February, 2016 - California Lutheran University

FE B RUA RY
2016
CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY
FEBRUARY 2016
WELCOME TO 2016
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
HOW TO GET A
DATE AS A
PSYCHOLOGY
MAJOR
1
MEET YOUR NEW
DEPARTMENT
ASSISTANT
2
DA OFFICE HOURS
2
FACULTY OFFICE
HOURS
3
WHEN LOVE
EXPANDS BEYOND
ROMANTIC LOVE..
4
DON’T
BE
A FREUD OF LOVE
How to Get a Date as a Psychology Major
Has the mere
exposure effect kicked
FOR THE LOVE OF
CHOCOLATE
5
WHY SAD LOVE
SONGS ARE GOOD
5
in yet, or do I need to
walk by again?
OPPOSITES
ATTRACT?
6
GET INVOLVED!
7
RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
8
DA CONTACT INFO
Charisse Palaad
If you’re an axon,
I would be your
myelin sheath.
Hey baby, are you a
conditioned stimulus? Cause
you’re making me drool.
I think I’ve just been
classically conditioned
by your beauty.
You make my
dopamine levels go all silly.
Hey baby, can I
get your number
in my Long Term
memory?
Baby, you light up my
world like my primary
visual cortex.
[email protected]
Sal Brito
[email protected]
Jenny MacLeod
[email protected]
Chase Kunz
[email protected]
Are you broca’s
aphasia? Because you
leave me speechless.
Roses are red, Violets are
blue. If you were a null
Hypothesis, I would fail to
reject you.
Page 2
FEBRUARY 2016
MEET YOUR NEW DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT
Name: Charisse Palaad
Hometown: Rocklin, CA
Year: Junior
Major: Psychology
Emphases: Child and Family Development, Philosophy Minor
Hobby/Interest: All things Disney and listening to music a little too loudly
Future Plans: To work with kids one day, hopefully as a Clinical Social Worker
Favorite Foods: ICE CREAM, carbs a.k.a. bread and pasta for days
Favorite Psychology Course: Physiological Psychology!!!
DA HOURS SPRING 2016
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Chase
Chase
Charisse
Chase
Charisse
Chase
Chase
Charisse
Chase
Charisse
Chase
Jenny
Charisse
Chase
Charisse
Jenny
Jenny
Jenny
Jenny
Charisse
Jenny
Jenny
Jenny
Jenny
Charisse
Jenny
Jenny
Jenny
Jenny
Chase
Jenny
Sal
Jenny
Sal
Chase
9:00-9:30
9:30-10:00
10:00-10:30
10:30-11:00
11:00-11:30
11:30-12:00
12:00-12:30
12:30-1:00
1:00-1:30
1:30-2:00
2:00-2:30
2:30-3:00
3:00-3:30
3:30-4:00
4:00 4:30
4:30-5:00
Sal Brito
[email protected]
General
Abnormal
Stats I
Stats II
Physiological Psychology
Human Cognition
Social Psychology
