V. Krishna Kumar, PhD kkumar@wcupa.edu 2020 can be thought of as the year of multiple crises: worldwide genocide by COVID-19, police shootings of black individuals and consequent worldwide protests, and wildfires and hurricanes. The Zoom invasion that began in March 2020 turned our lives into virtual reality. Life without Zoom has become unthinkable. For the…
Christopher Ferguson, PhDcjfergus@stetson.edu Earlier this month, I began getting emails from students asking if I’d seen the new Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. Our family had discontinued Netflix for a bit but with the new Haunting of Bly Manor coming, it was time to renew anyway. So, I watched it. Overall, I found it slick…
Kathryn Stamoulis, PhD Kestamoulis@hotmail.com 2020 has been a terrible year for many Americans. The relentless spread of COVID-19. Distrust of science. Extreme political polarization. A contentious presidential race. A rise in conspiracy theories. Heightened depression, anxiety, and loneliness, less sex, and on and on. All this negativity begs the question, how did we get here?…
Danny Wedding, PhD danny.wedding@gmail.com APA’s Council of Representatives met virtually August 5-6, 2020, during which it adopted a policy/position regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed to forward to the Membership for a vote bylaws changes that would offer voting seats on the Council of Representatives to members of the ethnic minority psychology associations and voting…
Stephanie Miodus, MA, MEdstephanie.miodus@temple.edu Stephanie Joseph, MA, MEdStephanie.joseph08@gmail.com As 2020 draws to a close and we reflect on this past year as Student Committee co-chairs, we want to thank all the students who have been involved in our initiatives. We started the year with the primary goal of increasing opportunities for students within the Division,…
Mary Karapetian Alvord, PhD Resilience Across Borders, Inc. resilienceacrossborders@gmail.com Mental health needs far exceed the availability and affordability of services for many individuals and families. Approximately 25% of youth meet the criteria for a mental health disorder, and only 1 in 5 children and teens receive the care they need. It is particularly challenging for…
Pamela Rutledge, PhD, MBAMedia Psychology Research Center & Fielding Graduate Universitypamelarutledge@gmail.com The world is waking up to what media psychologists have known all along: Media is about people. Media is the manifestation of human behavior, the result of collective and individual actions as people consume, interact, design, create, and connect across the spectrum of mediated…
Mary Karapetian Alvord, PhD Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC MAlvord@alvordbaker.com Dissemination of accurate mental health information is critical for the well-being of the public. Disseminating evidence-based information helps empower people to make informed decisions about personal mental health care and seeking professional services. Mental health information facilitates the understanding of warning signs of difficulties and…
Allycin Powell-Hicks, Ph.D. Independent Consultant allypowellhicks@gmail.com “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” The sentiment hangs heavy in the air, a specter from the past. The Nobel Peace Prize recipient, activist, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s (Wiesel, 2020) words are unfortunately all too…
Yemaya Halbrook, PhD Mary Immaculate College yemaya.halbrook@mic.ul.ie It is commonly believed that video games are unhealthy for individuals and for society. Even when discussing my research over the course of my PhD in psychology at the University of Limerick, people often assumed that I study the negative effects of video games. The release of Pokémon…
Alexis S. Torres, BA, Graduate Student astorre6@asu.edu Gene A. Brewer, PhD gene.brewer@asu.edu Arizona State University Many of us have experienced vivid memories of an event from our personal past only to have the veracity of that memory challenged by coworkers, friends, or family. Cognitive psychologists interested in memory have made tremendous progress over the past…
Bernard Luskin, EdD, MFT Wright Graduate University BernieLuskin@gmail.com In June 2020, I published an article on psychologytoday.com about learning and media psychology. In response to the article, I received many questions about the Neurotechnology of Media Psychology. In answering the questions online and to students in a Goddard College Master class in education, I explained…
Sara Brown, Undergraduate Student Arkansas State University sara.brown2@smail.astate.edu Children’s television has a responsibility to educate and keep its child viewers informed of the ever-evolving times in today’s society (Children’s Television Act of 1990). More households than ever before have access to TV, technology, and programs; consequently, children’s television has expanded its reach around the world…
Michelle Blake mblake@wcupa.edu Shannon Mrkich smrkich@wcupa.edu & Thomas Pantazes tpantazes@wcupa.edu West Chester University of Pennsylvania Writing instruction at the collegiate level is not the sole domain of English or writing programs because each academic department has a responsibility to teach students to write well using the conventions of their discipline. No matter the discipline, writing…
Stephanie Joseph, M.A., M.Ed. Temple University stephanie.joseph0001@temple.edu Stephanie Miodus, M.A., M.Ed. Temple University stephanie.miodus@temple.edu Frank Farley, Ph.D. Temple University frank.farley@temple.edu “What we say about race, what we do about race, in each moment, determines what—not who—we are” (Kendi, 2019). These inspiring words written by Ibram X. Kendi, a National Book Award Winner and best-selling author…
The Amplifier Magazine 