NEPA: New England Psychological Association

2002 PROCEEDINGS

Friday, October 18, 2002

NEPA Registration

Noon - 7:00 p.m.
Dion Center Main Lobby Area
Members and guests who have preregistered may pick up registration badges and information packets. Others may register at this time.

Workshop

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Dion Center Board Room
Preparing the New Psychology Professoriate: Developing Your
Teaching Philosophy and Style
Workshop Leaders
Barney Beins, Ph.D. (Ithaca College)
Christine A. Marco, Ph.D. (Rhode Island College)
Workshop Goals
• Develop plans to assemble a teaching portfolio.
• Clearly articulate a basic philosophy of teaching.
• Know and understand the essential steps involved in planning an undergraduate course.
• Write a course syllabus that covers the essential aspects of effective instruction.
• Discuss and develop at least one teaching method (e.g., active learning, writing, etc.).
• Discuss strategies for continued teacher development.
Prerequisite: Registration for the 2002 Annual Meeting of the New England Psychological Association.
This workshop is jointly sponsored by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, the Council of Teachers of Undergraduate Psychology, the APA Education Directorate, and the New England Psychological Association.

Steering Committee Meeting

4:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.
Education Center Room 302
NEPA Reception & Dinner
6:00 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
Dion Center Reception Room
Advance registration is required. Dinner must be ordered with preregistration at the cost of $28.00. Seating for this event is limited. See the Advance Registration and Membership Form in the rear of program book. Meals must be ordered at the time of registration and received by October 11, 2002.Welcoming Remarks
Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
8:00 p.m.
Donnah Canavan, Ph.D.
(NEPA President, Boston College)
and
Patrice O'Donnell, Ph.D.
(Rivier College)Distinguished Lecturer
Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
8:15 p.m. - 9:15 p.m.
Todd Heatherton, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Dartmouth College
A Social Brain
Science Approach
to Understanding
the Self
Joan H. Rollins, Ph.D.
Rhode Island College
Chair and NEPA President-Elect

Saturday, October 19, 2002

Science & Society Series Symposium

Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
9:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.
Social Justice
Deborah Belle, Ph.D. (Boston University), Poor Women in a Wealthy Nation
Esther Rothblum, Ph.D. (University of Vermont), The Advantages of Being Lesbian or Gay
Sondra Solomon, Ph.D. (University of Vermont). Preaching to the Choir: History of an Anti-Bias Initiative at the University of Vermont
Three groups that have faced discrimination in American society, poor women, homosexuals, and African-Americans, are the focus of this symposium. Poor women are struggling to raise children in dire circumstances in American society, which has the highest income inequality in the industrialized world. Homosexuals, on the other hand, have achieved higher levels of education and income than the majority of Americans. The University of Vermont provides a modern case study for integrating African-Americans into higher education.

Cognitive and Moral Development
in Children Paper Session

Silvia Trotter Hall Rooms 207 & 208
9:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.
Nanci Weinberger, Chair
Bryant College
9:00 AM
DEVELOPMENT OF AUTOMATICITY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AS A FUNCTION OF AGE VERSUS GRADE LEVEL
Lisa Fortin, Jaimie Dougherty (Providence College) and Sheila Quinn, Ph.D. (Salve Regina University)
The rapid naming skills of seventy-eight elementary school children were tested using a computerized version of the Stroop Test. The results were then correlated with age in months and grade level in months. Significant correlations were found between all four rapid naming variables and age and three of the four variables with grade. The correlation between the reading interference variable as a function of grade was not significant. This implies that grade level may not be as important as age in rapid naming skills.