Applied Psychology*
Chase
Sal
Jenny
Sal
Chase
Charisse
Sal
Charisse
Sal
X
Charisse
Sal
Charisse
Sal
X
Charisse
Sal
Charisse
Sal
X
Charisse
Sal
Charisse
Sal
X
Charisse
Sal/Chase
Charisse
Sal
X
Chase
Chase
Sal
Sal
X
Chase
Jenny
Sal
Chase
X
X
Jenny
Sal
Chase
X
Jenny MacLeod
[email protected]
General
Abnormal
Stats I
Stats II
Advanced Stats*
Physiological Psychology
Human Cognition
Social Psychology
Theories of Personality*
Chase Kunz
[email protected]
General
Abnormal
Stats I
Stats II
Physiological Psychology
Child Development
Psychological Assessment
Social Learning Theory
History & Systems
Health Psychology*
Child Psychopathology*
Charisse Palaad
[email protected]
General
Abnormal
Stats I
Stats II*
Physiological Psychology
Child Development
Adult Development & Aging
Theories of Personality*
*Classes currently taking
Page 3
FEBRUARY 2016
Faculty Office Hours
Spring Semester 2016
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday
11:45 - 12:45
1:30 - 4:00
11:45 - 12:45
1:00 - 3:00
10:00 - 11:00
1:00 - 3:00
Dr. Gerson
10:45 - 12:15
12:30 - 1:00
Dr. Kissinger
10:30 - 11:30
12:50 - 1:20
Dr. Kocur
9:00 - 10:00
11:45 - 12:45
12:15 - 2:00
9:00 - 10:00
11:45 - 12:45
Dr. Kuehnel
12:00 - 1:00
3:20 - 4:00
9:00 - 9:30
12:20 - 1:30
12:00 - 1:00
3:20 - 4:00
(By Appt.)
9:00 - 9:30
11:15 - 12:00
Dr. Sell
10:30 - 11:30
1:30 - 2:30
10:30 - 11:30
1:30 - 2:30
9:30 - 11:20
Dr. Diriwaechter
Dr. Don
11:45 - 12:45
10:00 - 11:00
2:45 - 3:15
10:30 - 11:30
12:50 - 1:20
2:15 - 3:15
Dr. Young
Friday
10:45 - 12:15
10:30 - 11:30
10:30 - 11:30
1:30 - 2:30
2:15 - 3:15
THINKING ABOUT ADDING AN EMPHASIS IN PSYCHOLOGY?
Behavioral/Clinical Applications
Business/Organizational Applications
Family and Child Development
Health and Wellness Applications
Law and Criminal Behavior Applications
Psychobiology
Sports Psychology Applications
See http://www.callutheran.edu/schools/cas/programs/psychology/program/AdvisingForms.php for more information.
Page 4
FEBRUARY 2016
When Love Expands Beyond Romantic Love..
With the thought of Valentines Day, there is a lot of emphasis on loving and showing a
partner how much you care, however, if your perspective expands beyond only romantic love to
include self-love, best friend love, family love, and stranger-love, everyone could celebrate a very
happy and Valentine’s Day without all the angst of creating the
perfect day for a significant other.

