Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland A1B 3X9 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, NL, Canada

How are warming sea surface temperatures and declining mackerel availability affecting Northern Gannet populations near the species’ southernmost limits? Recently published in the ICES Journal of Marine Science, this article by @memorialu Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology graduate student Kyle d’Entremont faculty members Dr. Bill Montevecchi and Dr. Carolyn Walsh investigates the challenges faced by these seabirds as they deal with a changing climate. https://tinyurl.com/3uz79m42

Congratulations to Ashif Hassan, a 1st year MSc Developmental Psychology student whose ongoing independent research project entitled The Role of Socio-demographic Factors and Cultural Differences in Early Memories in a Bangladeshi Sample was recently accepted for presentation at the Aldrich Interdisciplinary Conference on March 26th, 2022. It is with the support of Dr. Carole Peterson, Ashif continues to conduct cross-cultural research with the aim of understanding the emergence of autobiographical memories amongst the Bangladeshi population across a variety of social, demographic, and cultural contexts. Ashif’s research and talk at the conference will share their findings while also emphasizing the importance of examining the generalizability of existing theories of childhood amnesia to other populations.

Hey everyone! Check out this cool study by a graduate of Memorial University's Psychology program! The study, which is entitled, Explaining Support for Post-Secondary Educational Funding for Indigenous Students, was written by Olivia Genge and Dr. Martin Day while Olivia completed her honours in Psychology at Memorial. The paper examines a Canadian federal program, which helps reduce the post-secondary education gap between indigenous and non-indigenous people. Genge and Day... surveyed non-indigenous Canadians to examine the psychological reasons such a program has mixed support. They tested several factors, including personal prejudice against indigenous Canadians and political conservatism, meritocratic beliefs, social mobility beliefs and zero-sum group beliefs. All variables appeared to relate to support for the funding but only three did so uniquely, which were stronger levels of prejudice, political conservatism and zero-sum group beliefs. Due to this study's correlational nature, Day says, "it's useful to think of the results as less prejudice, stronger political liberalism and weaker group zero-sum thinking appears to increase support for indigenous education funding." Cool, huh? FYI: This research was conducted using open science practices! Olivia is now a law student at Dalhousie University. To read more, check out the below link, as well as the link to Dr. Day's lab! Official link: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-14512-001 The article is also available on Dr. Day's research lab website: https://www.societalcognitionlab.com/research

Hello Students! Meet Ksenia! Ksenia is an undergraduate student in our department and she has had multiple successes that we are happy to share! She made the Dean’s List for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2019 to 2021. She was awarded the Humanities and Social Sciences International Student Excellence Scholarship for 2020-2022. Additionally, Ksenia was awarded the International Undergraduate Academic Award for 2021-2021.... Way to go Ksenia, these are some amazing accomplishments and we are happy to have you as a member of the psychology department! Good luck in your future studies!

Congratulations to the following psychology students who received awards from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), or the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Madeline Q. Morris, Department of Psychology. Intrusive thoughts of infant harm among pregnant and post-partum women: A systematic review and meta-analysis, $17,500 Brandon Richardson, Department of Psychology. Ca...nnabidiolic acid methyl ester as preventive treatment in a preclinical model of schizophrenia risk, $17,500 Jessika Lamarre, Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Program. Effects of omega-3 fatty acids on avian cognition, $63,000 Rebecca Bennett, Department of Psychology. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Circadian Function: Can Previous Generations of Traumatic Stress Influence Sleep/Wake Cycles?, $17,500 Alexander Burke, Department of Psychology. Optogenetic stimulation of the locus coeruleus: Examining the effects of light stimulation parameters with single cell recording, and a difficult spatial pattern separation task, $17,500 https://gazette.mun.ca/research/promising-talent/

Please support the research in the department by participating in this survey.

Hello Students! My name is Anju Anand (she/her) and I am the new Academic Program Officer for Psychology. I have a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology and a PhD in Educational Psychology, and I have worked as a registered counselling and school psychologist in Alberta for many years. I have also worked at Alberta universities as a Psychology Instructor and Coordinator of a Co-op program for psychology undergraduates. So I hope to bring all of these experiences to my wor...k with you, so I can best support you during your undergraduate psychology career as well as contribute to your career planning for after your graduation too. I work from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday to Friday, and you can reach me by email at [email protected] or [email protected] Looking forward to working with you online and hopefully in person soon too!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION For students who are interested in applying to the BA/BSc Major in Psychology or BSc Major in Behavioral Neuroscience, please note that a new application form is currently being developed. You will need to complete this new form in order to be admitted into these major programs for Fall 2022. The new form will be available later this semester, probably by early March, and will be posted on the psychology department webpage. The deadline for application is June 1st, 2022. If you have any questions, you can contact, Dr. Anju Anand, the Academic Program Officer for Psychology at [email protected] or [email protected]

We are excited to introduce you to the members of our Department of Psychology Social Media Committee under the direction of Dr. Sheila Garland. Our mission is to share psychology-related knowledge, promote community engagement, and showcase the scholarship of our students, faculty, and alumni. We aim to foster connections between the Department and our surrounding communities.

