Fall 2015 Letter from the Editors

New York University’s Applied Psychology Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies, also known as OPUS, has been a part of the NYU community since 2009. During those years, it has provided undergraduate students with a forum through which they can share their independent work. OPUS is entirely written, edited, and designed by Applied Psychology undergraduates, and is one of the only undergraduate psychology journals in the nation.

The themes of the Fall 2015 issue reflect the clinical and research interests of our writers. Several of our contributing writers have examined the manifestation of psychiatric disorders across social identities. Christie Kim’s staff article looks at the gendered elements and effects of self-silencing. Rebecca Moser explores how Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior manifests across gender and sexual identity, while Murphy Corcoran examines the effects of eating disorders on sexual functioning in women. Nina Passero also addresses gender, speaking to the influence of athletic participation on male aggression. In addition, Gabrielle Gunin examines the major influences of self-regulation in preschool children, while Lauren Banker explores the effects of music therapy on patients with Alzheimer’s Disease.

All of these explorations into psychological constructs illustrate the varied and inspiring abilities of our writers, making for a diverse and engaging issue. We would like to thank our incredibly enthusiastic and talented writers for their contributions to the journal and Dr. Gigliana Melzi for her continuous support of OPUS. Finally, we would like to thank our faculty mentor, Dr. Adina Schick, for her mentorship and dedication to OPUS, without whom this edition would not be possible.

Best wishes and thank you for reading,

Kaya Mendelsohn & Hope White

Editors-in-Chief