Love Yourself: Self-love can be reached through
introspection and the care for your physical, mental, and
social self. It means living in a way in which you would be
proud of yourself. Your relationship with yourself also reflects
how others will treat you and the relationship you will have
with others, so be confident and loving towards yourself. This
valentines day, developing personal rituals for a better self,
such as going on a hike, pampering yourself, or making a
home-cooked dinner could take pressure off the holiday.

Love Your Peers: Stepping away from commercial or socially expected gestures and
making the holiday a love fest for everyone special in life — from parents to best friends —
can make the holiday less stressful for everyone. On Valentines Day, we should take the
time to think of those who make our lives worthwhile and put a smile on our face. Selfreflecting and taking a moment to look around at all the significant and valuable people that
you surround yourself with day-to-day can help you appreciate all of the love in your life.
Simply thanking and appreciating a best friend, sibling, parent, or other family member for
always supporting you and making you laugh can greatly improve their day as well as your
own.

Love a Stranger: You could also spread the love and care of Valentine’s with a
stranger. Now some may think that it would be weird to care for a stranger, but by doing so, it
could brighten someone’s day. It’s also, remarkably very simple! All it takes is a compliment
or helping them in a simple way, such as holding the door
open for someone, heling someone with his or her
groceries, or putting change in an expired meter. By doing
so, you can change a person’s entire day for the better, and
hopefully, even create a chain reaction of good deeds. You
could even end up making a few new friends along the way!
Because Valentine’s Day is centered on love, you could
show love to an organization that helps those who are less
fortunate or helps save the planet.
Page 5
FEBRUARY 2016
FOR THE LOVE OF CHOCOLATE
Valentine’s Day is around the corner and we all know what that means...CHOCOLATE! A large population of
people indulge in chocolate and get very excited to receive that heart shaped box on Valentine’s Day. What
is it about chocolate that makes us feel so good? For one thing, our experiences shape our like of things
such as chocolate. We may remember the first time we had chocolate or we may think of something or
someone special as we take a bite. Along with our experiences, there are chemicals within chocolate that
causes us to love and crave it so much. As we eat chocolate, our dopamine levels rise, causing us to feel
good and upbeat. It also has an effect on our serotonin levels as well. As we eat the chocolate, whether it is
milk or dark, truffle or solid, nuts or no nuts, it will increase the secretion of serotonin causing your mood to
increase as well. Lastly, the aesthetic experience of having chocolate melt in your mouth is a sensation that is desirable. In a research study
they found the chocolate cravings are best quenched through a bar of chocolate opposed to eating a capsule. If you
know someone who is into chocolate, then it is always the perfect gift because trust me, they will like it. It may sound
cliché to give a box of chocolates; however, if the recipient loves chocolate, and you give them a box a few times, then
chances are giving that person chocolate around Valentine’s Day will likely result in that person having some sort of
like/affection for you too. Classical conditioning at its finest my friends.
Why Sad Love Songs Are Good..
Why did we go crazy when Justin Bieber released Purpose?
Why would we spend so much on concert tickets to see our
favorite artists live? Why would we spend days at a music festival? Why would we pay for full access on Spotify every month?
Because music makes us feel something.
I have a Pandora station for my every mood and an anthem
for every emotion. I find that music does a much better
job of explaining how I feel than I do. When I find myself
down in the dumps, I can’t help but listen to the
slowest, saddest, love songs I can find on my iTunes
until my roommate tells me that listening to sad
music will make my mood worse. Does this sound
familiar to you?
Well tell your roommate that research suggests
that these slow, sad songs play a role in emotional
regulation. Picking ourselves up from the dumps
takes energy; it is much easier to stay sad and throw ourselves
a pity party. When we listen to sad music, it makes you emotionally engaged because you are interested in the lives and
events described in the music of the artist. For three to four
minutes, you are walking in someone else’s shoes and feeling
their pain but you are also feeling relief that you aren’t suffering in the same manner that the artist is. In other words, sad
music is allowing us to feel sadness without experiencing the
actual tragedies that make us sad. Sad music encourages us
to deal with our sadness and provides a safe place to do so.
Now why would we want to be sad? Don’t we always want to be
happy? Research shows that listening to sad music triggers
nostalgia, which can promote and is associated with social
connectedness. When we are reminded of the past, we
are reminded of all the challenges we’ve overcome
before, the person we were before and the relationships
we’ve built in the past. Sad music reminds us that we can
overcome future challenges, that we can be better than we
were in the past and that we should reach out to our loved
ones for help and support.
*SPOILER ALERT* Think back to Inside Out when Joy just
wanted Riley to be happy all the time and did not see the
significance of Sadness’s presence. In one of Riley’s
memories, Riley missed the winning shot causing her
hockey team to lose the playoff game creating a sad
memory of the day. However, her parents and her team came
over to cheer her up and support her and bring her joy. We cannot feel happiness without sadness and we cannot feel sadness
without happiness.
So next time you find yourself in a rut,
allow yourself to listen to those sad, love
