Psychology Department
Psychological Research and Application at ODU
The psychology program at Ohio Dominican University offers to the advanced psychology major several venues for in depth learning activities designed to enrich the curriculum and allow the student to explore further his/her own areas of interest.
The Psychology major focuses on the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Students explore psychological, biological and environmental influences on behavior as these relate to human development, motivation, thinking and memory, learning, personality, social relationships, psychological disorders, and counseling. Class lab experiences allow students to acquire a deeper understanding of psychological principles and research methods. In addition, students have the opportunity to gain experience in applied and research settings in the four possible ways listed below. As a member of the Ohio Consortium for Psychology Conferences, the department offers students the opportunity to present their completed work at the annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference. Students interested in going on to graduate school in psychology are strongly encouraged to pursue research opportunities.
- A student may conduct an approved research project under the supervision of a faculty member in psychology. Typically, this student would register for PSY 2/386 -Independent Study and receive four academic credits for this work. See the ODU Course Bulletin for a more complete description of PSY 2/386.
- In a variation on the above, a student may participate in the ODU Honors Program and for the required Honors Thesis, conduct an approved research project under the supervision of a faculty member in psychology. This student would register for PSY 386 -Independent Study and receive four credit hours for this work. In addition, by completing all the requirements of the Honors Program, this student may graduate from the Honors Program. See the ODU Course Bulletin for a more complete description of the Honors Program.
- A student may ask to work as a research assistant on faculty member's research project. Depending on the specific agreement between the student and the faculty member, this student may enroll in PSY 2/386 - Independent Study and receive 4 credits for this work.
- A student may join ODU’s The Experimentalists: The Club for Psychologcial Science. The club was founded in Fall semester 2000 as an outlet for students to address questions of interest using research methods in psychology. The collaborative nature of the club allows students to participate in various aspects of empirical research without the pressure of completing the work as a course requirement in the timeframe of a 15 week semester and without being individually responsible for every aspect of the study. Furthermore, the projects are personally relevant to the club members who determine the research question and focus of the study.
Baker, A. (2002, April). The Effects of a Single Bout of Exercise on Mood and Mood Congruent Memory. Paper presented at the 16 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Kenyon College, Mount Vernon, OH.
Bosc, K. (1997,April). Effects of Self-Esteem and Introversion-Extraversion on Negative Mood Regulation. Paper presented at the 11 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Muskingum College, New Concord, OH.
Brehl, E. (1998,April). Knowing How to Use Your Mind Doesn't Mean You'll Use It: Exploring the Metacognition-Performance Relationship in 5-Year-Olds. Paper presented at the 12 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Ursuline College, Pepper Pike, OH.
Breno, A. (2003, April). Gender Exposure Explosion: Preschoolers’ Socialization into Gender Roles. Paper presented at the 17 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH.
Breno, A. (2004, April). Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth Identity Development and Related Risk Factors of Suicide. Paper presented at the 18 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, John Carroll University, University Heights, OH.
Brown, B. (1999, April). Preschoolers’ Mind Reading Ability: Metacognitive Contributions to the Development of Theory of Mind. Paper presented at the 13 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Ohio Dominican College, Columbus, OH.
Brown, J. (2003, April). The Effects of Dispositional Optimism on the Estimation of Physical Fitness. Paper presented at the 17 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH.
Brown, J. L., Marazita, J. M., & Vanable, P. A. (2004, March). Gender differences in the association between optimism and physical symptom reporting: Findings from a pilot investigation. Paper presented at the 25 th Annual Meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Brown, J., & Riddle, C. (2002, April). Task Performance, Task Persistence, and Frustration Level as a Function of Ego Replenishment . Paper presented at the 16 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Kenyon College, Mount Vernon, OH.
Duffy, K. (2005, April). Artificial Sweetener Usage and Taste Perception: Improving the Dining Experience for the Health Conscious. Paper presented at the 19 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH.
Gavran,J. (1999, April). The Effects of Gender, Method of Presentation and Interest on Recall. Paper presented at the 13 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Ohio Dominican College, Columbus OH.
Geiger, S. (1999, April). Perceived Success of Men and Women in Interracial Relationships: Social Mobility or Selling Out? Paper presented at the 13 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Ohio Dominican College, Columbus OH.
