2024-2025 University Catalog
Psychology Department
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College of the Sciences
Ellensburg
Psychology Bldg., room 421
Mail Stop 7575
509-963-2381
Fax: 509-963-2307
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/psychology/
Faculty and Staff
Chair
Heidi Perez, PhD
Program Directors
Tonya Buchanan, PhD, experimental psychology
Heath Marrs, EdD, school psychology
Professors
Kara I. Gabriel, PhD, general experimental psychology, cognitive biases, animal behavior, biopsychology
Susan D. Lonborg, PhD, health psychology, substance abuse, clinical and research ethics, career development, gender, social networking
Heath Marrs, EdD, school psychology, educational psychology, response to intervention, gender issues in education
Megan D. Matheson, PhD, nonhuman primate social behavior, evolutionary psychology, self-injurious behavior, comparative psychology, dog-human relationships
Danielle Polage, PhD, cognitive psychology, psychology and law, memory, eyewitness testimony, lying and jury deliberation
Stephen B. Schepman, PhD, organization development, work motivation, personality theories, social psychology, statistics
Associate Professors
Sara Bender, PhD, leveraging technology to address behavioral health and educational disparities, counselor professional development, online counselor education, online clinical training and supervision
Tonya Buchanan, PhD, experimental psychology, social psychology, social justice, judgement and decision-making, emotion/affective forecasting, nudges/default options
Ralf Greenwald, PhD, cognitive brain dynamics, event-related potentials, music cognition, teaching pedagogy, working memory, general cognitive psychology
Richard Marsicano, PhD, academic and behavioral interventions, intervention adherence, performance feedback, and response to intervention
Liane Pereira, PhD, youth mental health, school-based mental health, child and adolescent development, inequities in health and education
Heidi Perez, PhD, school psychology, response to intervention, efficacy of school-based interventions, social-emotional functioning and behavior in children
Mary Radeke, PhD, use of facial cues in emotion and personality assessment, conversation development in young children, personality traits, technology in the classroom, primate communication, eye tracking and Facial Action Unit Coding laboratory
Wendy A. Williams, PhD, general experimental psychology, human cognition, adjustment issues for students with disabilities, gender typing of cis- and transgender individuals
Senior Lecturers Full-time
Christopher Beeman, MA, behavioral neuroscience, biology of long term memory, teaching in psychology, neuroscience outreach
Cristina Bistricean, PhD, applied behavior analysis, experimental psychology, high-functioning autism, anxiety reduction, transitional periods, PTSD
Joshua Buchanan, PhD, self-conscious emotion, emotion expression, judgment and decision-making, psychology of video games
Kim Collucci, MS, mental health counseling in correctional facilities, social psychology, cultural influences on human development, and memory and remembrance
Lecturer Full-time
Patrizia Chirco, PhD, anti-racist approaches to social justice issues, attitudes, and behaviors due to demographic racial shifts, ethnocentrism, skin tone bias, and threats responses to organizational pro-diversity efforts
Staff
Debbie Thomas, secretary supervisor
Chris Buchanan, engineering technician III
Department Information
The psychology department offers an important behavioral science component of the university’s liberal arts curriculum. As part of the General Education program, courses in psychology broaden the student’s knowledge about behavior, cognition, and emotion. Through our major and minor programs, students can develop an understanding of the perspectives, content, and methods of the science and practice of psychology and prepare for graduate study.
Admission Requirements
Prior to admission to the psychology major, students must meet the following requirements:
Completion of PSY 101 with a grade of C or higher
GPA of 2.25 or higher in college coursework
Students wishing to apply for admission to the psychology major or minor are required to register with the department and be advised by a member of the department faculty. Students may register as pre-majors in psychology if they wish to join the major but have not yet met the admission requirements. The department reserves the right to change requirements as circumstances warrant. Application forms may be obtained from the department office or on the department website.
Exit Requirements
Students are required to have a 2.5 GPA within the major area to receive the degree.
