Faculty Achievement Archives

Howansky Published in Teaching of Psychology

September 21, 2021

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Psychology Kristina Howansky who was recently published in the journal Teaching of Psychology!

Her article “Fostering Inclusivity: Exploring the Impact of Identity Safety Cues and Instructor Gender on Students’ Impressions and Belonging” was included in Teaching of Psychology’s special issue on social justice pedagogy: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Teaching of Psychology. Collaborators were Melanie Maimon and Diana Sanchez of Rutgers University.

Identity Safety Cues (ISCs) signal to students with marginalized identities that their identities are valued and respected. In this work, we explored whether positive outcomes of ISCs differed based on the gender identity of the instructor. Students in an introduction to psychology course read a syllabus of a prospective class that either included ISCs or did not. The gender of the professor was also manipulated. Students reported greater expected course engagement and sense of belonging in the field of psychology when the syllabus included ISCs compared to when it did not. Further, students had more positive impressions of the instructor when the syllabus included ISCs compared to the control syllabus. Instructor gender had a minimal impact on participants’ outcomes and impressions. This work demonstrates including ISCs in course syllabi can positively impact students when course instructors are White men or women. In future work, we hope to explore more diverse gender and racial identities.

Freedman Published in Psychology of Popular Media

July 7, 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Gili Freedman on her recent publication!

Freedman, G., Green, M. C., Kaufman, G., & Flanagan, M. (2021). Using comics and tweets to raise awareness about gender biases in STEM. Psychology of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000313

For this project, Freedman and her colleagues worked with a comic artist who created comics about women’s experiences in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). In their study, men and women were shown tweets that contained the comics or tweets with text only. Researchers measured attitudes toward women in STEM before and after participants viewed the tweets. They found that after reading either type of tweet (text-only or comic), participants became more aware of the negative climate issues for women in STEM. In addition, women in the comic condition thought that there were more women in STEM after reading the comics, but men’s perceptions did not change.

View the full abstract here. Access to full text is available to the SMCM community through the Library.

Jensen Published in Journal of American College Health

March 25, 2021

Congratulations to Visiting Assistant Professor Cjersti Jensen and collaborators who recently published an article titled “Examination of ethnic racial identity exploration and commitment in emerging adults: Group comparisons and specific features of multiracial identity” in Journal of American College Health!

Jensen, C., Koerten, H., Mattei, G., Weinandy, J. G., Froemming, M., Dulek, E., & Dworsky, D. (2021). Examination of ethnic racial identity exploration and commitment in emerging adults: Group comparisons and specific features of multiracial identity. Journal of American College Health, DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1900197

To better understand differences in Monoracial White, Monoracial Minoritized, and Multiracial college students, 888 emerging adults were surveyed. Results indicated that Multiracial participants were significantly different than the other two groups in ethnic identity exploration and experienced discrimination (with Monoracial White participants showing the lowest levels, Monoracial Minoritized participants showing the highest). Multiracial participants did not differ significantly in ethnic identity commitment from Monoracial White participants, but both groups were significantly lower in commitment than Monoracial Minoritized participants. Because Multiracial college students are poorly represented in the literature, Jensen and her collaborators also explored some variables specific to having multiple racial identities. Multiracial participants’ ethnic identity commitment, a variable related to positive psychosocial outcomes in previous research, showed a significant positive relationship with both ethnic identity exploration and a negative relationship with conflict between identities. This research highlights the differences between Monoracial and Multiracial people, and makes a strong case for people working with Multiracial college students to consider their unique challenges and experiences.

https://www.tandfonline.com/…/10…/07448481.2021.1900197

Howansky Publishes Article in Teaching of Psychology Journal

February 3, 2021

Congratulations to Assistant Professor of Psychology Kristina Howansky and collaborators who recently published “Identity safety cues predict instructor impressions, belonging, and absences in the psychology classroom” in the journal Teaching of Psychology!

Howansky, K., Maimon, M., & Sanchez, D. (2021). Identity safety cues predict instructor impressions, belonging, and absences in the psychology classroom. Teaching of Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628321990362

This work aimed to explore some of the possible benefits of identity safety cues – signals to let students’ know diverse identities are valued in their classroom – in the higher-ed classroom. Researchers found that identify safety cues were associated with more positive impressions of students’ professor, a higher sense of belonging in the class, and even fewer absences. Although the safety cues were aimed at specific populations, they were associated with positive outcomes across student identities, even those not specifically targeted by the cues. Provided in the article are concrete examples and small steps faculty can make to signal their values of inclusion to students.

You can read the abstract here.

The acknowledgements section of the paper includes a shoutout to psychology department members Assistant Professor Gili Freedman, Assistant Professor Ayse Ikizler, and Associate Professor Scott Mirabile for their feedback on the manuscript. It also gives thanks to psychology majors Gabrielle Backus, Jannah Mawuli, and India Oates.

Glidden Serves as Editor-in-Chief for Two-Volume APA Handbook

January 28, 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Laraine Glidden who served as the editor for a new APA handbook!

Glidden, L. M. (Ed.). (2021). American Psychological Association Handbook of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Washington, D.C.: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Consisting of 2 volumes, this 2021 Handbook contains 38 chapters and was in process from its inception in late 2016 to its publication at the very beginning of 2021. Distinguished Professor Emerita Laraine Masters Glidden, faculty member in psychology and human development from 1976 to her retirement in 2012, oversaw its development. She selected three associate editors, and together they developed the table of contents and invited authors who were experts in their respective subfields of developmental disabilities.

