School of Psychology Newsletter, December 2016 – February 2017

Psyc b a b b l e

Word from the Head

Kia ora tatou,

As reported in this edition of Psycobabble, at the end of last year, we said farewell to some of graduates receiving their degrees in the December capping ceremony. And, in the last week or so we have been busy welcoming our new students, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. At the first year level, we have enrolled over 800 students (the standard number), and at the Postgraduate level we have enrolled over 70 fourth-year students, and over 30 new thesis students (Masters and PhD). Psychology is popular!!

To help us out with our space requirements, we will be using K20 (just across the road from Easterfield) for some additional accommodation for our thesis students – it is currently being refurbished, but should be ready soon. In Easterfield, the animal laboratory on level 7 is moving to a brand new facility in the new Gateway building by October this year, and this space will be refurbished for our use in 2018. In the meantime, we are still negotiating with the university about how and when we will start on a complete overhaul and redesign of our spaces in Easterfield. So, watch this space (no bad pun intended).

Whether you are just beginning your university career or continuing your studies, grasp the opportunities you have with both hands and follow your dreams. Do not be hobbled by self-perceptions that you are no good at this or that (like statistics) – you may well be surprised at what you can achieve when you work hard and take advantage of the help, advice, and good teaching we offer.

Best wishes Garth Fletcher

“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: It is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science”. Charles Darwin

ADMIN CORNER

If you can’t find us… we are busy under this pile of paperwork.

(Pictured left to right: Alan Ball, Sue Cayless, Helen Lloyd, Lynley Kadesi, Wendy Ward)

Staff Appointments:

Congratulations to Sam Pobog-Jaworowski as she has recently been appointed to a Full Time permanent Senior Tutor role.

Welcome to Helen Rowse! Helen has accepted a 9 month contract as a Clinical Practice Advisor and starts on the 1st of March. Make sure you pop in and introduce yourselves! We’ll have a piece on her in the next Psycobabble!

A wonderful warm welcome to Anne Keogh for accepting the fixed term Administrator position during our hour of need (see original stack of paperwork)!

Last but not least, a big welcome to Dr Maaike Helmus who has started a 12-month term as a forensic psychology lecturer in the MSc program.

Welcome Dr Maaike Helmus

Maaike will be coordinating PSYC 438 and PSYC 442, as well as lecturing into other forensic courses (undergraduate and graduate). She completed her PhD in Canada, where she received the Governor General's Medal for her dissertation. Maaike has worked for Canadian government agencies such as Public Safety Canada and the Correctional Service of Canada, and has also done consultations for several court cases in the United States. Her research focuses on offender risk assessment. She is interested in understanding risk factors for recidivism and how to combine those factors into a structured assessment of risk.

Maaike’s research has focused on sex offenders, but she is interested in all offender types, and has also done work on domestic violence offenders, Indigenous offenders, and female offenders. Maaike is thrilled to be at Victoria University and also to be living in New Zealand for the year. She encourages students to stop by and visit her if they want to chat about forensic psychology, career planning, advice on publishing, or if they want to provide tips on tourist activities in New Zealand (she particularly loves anything related to wildlife, especially ocean wildlife).

Given that she is not on campus that often (she is commuting from Hamilton), please do not hesitate to contact her about availability, and she will be sure to set some time aside on her next trip on campus.

WELCOME NEW 2017 STUDENTS!

Welcome to all of our Students starting with us this March!

At postgraduate level we have 5 new PhD students, 26 new Masters Students and 71 new students spanning the 400 level BSc Hons, BA Hons and Specialist Masters programmes.

At undergrad level there looks to be 855 students PSYC 121 starting this trimester!

…A Class of 2017 Photoshoot

To help get you started Orientations were planned for the first week back including a photoshoot of our now Postgrads

Orientation for new Undergraduate Programmes Go to the VUW webpage: http://www.victoria.ac.nz/students/new-students/orientation

Thesis Deadlines

Please be mindful of all our postgraduate students at this time as many are approaching deadlines for their theses.

