Rocky Mountain Psychological Association
Newsletter
Spring 2015
www.rockymountainpsych.org
RMPA 2015 in Boise!
The 85th Annual RMPA Convention should be a
great conference! We had 245 submissions for papers,
posters, symposia, and workshops, and all of the Rocky
Mountain states (Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming,
Idaho, Arizona, and New Mexico) are represented, as
well as many other location throughout the country. This
th
year is also the 11
anniversary of the
Portenier/Wertheimer Teaching Conference, which will
be held starting at noon on Thursday, April 9th. In
addition to the teaching sessions, which students are
welcome to attend, we also have set up
special sessions just for students
during
the
teaching
conference on Thursday
afternoon. We will have
the general Conference
Kickoff
Speaker
(Charles Honts) at 5 pm
th
on Thursday the 9 and
the teaching posters and
reception following Honts’ talk
from 6 to 7:30 pm. Friday and
Saturday (April 10 and 11) will have full
schedules like last year, and some great speakers from
all around the country are lined up. We also have
several participant-submitted symposia and workshops
with a wide range of topics. We have some social events
planned for this conference, and there are great
restaurants in and around the hotel, so plan on staying in
Boise for the entire convention, which will conclude with
our RMPA Awards and President’s Reception on
Saturday night.
For those who are new to RMPA, please
remember that even though you are presenting a paper,
it is still necessary to register for the convention!
Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Also you will not be mailed a convention
program. Convention-goers will receive a program when
they either pick up their badge (pre-registered people) or
when they register on-site at the conference in a few
weeks. We otherwise will have a brief schedule of the
conference as well as a complete copy (forthcoming) of
the
program
on
the
website
at
http://www.rockymountainpsych.org.
Click
on
“Convention Info – Program Submission.” On that same
conference webpage, you can find a “General
Guidelines” link for newcomers to the conference, as
well as moderator information, and presenter
information. If you have any questions or problems with
a submission or want to help out more, please contact
the program chair, James Kole at
[email protected]
Recently,
we
switched to using LCD
projectors
in
all
presentation
rooms.
They
were
a
big
success! We are going
to continue to have LCD
projectors, so bring a
memory
stick/thumb
drive/flash drive with your
presentation on it. You can load your
powerpoint presentations on the computer before
your presentation (computers will be available
between 7:30 and 8 am for morning sessions, and
12:30 – 1 pm for afternoon sessions). We also have a
3’x4’ size limit for posters if you are presenting a
poster.
Thanks again for all of the great looking
proposals! We welcome newcomers and look forward to
seeing our “regulars” each year!
The executive
committee are all very excited about this conference!
Nevada
New Mexico
Utah
Wyoming
RMPA 2015 CONVENTION INFORMATION
transitions into Capitol Boulevard which will then take you
directly to the hotel. Hotel parking is $12 per day.
APRIL 9-11, 2015
The Grove Hotel
245 South Capitol Blvd.
Boise, Idaho 83702
Hotel Direct: 208-333-8000
Toll Free Reservations: 1-888-961-5000
www.grovehotelboise.com
Convention Managers
Teresa Taylor
[email protected]
208-426-1183
Kimberly Hardy
[email protected]
208-426-1207
Department of Psychology
Boise State University
1910 University Drive – MS 1715
Boise, Idaho 83725
Lodging
The Grove Hotel is Boise's only AAA Four-Diamond rated
hotel! Reservations are made by calling the hotel directly at
their toll-free number 1-888-961-5000 by March 9, 2015.
There is also a dedicated web link for making reservations
at: https://reservations.ihotelier.com/crs/g_login.cfm?hotelID=76224
and use the on-line booking code RMP. The Grove Hotel has
guaranteed RMPA that these will be the lowest rates
available.
Please be sure to tell them that you will be
attending the RMPA Annual Meeting in order to get the
special rate. Room rates are $109 for single/double. .
