On March 20, students in the psychology department presented their research findings on religious conformity, behavioral modification, and obesity in the evangelical community.Sarah Rykwalder, a psychology junior, along with three other students conducted an observational study during Midwestern university church services to track the factors associated with conformity. The raising of hands in a service is one example of behaviors they tracked. They witnessed individuals conformed when they received reinforcements.“The students were reinforced to conform by receiving something desired: a sense of affiliation, social approval, and feeling closer to God. The students wanted to avoid certain aversive stimuli,” Rykwalder said.They also found an association with the number of hands raised and the music crescendos. Rykwalder plans further research regarding the implications of conformity in musical worship by testing different decibels to find out if certain volumes are related to behavioral responses.Lennon Mueller, a psychology senior, discussed the results of his six week study on articulation disorder and overcorrection procedures. He worked with two elementary aged students: a boy that struggled with initial L sound words and a girl with overall slurred speech. Mueller used overcorrection and positive reinforcement to change their speech patterns. At the end of the study, the boy’s L sounds improved by 50 percent and the girl’s slurred speech decreased from 100 percent to 50 percent. He found the biggest impact in their therapy was through overcorrection: when he would stop them upon error and make them repeat the appropriate sound five times.“Before going into this work, I would not have considered myself a behaviorist. After this project, I’m not only sold as a behaviorist, but I have also decided to pursue applied behavior analysis as a career, “Mueller said.Under the advisement of Professor Decker, Assistant Professor of Psychology, both Rykwalder and Mueller will be presenting at the Butler Undergraduate Research Conference next month.Matthew Merringer, a Christian ministries sophomore, is developing an obesity treatment process tailored for an evangelical faith community. After doing research, he felt obesity was an issue the church could not continue to ignore.“Church people are the most overweight group of people in the States and being overweight has spiritual implications whether it is in self-discipline or the sin of gluttony,” Merringer said.He has created a 16 week plan that incorporates Biblical values into the fitness and diet regime. Merringer is arranging to train research assistants in the fall 2013 and begin pilot studies in the spring 2014, with full training for local churches on the method in fall 2014.“The church has separated itself from science because it does not understand how to balance science with theology. I want to change this,” Merringer said. “Psychology and religion can combine and work hand in hand for the glory of God.”
Articles of Interest
File the FAFSA in just 22 minutes
Published: February 3, 2021
Filing the FAFSA isn’t as complicated or time-consuming as it seems – you
only need about 6 documents and 22 minutes! In the time it takes you to catch
up on your social media feed, you can take the critical first step in getting
the money you need to attend college.
Here’s a checklist of everything you need:
An FSA ID. Your FSA ID allows you to log in to your account, sign the FAFSA
and make changes or add schools. You and your parent must create separate FSA
IDs. Create this first!
You and your parent’s Social Security or Alien Registration number.
Here’s what to do if your
Filing the FAFSA isn’t as complicated or time-consuming as it seems – you
only need about 6 documents and 22 minutes! In the time it takes you to catch
up on your social media feed, you can take the critical first step in getting
the money you need to attend college.
Here’s a checklist of everything you need:
An FSA ID. Your FSA ID allows you to log in to your account, sign the FAFSA
and
Filing the FAFSA isn’t as complicated or time-consuming as it seems – you
only need about 6 documents and 22 minutes! In the time it takes you to catch
up on your social media feed, you can take
Archived Articles of Interest
Lifelong Learning
Published: January 2, 2018
by Dr. Hank Kelly, OCU Provost
As the soil of the Earth needs to be fed to blossom, our brains are the
absorbent sponge waiting to be fed with new ideas and concepts. Water it
daily to stimulate growth, and you will yield a bountiful harvest of
information and knowledge. –Matt Mayberry
An education is important and prepares you to succeed in life, but if you do
not continue to learn, increasing in knowledge and skills, you will
eventually stagnate. All too often promising leaders plateau early in their
careers—because they stopped learning. Even if you never change jobs
again,
by Dr. Hank Kelly, OCU Provost
As the soil of the Earth needs to be fed to blossom, our brains are the
absorbent sponge waiting to be fed with new ideas and concepts. Water it
daily to stimulate growth, and you will yield a bountiful harvest of
information and knowledge. –Matt Mayberry
An education is important and prepares you to succeed in life, but if you do
not continue to learn,
by Dr. Hank Kelly, OCU Provost
As the soil of the Earth needs to be fed to blossom, our brains are the
absorbent sponge waiting to be fed with new ideas and concepts. Water it
daily to stimulate
Student Profile: AYA Math Teacher Ed Major Leads by Example
Published: December 26, 2017
Clarissa Crowley, one of the first Adolescence to Young Adult Education (AYA)
Mathematics majors at Ohio Christian University, set her sights high when she
decided to major in STEM education to transform young lives.
