Research by Abington psych students engages professionals at conference

A psychological organization selected research developed by Penn State Abington students for its annual conference in Philadelphia. The students exhibited their findings to about 2,200 professionals and other students from around the nation at the 86th Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) event.

"This is an enormously important experience for students" and an uncommon one for undergraduates, Michael Bernstein, assistant psychology professor, said. "They answer questions, network with other scholars, and hear world-class speakers. They learn from some of the biggest scholars in our field."

Bernstein, who managed the overall content of the conference for EPA, said several students were asked to share their work with other researchers post-conference, an important outcome.

"This happened because our students presented research that others want to know about and want to pursue in their own work," he continued. "This is exactly the sort of out of the classroom experience that makes Abington so amazing, and all of this is funded by the college."

Senior Quintara Tucker, who is already enrolled in a master's program for the fall, called the three-day experience a "luxury" - a unique opportunity to learn about new and evolving research.

"I was presented with interesting, current research, and I supported my classmates and professors as they make a difference the field of psychology," Tucker, who aspires to teach at the university level, said. "It was an awesome learning experience."

The students developed research projects in the college's psychology laboratories for their coursework as well as for the Abington College Undergraduate Research Activities (ACURA) program. Bernstein and Abington psychology faculty Jake Benfield, Meghan Gillen and Fran Sessa mentored them throughout throughout the process.

The four faculty members attended the conference with the students as well as two recent alumnae whose first-author work was completed before graduation. Two post-baccalaureate research assistants from Abington presented their research in prestigious paper talks.

Research topics are listed by the surname of the Abington student who is the first author. Subsequent authors are listed only if the researcher is an Abington student. 

• Aguilar, Melissa: Relationship between facial expressions and emotional intelligence
• Artica, Maggie: Narcissism and early sexual activity
• Denison, Jennifer: Frustration as antecedent to inaccuracy
• Gelb, Amanda: Rejection writing prompts as potential mood modifiers
• Grant, Rochelle, 2014 Penn State alumnus: To tattoo or not to tattoo? Reasons for getting and avoiding tattoos
• Magill, Jonathan: Presenteeism and relationships
• Matase, Christopher: Sadness and the implications on emotion recognition
• McGarrity, Jessica, 2014 Penn State alumnus: Perceptions of people with speech disorders
• Oziel, Rebecca, and Farrell, Ian: Future-alone but fully immersed? The effects of future immersion on social exclusion
• Powell, Carly: Phones and your attitudes: The power of persuasion and conformity
• Solt, Alyssa: A qualitative analysis of social rejection and acceptance
• Woznicki, Mary Eileen: Decision making and the news

Read the abstracts of these projects athttp://www.easternpsychological.org/files/DOCUMENTLIBRARY/2015%20full%20program.pdf

Learn more about Abington undergraduate research at http://www.abington.psu.edu/academics/undergraduate-research