Transportation
The Boise Airport is serviced by numerous airlines with
regular flights. The Grove Hotel provides a free shuttle
service to and from the Airport. Taxi and Limousine service
are also available.
For details check, The Grove’s
transportation page. If you are driving to Boise, you will be on
I-84. From either the East or West take the Airport/Vista
Avenue exit and travel north on Vista Avenue. Vista Avenue
Spring 2015
Rocky Mountain Psychological Association
www.rockymountainpsych.org
Page 2
There are over 100 retail businesses within walking distance
of the convention hotel representing local merchants and
national chains. For a list of merchants and for an all around
good place to learn about downtown Boise check,
www.downtownboise.
org.
Boise at a glance:
The Grove Hotel is located in downtown Boise and is within
easy walking distance to over 50 restaurants, ranging from
fast food to nationally rated fine dining including many
unexpected ethnic restaurants. Your Conference Packet will
include a listing of contact information (address, location,
directions, phone number) for many of Boise’s fine and
diverse restaurants.
Boise’s downtown is a lively
area for shopping, sports
and the arts.
In the
immediate area of The
Grove
Hotel
is
the
CenturyLink Arena, (formerly
known as the Qwest Arena),
www.centurylinkarenaboise.com, and the Boise Centre on
the Grove www.boisecentre.com.
Downtown Boise is also vibrant home to an active nightlife
with a number of medium and small venues for music,
comedy, and social gatherings.
One block from the
convention hotel is the first distillery/pub/restaurant in the
United States, www.bardenay.com where you can watch (and
enjoy) them making rum, vodka and gin.
Boise also has a
wonderful art museum
(a couple of blocks
from the hotel) that
has
an
excellent
permanent collection
and which hosts a number of national and international
exhibitions each year, www. boiseartmuseum.org.
The City of Trees also boasts an unpolluted river flowing
through the heart of the city and a 25-mile river front
greenbelt (within walking distance of the convention hotel)
http://parks.cityofboise.org/media/228316/14-0507greenbelt-map.pdf
Among the many other unique sites to visit are the MorrisonKnudsen Nature Center, Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights
Memorial, Idaho Black History Museum and the World Center
for Birds of Prey. Southwest Idaho’s easily accessible
outdoors beckons the Boise visitor to enjoy nearby
mountains, desert sand dunes, canyons and whitewater
rafting rivers. Boise is the perfect city for a memorable
visit. For more information about Boise and the Treasure
Valley see, www.boise.org
We are really looking forward to RMPA coming to Boise and
we KNOW you are going to have a wonderful time visiting the
Treasure Valley of Idaho.
See you in Boise!
Just a few blocks away is Boise State University, Idaho’s
largest university and Boise’s Metropolitan Research
University of Distinction, www.boisestate.edu. Boise State
University is home to The Morrison Center for the Performing
Arts, www.mc.boisestate.edu ; host to the Boise Ballet, Opera
and
Symphony;
and
the
Taco
Bell
Arena,
www.tacobellarena.com.
Just across the street from the Grove Hotel is the Basque
Block where you can learn about and enjoy Idaho’s Basque
culture through dining, museum and cultural activities,
www.boisebasques.com.
Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
Utah
Wyoming
RMPA Convention at a glance:
RMPA Distinguished Lecturer
Networks, Connectivity and Neuropsychology
Psi Chi Keynote Address
Thirty Years of Terror Management Theory:
From Genesis to Revelation
Erin D. Bigler
Tom Pyszczynski
Brigham Young University
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
RMPA Diversity Address
Worth Publishers Lecture
A Quiet World:
The Psychology of Hearing and Hearing Loss
Gardner Memorial Lecture
The Intelligence of Dogs
Stan Coren
David Myers
University of British Columbia
Hope College
G. Stanley Hall
Distinguished Lecture
The Story of H.M.:
Recent Findings Indicating More than
Memory Deficits
Teaching Conference Keynote
Address
Undergraduate Psychology Education, The
Importance of Skills, and a Legacy at Risk
R. Eric Landrum
Boise State University
Lori James
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Spring 2015
Rocky Mountain Psychological Association
www.rockymountainpsych.org
Page 4
ELECTION RESULTS
RMPA Alumni Address
What Can the Cold War Teach Us about
Interrogation and Confession? Integrating
Psychological Perspectives from the Mid-20th
Century into Current Research
Congratulations to Eric Landrum and Courtney Rocheleau on
their elections. During the next RMPA Business Meeting, Eric
will become President-Elect and Courtney will become
Treasurer. At the Business meeting on Saturday, nominations
for the positions of President-Elect and Diversity Chair will be
solicited for next year’s elections.
