Villanova Psychology

July 25, 2024 - The Villanova University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is pleased to announce Kerry Buckhaults '23 MS as this year's Ingeborg L. and O. Byron Ward Outstanding Thesis Award winner. This award honors one Psychology master's student each year for a particularly excellent thesis and thesis project, Buckhaults conducted her thesis project, "Examining Estrogen Withdrawal Following Hormone-Simulated Pregnancy as a Model of Postpartum Depression and Anxiety in C57BL/6 Mice," under the direction of Benjamin Sachs, PhD.

Read the full article here: https://www1.villanova.edu/university/liberal-arts-sciences/graduate-studies/news-events/2024/0725.html

Psychology Colloquium Highlights Diverse Careers and Research Interests of Graduate Program Alumni | Villanova University April 25, 2024 - On April 5, the Villanova University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences hosted a special colloquium that featured presentations from four alumni from the master's program in Psychology. This daylong event in a packed Dougherty Hall East Lounge showcased the diverse resea...

We are pleased to welcome Assistant Professor, Elizabeth Pantesco, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences as this week’s new feature!

Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas—truth, unity and love—are integral to Dr. Pantesco’s teaching style. "In the classroom, I strive to embody the Augustinian values by fostering an environment where students learn to critically evaluate evidence relevant to human behavior,” she says. “We also consider how this knowledge can be used to improve people's day-to-day lives, in terms of mental well-being, effective thinking and learning, and enhanced social connection.” Dr. Pantesco is guided by these values in her research about behavioral and psychosocial factors that contribute to sociodemographic disparities in physical health outcomes. “By understanding these mechanisms, I aim to inform interventions and policies that promote health and wellness, particularly among historically marginalized populations,” she explains.

In her discipline, Dr. Pantesco enjoys teaching classes that focus on clinical psychology. “These classes offer students an opportunity to explore the science behind mental health interventions and gain hands-on experience with some of the clinical techniques,” she says. She also enjoys teaching statistics as students often “come into class thinking they're 'not a math person' but end up understanding and enjoying the material much more than expected.”

The Villanova community is the source of Dr. Pantesco’s inspiration. “My students are dedicated and compassionate, eager to apply their talents to make a difference,” she says. “My colleagues are smart and supportive, engaging in impactful work across the subfields of psychology. It is exciting to hear about all of the innovative and important work being done around campus.”

Congratulations, Gaby!!

This week, we’re featuring current Psychology master’s student Maria Gabriela (Gaby) Molina Funes ’21 CLAS!

Gaby was awarded the Claro Mayo Grant by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues to fund her thesis, “The effect of identity safety cues and shared identity on international students’ belonging and engagement in college classrooms.” The grant is designed to support masters’ theses or pre-dissertation research on aspects of sexism, racism or prejudice, with preference given to students enrolled in a terminal master’s program.

Growing up in El Salvador and attending Villanova as an undergraduate student, Gaby drew on her own experiences as an international student to develop her research interests. She focuses on international students’ sense of identity safety and how professors can ensure social identities are welcomed and valued. Gaby's thesis aims to determine the impact of identity safety cues—signals indicating that all identities are valued and respected—in classrooms, syllabi and other materials can improve international students’ experiences.

Gaby plans to take a year to build research experience before pursuing a PhD in social psychology. She credits Villanova for inspiring her growth as a scholar and becoming her second home. “It has given me the opportunity to grow as a person, professional and researcher,” says Gaby. “It has been an amazing experience, and there is a sense of community here that is hard to find anywhere else.”

Under the auspices of Galápagos Education and Research Alliance, Deena Weisberg, PhD, co-led a three-year community science project to study how humans were affecting an endangered species of sea lion.

“We worked with members of the local community at every stage of the research: coming up with the idea for the project, implementing the research and reporting the results back to their community,” she says.

https://www1.villanova.edu/vu/magazine/fall-2023/nova-worthy/up-close-and-personal.html

Eight our department’s graduate students presented their research at the Fall 2023 Graduate Research Symposium.