9:15 AM
GENDER DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IN CHILDREN’S MORAL READING OF HARRY POTTER

Mary P. Whitney, Ph.D., Elizabeth Vozzola, Ph.D., and Joan Hofmann, Ph.D. (Saint Joseph College)
Gender differences in middle schoolers’ understanding of the moral sensitivity, judgment, motivation and character of protagonists in the Harry Potter books were explored using a measure derived from the Rating Ethical Content Scale (Narvaez & Gjellellstad Edicott, 1999). Girls were more likely to view Harry Potter as making decisions based on personal gains and less likely to identify a major theme of evil than were boys.
9:30 AM
THE EFFECTS OF PRESCHOOLERS’ VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL HELP-SEEKING COMMUNICATION ON TEACHERS' EVALUATION OF PROBLEM-SOLVING
R. Bruce Thompson, Ph.D. and Stacie Arsenault (University of Southern Maine)
Fifty student teachers observed preschoolers' verbal and non-verbal behaviors (eye-contact and deictic gestures) on a challenging problem and evaluated their ability, achievement expectation and motivation. Analysis of variance indicated main effects and interactions for gender and level of children's help-seeking. Subjects in a no-audio condition continued to rate girls as lower in ability, though most gender bias in areas of achievement expectation and motivation disappeared indicating specific language-related and non-verbal sources of bias.
9:45 AM
CHILDREN'S COMPOSITIONAL STRATEGIES IN DRAWING: THE ROLE OF THE MEDIUM
Frank Gallo and Claire Golomb, Ph.D. (University of Massachusetts-Boston)
Forty-five children representing 3 age groups composed various themes on a drawing, felt-board, and three-dimensional medium. From a perspective that assumes a close correspondence between conceptual and drawing development, one would predict relative uniformity in compositions across media. Conversely, an approach that emphasizes medium constraints in drawing development would predict considerable variation. The results indicate significant differences between all media for each age group, a finding that supports Arnheim's theory of compositional development.
10:00 AM
THE EFFECTS OF GENDER, DISABILITY STATUS, AND MINORITY STATUS ON PASSING MCAS: A LOGISTIC REGRESSION
Salvatore Terrasi, Ph.D. (Fitchburg State College)
This study used logistic regression to examine the effect of gender, disability status, and minority status on passing the grade 6 math component of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), a state mandated high-stakes test. A sample of 690 students in a major urban school district south of Boston was studied. Results yielded statistically significant effects for disability and minority status, but not for gender. Odds ratios, effect sizes, and implications for school practitioners are discussed.

Educational Psychology, Learning,
& Cognition Poster Session

Dion Center Board Room
9:00 - 10:20
Poster 1
EFFECTS OF IMMEDIATE VERSUS DELAYED FEEDBACK ON THE RETENTION OF TEST MATERIALS
Stephanie Reedman, B.A., Gary M. Brosvic, Ph.D., and Michael L. Epstein, Ph.D. (Rider University)
Participants read a 3 page article and then completed a 10-item multiple-choice test using either the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF AT) or Scantron forms. One day later the IF AT group and one-half of the participants in the Scantron group were provided with their answer sheets for review; the remaining Scantron group participants reviewed their answer sheets and the correct solution to each question. All participants returned for a third session (one week later) to retake the multiple-choice test. Correct responding declined significantly for participants evaluated with Scantron forms, suggesting that the provision of delayed feedback does not promote the correction of initially inaccurate assumptions in the manner suggested by proponents of the delay-retention effect.

Poster 2
BEYOND DEVELOPMENTAL ADVISING: SHAPING STUDENT INTERESTS AND SKILLS IN THE SCIENCE OF BEHAVIOR
Roberta E. Dihoff (Rowan University), Gary M. Brosvic (Rider University), and Valerie LaMastro (Rowan University)
The collaborative efforts of an experimental and a clinical faculty member to develop integrative experiences for undergraduates are summarized. The strong behavioral backgrounds of each faculty member were combined to develop emphases on the science and study of behavior, beginning after Introduction to Psychology and continuing through upper level courses, internships, and senior theses. These experiences include the integration of behavioral principles with practical experience shaping operant behavior in laboratory animals and in special needs children, and culminate in the development of independent lines of research. During the past 15 years these efforts have increased the local-area pool of experienced home service delivery specialists, increased the employability of students at the B.A. level, enhanced the promotability of students working in behaviorally-oriented centers, and enabled students to gain access into behavioral programs with scholarships.

Poster 3
IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK FACILITATES ACQUISITION OF MULTIPLICATION FACTS BY STUDENTS WITH MILD MR
Roberta E. Dihoff, Ph.D. (Rowan University), Gary M. Brosvic, Ph.D. (Rider University), and Michael L. Epstein, Ph.D. (Rider University)
Two elementary school students with mild MR completed single-digit multiplication facts in the absence of feedback on performance or with feedback upon the completion of each 10-item test (Study 1). In Study 2, four elementary school students with mild MR completed single-digit multiplication facts in the absence of feedback, with feedback provided at the end of each 10-item test, with feedback provided orally after each response by an educator, or with feedback provided after each response using the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF AT). The provision of immediate feedback, by an educator and with the IF AT, resulted in the most correct responses.

Poster 4
AN EXAMINATION OF RUNWAY TIMES, CONDITIONED PLACE PREFERENCE AND MEASUREMENT OF 55-KHZ ULTRASONIC VOCALIZATIONS WITH ELICITED ULTRASONIC VOCALIZATIONS AS THE REINFORCER
Matthew Scaramozza, Kevin Bickart, and Joan C. Bombace, Ph.D. (Quinnipiac University)
Rats are given strokes (dorsal and ventral) that elicit 55-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations as a reinforcer. The strokes are given in the presence of an odorant (O+) when they reach the end of a maze. At the end of the maze, in the presence of another odorant (O-) they are removed without strokes. After maze testing the rats are given a place preference test in which the amount of 55-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations are measured along with the amount of time the rats spend in the O+ vs O-. While rats ran faster to O+ than to O- in the last segment of the maze, this was not significant. Results support a reinforcer interpretation only in so far as we found that there were a greater number of 55-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in O+ than in O- in the place preference test. Results are discussed in terms of a response interference hypothesis and future research.