William Douglas Woody
University of Northern Colorado
Eric Landrum
RMPA Past President’s Address
Psychological Science and Actual innocence:
Roles, Responsibilities and Policy Making
Charles R. Honts
Boise State University
Presidential Invited Address
RMPA Treasurer’s Report
2/2015
Conference Income (Salt Lake City)
Conference Expenses
Loss:
$39,245.00
$48,210.62
$ 8,965.62
Current Amount in Checking Account
Current Amount in Savings Account
CD Investment
Total:
$30,420.95
$ 1,057.79
$16,993.16
$48,471.90
Number of Members
Number of Affiliates
Number of Lifetime Members
128
452
58
We keep a significant savings fund in order to protect the organization from
being unable to handle extreme costs of a conference where the conference
expenses significantly exceed conference income.
Scientific Utopia: Crowdsourcing Research
Brian Nosek
Colorado
News from APA
The Council of Representatives (COR) of the American
Psychological Association met in February. Of interest to RMPA was
the Good Governance Committee's recommendation that the
composition of the COR be changed in order to make the
organization more “nimble” and to streamline the deliberative
process which can be quite cumbersome with a 150+ member
council. At the meeting in August, it was proposed that the new
council structure include representatives from the regional
organizations, which received support from the floor. However, the
council ran out of time, due to some skillful filibustering, before the
restructuring issue could come to a vote. At the meeting in February,
the Council decided to postpone any decision on restructuring for a
year or two until the changes made last year in the new operating
powers given to the Board of Directors could be evaluated.
University of Virginia
Arizona
Courtney Rocheleau
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
Utah
Wyoming
RMPA PSYCH BOWL, 2015
Colleges and universities with undergraduate students attending
RMPA are invited to enter teams in the Rocky Mountain
Psychological Association’s Psych Bowl.
WHAT IS PSYCH BOWL?
Psych Bowl is a quiz tournament for teams of undergraduate
students in Psychology that tests their knowledge of psychology.
ELIGIBILITY
Teams of undergraduate students from any college or university are
eligible to participate. Team members must not have completed the
baccalaureate degree nor have taken graduate level courses in
Psychology (except courses open to undergraduates). Students
must be enrolled full-time during the current semester at the school
represented, and must be registered to attend RMPA.
TEAMS
During play, a maximum of 4 players per team compete at a
time. Alternates may be substituted at the half. Coaches may be
faculty members or currently enrolled graduate students.
NATURE OF THE COMPETITION
A Jeopardy-type format will be used. During the game, questions
are presented and the first team to press the buzzer will be invited
to answer. If the first team does not answer the question, the next
team to press the buzzer will be invited to answer.
QUESTIONS FOR THE COMPETITION
Questions are obtained from a GRE-Psychology exam preparation
resource. Item difficulty is like that of items on the actual
Psychology GRE, ranging from introductory to advanced. Efforts
have been made to write all questions as open-ended items,
requiring one, two, or a few words to answer. Items are selected, in
approximately equal numbers, from an item pool covering the
following areas: Measurement [psychometrics, design, statistics],
Behavioral neuroscience, Learning, Cognition, Sensation/Perception,
Social, Developmental, Personality, Abnormal, and General [history,
the discipline and practice of psychology, APA style, and other
questions not readily classified into other categories (e.g., I/0
psychology)]. In any of these categories questions may concern basic
or applied knowledge, and may concern either human or nonhuman sources of knowledge. Judges and moderators check the
items for accuracy and ambiguity prior to the competition.