Should you be in the situation where you need to apply for an extension, please get in touch with Patricia Stein in the Faculty of Science. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come up to EA 630 and chat to Lynley Kadesi your friendly Postgraduate Administrator.

We wish you all the very best in your final stages of this work. You can do it!

Staff Awards APS RISING STAR Nomination

Alia Martin has been selected as a Rising Star in the Association for Psychological Science. APS Rising Stars reflect the best and brightest of psychological science. APS President Susan Goldin-Meadow has sent Alia a letter with the good news. The complete list of 2016 Rising Stars will appear in the February issue of the Observer. For a preview of this impressive list of Rising Stars, see: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/Rising_Stars_Observer_AD.pdf.

Thank you for your dedication to the advancement of psychological science and your support of APS.

Elected Fellow of the APS

We are pleased to announce that Karen Salmon has been elected a Fellow of the APS (Association Psychological Science).

This is a considerable achievement recognising her international status.

Congratulations Karen!!

John Turner Medal

Garth Fletcher has been awarded the John Turner medal for 2017 by the Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP). This medal (given every two years) is awarded for an outstanding major contribution to the field of Social Psychology in Australasia. He will be giving a keynote presentation on his work at the 2017 SASP conference held in Melbourne on April 20-22.”

Honorary Mention: “SCICOILOGY”

Admin have awarded 10 points for effort.

PSYCBABBLE in 2017 Quotes of VUW

Please feel free to submit quotes to admin for publication each month. Submissions this month include:

“Unfortunately this is might be a system error and we are not able to do anything at this stage. It may fix itself eventually”.

Featured Staff Member

We will also be featuring a staff member each month and this issue features Tony Taylor.

Interviewing

Tony Taylor!

30th January 2017.

Lynley: “I am relatively new to the School of Psychology so I imagine I do not know the most pertinent questions to ask. I hear it was your 90th birthday in August! Congratulations. In the last Psychobabble you mentioned you have just completed two articles on request – one on the essence of disaster research and the other affirming justice as a basic human need. They bring your tally to 313 (including seven books, three of which were jointly authored). How about you start by telling me a bit about yourself”.

Tony: “I began Psychology with a Certificate in Social Science and Administration at the London School of Economics and Political Science at the end of World War II as I left the Royal Navy. I saw there was a clause in my demobilsation documents that said “were I to gain a University entrance exam and be admitted to University on interview the navy would pay my fees”. Coming from a working class background of poverty in the East end of London, this was manna from Heaven. I should say that I was lucky enough to have been commissioned and my last appointment was as Navigator of a flottila of minesweepers serving in the Pacific Fleet. Anyone who wants to know anymore can read my autobiography titled ‘Cockney Kid: the making of an unconventional psychologist’. In essence I was able to fulfill my schoolboy ambition of becoming a probation officer, and after working in London and Essex I was recruited by the legendary Samual T Barnett to come to New Zealand to help to breathe life into the outwarn probation service. Here I was astonished to find open access to university, that enabled me to continue studies in Psychology and Social Sciences first in Auckland for a year and then up to and including an honours degree, Masters and PhD here at Victoria. I have been affiliated with Victoria since 1953 as a part time student to 1991 as a former Head of department. Outside the University I took on the job of building the selection system for Volunteer Service Abroad, of which the framework I understand is still existing today. With the approval of the University Council I also spent about 15 years as an honorary consultant to the Antarctic division of Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, was also an honorary consultant for Green Peace Antartica for three years, and for about 25 years was an honorary consultant to the Department of Psychiatry at Wellington Hospital - to the latter part of which I taught a course in Psychiatry for medical registrars. Incidentally the University of Reims awarded me an honorary doctorate for my ten years of research with the international biomedical expedition to Antarctica”.

Lynley: “Would you be able to impart some words of wisdom for our aspiring psychologists?”

Tony: “I would encourage them to adopt a general systems theory of knowledge, perhaps to the dismay of some teachers who try to persuade them to be narrow minded in the pursuit of one dimension of psychology, and most certainly they would want them to shy away from interelating the subject academically, emperically and professionally with scholars and practitioners of other disciplines.”