Poster 5
CONDITIONED PLACE PREFERENCE WITH ELICITED 55-KHZ ULTRASONIC VOCALIZATIONS AS THE REINFORCER
Joan C. Bombace, Ph.D., Pamela Gervais, Maureen Leonard, and Sean Wilsusen (Quinnipiac University)
Fifty-five-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations are elicited in adult rats in the presence of an odorant (O+). The rats are handled in the presence of a second odorant (O-). The odorants are counterbalanced by condition. Subsequently, the rats are given a choice test in which the amount of time they spend in each odorant is measured. These preliminary findings indicate that the rats exhibited a significant conditioned place preference with the 55 kHz elicited condition relative to a neutral test unit that lies in between the two units with the odorants. The result are discussed in terms of the value of developing real time affective measuring techniques and how these data add to the types of reinforcer systems.

Poster 6
MIXED-HANDERS ARE LESS LIKELY TO FALSELY RECALL WORDS THAN STRONGLY-HANDED INDIVIDUALS
Ruth E. Propper, Ph.D. and Adam Dion (Merrimack College)
Mixed- and strongly right-handed individuals were tested using the false memory paradigm developed by Deese (1959) and elaborated on by Roediger and McDermott (1995). Results revealed increased recall accuracy, an increased conservative response bias, and decreased false recall of non-presented ‘critical lures’ in the mixed-, relative to the strongly right-handed. Results are discussed in terms of the contribution of hemispheric interaction/independence to episodic memory performance.

Poster 7
TV OR NOT TV: DOES AUDIOVISUAL PRESENTATION ENHANCE MEMORY FOR VERBAL CONTENT?
Chris L. Schmidt, Ph.D. (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
To determine whether audiovisual presentation enhances retention, 72 college students viewed a brief video, 62 students listened to an audio-only version, and 72 students read a transcript of the video through once. Participants answered questions on the excerpt the next day. Retention was significantly better following audiovisual presentation. For the audiovisual group, follow-up analyses found that gender did not significantly affect performance, but that monolingual speakers did significantly better than bilingual speakers.

Poster 8
DIFFERENCES IN METAMEMORY STRATEGIES BETWEEN BILINGUAL AND MONOLINGUAL STUDENTS
Lauren M. Lamey (Saint Anselm College)
A small population of bilingual and monolingual students were given two assessments to determine differences in metamemory strategies. An independent samples t-test was used to compare the means of the groups, and to predict which aspects of metamemory were unique to each group. Results indicate no overall differences in total metamemory scores, but monolingual students and bilingual students performed differently on certain aspects of the Metamemory Assessment (Pierce & Lange, 2000).

Poster 9
DOES EXPOSURE TO CLASSICAL MUSIC IN SCHOOL IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUNG ADOLESCENTS? A TEST OF THE “MOZART EFFECT”
Thomas L. Evans, M.A. and Cheryl Cisero Durwin, Ph.D. (Southern Connecticut State University). Sponsor: Deborah A. Carroll, Ph.D.
This study investigated whether exposure to classical music in school improves cognitive ability in adolescents. Sixty-eight seventh graders received an intervention of selected classical music an average 49 minutes per school day for 5 months. A group of 70 students of similar ability served as a comparison. After intervention, groups were administered the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. A marginally significant advantage of the experimental group was evident on 2 subtests measuring math and spatial ability.

Symposium

Education Center Rooms 314 & 320
9:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.
Intimate Relationships? How WB and Fox TV "Do" Dating and Romance
Joan C. Chrisler, Ph.D., Rebecca K. Blais, Tara L. Broccoli, B.A., Candace L. Patterson, B.A., Kyle E. Culver, B.A., Linsey M. Anvik, Jennifer A. Gorman, M.A., and Elyse A. Warren, M.A. (Connecticut College)
Content analyses of current "dating" and "romance" programs on the WB and Fox television networks will be presented and discussed. Among the shows analyzed are "Ship Mates," "Blind Date," "Dating Story," "Dismissed," "Eliminate," and "The Wedding Show." Topics of analysis include self-presentation; gender and race stereotypes; the role of competition, alcohol, and drugs; and the meaning of "the perfect date."Psi Chi Graduate School

Information Session

Dion Center Demoulas Room
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Sizing Yourself Up With Respect to Pursuing Graduate Study in Psychology
Robert Youth, Ph.D.
Psi Chi Vice President, Eastern Region
&
Mitchell Laube, Ph.D., Discussant,

Dowling CollegePsi Chi Symposium

Dion Center Demoulas Room
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Why Individuals Should Opt to Pursue
a Career in the Field of
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Peter Bachiochi, Ph.D., Chair, Eastern CT State University

Presidential Address and Annual Business Meeting
of the New England Psychological Association

Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
10:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Presidential Address: 10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Donnah Canavan, Ph.D.
Boston College
NEPA President
Success and Beauty:
The Motive to Contribute
and the Motive to Win
Kathryn Graff Low, Ph.D., Chair
Bates College

11:15 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Presentation of Awards to
Honorary Undergraduate Scholars
Bryan C. Auday, Ph.D. (Gordon College)

11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Annual Business Meeting
1. Treasurer’s and Secretary’s Reports
Duncan White, Ph.D. (Rhode Island College)
Nancy Jackson, Ph.D. (Johnson & Wales University)
2. Announcement of the NEPA Distinguished Contribution Award Winner for 2003
Joan C. Bombace, Ph.D. (Quinnipiac University)
3. Election Results and “Passing of the Gavel”
Donnah Canavan, Ph.D. (Boston College)

Social Perception and Attribution Paper Session

Silvia Trotter Hall Rooms 207 & 208
10:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Anne O’Dwyer, Chair
Simon’s Rock College of Bard
10:30 AM
VISIONS OF LEADERSHIP
Diane Desrosiers, Ph.D. (New Bedford School District) and Marion Nesbit, Ph.D. (Lesley University)
Two hundred-fifty school age children including 25 girls and 25 boys from grades 2, 5, 8, 10, and 12 drew portraits of leaders and wrote statements about their perceptions of leadership. Results are statistically significant and indicate that both genders chose males as leaders more frequently than females. Results are also significant by age, showing only the youngest boys chose females as leaders, and that girls' conceptualizations of leadership varied by age.

10:45 AM
CONSUMER INVOLVEMENT AND FALSE INFERENCE MAKING FROM TELEVISION COMMERCIALS
Raya S. Gorcheva and Kimberly Carron (Connecticut College). Sponsor: Jason A. Nier, Ph.D.
Sixty six college students were divided into high and low involvement groups. They were tested on the number of central and peripheral cues that they remembered and on the number of false inferences that they made after watching television commercials. Participants in both conditions made inferences about product usage and attributes that were not stated in the commercials. The low involvement group made more such inferences than the high involvement group. Implications for advertisers are discussed.

11:00 AM
SPEAKER'S GENDER AND LINGUISTIC STYLE AND RESPONSES TO A PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION
Michelle Boudreau, Cheryl Bowles, and Arlene C. Vadum, Ph.D. (Assumption College)
Forty undergraduates, assigned randomly to one of the 4 conditions of a 2 X 2 factorial design: Gender of the Speaker and Type of Language, listened to identical tape-recorded messages that were tentative (contained hedges, tag questions, and disclaimers, or non-tentative). Non-tentative speakers were rated as more competent, likable, and approachable. Gender and speaker's language interacted, greater social influence resulting when the male spoke non-tentatively and the female tentatively.

11:15 AM
INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM: ATTRIBUTIONS OF THE SEPTEMBER 11th TERRORIST ATTACKS
Kelly Anthony, Ph.D., Linda Caparyan, and Francine Rosselli, Ph.D. (Wesleyan University)
One hundred forty undergraduates completed a questionnaire measuring individualism-collectivism and reactions to the September 11th terrorist attacks. Respondents higher in individualism expressed more agreement that the terrorists were evil or mentally ill. In addition, individualism-collectivism scores were correlated with gender, patriotism, and desire for retaliation. The role of self-identity in response to September 11th suggests that the individualism-collectivism construct may be useful in understanding reactions to world events.

11:30 AM
INTERGROUP PERCEPTIONS AND PERCEPTIONS OF JUSTICE IN THE 2000 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CONTROVERSY
Jason A. Nier, Ph.D. and Raya S. Gorcheva (Connecticut College)
This study investigated perceptions of the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election controversy. Specifically we had three goals. First we were interested in the factors that would be associated with more negative intergroup attitudes. Second we wished to examine perceptions of fairness in regards to the process that was employed to resolve the controversy. Finally we examined the interrelationship between fairness of the process that was intended to resolve the controversy and intergroup attitudes.
Clinical Research and Practice

Poster Session

Dion Center Board Room
10:30 - 11:50
Poster 1
USE OF A PICA BOX TO REDUCE THE INGESTION OF NONNUTRITIVE SUBSTANCES
Roberta E. Dihoff, Ph.D. (Rowan University), Gary M. Brosvic, Ph.D., and Christine Cabarle, B.A. (Rider University)
The effectiveness of a pica box to reduce the ingestion of nonnutritive substances in two children was examined. Both participants presented with developmental delays, the female child functioned approximately 30% below age-appropriate levels while the male child functioned approximating 65% below age-appropriate levels. The pica box was provided in accordance with an ABAB design. A 72% reduction in ingestive behavior was observed.