MODERATORS AND JUDGES
Moderators and judges will be chosen from participating institutions
of higher education, attending RMPA. Two judges (from institutions
not competing) will be assigned to each match to rule on the
appropriateness of the responses when doubt arises. The ruling of
the judges is final. (Moderators and Judges are needed. Please
consider supporting Psych Bowl by volunteering for this exciting
event. Contact Rick Miller at [email protected], for more
information.)
AWARDS
The winning team takes home the RMPA trophy until next year's
competition. Members of the winning team are awarded an
engraved travel mug, and all schools will receive certificates of
participation suitable for framing.
REGISTRATION
To register, contact Rick Miller at
[email protected]
PAST PSYCH BOWL WINNERS
2013 – University of Nebraska at Kearney
2014 – Weber State University
Spring 2015
Diversity Council News
The Diversity Council is pleased to sponsor, along with Psi Chi
and Worth Publishers, David Myers’ talk, A Quiet World: The
Psychology of Hearing and Hearing Loss. Drawing on personal
experience and psychological science, Dr. Myers will explore
the biology and psychology of hearing and hearing loss. He
will also explore user-friendly assistive technologies that
reflect “the human factor,” and will describe efforts to double
the functionality of hearing aids and cochlear implants.
In addition, Courtney Rocheleau and Anna Ropp, both from
Metropolitan State University of Denver, will give a talk titled,
Designing Material for a Diverse World. Drs. Rocheleau and
Ropp will discuss what to consider when developing materials
(including presentations, YouTube videos, and flyers) in order
to make them accessible to a wide variety of people. If you
produce any type of material – in or outside of the classroom
– this presentation will help you engage a wider audience.
News from Psi Chi
Psi Chi is pleased to host Dr. Eddy
Ameen from the APA Graduate Student
Association at our conference this
year. He will be presenting two topics;
“Finding and Affording the Right
Graduate Program for You” and “Making
the Leap: How Graduate School is
Different from Being an Undergrad”. He will also be the
special guest at a Friday morning breakfast for students to be
available for questions and conversation.
Eddy Ameen, PhD, is the assistant director of the
American Psychological Association of Graduate Students
(APAGS) in Washington, DC. In this staff role at APA, he
advises student governance groups on ways to make their
voices heard as they promote high quality training and
student welfare. He is interested in helping individuals
develop leadership skills and use the tools of
psychology to make positive changes in their
schools and communities. Outside of APA, he
serves on the boards of two homeless youth
organizations and an LGBT community
center. Originally from Rhode Island, he
earned
a
Bachelor's
degree
from
Northwestern University (Illinois), a Master's
degree in mental health counseling from Boston College
(Massachusetts), and a PhD in counseling psychology from
the University of Miami (Florida). He is delighted to return to
the RMPA annual conference for a second time.
The Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Newsletter is published
twice a year, Fall and Spring, and posted on the RMPA website
www.rockymountainpsych.org. Please direct any inquiries to the Editor,
Robert Rycek, RMPA Secretary, at [email protected]
Rocky Mountain Psychological Association
www.rockymountainpsych.org
Page 6
APA’s Public Interest
Directorate
Applying Psychological
Science, Benefiting Society
Welcome Students & Early Career
Psychologists!