Lynley: “What would you say is your most memorable experiment?”

Tony: “My most memorable experience of experiements, was with the noted Richard Walters in Auckland (he subsequently linked up with Albert Bandura in America with the Tubby-doll experiment on infant aggression). We started with six Norwegian rats, specially imported – but he knew nothing about animal husbandry and one by one in motivational trials they died. Otherwise under the influence of the famous Ethno-Psychologist Earnest Beaglehole and one of his former students Harry. T. Scott I saw the significance of sensory deprivation in longterm prisoners, and I proceeded to study some of its effects. Some might like to know that my PhD study of group psychotherapy with adolescent girls in Arohata Borstal Institution was picked out recently as ranking fourth out of only 10 from 708 such studies which were considered internationally for their theoretical design and execution. At Victoria the demand from all sides from students and staff was such that for three years I became an ad hoc student counsellor, and then I was appointed the very first student counsellor of any kind in the country. Now I understand there are nearly 3,500 of such professionals. Although at the age of 89 I gave up my practicing certificate, at the request of a former student who is the correction officer in charge I continue to do voluntary work with the drug and alcohol treatment programme at Rimutaka Prison for which I have some slight attachment. The last thing I wish to tell you. My granddaughter has catalogued 900 of my books from which the University library and it’s J.C. Beaglehole room are currently making selections, with the remainder being available to help students. The Beaglehole room has also taken 85 boxes of my research papers for the use of anyone who might be interested in following up the various projects in which I have been engaged. My latest invitation is to be considered for the editorship of the journal of Traumatology, and to join the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Psychology. I have accepted the latter, but not the former because of the volume of work entailed, but I agreed to continue to be a reviewer of articles submitted.”

Lynley: You have had the most interesting life. Do you wish to expand on the last 18 months where you have had invitations to give keynote addresses in Bandung, London, Lisbon, Kuala Lumpur, Australia and now Berlin?

Tony: No thanks, I have blown my own trumpet too much already!

CACR News

CACR news – launch of public courses for our intercultural training

CACR’s intercultural training course – Building Cultural Competency – will be offered to the public in 2017 via the Centre for Lifelong Learning.

Up until now the workshop has always been delivered in-house to organisations. For example we have successfully delivered three workshops for the Ministry of Primary Industries, three for Auckland Transport and one (very recently) for Immigration NZ. However we were often receiving emails from individuals asking about the workshop and wanting to book themselves a place on the next available course. And that’s where Victoria’s Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL) came into the picture. We are partnering with CLL to add our intercultural training to their suite of executive and professional development offerings.

The course has had a slight name change – Building Intercultural Competency – and will run twice this year, in May and August. See here for more details. Please Like, Share and Tweet to help publicise the events!

CACR news – new name for the CACR travel grant

Chan Hoong Leong was the first person to complete a PhD with the CACR. Chan Hoong lives and works as a senior academic in Singapore and ever since graduating he has regularly donated money to the CACR to help our other PhD students attend overseas conferences. This travel scholarship has enabled many CACR PhD students to attend conferences that they would not have been able to without this financial help. However he has never been comfortable with our naming him in the title of the grant and asked us to come up with another name. We are very fortunate to have had Dr Tia Neha find a solution for us with input from her mother and with approval from Chan Hoong.

The new name is Te Hoahoatanga o Pōkai Haere. The name was given by a respected Kuia or Māori elder called Ihipera (Bella) Morrell who comes from a New Zealand Māori tribe called Ngati Porou which is situated on the East Coast of the North Island, New Zealand. The name means the close, far and beyond trails, travels and tribulations of one’s connections with people, land and spiritual connections. Put in a wider contest Te Hoahoatanga o Pōkai Haere describes a travel scholarship that encompasses a journey that relates to linking with people from other parts of the world, the new lands that they encounter and the many spiritual experiences that are open to people from all over the world.

(Thank you Tia and Bella!)