Poster 2
CROSS-SAMPLE VALIDATION OF THE SMOKING URGES QUESTIONNAIRE
Sophia Marandino, B.A. and Gary M. Brosvic, Ph.D. (Rider University)
The factor structure of the Smoking Urges Questionnaire (SUQ) was examined in samples of current smokers, former smokers, and non-smokers. The factor structure reported for this instrument was replicated for smokers, but not for former smokers and non-smokers. Responses of the two non-smoking groups were reliably lower on scales measuring pleasure from smoking and aversion to withdrawal from not smoking. In prior studies this instrument had only been examined using samples of smokers, and hence the present data add to the validity of the SUQ.

Poster 3
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF ADOLESCENT RELATIONAL AND OVERT PEER VICTIMIZATION
Maria Bartini, Ph.D., Sherry Zamboni, Elizabeth Leone, Nora Marshall, and Megan Polidoro (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts)
Thirty nine college students completed measures of their current levels of depression, social anxiety, self-esteem, and gender-typing as well as a retrospective measure of relational and overt victimization in adolescence. Correlation and multiple regression analyses suggested that relational, but not overt, victimization in junior high and high school predicted social anxiety. MANOVAs revealed that individuals who were relationally victimized in both junior high and high school were significantly more socially anxious and had lower self-esteem than those who were not victimized.

Poster 4
HIV-RELATED BEREAVEMENT DISCLOSURE TO A SUPPORTIVE LISTENER VS. NO LISTENER: DOES SUPPORT MATTER?
Laurie C. Geck, Ph.D., (Saint Anselm College), Katherine A. Doyle (Saint Anselm College), Amy A. DiDio (Saint Anselm College), and Adam M. Volungis (Assumption College)
Disclosure about a recent bereavement experience to a supportive listener or a tape recorder was investigated in HIV-positive gay men. Subjects disclosed about their bereavement on three days in one week. A text analysis program was used to analyze the audiotaped sessions for emotional and thought content. Results suggest that disclosure of a bereavement event to a tape recorder may better facilitate focus on the bereavement and related emotions than disclosure to a supportive listener.

Poster 5
RESPONSES TO THE DEATH OF A FELLOW-STUDENT: A SERENDIPITOUS STUDY OF PERSONAL STRESS.
Karen Sherman and Mary O'Keeffe, Ph.D. (Providence College)
Forty seven students completed a week-long stress journal in which they identified their most significant stressor of the day, their primary and secondary appraisal of the stressor, and the coping strategies used. After the journal assignment was made the campus community learned of the tragic accidental death of a student. This presentation will present results from a descriptive analysis of the stress process described by students as they adjusted to this intense personal stressor.

Symposium

Education Center Rooms 314 & 320
10:30 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
The Safety, Respect, and Violence Community Survey: Research as Action
Theodore J. Ellenhorn, Ph.D., Greg Gard, M.A., Tammy Saltzman, B.A., and Kristy Sands, B.A. (Antioch New England Graduate School)
After a series of violent events, community members and civic leaders of a small New England city engaged in the development of a neighborhood-based community action leading to innovations in civic planning. Included in these efforts was the request for research and consultation, within the context of a Local-Clinical Scientist model for Action-Research related to violence prevention, and feelings and experiences of safety and respect in the city. This symposium will address the history of the development, implementation, and analysis of a Survey on Safety, Respect, and Violence; the quantitative and qualitative findings of this survey; and how these findings influenced decision making processes and coordination of planning efforts across a variety of neighborhood groups. The survey was designed to examine community members’ feelings, attitudes, and experiences regarding safety, respect, and violence. It also included a section on personal responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Over 3,000 surveys were distributed two weeks after the events of 9/11/01 and 957 surveys were completed. This innovative program is designed to foster dialogue using a variety of viewpoints and methods of data analysis in order to understand how the efforts to create a healthy and diverse community developed over time.

Psi Chi Poster Session

Dion Center Board Room
Noon - 12:50 p.m.
Hosts:
Mitchell Laube (Dowling College)
Paul Cunningham (Rivier College)
Robert Youth (Psi Chi VP, Eastern Region)Working LunchesNoon - 12:50 p.m.
Pre-ordered box lunches will be
available at the Registration Desk
Dion Center Main Lobby
11:45 a.m.

Working Lunch 1

Education Center Room 302
MENTORING STUDENT RESEARCH: FACULTY AND STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

Elizabeth P. Ossoff, Ph.D., Paul E. Finn, Ph.D., Katie Galanes, Katie LaRoche, and Abigail Ross (Saint Anselm College)

This discussion will focus on the techniques, motivations, and experiences of the faculty-student research relationship at a small undergraduate institution. Emphasis will be given to a programmatic approach to the process, and will highlight both the formal and informal components of this program. Topics such as working relationships, work expectations, web page presentation, and participation at conferences will be addressed. Also included will be students' experience and critique of the process.