Soapbox Science is back for another year! Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting women and non-binary scientists and the science they do. Our events transform public areas into an arena for public learning and scientific debate; they follow the format of London Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner, which is historically an arena for public debate. With Soapbox Science, we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy, learn from, heckle, ques...tion, probe, interact with and be inspired by some of our leading scientists. No middle man, no PowerPoint slide, no amphitheatre just remarkable women and non-binary scientists who are there to amaze you with their latest discoveries, and to answer the science questions you have been burning to ask. Look out for bat simulators, interactive experiments or giant pictures of volcanoes. Or simply hear them talk about what fascinates them, and why they think they have the most fantastic job in the world! Want to take part in a Soapbox Science event? The speaker call is NOW OPEN! Find out more about eligibility and apply here: http://soapboxscience.org/apply-to-speak-at-soapbox-scienc/

Please see information about classes for the winter semester.

Graduate students in psychology who are interested in restorative justice and indigenous perspectives are encouraged to contact the professor to request admission. The relevance of this course is not limited to applications within education and would apply to psychological research and future clinical interactions with diverse indigenous groups.

For this week's Colloquium, on December 3rd, we will be joined by Yellow Martin. Please see the talk title and summary below: Title: Implications of Androgen Action Within the Vomeronasal Organ Summary: The vomeronasal organ (VNO), situated in the nasal cavity, is responsible for pheromone processing and plays a critical role in mediating socio-sexual behaviors in mice. Testosterone (T) masculinizes and defeminizes the brain and socio-sexual behavior during early development... by acting directly on androgen receptors (AR) or indirectly via estrogen receptors (ER), following aromatization to estradiol. Thus, this research sought to determine if there is an interplay between the VNO and androgen action during the organizational period of development. Reminder: Colloquium takes place at 3 pm in A1046

For this week's Colloquium, on November 26th, we will be joined by Rebecca Bennett. Please see the talk title and summary below: Title: How Chronic Stress Impacts Behaviour and Circadian Rhythms: An Animal Model of Predator Summary: We all experience excitement and frustration in our day-to-day lives, meaning that stress isn't a new concept for any of us. However, chronic stress can and does have a profound impact on our wellbeing. This presentation will explore how a predato...r-prey paradigm in behavioural neuroscience can be used to explore the subsequent effects of chronic stress on anxious and depressive behaviours and circadian disturbances. Reminder: Colloquium takes place at 3 pm in A1046

Congratulations to Dr. Jonathan Fawcett on receiving the 2021 Early Career Award from the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science! https://www.csbbcs.org//di-lollo-early/dr-jonathan-fawcett

Congratulations to recent Psych grad Malcolm Snow for placing second in the Mel Woodward Cup funding competition (along with business partner Alex Mills)! https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-and-community/funding-boost/

For everyone who might need a little pick me up or message of solidarity.

Do you know someone who has had cancer? The answer is probably yes. Chances are they don’t sleep that well. They may also have difficulty with memory, concentr...ation and attention. Tell them about the action study and help them get the sleep they need. bit.ly/ACTIONstu

Science Career Talk: Psychology and Behavioural Neuroscience Thursday, Feb. 25, 12-1:30 p.m. Online... All students and alumni are welcome to attend this virtual presentation. During Science Career Talks, science alumni who are working in the industry speak to students and graduates about the career paths they have pursued and how they have navigated their job search. They are available to answer any questions students may have. Since many jobs are not publicly advertised, networking often plays a major role in how students and graduates learn about and find jobs and careers that fit their interests and values. Visit: https://www.mun.ca/sc/students/career_development/talks.php to learn more about the presenters and register for the event. A Webex link will be sent to your email following registration. Presented by Faculty of Science

Important news from the Doctor of Psychology program.

Congrats Dr. Montevecchi! The Department of Psycholology is proud of all you do for our students, the university, and the province. Your award is well deserved. https://gazette.mun.ca/t/incubation-hatching-and-fledging/

Congrats to Christopher Lively, PhD candidate on receiving a SSHRC doctoral award investigating youth interrogation rights. Read more here: https://gazette.mun.ca/research/funding-for-the-future/

Acting associate Dean of Science, Dr. Jacqueline Blundell, Department of Psychology, talks about fear and why we like being scared in this National Post article.

Early events you remember vs. ones you were told about Are you interested in early memories from your childhood? We would like you to tell us about two of your very early memories one of them the earliest event that you actually remember, and the other an event that you yourself don’t recall but that you were told about, something that happened to you. We’re interested in whether these two types of memory differ from each other. If they do, this research has important futur...e implications forensically. (You will be also asked some demographic questions.) Participation will require 20-30 minutes of your time and you can take part anywhere you have Internet access. As a thank you, you can enter a draw for a $100 Amazon e-gift certificate. If you would like to participate, please click on the link below. The proposal for this research has been reviewed by Memorial University's Interdisciplinary ethics policy. If you have ethical concerns about the research (such as the way you have been treated or your rights as a participant), you may contact the Chairperson of the ICEHR at [email protected] or by telephone at 709-864-2861. https://mun.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5oqg3fbw1n4ohrT

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Courage on her designation as Professor emeritus. This is an award that is reserved for highly distinguished faculty members and as a department we are very lucky to have Dr. Courage return this year as our interim Department Head. The link below will bring to you Dr. Courage’s story. https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-an/sustained-and-superlative/

Important message for psychology students. https://www.mun.ca/science/news.php?id=13479