This week we’re featuring Victoria Martin, Psychology master’s student and CLAS Graduate Student Ambassador!

Victoria's academic journey is driven by her desire to contribute to the field of clinical neuropsychology. After completing her Master of Science in Psychology at Villanova, she plans to pursue a PhD program to further prepare for her professional career.

While studying her core curriculum, Victoria finds immense value in the Proseminar course. “It is a professional development seminar that teaches how to make the most of your time at Villanova, and so far, we have learned a lot about ourselves, each other and the field of psychology as a whole,” says Victoria. “It is a great starting class that helps prepare you for what graduate school is like.”

For students beginning their graduate program, Victoria emphasizes staying organized. “Graduate school is very different in that you have more freedom, and this can make it easy to procrastinate or focus too much on your studies and not enough on yourself,” she explains. “Creating and sticking to a schedule that allows for both is crucial in making sure you get everything done that you need to, academically, while also creating lifelong memories with friends.”

To Victoria, being a graduate student at Villanova means enjoying a well-rounded experience. In her view, the University's welcoming community, coupled with a commitment to community engagement and academic excellence, set it apart. “There are a lot of ways for graduate students to get involved and use the amazing resources Villanova offers,” adds Victoria. “The social and academic opportunities offered allow for anyone to thrive and excel in their field.”

For this week’s , meet Caitlyn Yantis, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences!

Dr. Yantis’ research and teaching focuses on the psychology of racial privilege. “Social psychologists have documented the many barriers that white Americans in particular may face in coming to terms with the reality of racial privilege in their lives. I enjoy teaching students about these barriers and, most importantly, how to overcome these barriers so that they are better equipped to engage with issues of race, inequity and privilege in their future workplaces and communities,” she explains.

Dr. Yantis shares a bit about what Villanova’s values of Unitas, Caritas and Veritas mean to her: “Unitas is at the core of my work: to use psychological science to understand and promote racial equity and inclusion. Currently, part of my research details how racially minoritized people feel when they are talking to white people about race-relevant topics—what do white people say and do in those interactions that make racially minoritized individuals feel respected, valued and understood? Caritas is something I strive for particularly in my teaching. I aim to see each student as an individual whose experiences and circumstances impact their ability to learn and succeed. Veritas is a value I impart in my research lab—we always aim to conduct research with integrity and precision so we can be confident in sharing our findings with the broader community.”

For inspiration, Dr. Yantis looks to scholars who came before her: “So much foundational work has been done to understand how people think and talk about race, and this work inspires me to continue expanding our understanding of how both white and racially minoritized people can productively engage with each other about racial issues.”

Meet one of our many fantastic students, Adriana Reilly!

“In addition to striving to help people, which is shared among all fields, I like that Psychology aims to understand people. This is an important aspect to me, and I believe understanding people’s cognition and behavior is at the core of many solutions,” says Adriana Reilly CLAS ’24, Psychology.

Adriana recently completed a Villanova Undergraduate Research Fellowship (VURF) with Kristin Broussard, PhD, and Narda Quigley, PhD, along with members of the Villanova Initiative to Support Inclusiveness and Build Leaders (VISIBLE) team. Adriana’s project that explores anti-racism: “This study aims to assess if and to what extent an individual’s anti-racism self-efficacy, defined as an individual’s belief in their capability to act in anti-racist ways, changes after exposure to verbal persuasion.”

The study prepared Adriana to write and edit papers, as well as to ask for help and further explanations of concepts. The results of her research reinforced the truth that change is the responsibility of individuals: “Our results found that anti-racism self-efficacy is only malleable in certain individuals, specifically those with already relatively low racism scores. A VISIBLE professor explained to me that change comes from a subset of passionate individuals, meaning it is not necessary to change everyone. This shifted my perspective on mandating DEI courses.”

