Annual Psychology and Counseling Awards at GSU

The Division of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University recently awarded its highest honors to both students and faculty

Annual Psych and Counseling Awards at GSU

The Division of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University recently awarded its highest honors to both students and faculty

WPPSI-III and ABAS-II Sessions at GSU

Governors State University\u27s Division of Psychology and Counseling is sponsoring training sessions on the WPPSI-II and ABAS-II assessment tools for school psychologists and clinicians in partnership with The Psychological Corporation

The Web Magazine 1969, May

The Web Magazine focuses on alumni news and campus events from Gardner-Webb College; now Gardner-Webb University. This issue provides detailed information about the 1969 Alumni Banquet, announces a new director of the Division of Psychology and Education, and it lists donors to the Annual Fund.https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/the-web/1016/thumbnail.jp

Governor Appoints Governors State Professor Emeritus to IBHE

Governor Rod Blagojevich has appointed Governors State University Professor Emeritus Addison Woodward to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Woodward served as a professor of psychology in Governors State’s College of Education for more than 29 years and was chair of the Division of Psychology and Counseling from 1979 until his retirement in 2002

Hot hand fallacy, gambler's fallacy, or both

This presentation was given as part of the 2011 London Workshop on Problem Gambling: Theory and (Best) Practice by Juemin Xu from the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London (UCL). The workshop was organised by Professor Fernand Gobet and Dr Marvin Schiller and hosted by Brunel University on the 13th September 2011

GSU Offers Free Counseling Services

Today’s individuals and families face economic and social pressures as well communication difficulties that frequently disrupt family unity and the ability to cope. Counseling is one of the most important tools for understanding and coping. Free individual, family, and vocational counseling is available through the Division of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University as part of its training program for advanced graduate counseling students

Free Counseling Services Now Offered at Governors State University

The Division of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University will be offering free counseling services for families, couples, individuals, and job seekers beginning in mid September. The free counseling sessions are conducted by GSU Counselors-in-Training at the university’s newly renovated Counseling Lab. Sessions are supervised by university faculty who hold doctorate degrees in counseling or psychology. Many are also in private practice

Short-Term Enrichment Makes Male Rats More Attractive, More Defensive and Alters Hypothalamic Neurons

Innate behaviors are shaped by contingencies built during evolutionary history. On the other hand, environmental stimuli play a significant role in shaping behavior. In particular, a short period of environmental enrichment can enhance cognitive behavior, modify effects of stress on learned behaviors and induce brain plasticity. It is unclear if modulation by environment can extend to innate behaviors which are preserved by intense selection pressure. In the present report we investigate this issue by studying effects of relatively short (14-days) environmental enrichment on two prominent innate behaviors in rats, avoidance of predator odors and ability of males to attract mates. We show that enrichment has strong effects on both the innate behaviors: a) enriched males were more avoidant of a predator odor than non-enriched controls, and had a greater rise in corticosterone levels in response to the odor; and b) had higher testosterone levels and were more attractive to females. Additionally, we demonstrate decrease in dendritic length of neurons of ventrolateral nucleus of hypothalamus, important for reproductive mate-choice and increase in the same in dorsomedial nucleus, important for defensive behavior. Thus, behavioral and hormonal observations provide evidence that a short period of environmental manipulation can alter innate behaviors, providing a good example of gene-environment interaction

Alterations in Cortisol Profiles among Mothers of Children with ASD Related to Poor Child Sleep Quality

Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience poorer sleep, but studies have not yet used objective measures to investigate how child and caregiver sleep affect each other. In this study, 29 mothers and their child with ASD aged between 6 and 16 years were recruited. Questionnaires measuring child autism, maternal depression, and maternal and child sleep quality were administered. Cortisol salivary samples were also obtained from the mothers over the course of a day. Results revealed that maternal depression is significantly correlated with their subjective sleep quality, sleep latency and daytime dysfunction. Child sleep quality was also found to be significantly correlated with ASD severity. In terms of maternal cortisol profiles, a significant number of mothers showed a flattened diurnal cortisol expression, and children of mothers with a flattened cortisol profile had significantly more sleep problems. Overall, results suggest that maternal and child sleep are affected by the child’s disability but also are mutually related. Future studies may consider employing measures such as actigraphy or somnography to quantify sleep quality and establish causal pathways between sleep, cortisol expression and caregiver and child outcomes. The present study has clinical implications in examining family sleep when considering treatment for ASD