary Hipp

Hello!
All of your backgrounds are very impressive, and I am really looking forward to learning more about I/O psychology from three different perspectives. I am particularly interested in what Dr. Levy has to say about motivation and coaching. I saw that these are two of your particular research interests, and I would love to hear more about what this research entails. I am very much involved in athletics, and coaching would be a dream job for me (or at least I think it would).
Dr. Cober: I am most interested in the performance management part of your job description. What exactly does this involve? Does this mean that you are responsible for checking up on employee performance?

Thank you!

Dr. Burns,

I am excited about your visit. I would like to know about your time at NASA Johnson Space Center. I am also curious about how attending graduate affected your career. If you had not attended graduate school, do you feel like you would have the same career opportunities you have now?

Thank you,
Diana Burgreen

Dr. Burns,
I am very interested to hear you speak in a few days. It seems like you have taken a more different and unique path in your career than others similar to your background have done. You majored in Psychology while at W and L and earned your Ph. D. in Cognitive Psychology from UCLA. What factors helped you to decide that UCLA was best for you? More specifically, how did you narrow down your options for graduate school? How do you think that your experiences while majoring in Psychology at W and L have impacted your decisions and the opportinuies with which you have been presented later on? And would you have done anything differently? And how exactly do you think Psychology is incorporated in your job today?

Thank you!!

Kelly Camus

Hello!
I found the article about the Psychopathology of Everyday Things to be very fascinating and eye-opening. It is so interesting, even if overwhelming at times, to really think about the objects that surround us and how overly complicated things can be. Have you always utilized the thought processes involved in the analyses that you use in your career, or do you think that it was more of a developmental learning process, where you learned to navigate them as your career developed?
I look forward to your talks!
-Mary Hipp

Dr. Burns,

I found all of the readings you suggested to be very interesting; in particular, I enjoyed the "Psychology of Everyday Things" and its discussion of the benefits of developing a parsimonious, "visible" cognitive model for the creation and use of modern technological devices. When contrasted with the articles regarding Bell Labs, this reading presents some interesting issues for the development of new technologies in the current economic environment. Given this, I am interested to hear your thoughts on how Bell Labs can continue to develop its R&D to "innovate innovation" as it has recently downsized. What specifically has Bell Labs done to continue their "progressive commitment" to research? Have they collaborated with the government or other private organizations in recent years?

Thank you - I am very much looking forward to your presentation.

Brooke

Hi Dr. Burns,
I really enjoyed reading the articles and the additional listening you provided us. The recording by Cheryl Coyle from the Human Factors group made me realize how much analysis and thought goes behind creating and improving technology for people in a way that adapts to their specific needs. She mentioned her current work on the study of young adults and their interaction with communication technology. For the software that you create, do you target a specific age group as well?
When you are creating your web-applications or software, is your main goal to create a product that is "user-friendly"? How do you monitor the success of your products? Do you do this mainly through direct user feedback?
What are some direct applications of your Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology? Human thoughts and feelings are hard to measure. Do you normally measure consumers' thoughts towards your products through their behaviors? And how do you determine these behaviors?

I am really looking forward to tomorrow, thank you!
Hannah Murphy

Dr. Burns,

I also enjoyed the extra readings/podcast that you posted for us. I am fairly technologically ignorant so I doubt that I will be going into a field similar to yours. However, I would really like to hear about your undergraduate experience at W&L and your PhD experience at UCLA. Also, how do you use your PhD in cognitive psych in your work at Bell Labs? Lastly, do you have any advice for us about the job search process and how to be a successful employee?

Thanks and I am looking forward to your presentations.
Grace

Hello Mr. Burns!

Sorry this is so late-perhaps you can address my questions on Tuesday. The readings you provided were a great read, and I am very interested to hear about your experiences working as someone who attempts to provide user-friendly products.
I have enjoyed hearing about the previous alums experiences in graduate school and how they chose their program. Did you know about the opportunity to work with companies to create programs that are easy to use? I've never thought about such a position and wondered how you came across it. Does any of your work make it to average people, or is it only for employees of Bell Labs?
Thank you and I am looking forward to your visit!