For students who want to conduct research in their own field, Adriana recommends stepping outside your comfort zone: “I advise students to not be afraid to reach out! Most professors are very enthusiastic about helping students. Thank you to Dr. Kristin Broussard, Dr. Narda Quigley, and the whole VISIBLE team! I am grateful to get to work with such brilliant and kind people.”

Scientific studies suggest less than a third of college students nationwide get the recommended seven to nine hours of shuteye a night.

Villanova’s Irene Kan, PhD, professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, wanted to create a course that helps students understand how healthy sleep helps them succeed.

https://www1.villanova.edu/vu/magazine/fall-2022/find-your-seat-sleep-on-the-brain.html

Professor Weisberg's new book on the development of scientific thinking:
https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262044684/constructing-science/

Congratulations to Dr. Deena Weisberg for joining the next cohort of LSX Fellows!

https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/2022-24-lsx-fellows/?fbclid=IwAR1e9fUkAK-YAyiY8qWfmWjIF3DleriN0BFZ2K46LltQInB6--Nd0pibLNw

Announcing the LSX Fellows for 2022-24 These LSX fellows are 15 top- level, mid-career professionals—in journalism, entertainment, research, education leadership, and social entrepreneurship—hailing from eight countries, all focused on how to support children’s learning, from ages 2 to 12.

Professor Kan's sleep course and research program
https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/media/features/irene-kan-neuroscience-of-sleep-course.html

Neuroscience of Sleep Course Investigates the Impact of Sleep | Villanova University Less than 10 percent of college students get eight hours of sleep per night. Healthy sleep schedules are a huge concern for college students. So, Irene Kan, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, created the course, “Neuroscience of Sleep,” to delve into ...

As a first-year Psychology major who hails from Queens, New York, Isabella Quatela ’25 CLAS was “beyond grateful” when she was selected to work in the lab of Benjamin Sachs, PhD, assistant professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, as part of Villanova’s Match Research Program for First Year Students. “I was very interested in his research, which involves examining the impact of genetic brain serotonin deficiency, and working with him and the undergraduate and graduate lab assistants was an invaluable experience. My favorite part was learning about the lab equipment and being able to see the entire research process at my fingertips.”

Isabella is minoring in Music and Italian, and is studying abroad in Italy this summer. She is in the Villanova Honors program, “which has helped me form great friendships and grow as a person.” When not in the lab or on another continent, she enjoys participating in NOVADance, in Villanova’s Dance Ensemble, and as a Eucharistic Minister for Campus Ministry. “I am also a proud member of Villanova Student Musical Theatre—and cannot wait for this fall’s showcase!”

“In the US, the cost and emotional burden of caring and treating neurodegenerative diseases is enormous,” says Joshua Tsai ’23 CLAS, a Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience major. “The pathologies are very complex, and there is so much to study. These unknowns make investigating all the mechanisms, diseases, and disorders associated with the brain all the more fascinating. The Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience curriculum explores the brain from multidisciplinary perspectives, including biological, psychological, and social. I declared my major the summer before my freshman year and never looked back.” As a member of Villanova’s Word Recognition and Auditory Perception Lab, Joshua collects cognitive data using EEG tests for ongoing studies. “Later, I want to help with data integration and analysis of the data. After graduating, I hope to conduct clinical research before applying to medical school.”

Josh would also like to give a shout-out to the Department of Humanities, where he declared his secondary major. “I love the faculty, fellow students, and the interdisciplinary approach to answering some of life’s biggest questions. It has truly become another home here on campus, and I love the quality and depth of the conversations both in and outside of class.”

This week's comes from Lucretia Dunlap, a first-year graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in Psychology - Villanova Psychology.

"As an undergraduate majoring in psychology and sociology, I knew I wanted to continue my education in a graduate program. Villanova University was consistently rated as one of the top programs for a master’s in psychology, with numerous positive testimonials, so I submitted an application. I can easily say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My professors are knowledgeable and eager to help me succeed, both academically and professionally. There are many opportunities to better myself as a scholar, including: conference travel grants, professional development workshops in my program, and the chance to become involved in the university’s interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal. I am only in my second semester, and I am already presenting at a conference in New York, leading a research project, and working as a TA for undergraduate classes. All I had to do to receive these excellent opportunities was to show an interest.