PSYC SURVIVOR 2017 OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, OUTPSYC

This year Psyc Survivor kicked off 21st-24th February. PSYC Survivor is a four day programme offered to students enrolling in PSYC121 or PSYC122. The PSYC Survivor programme is held in the School of Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington. The programme is PSYC specific, aimed at familiarising students with psychological concepts and theory, statistics and the contents of a lab report.

… they are still recovering. More from Tash and Sam next issue… December Graduation…

It was a while ago now, but it’s never too late to celebrate the success of our graduates. Here are a selection of photos taken from the happy occasion before the big event!

Photos can be requested through [email protected] (pop by EA630 to view them first).

=Wedding Bells

If you see Hazel Godfrey around, don’t forget to wish her best wishes for a happy married life. Hazel and Dave tied the knot on Friday 17th February. We wish you all the very best Hazel!

A word from Sue Schenk Devon Polaschek and Maryanne Garry’s Departure

I am sorry to miss the farewell, especially the laughs and the bagels and the drinks at M&H. I am not sad to miss the tears. I thought it might be appropriate to share a few memories with all y'all. I did not spend as much time with Devon and so have not written anything about her. But I will certainly miss her as well. Here goes. ------When I interviewed for the position of Professor in 2000, we went to a fish place for dinner. On the way over, MG, then a relatively young senior lecturer, asked me if I was aware of the “treaty”. I was not. In those days the web was not as developed as it is today, although even today it’s a trick to navigate. So on that walk from wherever we were to the restaurant MG gave me the Readers digest version of the treaty. At my interview the next day I was asked all kinds of things about the treaty, which I was now prepared to answer. So for those of you who wonder how I ever got the job, blame MG. Had she not tutored me the interview would have been a disaster. Over the years, I have had many professional interactions with MG. The first I can remember was when Colleen, then HoS, asked me to review MGs application for promotion over the SL bar. I met with MG and suggested that she was not yet ready for such an important promotion. That was in 2001, shortly after I arrived at VUW. In those days MG had not yet matured professionally to the fine place she is at now and so her reaction was…..explosive. Nonetheless she withdrew her application and waited. I still think it was the right move and I was pleased to see her meteoric rise through the ranks afterwards. I remember MG asking me for advice about how to get Marsden funding. I had no idea (and still don’t) but made some suggestions. Clearly those suggestions were excellent since MG had continual Marsden funding for a long time and at one point even held two Marsden grants concurrently. As you all know, my advice was not what got her the grants, but nonetheless I like to claim some role in her success. The tables certainly turned and for many years MG gave me advice about how to phrase the one pager. I have been fortunate to have her help in this. In those early days, MG showed little e-mail restraint. After a number of messages that were taken badly by staff, I suggested that if she felt compelled to hit the send button, to send the e-mail to me first. That worked a treat. MG returned the favour later when my e-mails also needed a bit of toning down. When I was HoS my interactions with MG were generally cordial. She asked for stuff and I gave it to her…most of the time. When I couldn’t, and gave her what I thought was good reason, she usually sulked. But in the end, she matured gracefully and came to accept most of my decisions. There is one notable exception that I recall. She was head of the newly formed “space” committee and when I felt she was not doing the committee role justice I canned her. Another explosion in the main office. I remember Ngaire calling me in the lab and telling me to stay there until MG had left. It was good advice. Don’t get me wrong. There were a lot of positive professional interactions as well. MG served as a confidant who was always there to listen to me bitch. I valued her as a colleague and I will miss her candidness, honesty, and her amazing sense of humour. In terms of personal interactions, MG has been a drinking buddy…and in the days pre-vegan, we enjoyed meals out as well as in. For someone with so little body fat she can put away a lot of booze! I remember her impressive gnocchi and I enjoyed sharing some of her amazing wines. We shared a quarter barrel of en primeur of the good earth pinot noir and I wonder if she still has some of hers. I went through mine pretty quickly.

Best of luck and make sure that those wine orders still get delivered to VUW.

If you have a piece you would like to include in the next issue of Psycobabble, please write to Lynley Kadesi [email protected]