Internships, research and more

What you need to know

• Available during fall, spring, and summer session
• Can complete two internships for course credit. Need help setting one up? Contact the Career Development office.
• Any student interested in an internship should speak with Carla Strassle, Ph.D., (Life Sciences, Room 317) at 717.815.6414 or cstrassl@ycp.edu

Applied internships

• Learn about the application of psychological principles.
• Various settings and populations available
• Helpful for students planning to go immediately into the workforce
• Helpful for students planning to pursue a graduate degree in some psychology or mental health/human services area
• Available in clinical, counseling, school, and business settings

Research internships

• Participate in ongoing research activities
• Helpful for students planning to pursue a doctoral degree or a research-intensive master’s degree
• Available in medical school and private research settings

Independent Research

• Learn about the research process in an engaging way.
• Original research projects completed during a sequence of three courses (PSY 270, 271, 370).
• Independent studies under direct supervision of a faculty member available.
• Opportunities to present at national conferences and publish in professional peer-reviewed journals in psychology.

Students Present Research at the Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting

Seven students and their sponsor, Mary K. Reed, Ph.D., attended the Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting in New York City. The students who attended were Amanda Bucher, Grant Glatfelter, Chynna Noll, Rafael Perez, Katelyn Romm, Colleen Russo and Jackie Savino.

Colleen Russo's poster titled, Attitudes Towards Aging: The Influence of Positive Versus Negative Images and Color was awarded 4th place (out of 500 entries) in the poster competition.

Colleen conducted her research under the direction of Joshua Landau and Perri Druen. Colleen's research examined how the types of images people see of older adults influence their attitudes toward older adults and their own aging. Participants were presented with a slideshow of 10 images of older adults that were either positive or negative and either in color or in black and white.

Participants then indicated their estimated age of the individuals in the images and completed an aging opinion survey. As hypothesized participants who saw negative images had survey scores indicating more negative attitudes.

Additionally estimations of the age of the individuals in the images were lower for both positive images and color images. This has implications for the types of images of older adults in the media, as they have been found to influence people's attitudes toward older adults and their own aging.

The ETS Outcomes Test in Psychology

All Psychology majors must complete this test during their senior year. Students will be contacted to arrange for this examination. Students will also complete a Senior Seminar Paper and will present this paper in a formal setting. This activity will be accomplished as part of the requirements of PSY490, Senior Seminar.

The Psychology Graduating Senior Group Exit Interview

All graduating seniors will participate in a group discussion of the Psychology major. Faculty members in the major lead these discussions. Students will be provided thought questions prior to the focus groups. Students will be contacted regarding the scheduling of these groups.

The Psychology Graduating Senior Exit Survey

All graduating seniors will complete a survey and submit it to the program coordinator prior to graduation.

Independent Research Project

All students will complete a research-based independent project. The paper will be completed according to APA style. In most cases, this requirement will be fulfilled in the context of PSY370, Design and Analysis.

The Portfolio Program

All students must maintain a record of their writing in Psychology. Papers for designated courses are stored in the portfolio and are reviewed upon graduation. For details, students should see their advisor and the portfolio instructions.

Copies of the Outcome Assessment Data and Report are available in the Department Office, Life Sciences, Room 355.