MSU's School Psychology Graduate School

BY: MELISSA

This week I attended a presentation about Michigan State’s Graduate program for school psychology. Before this week I had never really looked into the possibility of pursuing school psychology but after attending that presentation I can honestly say that I became curious as to what it is all about. During the presentation, the faculty member told us all about that different programs available and all about the application process and what it takes to get invited in for an interview.

School Psychology offers lots of jobs and choices as to where in the United States you want to work. But first off, you are probably asking yourself what even is a school psychologist? School psychologists apply psychology, schooling, and learning-related issues to their specific career. Some work in schools while others can work in other places such as a private practices or a community mental health agency. Another option is to work as a university faculty member (have to acquire a PhD).

Michigan State offers two different graduate programs in the field of school psychology. There is two routes you could take, first being an Education Specialist, otherwise referred to as a EdS, or a Doctor of Philosophy, also known as a PhD. To break down a EdS for you guys, it’s basically a certification to work in schools. This program is about 60 hours of course work and 2 years with a 1 year internship. On the other hand, a PhD allows you to work in schools or a private practice as a psychologist. Acquiring a PhD would also prepare you for fellowships and the ability to assume a faculty position in school psychology training programs right after graduation. This program is about 115 hours of course work and 4-5 years with a 1 year internship (2000 hours).

The faculty member that talked to us told us the most important things they look for in a graduate application: the personal statement and the letters of recommendation. A good personal statement may include engaging in a lab as an undergraduate (and possibly even a publication). Being an undergraduate TA may also help your personal statement stand out. Letters of recommendation are also a very important aspect of applying to graduate school. Some good qualities that someone could write about you are social, problem-solver, responsible, and independent. A good person to ask to write a strong letter of recommendation for you is someone who watched over you in a research lab.

If you didn’t know already, graduate school is very difficult to get into, where, in reality, around 100 people apply but only 4-6 are accepted. So if you think graduate school is in your future this blog post may be helpful when time comes to apply!

"Elizabeth Harris." Google Sites. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. <https://sites.google.com/a/lcps.k12.va.us/elizabeth-harris/>.

Texting and Driving

BY: SAVANNAH

PICTURE LINK

Most of us, especially young adults, think that we are great at everything... especially multitasking our crazy lives. However, when it comes to multitasking in the car, such as texting and driving, it is another story. Texting and driving is one of the worst things you can do to yourself, but more importantly to others. Many people have a mindset that they are pro's at texting and driving, however, no one could ever be a pro at distracted driving. Distracted driving is considered to be talking on the phone, texting, reading, and eating. A survey done in 2015 shows that only about 2.5% of people are actual super-multitaskers. That means 97.5% of the rest are just thinking they can multitask more than they actually can. 95% of drivers disapprove of distracted driving, yet more than 431,000 car accidents are due to texting and driving per year. Two visual tasks at the same time do not mix well together. Texting and driving equals the same as drinking four beers. That is insane! Also, the average sending text time is about 5 seconds which means if you're traveling 55 mph, you will be traveling the length of a football field. For more statistics, check out this cool infogram. Texting and Driving Infogram

Texting and driving is a real problem in today's society. Please think of all precautions before you text and drive. It is really important to know about the facts about it to understand how dangerous it is for you and everyone around you driving as well. Think about your own friends and family while driving!
Please don't text and drive! Sign AT&T's pledge to not text and drive. Remember, distracted driving such as texting is the number one cause of car accidents in America.  I have signed it, will you?AT&T's It Can Wait Pledge

https://www.itcanwait.com
https://www.cellcontrol.com/blog/why-even-great-texters-and-drivers-cant-do-simultaneously
http://www.bisociety.org/texting-while-driving-vs-drunk-driving-which-is-more-dangerous/

Identity Theft

BY: DWAYNE

 

At least 500 million Yahoo users had their information stolen in 2014, the company said on Thursday — a year when half of American adults had their personal information exposed to hackers. Several more big names have been attacked since.

The Internet was built for openness and speed, not for security. As more and more services, infrastructure and personal information move online, they have all become targets for hackers, who constantly scan the Internet for potential security holes and entry points.

At government agencies, old, out-of-date systems and budget shortfalls it leaves information unprotected. Security experts say there is no way to keep hackers out of systems with traditional defenses like firewalls and antivirus software.

I was surprised by how many times my information was exposed to hackers. When I do business with a company I expect them to protect my information from everybody. I still know there is a risk to everything that is done online or through a company but my results are shocking. I’m blessed to say I never been a victim of identity theft. These big corporations need to come up with more clever ways to deter criminals from stealing people identities.

The biggest concern to me about identity theft is basically self-explanatory I don’t want to get my identity stolen. I have taken a few steps to help lower the risk of identity theft. First I use different passwords for an online account I have. Also two-factor authentication most online banking site offers this feature to help make it harder for theft to access your information. Lastly just monitor your bank account and credit report for any suspicious activity. Please feel free to comment if you have any questions or just want to state your opinion.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/29/technology/personaltech/what-parts-of-your-information-have-been-exposed-to-hackers-quiz.html?_r=1

Psychology in Marketing

BY: SKYLLAR

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             Psychology and advertising go hand in hand. There are several psychological strategies that companies use every day when trying to create to forms of advertisement. Marketers want to know what grabs consumers’ attention and makes them want to buy a product, and psychology helps to figure out what impacts these decisions. Psychology is used to attract consumers and make them want to buy whatever product is being sold in a logical way.

            Emotional appeals are one of the most common marketing strategies that psychologists have proven to be useful. If people have some type of emotional connection with a saying, commercial, etc. they will think of it whenever they see the product. This connection can be the difference between whether or not some decides to buy the product or keep walking.

            Exclusivity is another marketing tactic that can be very common. Creating some type of slogan stating how a product might not be for everyone can really grab the consumers’ attention. Humans like to stand out and be different, so if companies make people believe that they are special by using a certain product then they may be more likely to get it.

            Psychologists research what appeals to people and what grabs their attention most. Most people don’t even realize all of the thought that go into making advertisements. Marketers work with psychologists to make sure that the placement, color, people, and every other aspect of an ad are completely perfect and get the audiences’ attention as much as possible. Some commercials don’t relate to the product it’s referring to whatsoever but it is all part of a marketing strategy. If you see a commercial that has a cute puppy in it, then when you’re at the store and see the product the cute puppy may come to your mind and make you feel some type of connection to the product causing you to purchase it. A lot of thought is put into marketing and psychology plays a bigger role than meets the eye.

We're all a little biased

BY: TORI

We're all biased, even if we don't know it.

The NY Times has a good article that addresses a recent event in the Vice Presidential Debate. When Tim Kaine raised the issue of implicit bias in institutional racism, Mike Pence took serious offense to it as a condemnation of law enforcement officers.

When most people hear the words “implicit bias” they automatically assume it means racist but that's not the case, the definition of implicit bias is known as the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Implicit bias is just one of many psychological processes that shape how we interact with one another. We also tend to be better at remembering the faces of people in our own racial group, or to subconsciously favor people in our group.

This is one reason that when I have to reply to assignments on D2L, I really want to do it anonymously. I cannot trust that I do not have implicit biases on the basis of age, gender, race, etc. That is the benefit of learning about implicit bias: knowing that we are subject to influences outside our awareness and making every effort to guard against them.

 "Milton Broome's Virtual Psychology Blog." Milton Broome's Virtual Psychology Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.