Senior psychology majors are required to complete the department’s end-of-major examination in the quarter before graduating. Students should register for the examination in the department office. The purpose of this requirement is to enable us to assess whether the department has fulfilled its instructional objectives and to provide us with information that will enable us continuously to improve our programs and courses. In PSY 200 Introduction to the Major (taken after applying to the psychology major), students will learn about the portfolio requirements that will be due in PSY 489 Senior Assessment. One of the PSY 489 portfolio requirements is a minimum of ten hours of service learning and/or research assistant experience. This requirement can be met any time prior to the end of PSY 489.
Departmental Honors
The eligibility requirements for admission to the Department of Psychology honors program include the following:
- Admission to the program: The student must be a psychology major, at least a junior but not more than a first quarter senior and have completed core courses with a GPA of at least 3.25 in those courses and have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0. The student must apply in writing to the department chair, with a supporting letter of recommendation from a member of the faculty who agrees to supervise the student’s work to completion.
- Requirements and Procedures: The student will register for 4-6 credits in PSY 497, Undergraduate Honors Thesis. In consultation with the supervising faculty member, the student chooses a three-person faculty committee. Plans for the honors project, generally an empirical research study, must be approved by the entire committee. The project will culminate in a written research report and a formal defense of the thesis.
Graduate Information
The Department of Psychology offers courses of study leading to the Master of Science degree in experimental psychology, applied behavior analysis, and mental health counseling and to the education specialist degree in school psychology. For students already holding the master’s degree, a certification-only program is offered in school psychology.
Admission Requirements
Admission to these programs is based on evaluation of the student’s prior scholastic record: verbal, quantitative, and writing scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), recommendations by instructors and/or employers, a statement of professional objectives, and, where appropriate, the applicant’s potential to succeed in required practica and internships. If prerequisite background courses or their equivalents have not already been completed, they must be taken as soon as possible. Courses will not be accepted as meeting program prerequisites if taken on a credit/no-credit basis.
Each student is required to file a course of study form with the Office of Graduate Studies and Research by the end of their first quarter. The course of study is structured in consultation with the student’s academic advisor and is approved by the department chair. The student is expected to complete at least 30 credits after full admission to the program. Students who wish to use faculty time or departmental resources for completion of thesis work must register for at least one (1) credit of PSY 595 or PSY 700 during each quarter in which they require assistance and resources. Students must be registered for two (2) credits of PSY 595 or PSY 700 during the quarter in which the final thesis defense is held.
Background Check and Liability Insurance: Students admitted to the Mental Health Counseling, or School Psychology programs will be required to have on file a completed, current background and fingerprint check. Also, in order to enroll in clinical training courses (practicum or internship), a student must arrange to purchase individual professional liability insurance. More information regarding procedures, costs, and types of insurance coverage available may be obtained from the department chair or program director.
Practica and Internships: Satisfactory completion of all required practica and internships is mandatory for retention in all degree and certification programs. Grades assigned in these courses are S or U.
Final Examination: Candidates for the master’s and education specialist degree must pass an oral final examination on work offered for the degree. This examination will include a presentation and defense of the thesis and may include a review of courses completed in the student’s area of specialization.
Education Specialist and/or Certification in School Psychology
The mission, purpose, and governance structure of the School Psychology program is based in the scientist-practitioner model. This approach asserts that:
- The practice and theory of counseling and the provision of school psychological services must be interconnected
- Applied skill must be melded with existing scientific knowledge
- While school psychologists are primarily trained as practitioners, scientific principles, methods, and approaches should be utilized when working with clients
- Knowledge evolves through the interaction of experimentation, practice, and study
This framework for the professional preparation of school psychologists is divided into three facets:
Facet 1: Coursework
Facet 2: Practica
Facet 3: Internship and thesis
The three facets are interrelated. Students begin without significant academic knowledge. As they begin academic work, their initial assumptions are challenged, guiding them to new understandings of practice and knowledge of counseling and psychology. Their maturity through academics and practica culminate with the final facet where they begin their independent work both in practice (internship) and science (thesis). Students are highly encouraged to meld their academic work with their applied work at each level, and their theses are encouraged to connect to the work they pursue in their internship.
Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: www.cwu.edu/psychology or by contacting the department directly.
ProgramsBachelor of Arts (B.A.)Education Specialist (Ed.S.)Master of Science (M.S.)Non-degree Undergraduate Minors or CertificatesCoursesPsychology (PSY)Page: 1
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