Hello Dr. Burns,

I was especially interested by the "Psychology of Everyday Things" reading. The topic is something I never thought of as a psychology before, but it really makes so much sense. Do you still use experience design tactics in your current position designing software tools and web-based applications? In regards to the articles about Bell Labs, have you experienced any changes in your field due to the the downsizing? Also, I noticed you have extensive experience in technological industries. Have you always been interested in technology, or did you develop your interest later in life? Finally, which job throughout your career was your favorite, and which was your least favorite?

Thanks!
Liz

Hi Dr. Burns,
All your career choices seem to deal with psychology and its applications, but in which one would you say your background in psychology has proven most useful? Similarly, in which aspect of your life has your time spent at W&L proven most ueful? Looking forward to hearing from you!

Hello Dr. Burns,
I found the "Digital Apollo" article incredibly interesting. I was wondering what you thought about how the interaction of humans and machines has played into psychology research in the last few years. I've recently read countless studies where confederates in experiments are being replaced with digital avatars, or how reseach is being conducted online without experimenter interaction with their subjects, or how computers are being used to read ratio scales at a level of accuracy humans cannot achieve. There is clearly a need for computers in this work, but at what point do we switch from humans and machines interacting as they did in Apollo, to relying on computers too much to where we take the human component out of psychology? Thanks and I am looking forward to your visit,
Shannon Williams

Hi,
First of all, I just wanted to thank all of you students and Dr. Elmes for a great couple of days. I really enjoyed my time helping teach the course, especially the discussion about poor designs of everyday things that you've encountered and all your comments about how you communicate. I think I probably learned as much or more from all of you as you did from me!

I was looking back at the questions posted to the blog, and I think there were three folks whose questions I did not answer yet. I'm sorry I ran out of time during the class. So here are the answers online.

Sallie: I learned about the job opportunity at Bell Labs when a recruiter came to UCLA. A good friend of mine at UCLA took a job with Bell Labs one year before I did, and he told me he liked it. So when the recruiter came during my last year of grad school, I went to talk with him. Most of the systems and applications we design at Bell Labs are intended to be used by "average" people, so people like Customer Service Reps, Inventory Managers, Outside Plant Engineers (remember the Steveland Morris story?!). They may have specialized knowledge in their work domain, but they are not rocket scientists. Speaking of that -- the work on the computer for the Space Station would certainly be an exception to that, if you consider astronauts to NOT be average people. We also do design some things that are products for consumers, though less of that at Alcatel-Lucent than at AT&T because ALU makes more telephony equipment (stuff behind the scenes making phone calls go through) rather than consumer products.

Liz: I've always been sort of interested in technology, I guess. My dad was an engineer, so maybe I got some of that from him. BTW, though, I was very upset as a kid when I realized that he was an engineer but not the kind that drives trains. My favorite project was one that I didn't talk about. In the early 1990's I worked with a team of trainers in Atlanta to design and develop a series of interactive multimedia training courses on CD-ROM (slightly before the web became popular) for technicians who worked with DC power systems. This was an entirely new type of user interface, plus I got to directly apply some of my knowledge about human learning and memory (though the trainers knew a lot too), plus I got to do the main part of the programming of the course using a very good multimedia tool, plus the people I worked with on the project were sharp and a ton of fun to work with. By far the worst part of my job was the layoffs in the early 2000's.

Caroline: your question is a really hard one. I guess I'd have to say that my time at W&L was most directly useful during my time in grad school. About 40 of us started Psych grad school together that year at UCLA (in all fields -- cognitive, physio, developmental, clinical, etc.). These people came from all over as you might expect, including quite a few from Ivy League schools. But a guy who had gone to Haverford and I were by far the best prepared of the 40 because we had done so much research with our undergrad profs, and we had done so much writing in our undergrad years. We were lucky and knew who we wanted to work with and what we wanted to do. A lot of people spent years (literally) trying to figure that out. I also should say, though, that my time at W&L plays a role in lots of what I've done, and I hope I was able to show some of that during the classes.

Once again, I really enjoyed being part of the class. Good luck to all of you with your papers! If you have more questions, please feel free to email me at: mikeburns@comcast.net.

Mike