Psychology Students Win Research Awards

03/28/2023

Four 缅北强奸 research projects representing work by 10 students won awards from Psi Chi, the psychology honors society, at the Eastern Psychological Association conference. Only 14 projects overall won the Psi Chi recognition in the northeast region.

Sylvia Johnson '24 explains her research at a poster session to a conference attendee

Sylvia Johnson '24 (center) explains to a conference attendee the award-winning research she and Josephine Robson '23 (Right) conducted. Posters on the other Psi Chi winning projects from 缅北强奸 can be seen in the background.

The 缅北强奸 Department of Psychology every year takes some of its upper-level students to regional or national conferences to give them opportunities to present their research, network with professionals in their field, share information and advance their work. For 缅北强奸 psychology students attending the 2023 Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) conference in Boston that also meant entering their presentations into a competition sponsored by the international honor society for psychology students, Psi Chi. 

This year, four 缅北强奸 research projects representing work by 10 students won Psi Chi awards, out of just 14 total awarded in the northeast region.

鈥淚t was a banner year,鈥 in the words of Lauren Littlefield, Dr. Carol C. Culp Professor of Psychology, who advised the students on three of the four winning projects. Additionally, 缅北强奸 was recognized by Psi Chi as in the top 15 schools nationally and top three institutions in the eastern region with the highest number of Psi Chi Regional Research Awards received over the past 10 years, tying with St. John鈥檚 University. 

缅北强奸 students who worked on Psi Chi-winning project pose for a group photoThe students who worked on the winning projects were: Back Row Row (Left to Right) Marah Vain-Callahan '23, Sylvia Johnson '24, Sarah Poirier '24, Jacob Lafferty '23, Julia Totis '23; Front Row (Left to Right) Josephine Robson '23, Lauryn Konieczka '23, Katelyn King '23, Andrea Petersen '23. Not shown is Reece Hrdlicka '24. Altogether, Littlefield and three other psychology professors took 21 缅北强奸 students to the conference at the beginning of March, all of whom presented a poster on their research projects, and the lead students on the four winning projects also gave a two-minute talk on their work during a Psi Chi awards session. 

鈥淲e have a strong presence because of the generous donors who allow us to do this,鈥 Littlefield said.  

The Virginia M. Conner 鈥85 Fund helps to pay for registration, travel, lodging and food costs, which allows more students the opportunity to submit their research for the peer review process of having it considered for presentation at the conference. Many of the psychology majors who take their required research methods courses end up applying with the projects they have undertaken for those classes, while others submit work they completed as a research assistant in a faculty member鈥檚 lab. 

This year, all four winning projects, representing the work of nine students total, came out of classes taught by Littlefield and Tia Murphy, chair of the Department of Psychology and associate professor.  

One of the winning students, Sylvia Johnson 鈥24, researched the effects of pain and executive dysfunction (diagnoses such as ADHD, OCD, or similar challenges) on working memory, a topic she and her research partner, Josephine Robson 鈥23, arrived at through personal experience and interest. Johnson was impressed by how Littlefield鈥檚 mentorship facilitated their ability to reach significant results in their study, by helping them think through experimental design and connecting them to resources. 

鈥淚鈥檝e heard so many people say there is something special about 缅北强奸, and I think there is,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淚 just feel really lucky to be at a place where those relationships are encouraged and fostered. You have so much support because these professors know you personally. It is not just a professional relationship. They want to support you as a person and help you succeed.鈥 

Johnson and another Psi Chi winner, Andrea Petersen 鈥23, both said they enjoyed and found valuable the entire process of moving through Littlefield鈥檚 Human Neuropsychology research methods course, designing their own experiment, gaining Institutional Review Board approval, conducting the experiment, writing up the results, submitting and then presenting them at the EPA conference. 

Both students said the projects confirmed their interest in research and the conference gave them a sense of what their professional lives could be like after graduating from 缅北强奸 and moving on to either graduate school or research jobs. The added responsibility and opportunity to present their research at the Psi Chi session provided one more valuable experience to their time in Boston. 

鈥淚t was very overwhelming getting that email,鈥 Petersen said, sharing that at first it was exciting to learn she had won a research award and then the reality of presenting her work at the conference set in. 鈥淏ut preparing for it was a really good experience because if I want to go in to research, I will have to talk in front of people often.鈥 

Murphy pointed out that the experience provides 缅北强奸 students with an advantage as they plan their futures.  

鈥淚t is so valuable for the students getting this experience to present. It really sets them apart when they are applying for graduate school or research positions,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey really feel prepared. It is giving them that experience and that leg up.鈥 

Littlefield agreed, saying the research specifically, a focus of the psychology major at 缅北强奸, means students graduating from the College are competitive with students who have completed a master鈥檚 degree elsewhere when applying for graduate study. 

鈥淥ur clinical/counseling students are learning to be practitioners, but they are also learning to be scientists,鈥 Littlefield said. 鈥淎ll the tasks they had to do leading up to the conference and then at the conference are translatable both to graduate schools and careers.鈥 

 

Psi Chi award-winning projects  

Final author on each research project is the faculty adviser. All preceding names are 缅北强奸 students. 

Discomfort And Distraction: Recent Pain History And Executive Dysfunction Deplete Working Memory Sylvia Johnson 鈥24, Josephine Robson 鈥23, Lauren Littlefield This study examined the interacting effects of athletic history, executive functioning, and pain on working memory. Previous studies have indicated that athletes have better pain tolerance, but that executive dysfunction and pain impair working memory. Forty participants completed a demographic survey and a working memory test while submerging one hand in ice water. Athletes endured the ice water longer. Participants with greater executive dysfunction or current pain experience had significantly lower working memory scores.   

Does Caffeine Improve Cognition? Resilient Working Memory In Sleep-Deprived College Students Andrea Petersen 鈥23, Julia Totis 鈥23, Reece Hrdlicka 鈥24, Lauren Littlefield This study investigated the effect of sleep-deprivation on verbal working memory and the extent that caffeine plays a moderating role. Sleep-deprived and non-caffeinated college students were predicted to score lower on auditory-verbal tests. No significant results were yielded for the 2 (sleep condition) x 2 (caffeine condition) ANOVA on auditory comprehension or Number-Letter Sequencing scores. Therefore, students were resilient to short-term sleep deprivation, and a 100mg dose of caffeine did not facilitate performance. 

Effect Of Mood On Memory In Immediate Visuospatial Recall Ability Sarah Poirier 鈥24, Marah Vain-Callahan 鈥23, Lauren Littlefield There is literature to suggest a relationship between emotion and cognition, but little research is available on how emotional priming may impact visuospatial memory. Participants were asked to recall and write about a happy, sad, or neutral event. Next, they were given the Taylor Figure to copy and then draw immediately from memory, evaluating visuospatial working memory. While the emotional priming method was effective, there were no group differences. Ideas for future research are offered.

The Association Of Maternal Warmth With Children's Responses To A Mishap Lauryn Konieczka 鈥23, Jacob Lafferty 鈥23, Katelyn King 鈥23, Tia Murphy Previous research has found that higher maternal warmth is associated with greater levels of guilt in children. The present study observed maternal warmth and children's behaviors following a guilt-induced scenario. The results revealed that higher levels of maternal warmth were correlated with lower levels of reparation and greater unease after the simulation. Mothers with sensitive children (observed in the guilt task) might have displayed more warmth to help their children become comfortable in the environment.