Visit: http://www.apa.org/pi
Subscribe: In the Public Interest – Opt in at MyAPA at
http://www.apa.org
Follow: @APAPublicInt on Twitter
Engage: Psychology Benefits Society -- PI blog at
http://psychologybenefits.org
Connect: On Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/APAPublicint/
Grants, Financial Aid, Training, & Mentoring
Psychology Summer Institute – Minority Fellowship Program
*Offers a travel grant, professional development, and mentoring to
advanced doctoral students and early career psychologists.
http://www.apa.org/pi/mfp/psychology/institute/index.aspx
*Offers members the opportunity to spend one year as a special
assistant with a member of Congress or congressional committee on
Capitol Hill. http://www.apa.org/about/awards/congressfellow.aspx
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Predoctoral and
Postdoctoral Fellowships – Minority Fellowship Program
*Supports the training of future practitioners in behavioral health
services and prevention at the doctoral level.
http://www.apa.org/pi/mfp/psychology/mhsas-fellowship.aspx
Services for Transition Age Youth Fellowships – Minority
Fellowship Program
*Supports the training of future practitioners in mental health
services and prevention at the master’s level.
http://www.apa.org/pi/mfp/psychology/stay/index.aspx
APA Internship Program
*Offers paid and academic credit (unpaid) internships at APA’s
headquarters in Washington, DC. Contact Debra Perry, APA
Coordinator, at [email protected] or 202-336-5959.
Public Interest Internships
*Offers paid and unpaid internships within Public Interest at the APA
headquarters building. For unpaid internships, students must
arrange academic credit.

Health Equity Ambassadors – Health Disparities Initiative
*Offers information and training on health disparities and best
practices to improve health equity – graduate students and early
career psychologists are eligible to apply. Contact Patty DiSandro at
[email protected].


Small Grant & Mentorship Programs – Office of Ethnic Minority
Affairs
*Offers small grants via the Cyber Mentors Program and ProDIGs to
support early career faculty engaged in specific and highly focused
health disparities research.
http://www.apa.org/pi/aids/programs/cyber/index.aspx and
http://www.apa.org/about/awards/pubint-prodigs.aspx



Student Resource Guide – Office of Socioeconomic Status
*Financial and other resources, particularly for students from
households with lower socioeconomic status.
http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resource-guide.aspx
Disability Mentoring Program – Office on Disability Issues in
Psychology
*Links mentors with students, early career psychologists, and other
psychologists with disabilities.
http://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/mentoring/index.aspx
Internships & Fellowships

Health Disparities Initiative Internships: Unpaid. Send
cover letter and resume to Patty DiSandro at
[email protected].
Office on Aging Internships: Unpaid. Send cover letter
and resume to Martha Randolph at [email protected].
Children, Youth and Families Office Internships:
Unpaid. Send cover letter and resume to Amani Chatman
at [email protected].
Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs Internships: Paid
(minimal stipend) and unpaid. Send cover letter and resume
to Sherry Wynn at [email protected].
Minority Fellowship Program Internships: Paid and
unpaid. Send cover letter and resume to Kyra Kissam at
[email protected].
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns
Office Internships: Unpaid. Send cover letter and resume
to the office at [email protected].
Women’s Programs Office Internships: Unpaid. Send
cover letter and resume to Tanya Burrwell at
[email protected].
For Resources & More Information visit Public Interest and office
webpages at http://www.apa.org/pi/
Graduate Student Internship – Public Interest Government
Relations Office
*Offers graduate students the opportunity to spend one year
working on public interest policy issues on the staff of APA's Public
Interest Government Relations Office.
http://www.apa.org/about/awards/policy-grad.aspx
APA Congressional Fellowship Program
Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
Utah
Wyoming
RMPA
FUTURE CONVENTION SITES
2016
Denver, Colorado
Renaissance Denver Hotel
April 14-16
RMPA local institutional representatives serve as liaisons between RMPA and
their Department. Local representatives receive information about association activities
and the annual conference. Local representatives are invited to moderate sessions,
propose program events, publicize the conference at their institution, and encourage
their colleagues and students to attend.
If your institution does not have a local rep, and if you would like to volunteer to
serve in that role, please contact Rick Miller, RMPA's Local Representatives Coordinator
at [email protected].