Working Lunch 2

Education Center Room 310
DESIGNING AND TEACHING EFFECTIVE WEB-BASED COURSES
Mary Zahm, Ph.D. and Maureen Sowa, Ph.D. (Bristol Community College)
Strategies for designing and implementing effective courses or supplemental course materials on the Wide World Web will be shared. These include methods for analyzing the educational features of a course and translating them into a student-friendly electronic design. Web sites for several web-based and web-enhanced psychology and history courses that have been successfully implemented will be presented.

Working Lunch 3

Education Center Room 308
THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND THE FUN: DEVELOPMENTAL AND COGNITIVE RESEARCH IN TOY DESIGN AND EVALUATION
Julie Bauer Morrison, Ph.D. (Bryant College) and Anne O’Donnell Eisbach, Ph.D. (Quinnipiac University)
Modern toy companies can and do benefit by the inclusion of psychological researchers on their design teams. In this working lunch, we will review the cognitive and developmental research essential to toy design. Additionally, we will address work targeted specifically at the evaluation of toys and demonstrate the developmental features of different toys. Finally, we will engage participants in an evaluation of a variety of toys, drawing on our experiences working as usability researchers.

Working Lunch 4

Education Center Room 301
INTEGRATING STATISTICAL SOFTWARE IN AN INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES COURSE
Jane Gradwohl Nash, Ph.D. (Stonehill College)
With the widespread availability of computers on college campuses and the advances in statistical software, psychology students can easily be introduced to statistical reasoning with the aid of statistical software used in our discipline (e.g., SPSS). This working lunch will explore various strategies for doing this. Come prepared to share examples that have worked well in your courses and those that have not.

Working Lunch 5

Sylvia Trotter Hall Room 235
INFORMAL DISCUSSION ON SOCIAL JUSTICE WITH THE SPEAKERS FROM THE SCIENCE AND SOCIETY SYMPOSIUM
Speakers from the symposium on Social Justice (see page 3) will informally answer working lunch participants’ questions about topics presented in their talks, and discuss future trends in social justice.
Working Lunch 6 / Education Ctr. Rooms 314 & 320

NEPA LIAISON LUNCH

Distinguished Lecture Series
Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Megan Gunnar, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Ohio State University
Stress and Early Development
Donnah Canavan, Ph.D., Chair
Boston College
Dr. Gunnar is a Distinguished Scientist Lecturer of the American Psychological Association. NEPA thanks the APA Science Directorate for support of this presentation.

Clinical Psychology Paper Session

Silvia Trotter Hall Rooms 207 & 208
1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.
Michael Spiegler, Chair
Providence College

1:00 PM
STUDENT BODIES AT BATES COLLEGE: TESTING AN TAILORED INTERNET BASED EATING DISORDERS PREVENTION PROGRAM
Kathryn Graff Low, Ph.D. (Bates College), Hannah Jones (Wheaton College), Swita Charanasomboon, Claire Brown, Gwen Hiltunen, Lily Horowitz, Katherine Long, Katie Reinhalter (Bates College), Andrew Winzelberg, Ph.D., Barr Taylor, M.D., and Liana Abascal, M.A. (Stanford University)
A randomized trial of an interactive, eight week internet-based eating disorders prevention program called Student Bodies (SB) was carried out with undergraduate women. Correlational analyses at baseline suggest significant relationships between internalization of the thin ideal and eating and body image concerns. At follow up, the control group had increased on eating and weight concern dimensions. In contrast, all of the groups exposed to the internet intervention either improved in body image and decreased in weight and shape concerns, or were unchanged.

1:15 PM
INTEGRATING TALK AND TOUCH: A CLINICAL STUDY INVESTIGATING THE EFFICACY OF THE PRACTICE OF REIKI WITHIN A PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC SETTING
Dorothea Maynard, A.A. (Rhode Island College)
A randomized, 3 group controlled, single blind study was conducted to investigate the integration of Reiki into the counseling setting. Participants (n = 34) were clients of mental health agencies assigned for 6 sessions to: Traditional Counseling; Traditional plus Reiki; Traditional plus placebo Reiki. Tukeys (HSD) showed the decrease in depressive symptomatology in Group 2 was significantly greater (p < .05). Additional clinical studies are necessary to further evaluate the effectiveness of integrating Reiki within counseling settings.

1:30 PM
FACTITIOUS DISORDER BY PROXY: RETHINKING THE DIAGNOSTIC FORMULATION
Eric G. Mart, Ph.D. (Highland Psychological Services)
This paper will review current diagnostic formulations of Factitious disorder by proxy (also called Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy). The author suggests that current conceptions of this syndrome are flawed due to problems with over inclusive diagnostic criteria and a tendency to treat behaviors and dynamics associated with the diagnosis as dichotomous rather than continuous. Suggestions are made as to how the diagnosis can be better conceptualized to be more accurate and more helpful to medical and mental health professionals as well as child dependency courts.
Social Psychology and Personality

Poster Session

Dion Center Board Room
1:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.

