New York University’s Applied Psychology Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies, also known as OPUS, was established in 2009. OPUS provides Applied Psychology undergraduate students with a forum for sharing their independent
work. This publication is entirely written, edited, and designed by Applied Psychology undergraduates, and is one of the only undergraduate psychology journals in the United States.
We are thrilled to once again present our Spring issue at the Applied Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference. The themes of the Spring 2018 issue reflect the diverse research and clinical interests of our contributing writers, and demonstrate a desire to understand the role that interpersonal interactions play in ongoing development.
First, our writers review research surrounding the well-being of specific at-risk populations: Claire Callahan investigates the experiences of cyberbullying among female adolescents, while Anjali Menon explores how trauma is evoked and sustained through Intimate Partner Violence among Indian child brides. Subsequently, Nanying Li describes the unique factors that contribute to the psychological well-being of Chinese migrant and left-behind children.
For this issue, we also extended writing positions to include a wider array of academic pieces, such as book reviews, film critiques, and interviews with psychologists. This issue features a book review analyzing the role of microsystem-level influences in The Other Wes Moore, as well as a film critique investigating how the theme of loss in Finding Nemo relates to the viewers’ satisfaction. We are also excited to present two interview pieces: a discussion with Dr. Petr Janata on the field of music psychology, and a dialogue with Dr. Dale Atkins on the relationships between parents and their adult children.
Our final two articles showcase our undergraduates’ passion for psychological theory, research, and practice, as well as their ability to combine classroom knowledge with fieldwork experience. Thus, two empirical research studies are featured in this issue: one that investigates anxiogenic behaviors among caregivers of children with Selective Mutism, and one that examines the influence of goal setting on intrinsic motivation among community advocates.
We would like to thank our enthusiastic and talented writers for their scholarly contributions, as well as Sophia Meifang Wang and Alyce Cho, the OPUS administrative staff, for their hard work and commitment to the journal. We would also like to thank Alexa Montemayor and Eleanor Harrison for their tireless effort in guiding our writers toward publication. We are grateful to Dr. Gigliana Melzi, the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Applied Psychology, and Judson Simmons, the
OPUS advisor, for their continuous support of OPUS. Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Adina Schick, our faculty mentor, for the indispensable guidance she has provided to the development of the publication
Best wishes and thank you for reading,
Julius A. Utama & Elysha-Clark Whitney.