More than 100 students, faculty members and alumni from Cal State Fullerton’s Psychology Department contributed research to the 2018 Western Psychological Association convention this spring. In addition to their participation in 43 poster sessions, three paper sessions and two symposiums, several Titans received honors for their research.
Alumnus Jonathan Castaneda ’17 (B.A. psychology) and graduate student Seallong Sechang were awarded scholarships for “highly meritorious” first-author presentations. Mercy Tran ’17 (B.A. psychology) received the Robert L. Solso Research Award, named for the late University of Nevada, Reno, professor and past president of the Western Psychological Association.
P. Chris Cozby, professor emeritus of psychology, was honored with the association’s 2018 Distinguished Service Award and Melinda Blackman, professor of psychology, was named a 2018 WPA Fellow.
Among the presentations were:
- “Longitudinal Pathways to Success and Resilience: A 38-Year Study” symposium chaired by Kathleen Preston, associate professor of psychology
- “Barriers to Accessing Services Among Vietnamese Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence” symposium presentation by Mindy Mechanic, professor of psychology, with Courtney Ahrens and Cassandra Gearhart of Cal State Long Beach
- “The Role of Risk and Protective Factors in Risk Management for Forensic Inpatients Using the Short-Term Assessment of Risk Treatability,” paper session by graduate student Shehanie Hewawasan; Nancy Panza, professor of psychology; with Sean Evans of Patton State Hospital
- “Bivariate Measurement of Gender Differences in Moral Judgment: Replication and Extension of Metaanalysis by Friesdorf, Conway and Gawronski (2015)” paper session by Justin Ludwig ’12, ’15 (B.A., M.A. psychology) and Douglas Navarick, professor of psychology
- “The Relationship Between Social Support and Depressive Symptoms in Pregnant Women in Qatar: Cultural and Religious Differences” paper session by Sawssan Ahmed, assistant professor of psychology, with Felice Watt of Sidra Medicine and Margaret Altemus of Weill Cornell Medical College
- “A Dynamic Assessment of the Family: Dynamical Correlation and Family Relationships” paper session by Jonathan Park ’15, ’17 (B.A., M.A. psychology), lecturer in psychology; graduate student Natasha Pizano; and Kathleen Preston, associate professor of psychology
- “Don’t Be Shy About Helping Shy Students: A Teaching Module Based on the Personal and Professional Journey of a Personality Psychologist” presentation by Bernardo J. Carducci ’74, ’76 (B.A., M.A. psychology), professor emeritus of psychology at Indiana University Southeast and director of the Indiana University Southeast Shyness Research Institute
A complete list of presentations is available on the WPA website.