Letter from the Editor
Staff Articles
- The Combined Influence of Parenting and Early Puberty on the Development of Disruptive Behavior Problems in African American Girls
- Ethnic Differences in the Experiences of Sexual Assault Victims
- Marital Conflict and the Developing Adolescent
- The Impact of Family and Demographic Factors on Intergenerational Transmission of Violence
- The Role of Framing on Male and Female Undergraduate Students’ Feminist Digital Activism
- Effects of Solitary Confinement on the Well Being of Prison Inmates
- Investigating the Role of Moral Processes in Enabling Aggression and in Political Discourse
- Self-Efficacy in Victims of Child Sexual Abuse
- The Role of Benevolent Sexism in Gender Inequality
New York University’s Applied Psychology Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies (OPUS) is a semi-annual publication showcasing the work of undergraduate students. OPUS is entirely written, edited, and designed by Applied Psychology undergraduates, and, therefore, each issue represents the interests of the student body.
The themes of the Spring 2015 issue reflect the intellectual pursuits and human development interests of our writers. First, our writers acknowledge the impact of family and community contexts on individuals’ experiences. Shelby Bambino explores the role that marital conflict plays on adolescent emotional and cognitive development, while Hope White examines how parental monitoring and disapproval of peers influences girls’ disruptive behavior problems. Finally, Ahmed Alif, Anthea Chan, and Bryan Nelson utilize their understanding of the importance of parental influence and environmental characteristics to determine how both direct and indirect experiences of violence may drive youth’s future violent behaviors.
Another set of articles in this issue examine traumatic incidents and conditions that diminish mental health and quality of life. Specifically, Christie Kim reviews previous research on child sexual abuse and self-efficacy, while Devonae Robinson investigates ethnic differences in sexual assault victims’ experiences. In addition, Mary Murphy Corcoran analyzes the different ways that solitary confinement affects the psychological and physical well-being of inmates.
Finally, several writers have chosen to use existing theories and frameworks to target socio-political issues in novel ways. For example, Emil Hafeez explores the use of two moral processes to justify aggression within recent political discourse. Edward Chan conducted an experiment examining the effect of positive and negative email framing on undergraduate students’ feminist digital activism. Also toward the advancement of feminist research, Jacqueline Yi examines the ways that benevolent sexism serves as a hinderance to gender equality and as a tool for perpetuating damaging social norms.
We are proud of the articles our writers have completed for the Spring 2015 issue of OPUS. Their hard work has not only contributed to scholarly literature, but has also expanded our understanding of complex social issues. We would like to thank our faculty mentor, Dr. Adina Schick, for her guidance and encouragement over the past year. With her help, we are excited to be able to announce that future issues of OPUS will be incorporating a new feature. Students will have the opportunity to conduct and submit case studies based on their fieldwork experience, an addition that we hope will further the diverse nature of our journal.
Best wishes,
Vera Stiefler Johnson
Samantha Pratt