UIW Psychology Department Presents at Regional Conference

The entirety of UIW's Psychology Department recently presented at the conference of the Southwestern Psychological Association (SWPA), the official American Psychological Association (APA) affiliate for the Southwestern region of the United States. SWPA contributes to APA's mission to promote the advancement, communication and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.

Various researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students gathered at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk to showcase their research, exchange ideas and contribute to the collective growth of the field.

UIW's psychology department faculty, Dr. Stefanie S. Bowell, Dr. Teresa Partridge, Dr. Rachel T. Walker, Dr. Lisa K. Lockhart and Dr. Leslie Martinez, all attended and presented at the event. Dr. Walker shared that they offered valuable insights into the intersectionality of psychology, teaching, animal behavior and neuroscience, showcasing the University's commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and holistic education.

"I was very happy that we could all be there together," expressed Dr. Stefanie S. Boswell, UIW Psychology professor. "The members of our department are very active in presenting at professional conferences, but we usually are not all at the same conference together. There are many people from across the SWPA region that attend year after year, so it's great to be able to catch up with those different connections, learn about new research that they are doing and about new teaching approaches that they have implemented."

UIW Psychology students also had the opportunity to participate at SWPA, presenting research that they've conducted alongside Professor Dr. Teresa Partridge, on subjects such as post-partum depression, the familial impact of cancer diagnoses and the effects of parental acceptance on LGBTQ+ youth.

"It's exciting to see students presenting their expertise about their research questions to others," shared Boswell. "It's exciting to see them make connections with students and faculty beyond UIW and generate new, interesting places that their research will go."

In addition to presenting at SWPA, Boswell also presented at the Southwest Teachers of Psychology conference, which runs concurrently with SWPA. Her research centered on classroom elements such as student reception to flexible due dates and student-professor communication.

"I think it is useful for anyone in the classroom to spend time with research literature about teaching, learning and students' attitudes in higher education," Boswell explained. "There is always more to learn about teaching in higher education. Students change, institutions change, knowledge changes, the tools we use change - all of these forces in higher education develop and change over time. This underscores the importance of lifelong learning about students, teaching, learning, and trends in higher education. Staying involved with that type of research makes us better professors."

This year's SWPA meet was undeniably a representation of how the entirety of UIW's Psychology department are making impactful contributions to their field of study. A full list of presentations can be found below.

List of Presentations

*indicates student

Alvarado*, M. & Taylor-Partridge, T. (2024, March). Post-partum depression and acculturation in Latina/Hispanic women: A systematic literature review. Poster presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Boswell, S. (2024, March). Research methods students' use and perceptions of a flexible due date policy. Presentation at SWToP: Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Boswell, S. (2024, March). Relationships between student motives for communicating with professors and academic entitlement. Poster presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Boswell, S. (2024, March). Man students intend to reward man professors who provide special policy exemptions. Poster presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Brown*, M. & Taylor-Partridge, T. (2024, March). Impact of cancer diagnosis on family caregivers: A systematic literature review. Poster presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Greene, S., Alcala, G., Ontanon, A., Shakocius, A. C., Park, I., Reed, E., Johnson, A., Bustamante, I., Schillerstrom, M., Ginsburg B. C., Gould, G. G. (2024, March). Amantadine Has Efficacy to Reduce Restrictive-Repetitive Behavior in BTBR Mice. SWToP: Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Lockhart, L., & Hernandez, N. (2024, March). Proposed study: Predictors of undergraduates' AI knowledge and perceptions. Poster presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

McNaughton-Cassill, M.E., Lopez, S. G., & Martinez, L. (2024, March). Mapping success through compass: Using collaboration, mentoring, and research to build community. Presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Schwarzlose*, M. & Taylor-Partridge, T. (2024, March). LGBTQ youth, parental acceptance and suicide risk: A systematic literature review. Poster presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Walker, R. T. (2024, March). How to modify a statistics course to assist in student learning. Presentation at SWToP: Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Walker, R. T. (2024, March). Solo and behavioral interactions between African Giraffes at the San Antonio Zoo. Poster presentation at SCBNA: Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

Walker, R. T. & Brady, S. (2024, March). Exploring platform differences of emoji selection for facial expressions of emotions. Poster presentation at Southwestern Psychological Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas.

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