It’s not all work and no play though! I have made many friends and attended events and socials too. I was concerned about leaving my home state to attend college in Pennsylvania, but I have felt welcomed and supported by the Villanova community."

For this week’s , here’s Janette Herbers, PhD, associate professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences!

Dr. Herbers and her students research the impact of poverty, homelessness and psychosocial trauma on child development. Housing instability has far-reaching effects on children’s brain development, mental health and physical health. Dr. Herbers’ work led to a five-year Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program award from the National Science Foundation to examine the impact of family poverty and homelessness on infants’ development in Philadelphia. “Researching homelessness has been a passion of mine since graduate school,” she says. “I hope our findings can be applied in other cities across the country to support families during this crucial time in a child’s life.” Recently Dr. Herbers testified at a Minnesota State House hearing about childhood homelessness—lending an expert’s view in support of a proposed bill to expand eligibility for a Minnesota program aimed at ending homelessness among Minnesota families.

Congrtulations, Samuel Sinemus, the winner of this year's 3 Minute Thesis competition!

Sam presented his Summer Research Fellowship project (supervised by Dr. Joe Toscano) and competed against 11 other Master's and Doctoral students from Nursing, Engineering, and CLAS. Sam will be representing Villanova at the regional competition in April.

This past Friday, the Graduate College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with the College of Engineering, the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova School of Business and the Falvey Memorial Library, hosted the 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) event live at the John and Joan Mullen Center for the performing arts.

A huge thank you to all of the judges and congratulations to the contestants on a stunning performance!

First Place was awarded to Samuel Sinemus (CLAS, Psychology) for his presentation on 'The Impact of Modeling Mental States in Goal Directed Speech'. He will be representing Villanova at the Northeast Regional 3MT Competition.

Second Place was awarded to Nick Langan (CLAS, Software Engineering) for his presentation on 'RadioLand: Find What's On Your FM Dial'.

The Audience Choice Award was given to Christopher Quintana (CLAS, Philosophy) for his presentation on 'Aristotelianism For Technological Development'.

For more photos from this event, please go to our album '3MT - Three Minute Thesis (2022)'.

Here's a way to explore some of the research publications of VU Psychology faculty and students (those with Google Scholar profiles). Click on faculty member name to see list of research publications from their laboratory. Then click on "Year" to see the list in chronological order with most recent publications shown first.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&view_op=search_authors&mauthors=Villanova+psychol&btnG=

Profiles

Congratulations, Dr. Pierce!

John D. Pierce Jr., PhD, adjunct professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences, has been teaching at Villanova since 1991. His research interests are in the field of sensory perception, and he teaches courses in general Psychology, drugs and behavior, and perception. The author of more than 50 published papers, he recently concluded work with a federally funded research program through the Laboratory for Engineered Human Protection, which tests, researches and creates functional apparel and gear that protects US military personnel. He conducted sensory psychophysical investigations of fabrics for potential use in military garments. Dr. Pierce’s full-time position is professor and program director of Psychology and Biopsychology at Thomas Jefferson University, East Falls (formerly Philadelphia University), where he serves as the University’s NCAA faculty athletics representative. He received the Philadelphia University President’s Award for Excellence in 2010. Congratulations to Dr. Pierce, a 2021 recipient of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Tolle Lege Award for Outstanding Teaching, adjunct division.

Allison Bajada (’23 CLAS) spent her summer researching the impact that the COVID pandemic has had on homeless shelter staff with Dr. Janette Herbers of the department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. Allison's VURF grant allowed her to spend the summer on campus, meeting regularly with Dr. Herbers who guided her through the project.

Allison says, "my summer research experience with Dr. Herbers has been invaluable, and working in-person in the lab has been incredibly enriching. I look forward to all the Psychology research I will conduct at Villanova and beyond, with my VURF serving as a strong foundation."