Gensner, B. (April, 2001). The Effects of Sex and Sex Role Identification on Conversation. Paper presented at the 15 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Mount Union College, Alliance, OH.
Harrelson, R. (April, 2000). Uncovering the Relationship between Personal Characteristics Using Implicit Personality Theory. Paper presented at the 14 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH.
Harrelson, R. (April, 2001). The Effect of Level of Processing and Spreading Activation on Memory Illusions . Paper presented at the 15 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Mount Union College, Alliance, OH.
Hernandez, K. M. (2005, April). Satisfying the Soul through Effective Coping: The Relationship between Positive Religious Coping Skill, Hardiness, and Life Satisfaction. Paper presented at the 19 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH.
Lewis, M. (1999, April). Social-Cognitive Biases Towards Mono-Racial and Heterosexual Relationships: A Socially Acceptable Schema. Paper presented at the 13 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Ohio Dominican College, Columbus OH.
Riddle, C. (2003, April). Moral Reasoning as a Function of Literary Experience in a College Classroom Setting. Paper presented at the 17 th Annual Ohio Undergraduate Psychology Conference, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH.
(as of October 2005)
Marazita, J. M., Walker, T., & Kirk, J. (2005). Fostering language development through music: Relations among musical skills, phonological processing, and vocabulary in language delayed and non-delayed preschoolers. Grant proposal.
Marazita, J. M., & Merriman, W. E. (2004). Young children’s judgment of whether they know names for objects: The metalinguistic ability it reflects and the processes it involves. Journal of Memory and Language, 51, 458-472.
Merriman, W. E., & Marazita, J. M. (2004). Young children's awareness of their own lexical ignorance: Relations to word mapping, memory processes, and beliefs about change detection. In D. T. Levin (Ed.), Thinking and seeing: Visual metacognition in adults and children. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Marazita, J. M. (1999). Computers and Learning: The Fit between Mind and Machine. Unpublished manuscript.
Staton, V. W. (2003). Validity of the Dominance Tube When Used with Domestic Ferrets. American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.
Staton, V. W. (2002). Aggression in Domestic Ferrets. American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.
Staton, V.W., & Crowell-Davis, S.L. (2003). Factors associated with aggression between pairs of domestic ferrets. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Students interested in gaining experience in the applied areas of psychology may, with faculty approval, register for PSY 397 - Field Work. Students must complete 160 hours of supervised field experience to earn four credits, or 80 hours of supervised field experience to earn two credits. The student and the faculty member work together to arrange the field placement. See the ODU Course Bulletin for a more complete description of Field Work.
There are several ways for students to be involved in activities related to the psychology major. Below are brief descriptions of a few such opportunities.
- Student Affiliation with Professional Organizations – Students are encouraged to become student affiliates of the major professional organizations in psychology (e.g., the American Psychological Association – www.apa.org and/or the American Psychological Society – www.psychologicalscience.org). Benefits include access to major journal publications and newsletters, allowing students to remain informed of current issues and research findings. In addition, these organizations provide information to students about career development and graduate school.
- Psychology Club -- The Psychology Club is a student run organization with the major purpose of offering activities and programs that supplement the psychology curriculum. In the past, the Club has organized field trips to places such as the Central Ohio Psychiatric Hospital and brought to campus psychologists from the Columbus area to speak about research, important issues in psychology, and employment opportunities for psychology majors. The Club also provides an opportunity for psychology majors to interact with each other outside the classroom, and to share resources, offer mutual support, and build friendships. Elections for Club officers will be held in the fall.
- Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology -- Each spring at the ODC Awards Ceremony the new inductees for PsiChi are announced. Qualified students are selected for membership in Psi Chi by the faculty in psychology. To beconsidered for membership, a student must be recommended by apsychology faculty member, have at least a B+ average in psychology and an overall GPA above a 3. 0, and be in the upper third of his or her class. Membership in Psi Chi is a nationally recognized reward for excellent academic achievement.
- Volunteer Work -- Psychology majors are encouraged to explore volunteer opportunities in the community and on campus as a means of providing services to those in need, exploring potential career paths, and gaining useful experience.
