Club member Siera Leone wears a finger-tip device measuring levels of skin perspiration while Dr. Arthur Little explains the value of such a measurement.

Sherianne Cunha, president of the Psychology Club, is looking forward to a busy tenure in office. She, along with her executive board and advisors, has drummed up membership and scheduled a full slate of events for the club. Vice President Ron Andruchuk, Secretary Brian DiCicco, Treasurer Veronica Houston, and Public Relations Committee members Meryn Flynn, Siera Leone and Rachel Tessitore have collaborated to combine informative lectures with the social aspects of student life.

A seminar early in the semester with Professor William Cheney encouraged club members to look in more depth at the range of career possibilities within the broad scope of psychology. Members of the club also took part in the Student Government Harvest Fest, raising money to fund club efforts with a successful bake sale.

More recently, the club hosted Dr. Arthur Little, who spoke about biofeedback, a method of “training” the central nervous system to achieve physical effects through mental imaging. The practice yields results sometimes achieved through meditation, such as slowing heart rate, reducing skin temperature and perspiration, controlling EMG (measurement of muscle activity), and even EEG (the measure of brain waves). The distinguishing factor is that biofeedback uses technology to establish how the body is functioning and to “feed back” results of the effort to alter the physical state. Biofeedback is an emerging study, but has been put into practical use in peak performance training by athletes and performers, as well as in generalized relaxation training.

Psi Beta Honor Society

Psi Beta Honor Society, a national organization, is now accepting applications for induction into the CCRI chapter. Member benefits include a forum to obtain resources on the field of psychology, one-on-one interaction with faculty mentors, an opportunity to participate in regional and national psychological association conventions, and a permanent record of achievement.

Requirements for membership include: 2 courses in psychology with a "B" or better average, an overall GPA of 3.0 or better, participation in three Psi Beta or Psychology Club activities or the performance of 8-10 hours of community service, and a lifetime membership fee of $50.

For more information, call the psychology department at 825-2258 or email faculty advisors Zuromski, Turgeon or Cheney.

A simple tool for measuring skin temperature called a “biodot” was distributed to all attendees. The small sticker conjured up recollections of mood rings for some of the older audience members. Little explained that the skin temperature measured at the wrist with the biodot was an indicator of the body’s state of arousal (i.e. stress). After the lecture, several volunteers were called upon to demonstrate this mind-over-matter concept, such as by “putting in a request” with their bodies to lower skin perspiration. Though the degree of success varied, Little acknowledged that the venue was not ideally suited for an unpracticed individual, considering the stress-inducing situation of having 20 or so onlookers waiting for a result.

Cunha, who also serves as president of Psi Beta Honor Society for psychology students (see sidebar), hopes to continue the momentum her club has picked up. Professor Denise Turgeon, serving as faculty advisor to the club along with Associate Professor Ed Zuromski and Professor William Cheney (with unofficial assistance from Assistant Professor Dave Alfano), has been thoroughly impressed with the leadership skills of the club’s executive board. “They’ve been terrific,” she says. “The club has had a great start to this year, and has really ramped up their activity.”

Club members will continue their tradition this year of assisting with the holiday parties at on-campus daycare provider Child Care Connection. The Psychology Club is open to all interested students. For information on club activities and membership, contact Sherianne Cunha at smcunha@ccri.edu.