Those institutions currently represented are listed below and on our website at:
http://www.rockymountainpsych.org/
Local Representatives
2017
Salt Lake City, Utah
Radisson Hotel Downtown
April 6-8
11 X 17 RMPA 2016 Posters will be available at the
Convention so that you can take them back to your
departments and post them. If you will not be at the
convention but would like a poster for your department,
contact Bob Rycek at [email protected]
Spring 2015
RMPA’s Network of Institutional Representatives
California
Point Loma Nazarene University
Colorado
Adams State College
Colorado College
Colorado Mesa University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University – Pueblo
Denver University
Front Range Community College
Metropolitan State College – Denver
Regis University
United States Air Force Academy
University of Colorado – Boulder
University of Northern Colorado
Western State College
Idaho
Boise State University
BYU – Idaho
College of Idaho
Northwest Nazarene University
Kansas
Fort Hays State University
Southwestern College
Montana
Montana State University
University of Montana
University of Montana – Western
Missouri
Washington University
New Mexico
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico State University
San Juan College
University of New Mexico
Western New Mexico University
Nebraska
Bellevue University
Chadron State College
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Nevada
University of Nevada – Reno
University of Nevada – Las Vegas
North Carolina
Western Carolina University
Texas
University of Texas-Pan American
Utah
Dixie State College
Snow College
Southern Utah University
University of Utah
Utah State University
Utah State University - Eastern
Utah Valley University
Weber State University
Westminster College
Washington
Eastern Washington University
Central Washington University
Pacific Lutheran University
Wyoming
Casper College
CANADA
British Columbia
North Island College
Rocky Mountain Psychological Association
www.rockymountainpsych.org
Kim W. Schaeffer
Robert M. Demski
Emily Chan
Susan Becker
Deana Davalos
Karen Yescavage
Ruth Chao
Laura Manuel
Aaron Richmond & Bill Henry
Rona McCall
Michelle Butler
Alice Healy
Nancy Karlin & Doug Woody
Charles Patrick Stark
Charles Honts
Sam Clay
Jann Adams
Glena Andrews
Janett Naylor
Jay Nolan
Michael Babcock
Allen D. Szalda-Petree
Mark Krank
Mark McDaniel
Maura Pilotti
Steven Elias
Ron Salazar
Karin Butler & Elizabeth Browning
Jennifer Coleman
Roxanne Sullivan
Mary Jo Carnot
Bill Wozniak
William P. Wallace
N. Clayton Silver
Winford Gordon
Peter Kranz
Kristine J. Olsen
Nick Marsing
Steve Barney
David Strayer
David Stein
Heath Earl
David Yells
Theresa Kay
Laura Bennett Murphy
Mahlon Dalley
Danielle Polage
Michelle Ceynar
Shawn Powell
John Marton
Page 8
2014-15 RMPA Executive Committee
Attention High School Teachers
With the help of a grant from the American Psychological
Association, RMPA is able to offer free registration for both
the Wertheimer-Portenier Teaching Conference as well as
the full RMPA Conference to the first 8 High School Teachers
of Psychology that register for the conference. To take
advantage of this offer, contact Dr. Cheryl Sanders at
[email protected].
President
Leslie Cramblet Alvarez
Adams State University
[email protected]
President-Elect
Michelle Butler
U.S. Air Force Academy
[email protected]
Past President
Steve Barney
Southern Utah University
[email protected]
Secretary
Robert Rycek
University of Nebraska at Kearney
[email protected]
Treasurer
Cheryl Sanders
Metropolitan State College of Denver
[email protected]
Historian/Archivist
Richard Miller
Texas A&M University - Kingsville
[email protected]
Program Chair
James Kole
University of Northern Colorado
[email protected]
Diversity Chair
Anna Ropp
Metropolitan State College of Denver
[email protected]
Convention Coordinator
Nancy Karlin
University of Northern Colorado
[email protected]
Teaching Conference Coordinator
William Douglas Woody
University of Northern Colorado
[email protected]
Arizona
Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
Utah
Wyoming