Poster 1
GENDER DIFFERENCE IN ACADEMIC ATTRIBUTIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK AND SELF-ESTEEM
Pamela M. Ludemann, Crystal Griffin, T. Bridgett Perry, Kristen Glatthorn, and Barrie Westerman (Framingham State College)
Men and women college students completed survey packets assessing academic performance and grade-related attributions. Within each packet was one of nine scenarios in which anticipated and received exam grades were manipulated. Ratings demonstrate consistent externalizing of performance-related exam blame when received grades deviated negatively from expected grades. Internalization was only evident when received grades were high, regardless of anticipated exam grades. Support for the self-serving bias is clear.

Poster 2
DAUGHTERS OF LESBIAN MOTHERS: FAMILY SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR DEALING WITH HOMOPHOBIA AND DISCRIMINATION
Marianna Litovich and Regina Day Langhout, Ph.D. (Wesleyan University)
The experiences of six daughters of lesbian parents, ranging in age from 7-16, are empirically investigated. Audio-taped, semi-structured interviews were conducted with parent(s) and subsequently their child(ren). The data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Homophobia seems largely not to be an obstacle in these children's lives. When homophobia does occur, parents encourage tolerance of those expressing the homophobia and deflect its repercussions for the child while simultaneously preparing them to deal with future incidents.

Poster 3
JOURNEYS OF WOMEN WITHOUT CUSTODY
Annette Mayo Pagano Psy.D. (Rivier College). Sponsor: Patrice O'Donnell
This qualitative study explores the effect of the noncustodial experience on the lives of 9 women. The experience has led to justifying one’s existence and definition as a good woman. These experiences have been explored by Patricia Paskowicz in her work Absentee Mothers which studies women's noncustodial situation, Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh's, Becoming an Ex which examines the process of role exits and Marty Ireland's, Reconceiving Women whose research explores the lives of childless-childfree women. The interviews exhibit the universal emphasis noncustodial mothers place on care.

Poster 4
PERCEPTIONS OF HIJACKERS, TERRORIST BOMBERS, AND CULT SUICIDE CASUALTIES
Alice Sheppard, Ph.D. (University of Maine at Presque Isle)
Sixty-eight adults read brief descriptions of the WTC attack, Timothy McVeigh's Oklahoma City bomb attack, and Heaven's Gate Cult mass suicides and rated perpetrators on 14 seven-point semantic differential scales. Hijackers and McVeigh were perceived as aggressive, cruel, evil, unfair, and cold; Heaven's gate followers as primarily brainwashed, irrational, sophisticated, weak. Repeated-measures ANOVA of a composite terrorism index confirmed attributed qualities of cult suicides as distinct from terrorists (p <.001).

Poster 5
WILL GENDER, RACE, AND NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR PREDICT A JUROR'S SELECTION?
Rebecca E. Woodacre, Katie Huot, and Paul Finn (Saint Anselm College)
Assumption: thirty attorneys would reject a potential juror because the juror did not make eye contact. Attorneys, acting as defense attorneys, watched counterbalanced videos, each with four potential jurors, and then retained one juror (for each video, one of the four actors was instructed to not look at the camera). African American actors, with and without eye contact and Caucasian actors, who made eye contact, were retained for the attorneys' jury.

Poster 6
DNA EVIDENCE AND CHILD TESTIMONY: EFFECTS ON JUROR DECISIONS
Thomas Sawyer (Castleton State College). Sponsor: George T. Bergen, Ph.D. (Castleton State College)
This study investigated the impact of DNA evidence in a child sexual assault (CSA) trial involving a 15 year-old alleged victim. Participants (171) read criminal trial summaries of CSA cases in which only the alleged victim's testimony was presented, only DNA evidence was presented, both DNA and child testimony were presented or where DNA evidence was countered by an alibi witness. The probability of guilty verdicts increased when child testimony was corroborated by DNA evidence.

Workshop

Education Center Rooms 314 & 320

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
THEORY AND PRACTICE OF TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY: BRIDGING SCIENCE AND SPIRIT
Paul F. Cunningham, Ph.D. (Rivier College) and Thomas R. Yeomans, Ph.D. (The Concord Institute)
Transpersonal Psychology (TP), also known as Spiritual Psychology, is an orientation within Humanistic Psychology that studies experiences and behaviors in which the sense of identity or self extends beyond (trans) the individual or personal to encompass wider aspects of humankind, life, psyche, and cosmos. Since its emergence in the late 1960's, TP has developed a variety of academic programs, psychological theories, and psychotherapeutic practices designed to expand understanding of the dynamics, structure, and assessment of human personality beyond traditional biological, behavioral, and social approaches and techniques to include the spiritual dimension. Through a combination of lecture, active participation, and discussion, this workshop introduces participants to the basic assumptions, working principles, and practical techniques underlying transpersonally-oriented education and psychotherapy.

