Mentor of the mind
Beatrice de Oca, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
By Marya Jones Barlow
For as long as she can remember, Professor Beatrice de Oca has been fascinated by the mysteries and inconsistencies of human behavior.
鈥淚 was always curious about how people could be so nice at one time and then not so nice later on,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t made me think about how people aren鈥檛 just 鈥榞ood鈥� or 鈥榖ad,鈥� but can be both, depending on the situation. Studying psychology helped me reconcile how people could love each other yet still hurt each other.鈥�
Having parlayed those interests into a career as a psychology professor, de Oca now involves CI undergraduates in her quest to decipher human behavior. In addition to teaching courses like Behavioral Neuroscience and Learning, Cognition & Perception, she works closely with four to eight students each year on research projects, examining topics such as the effect of personality and mood on visual attention, the consequences of emotion on physiology, the influence of emotionally arousing pictures on reaction time and attention, and reactions to crying individuals.
鈥淏iological perspectives and the underlying physiology provide very promising ways of understanding human behavior,鈥� she said. 鈥淯nderstanding the biological basis of behavior connects to so many things that are relevant. For example, it can help in understanding how emerging therapies for psychological disorders may work and why there are sometimes so many side effects and limitations with drug therapies.鈥�
De Oca challenges students in classroom discussions and writing assignments to question the evidence behind popularly accepted ideas, such as whether people are really 鈥渓eft-brained鈥� or 鈥渞ight-brained,鈥� or whether depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. Students in Learning, Cognition and Perception write a paper applying class theories to societal issues, such as helping at-risk youth or improving automobile safety.
The advisor of CI鈥檚 Psychology Club, de Oca is most proud of the scores of students she鈥檚 led to regional and national conferences, where they鈥檝e presented research, forged valuable professional connections, and glimpsed what it鈥檚 like to pursue a research career in the behavioral sciences. Last spring, she took six students in Directed Study in Psychology to Las Vegas for the Western Psychological Association convention to present their research on 鈥淰isual Preference Triggered by Mood Induction.鈥�
鈥淒r. de Oca loves what she does, which is so inspiring,鈥� said Alejandra Maldonado, a student on the research team that presented in Las Vegas. 鈥淪he gets students excited about the material and is very clear at explaining hard concepts. Her classes reminded me of why I love science and why I chose this career.鈥�
De Oca has published her research in the American Journal of Psychology, Journal of General Psychology, Journal of Neuroscience, and Behavioral Neuroscience, and presented at numerous conferences herself. Originally from Glendale, Calif., de Oca earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from Cal State Los Angeles and her doctorate from UCLA. She joined CI鈥檚 faculty in 2003 after five years at Western New Mexico University.
鈥淐I鈥檚 small size and student-centered nature is very appealing, as I most enjoy forming mentoring relationships with students and involving them in research,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to meet my students after they鈥檝e graduated and see how they are fulfilling their own dreams.鈥�
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漏 Fall 2015 / Volume 19 / Number 02 / Bi-annual