Letters From the Editors

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 present our Spring 2019 issue this year. 2019 marks the 10-year anniversary of OPUS. To celebrate, we reached out to the founding members of OPUS, and as a special addition to this issue, we have included a letter by them, recounting the inception of OPUS and tracking their journeys post-graduation.

The themes of the Spring 2019 issue reflect the diverse clinical and research interests of our contributing writers and senior staff writers, and demonstrate a desire to understand the nuances of psychological phenomena in order to improve the lives of a range of groups, thus embodying the ethos of Applied Psychology.

Our issue this semester contains more explorations of psychological theories in real-world settings, such as YiLin Lee’s literature review exploring how the phenomenon of groupthink occurs in the United States Congress, and the implications this has for the decisions made by this governing body. On the other hand, this issue also has literature reviews that more closely examine single populations, such as Alain Goulbourne’s work on acculturative stress and Hispanic adolescent identity, and Brianda Hickey’s piece on the sexual experiences of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

We are also pleased to be publishing original studies conducted by Applied Psychology students, including Francesca Bottazzi’s piece examining the self-disclosure patterns of preschoolers and the implications of these behaviors for future research. Additionally, a piece by two of the editors, Alexa Montemayor and Khirad Siddiqui, examines the familial and social factors that influence the motivation of adolescents in a community-based intervention, tying this back into future research on motivation more broadly. Additionally, Anastasia Knight’s independent study examines how implicit biases influence charitable behaviors towards individuals experiencing homelessness, with implications for future policy and awareness towards this epidemic.

This issue also contains more creative pieces to reflect the applications of psychology in both films and novels. Andrew Han’s review of the film Lady Bird explores how the mother-daughter relationship in the film is impacted by the attachment styles and ecological factors of its titular character. Finally, Michelle Hansen explores representations of trauma and coping in her review of the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close through a case study of its protagonist. These two reviews showcase the work of Applied Psychology students in finding examples in the media of well-known psychological phenomenon and theories.

Thank you so much to our enthusiastic and talented writers for their scholarly contributions, as well as Sydney Liang, Grace Park, and Freya Chen, the OPUS administrative staff, for their hard work and commitment to the journal. We are also 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 her guidance and dedication to OPUS, without which this issue would not be possible.

Best, OPUS Editors

Rachel Lim Alexa Montemayor