‘Psychapalooza’ showcases yearlong research projects

The Department of Psychological Science hosted its semesterly research showcase "Psychapalooza" on Dec. 2. Supervised by professors Peter Bachiochi, Phyllis Lee and Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault, the event highlighted work being done in the course "Research Methods II," featuring more than 40 student projects and two student speakers.

The event has been held every semester for nearly 10 years, according to Bachiochi. Students begin their work in "Research Methods I," where they conduct background research and develop proposals. They then spend the following semester conducting research, analyzing data and communicating their findings.

"It's a very difficult class," said Salters-Pedneault of "Research Methods II." "I was impressed with how students rose to the challenge."

Students presented their research in a poster showcase, many of which had significant findings. Madeline Maksel examined motivators for college students. She found that students who are more intrinsically motivated, or believe that they cause their own success, have a strong correlation with higher mental wellbeing.

Maksel explained that the two courses taught students valuable skills, such as APA formatting and effectively searching for and analyzing research articles and databases.

Courtney McFarland studied the relationship between cell phone use and sleep/mental health in college students. "Cell phone use is addictive," she said. In her studies, McFarland found that many students miss out on sleep "because they're waiting for their phone to go off." She also was appreciative that the course allowed students to research topics that they had interest in.

Many students also had to adapt to challenges during their research. Cody Johnson was only able to use half of his survey's responses due to incomplete or unusable survey responses. Despite the setback, Johnson was still able to discover meaningful facts about the relationship between attachment security, agreeableness and relationship satisfaction in individuals involved in romantic relationships.

After the poster presentations, two students held oral presentations on their findings. Amilya Williams presented her findings on smartphone usage, face-to-face communication and social anxiety in college students.

Williams expressed the importance of pilot testing during research studies: "One of my colleagues and I looked over my study before it went live to make sure that it looked the way it was supposed to and that it was going to test what it needed to."

Williams hopes her research can help college students realize the relationship between phone usage and social anxiety and can help students develop healthier habits regarding smartphone use. She also expressed appreciation to Bachiochi for his research guidance. "His belief in me really helped my project. It made a very difficult course fun," she said.

Hatshepsu Coutain-Julien presented her findings on race-based stress and its implications for mental and emotional health. Both Williams and Coutain-Julien conducted thought-provoking and relevant research that furthered knowledge of Eastern's student population and population at large.

Lyndsey Lanagan-Leitzel, a previous instructor of "Research Methods II," expressed her pride in the students' accomplishments, saying that she always enjoys "seeing the product of a year of their work."

Eastern's psychology students have come a long way over the past year, developing professional research and presentation skills that are invaluable in today's workforce. "They are now full members of our field," said Lanagan-Leitzel.