songs and tell your roommate that they
have nothing to worry about because
you are going to be okay.
Page 6
FEBRUARY 2016
Opposites Attract vs Birds of a Feather Flock Together
You have been talking to this guy/girl for the past two weeks
now. You find them attractive and they have a great sense of
humor! However, they are the complete opposite of you in
the music they like and the food they eat. Will that be a deal
breaker for you, or will you appreciate his/her differences
and hope that opposites attract?
When trying to justify dating someone with different interests
than you, the idea of “opposites attract” typically arises. You
begin to search into your physics and chemistry notes, trying
to understand the basics of electromagnetism in hopes of
understanding how this significant other may be your soulmate. However, interpersonal relationships are nothing like the polar ends of a magnet or the protons and electrons one learned in that one chemistry high school class. Relationships and finding the right partner are part of
a completely different type of chemistry.
Psychology research on relationships has sought to understand what keeps partners together for the long run.
Most of the research done have come to very similar conclusions — opposites may attract, but they typically do
not lead to a long-lasting relationship. Dr. Karl Pillemer asked multiple couples who had been married for 40+
years this question, and almost every single one of them acknowledged that finding a mate who is similar is best
for a happy relationship. Now, that is not to say to find a partner who is an exact copy of you. No, that would be
weird. Instead, find someone who shares very similar core values to yours, whether that includes religion, politics, and future goals. Trivial matters such as music and other things may not necessarily influence the relationship in a negative way— instead, differences in situations like
those may actually help make the relationship grow because one
may learn from the other! Differences become a problem when
those differences are each other’s core values.
Ultimately, finding a partner with similar core values may be the
best for one. But as we all may have experienced at some point
in our lives, love sometimes has other plans for us. Being with a
partner who may share opposite values and hobbies is not impossible nor a bad thing. One must just acknowledge that a relationship like that may just take a bit more communication and
understanding between the partners for it to flourish and grow.
References: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karl-a-pillemer-phd/marriage-counseling-opposites-attract_b_2557391.html
Page 7
SIGNING UP FOR STUDIES?
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
BROWN BAG MEETINGS
4:45-5:45pm
See pg. 8 for more information
Swenson Conference Room 209
about how to help the
02/29/16
psychology department and be a
03/07/16
part of research.
04/04/16
04/25/16
05/02/16
OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH PSYCHOLOGY AT CLU
Psi Chi
Psychology Club
The International Honors Society in Psychology
In the Psychology Club, we
have lots of fun connecting.
with faculty members, connecting with other students,
and connecting psychology
to other disciplines, as well as its practical
applications in everyday life. Whether you
know anything about psychology or not, we
look forward to connecting with you!
LOCATION: TBA!
TIME: TBA!
Our goal this year is to increase chapter involvement by challenging members to become
active and involved participants. In addition to
participating in various events and service
projects on campus and throughout the community, members will be
able to attend bi-weekly meetings. We will be discussing how to take
full advantage of your Psi Chi membership in order to prepare for
Grad school. So if you are interested in furthering your education and
scholarship in Psychology (or any other field), and want to discuss
career and education opportunities with others in your field of
interest, then get PSYCHED FOR PSI CHI!
LOCATION: TBA!
TIME: TBA!
Questions? Email: [email protected]
Questions? Email: [email protected]
Page 8
How can I get
involved in
research?!
Research
Opportunities
You can be involved in research in the Psychology Department at CLU a few ways!

You can be a participant!
Participation is vitally important to research. Without participants; we wouldn’t be able to conduct our studies. Participation in research is one of the easiest, most helpful ways to get involved with research. See below for more information about how to participate in a study.

You can learn to conduct research in a number of classes, including Research Methods,
Statistics, Cognition, and Human Memory.
Research Methods and Human Memory students actually do their OWN studies, from start to
finish!

You can apply to work on a research team.
Usually, applications are considered at the end of each school year for a spot in the lab in the
following year. Each professor has a different deadline for their team.
 Email specific professors for more information about their research team.
 To work on a research team, it’s helpful to know the basics of statistics and research methods.
Some professors require students to take these foundational classes before they can work on
a research team.
Check with specific professors to see their requirements before applying.

How to participate in a study
This year we are using an online system to schedule participants for our studies. Faculty and their research teams, along with students in research methods classes, are using this system to organize participants. This system replaces the old “salmon card” system, and in addition to being “green” is also more
efficient.
If you are in a class that requires or encourages research participation, go to this website:
https://callutheran.sona-systems.com
Click “Request Account” to begin the free registration process.
Once you have an account, you will be able to log in and see the available studies, and the open time
slots for those studies. Pick a study and a time slot that works for you, and follow the study-specific instructions to participate.