Distinguished Contribution Award Address

Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Bonnie Strickland, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Science versus Practice:Ending the Hundred Years War
Joan Bombace, Ph.D., Chair
Quinnipiac University

Memory and Cognition Paper Session

Silvia Trotter Hall Rooms 207 & 208
2:00 p.m. - 2:50 p.m.
Duncan White, Chair
Rhode Island College

2:00 PM
STRENGTHENING FALSE MEMORY EFFECTS WITH CONFIRMATORY FEEDBACK: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Donna Lacroix, Nicole Sanborn, Amber Snedeker, and Tristin Turner (Southern New Hampshire University). Sponsor: Peter Frost, Ph.D.
Participants answered questions about a videotaped event that required confabulation. The experimenter verbally confirmed some confabulated responses. Participants often recognized confabulated events as being from the video when confirmed by the experimenter. Did confirmatory feedback lead to a change in the perceived mental representation of the confabulated event or did it merely lead to a change in beliefs about the confabulated event? Judgments made about confabulated events indicated the latter is the most feasible explanation.

2:15 PM
IS THE STROOP EFFECT TO SINGLE LETTERS THE RESULT OF AN ORDER EFFECT?
Matthew Young, Arielle D'Aprile, Susanne Foster (Providence College) and Sheila O'Brien Quinn, Ph.D. (Salve Regina University)
In light of the contradictory results of previous research, our study examined the conditions under which single letters can produce a Stroop Interference Effect. Order effects (amount of exposure) had not been examined prior to this study. Comparisons of the response of 94 participants to three rapid naming tasks under four different exposure conditions indicated that the initial letters of incompatible color names will result in a significant interference effect.

2:30 PM
THE ISSUE OF SUBJECTIVE REALITY IN MATHEMATICAL THINKING
Noriyuki Inoue (Saint Joseph College)
Reference to reality constitutes an important aspect of mathematical thinking. However, it is often said that symbolic manipulations disconnected from reality characterize students' mind engaging in mathematical thinking. The investigation of mathematical problem solving by undergraduate subjects suggests that their mathematical thinking is mostly grounded in their subjective understanding of reality, rather than the conventional understanding of reality. The study suggests the importance of establishing better understanding of this subjective nature of mathematical thinking.

Psi Chi Symposium

Dion Center Demoulas Room
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The Role of Psychology in Behavioral Medicine
Kathryn Graff Low, Ph.D., Chair (Bates College)
A symposium that will attempt to bring together professionals to better understand the role that psychology plays in the area of behavioral medicine. Special attention will focus on how psychologists can deliver services that provide benefits to clients in need.

Workshop

Education Center Rooms 314 & 320
2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
EFFECTS OF BRIEF THERAPY IN TREATING CLIENTS WITH A HISTORY OF ANXIETY DISORDER AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS
William B. Flynn, Ph.D. (Franklin Pierce College) and David Brower, Ph.D. (Private Practice, Amherst, NH)
This workshop focuses on the use of brief therapy in treating clients with a history of anxiety and somatic complaints. The literature suggests that clients exhibiting emotional dilemmas were best treated by short-term psychotherapy. Success was based on the client's positive conceptualization of treatment. There appears to be significant reduction in the client's symptoms after the second session of therapy. Anxious symptoms were rapidly altered when clients were able to relate somatic symptoms to inner conflicts.

Psi Chi Distinguished Speaker

Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
3:00 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Norine Johnson, Ph.D.
Past President
American Psychological Association
Psychology Builds a Healthy World: Science versus Practice
Marjy Ehmer, Ph.D., Chair
Southern Connecticut State University

Symposium

Silvia Trotter Hall Rooms 207 & 208
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
GRADUATE SCHOOL AND BEYOND: HOW TO SUCCEED IN GETTING THERE
Kenneth Fuld, Ph.D. and Janice Chadwick, M.Ed. (University of New Hampshire) and the American Psychological Association Education Directorate
This symposium will highlight issues related to graduate education in psychology. It will cover such topics as selecting a graduate program, application and admission, the process of being a graduate student, and how best to prepare yourself for a career in an ever-changing environment. Guidance will be provided about steps you can begin to take at this time, depending upon where you are in your undergraduate studies or employment. In addition, the symposium will give an overview of the resources available through the American Psychological Association and how to go about accessing them.

APS William James
Distinguished Lecture series

Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
4:00 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.
Stephen Kosslyn, Ph.D.
Harvard University
Visual Mental Images in the Brain: How Low Do They Go?
Nancy Jackson, Ph.D., Chair
Johnson and Wales University
Dr. Kosslyn is a Distinguished William James Lecturer of the American Psychological Society. NEPA thanks APS for support of this presentation.

NEPA and Psi Chi Reception

Silvia Trotter Hall Room 235
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

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