“I was a Biology and Psychology double major at Villanova, both of which deepened my interest in the neurosciences,” says Brian Emmert, MD, ’15 CLAS, a resident physician in neurology at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System. “Dr. Phil Stephens's animal physiology course during my freshman year in combination with his neuroscience course later in my career resulted in my fascination with neurophysiology.” Dr. Emmert’s work with Irene Kan, PhD, in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory Lab and a course in cognitive psychology with Chip Folk, PhD, helped hone his interest in the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and neurology—inspiring him to pursue a career in epilepsy. “Working with Dr. Kan and ​Dr. Anna Drummey in the lab was invaluable. I formed long-lasting relationships and had the opportunity to present our research at Psychonomic Society conferences, where I met and worked with some of the most prominent people in the field.” Outside the lab and classroom, Dr. Emmert worked for Villanova’s Learning Support Services, tutoring, teaching review courses and working one-on-one-with students. “The amazing support and mentorship I received from Dr. Nancy Mott and the LSS staff influenced me to make education a focus of my career,” he says. “I try to incorporate the Villanova core values into each of my patient encounters.”

The Villanova Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is still accepting applications for our Master's program starting Fall 2021.

Great prep for Ph.D. programs! Apply soon for best funding consideration.

https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/psychology

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences | Villanova University Welcome to the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences! Our department is home to undergraduate majors leading to a B.A. in Psychology, a B.S. in Psychology, and a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, as well as to graduate programs leading to Master's degrees in Psychology and Huma...

Professors Toscano and Toscano describe their new research on mask wearing from a speech perception point of view.

Want to be understood with your mask on? These psychologists figured out the best one - KYW Newsradio Audio On-Demand - Omny.fm

What do psychology and kickboxing have in common? Annie Direnzo ’22 CLAS is passionate about both. The founder and president of Villanova’s Kickboxing Club, she’s pursuing a BS in Psychology and has been working in Villanova Psychological and Brain Sciences research labs since her first year on campus. Annie is a member of the Word Recognition & Auditory Perception (WRAP) Lab, headed by Joseph Toscano, PhD, director of Villanova’s Cognitive Science program and assistant professor, Psychological and Brain Sciences. The group studies how human listeners recognize speech and understand spoken language. Earlier in her Villanova career, Annie assisted postdoctoral fellow Laura Getz, PhD, in designing an experiment on top-down vs bottom-up processing, a gig she landed through Villanova’s Match Research Program for First-Year Students. “The program gave me the confidence to pursue more of the many opportunities Villanova offers, including continuing to assist on other research projects within the WRAP lab,” Annie says. A member of the Student Advancement Ambassadors and a student facilitator for one of Villanova’s Healthy Living communities, Annie plans to eventually pursue a doctorate in Industrial Organizational Psychology.

Congratulations to the student authors in the new issue of Villanova's student research journal!
https://veritas.journals.villanova.edu/

Veritas: Villanova Research Journal Founded in 2019, Veritas: Villanova Research Journal (VVRJ) is the first peer-reviewed undergraduate research journal at Villanova University. VVRJ promotes investigation and discovery, the peer review process, and the work of Villanova students and their faculty mentors by publishing scholarly work...

Thank you, Jasmine Mays (Senior Psychology major). You are a true inspiration!
https://www.inquirer.com/life/jasmine-mays-villanova-prevention-pantry-pandemic-20200917.html

Villanova senior creates a ‘prevention pantry’ to keep students safe in the pandemic “I love helping people,” she said, simply. “I always want to do stuff to help people.”

If you're a parent looking for activities to do with your children, consider https://childrenhelpingscience.com/! Dozens of research activities to participate in -- including some from the labs of Villanova psychology faculty Deena Weisberg and Rebecca Brand.

Fun for kids, serious for science!

Children Helping Science Children and their parents can help science by participating in online research activities from home!