Dr. Jane S Halonen

In this article, we explore how the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major 3.0 can facilitate department efforts to use the academic program evaluation process to provide the best possible educational experience. We discuss the purpose and nature of academic program reviews in higher education. We explain how the use of Guidelines 3.0 can promote appropriate scrutiny of departmental strengths and weaknesses in psychology. Guidelines 3.0 “calls to action” offer specific discussion targets to assist program enhancement. We offer specific strategies departments can deploy to achieve the best outcomes from an academic program review. In conclusion, we make some suggestions to help academic program reviewers support programs in their quest to improve. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

In this introduction to the special issue, Moving Forward With APA Guidelines 3.0, we provide an overview of the genesis of previous versions of APA’s Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major, including its roots in the assessment movement and the process of developing and obtaining approval of the first two versions of the document. We then comment on the development of the latest version of the Guidelines and provide an overview of contributions to the special issue. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Greater attention to active and collaborative learning makes inclusion of all students worth examining in the changing higher education landscape. The overarching goal of the present study was to identify specific sensory stimulation patterns in the college classroom that may present obstacles for students with sensory processing challenges, particularly when students are faced with taxing sensory environments. We explored the links between sensory processing thresholds in a sample of college students enrolled in General Psychology courses and the number of reported classroom challenges related to their sensory thresholds and executive functioning. In classroom contexts, students who were very sensitive to environmental stimuli were most negatively influenced by participation in small group discussions, listening to side chatter in the classroom that distracted from the main discussion, and speaking in front of others when unprepared. This was also accompanied by decreases in attention and emotional regulation. In light of these findings, we recommend using principles of universal design to create a more inclusive and supportive atmosphere. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)

Intervention programs for domestic and intimate partner violence (IPV) are a growing focus of the psychological sciences (Murphy et al., 2020). Support services and comprehension of the social problem have progressed over the years, leading to advanced knowledge and therapeutic programs interventions. Offenders are most often court-ordered to complete traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; Hollon, 1998). However, high rates of recidivism have cultivated interest in improving potential treatment modifications and interventions (Radatz & Hilton, 2022). Recent experimental strategies prompt shame-focused exploration and training within CBT sessions (Loeffler et al., 2010). As a result, shame-focused CBT has emerged. Legitimacy concerns regarding the treatment have arisen. Shame-based CBT holds potential as an intervention method for domestically violent offenders based on standing literature, related concepts and constructs, and current empirical support.

Clearly this lopsided power relationship entails plenty of potential quagmires for your career. A short-sighted leader can eject the bearer of bad news without making any fundamental changes that would benefit the institution and make the campus a more pleasant place to work. An injured animal may experience mobbing, a collective effort to drive the maimed creature away from the herd or flock. What if your boss has taken management advice from Lewis Carroll’s Queen of Hearts?

A visiting professorship is the go-to Plan B for many a job candidate whose hopes are dashed on the tough tenure-track market. With this year’s faculty-hiring cycle underway, candidates will know in a few months if they should start seeking a visiting post. No, it’s not your dream job, but it is a reasonable way to keep building your CV until the next hiring cycle. This article offers some advice from senior professors on how to thrive, even in temporary positions.

Psychological science will be recognized as a high-impact undergraduate major that empowers people from all backgrounds to make a difference in their lives and communities.
To provide a comprehensive revision of the national recommendations regarding the knowledge and skills that undergraduate psychology majors should acquire at the associate and baccalaureate levels of study in undergraduate psychological science programs. The APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major 3.0 (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines 3.0) is designed to foster collaborative discussions in psychological science programs based on recommendations that reflect state-of-the-science curricular and assessment planning in psychology. Our charge from the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs was to anticipate the ways that the Guidelines 3.0 revision needed to reflect changes in culture and context to prepare undergraduates who will function optimally prepared for contemporary life.

Purpose
This research explores the reported failure to replicate Amy Cuddy’s findings that the power pose can produce improved workplace outcomes. The analysis examines Cuddy’s claims from the standpoint of the characteristics of pseudoscience.

Research Questions:
What was the origin of the power pose concept?
Why does Cuddy’s research not replicate?
Can any aspect of her findings have value for self-improvement?

Summative assessment practices reveal whether students ultimately are successful in learning what we teach. In this chapter, we explore current insights about what summative practices reveal about effective teaching and learning in psychology’s international contexts. We define summative practices and distinguish summative strategies from formative approaches, followed by discussing administrative concerns that help determine summative design choices. We offer exemplars at both the course and program levels to optimize gains from assessment for students and teachers alike. We identify the psychometric factors that influence the quality and success of summative designs. We close with an exploration of emerging contemporary issues and some “lessons learned” to optimize gains using summative assessment in psychology contexts.