Read the full press release at https://inside.smcm.edu/news/2021/01/distinguished-professor-emerita-laraine-masters-glidden-editor-chief-two-volume-apa

Read the handbook overview and table of contents here.

Glidden and her decades-long parenting research are featured in the Fall 2020 edition of The Mulberry Tree. The article that starts on page 13 mentions Glidden’s work on the Handbook and numerous other publications and presentations. It also highlights a number of psychology program alumni who collaborated with Glidden on some of those works.

Howansky Interviewed on AskPsychSessions Podcast

January 28, 2021

Assistant Professor of Psychology Kristina Howansky was interviewed on the AskPsychSessions podcast about being an early career academic during the pandemic. Posing the question, “How can I employ radical empathy to teach during a pandemic,” they discussed using safety cues to increase belongingness and how radical empathy can make classes go more smoothly. The interview ends with a discussion on Howansky’s new course on the psychology of sharks.

The podcast can be found here: https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=80934013&refid=asa

Sharpless Published in Journal of Sleep Research

November 18, 2020

Congratulations to Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology Brian Sharpless who recently published an article in the Journal of Sleep Research with two colleagues from Charles University and the National Institute of Mental Health (NUDZ) in the Czech Republic! The article, “Could Sleep Paralysis be Pleasant?” was a quantitative study of the prevalence and associated features of sleep paralysis episodes.

Sleep paralysis is the experience of either going to sleep or waking up and finding yourself unable to move. It is a recognized sleep disorder that can have significant impacts on daytime functioning. The majority of individuals with sleep paralysis also experience hallucinations during the event. Though usually thought of as a frightening experience, this study – using a sample of Czech individuals with recurrent sleep paralysis – found that 23% of episodes were actually pleasant and that the nature of the corresponding hallucinations appeared to be quite different. The ability to lucid dream and a greater openness to new experiences (a “big five” personality trait) were both associated with pleasant sleep paralysis episodes. Clinical implications of these findings were also discussed.

See the full abstract at https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13154. SMCM faculty, staff, and students can request the full-text through interlibrary loan.

Williams Published with Three Alums in Adoption Quarterly

October 28, 2020

Congratulations to Professor of Psychology Libby Nutt Williams and alums Meg Marcelli ‘17, Ben Ertman ‘18, and Kelly Culotta ‘18 who recently published an article in the journal Adoption Quarterly!

Marcelli, M., Williams, E. N., Culotta, K. & Ertman, B. (2020). The Impact of Racial-Ethnic Socialization Practices on International Transracial Adoptee Identity Development, Adoption Quarterly, DOI: 10.1080/10926755.2020.1833393

The article is based on Marcelli’s SMP which was a qualitative study that explored adoptees’ perspectives on their parents’ socialization strategies and the effect of those practices on their sense of identity and ability to manage future challenges, such as racial discrimination. Marcelli was scheduled to present the research at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Social Workers Conference in June 2020, but the conference was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19.

View the advanced online publication

Freedman Receives Collaborative Grant from the National Science Foundation

July 24, 2020

Congratulations to Dr. Gili Freedman!

Assistant Professor of Psychology Gili Freedman and colleague Dr. Jennifer Beer (University of Texas at Austin) recently received a collaborative, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation for a total of $465,222 ($75,102 of which will go to SMCM). In the project titled “Collaborative Research: Lessening the Blow of Social Rejection,” Freedman and Beer will be investigating the language of social rejection and how power and concern for one’s reputation shape the way that individuals reject others. A central aim of the project is to develop empirically supported training that teaches individuals how to be less hurtful when they engage in social rejection. Starting this fall, Freedman will be working with SMCM collaborative research students on the first stages of the grant.

Read the award abstract on NSF’s website.

Sharpless Published in Sleep Medicine and Interviewed by Newsweek

July 15, 2020

Congratulations to Dr. Brian A. Sharpless, Visiting Associate Professor of Psychology, who recently published an article in the journal Sleep Medicine with several colleagues from the US and the UK. The article, “Exploding Head Syndrome: Clinical Features, Theories about Etiology, and Prevention Strategies in a Large International Sample”, was based on data from over 6,000 participants. It was carried out through the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Science Focus Magazine.

Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a sleep disorder (i.e., parasomnia) characterized by the perception of loud noises or a sense of explosion in the head during sleep transitions. Though first identified in 1876, it has received relatively little scientific attention and no well-established treatment options are yet available for sufferers.

Results of this study indicated that those with EHS had poorer and shorter sleep than those without EHS. Not surprisingly, episodes of EHS were associated with clinically significant levels of fear, but only 25% of experienced significant distress as a result of episodes whereas only 10% reported significant life interference. The majority of sufferers believed EHS to be a natural, brain-based phenomenon, but 2.3% blamed electronic equipment and 2.8% believed that was due to supernatural causes. Finally, five effective prevention strategies were identified from the first-hand reports of sufferers. Several of these were consistent with existing treatment approaches for insomnia and anxiety and may prove useful for developing a novel treatment for chronic EHS.

On July 15, 2020, Sharpless was interviewed by Newsweek in regards to the study.

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