Serving as a ‘guinea pig’ for the new AYA curriculum with its advanced,
yet enticing, and rigorous materials, Crowley’s goal for herself is not
only propelling her into the future, but also enabling her to demonstrate
faith-based leadership to her peers.
Becoming a servant leader wasn’t always in the cards for Crowley. Higher
education seemed unobtainable to her until a
Clarissa Crowley, one of the first Adolescence to Young Adult Education (AYA)
Mathematics majors at Ohio Christian University, set her sights high when she
decided to major in STEM education to transform young lives.
Serving as a ‘guinea pig’ for the new AYA curriculum with its advanced,
yet enticing, and rigorous materials, Crowley’s goal for herself is not
only propelling her into the
Clarissa Crowley, one of the first Adolescence to Young Adult Education (AYA)
Mathematics majors at Ohio Christian University, set her sights high when she
decided to major in STEM education to
Christmas in the Wesleyan Tradition
Published: December 6, 2017
An Interview with Prof. Larry Olson, Chair, Department of Psychology
Q: Thanks for taking time to discuss how studying theories of personality
helps us better understand human behavior and society, especially from a
Christian perspective where faith in Christ transforms personality. Now, as
we celebrate Christmas and the new year, can you explain how studying
psychology illuminates and inspires the individual in society, the human
condition?
LO: Sure. Great question! In our Integration of Faith and Psychology
course, we talk about personality theories. Why do we need them?
An Interview with Prof. Larry Olson, Chair, Department of Psychology
Q: Thanks for taking time to discuss how studying theories of personality
helps us better understand human behavior and society, especially from a
Christian perspective where faith in Christ transforms personality. Now, as
we celebrate Christmas and the new year, can you explain how studying
psychology illuminates and
An Interview with Prof. Larry Olson, Chair, Department of Psychology
Q: Thanks for taking time to discuss how studying theories of personality
helps us better understand human behavior and society
Hope Springs Anew–OCU Responds to Opioid Crisis
Published: November 28, 2017
As the tragic effects of opioid addiction continue to grip the nation, in
Ohio efforts to address them are well underway through initiatives by
organizations such as Propel Ohio and Ohio Christian University.
On Nov. 17, Teacher Education Professors Valerie Jones and Angela Flowers,
along with student majors Maddy McCain and Emily Morton, attended Propel
Ohio’s Collegiate Leadership Conference on the effect of poverty and the
opioid crisis on Ohio youth. They joined some 600 attendees in the
University of Akron’s historic Quaker Station conference center to hear
Ohio Senators Sherrod
As the tragic effects of opioid addiction continue to grip the nation, in
Ohio efforts to address them are well underway through initiatives by
organizations such as Propel Ohio and Ohio Christian University.
On Nov. 17, Teacher Education Professors Valerie Jones and Angela Flowers,
along with student majors Maddy McCain and Emily Morton, attended Propel
Ohio’s Collegiate Leadership
As the tragic effects of opioid addiction continue to grip the nation, in
Ohio efforts to address them are well underway through initiatives by
organizations such as Propel Ohio and Ohio Christian
Join OCU's Reformation Day Celebration!
Published: October 30, 2017
On Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, Ohio Christian University is hosting a celebration
of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Festivities begin
at 7:00 p.m. in the Maxwell Library and finish by 8:30 p.m.
The evening is headlined by special guest speaker Reverend Gerhard Kraus of
Trinity Lutheran Church in Circleville. Rev. Kraus' presentation on the
Reformation will be followed by a panel Q
On Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, Ohio Christian University is hosting a celebration
of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Festivities begin
at 7:00 p.m. in the Maxwell Library and finish by 8:30 p.m.
The evening is headlined by special guest speaker Reverend Gerhard Kraus of
Trinity Lutheran Church in Circleville. Rev. Kraus' presentation on the
Reformation will be followed by
On Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, Ohio Christian University is hosting a celebration
of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Festivities begin
at 7:00 p.m. in the Maxwell Library and