Five Rogers State University Psychology students were selected to attend the Southwestern Psychological Association Conference in Texas. Four of these students will have their research featured in the SWPA Undergraduate Research Showcase, an event that displays exemplars of high-quality student work. These students will also receive a certificate and cash award.
Their advisor and mentor, Dr. Sonya Munsell, said the student’s dedication and hard work stood out during the extensive process.
“I’m very proud of this group of students. Since 2017, I have taken multiple students to SWPA each year. Between 2017-2019, only two RSU students won Undergraduate Research Showcase Awards,” Munsell said. “The fact that four of our students received showcase awards in 2020 points to the students’ hard work and dedication to the research process.”
The students, Clarissa Tilley, Rebekah Wilson, Keri Punneo, Debra Hamner and Bethanny Tackett, spent their capstone course collecting data, analyzing it, presenting it to judges and submitting it to the Institutional Review Board.
Tilley examined the relationship between parenting style and children’s level of prosocial behavior. Wilson explored the relationship between individuals’ smart phone usage and quality of their offline relationships. Punneo conducted a study examining the effects of smart phone deprivation on anxiety. Hamner explored the relationship between academic motivation and basic psychological needs in college students. Tackett explored the influence of high school teachers’ educational and motivational messages on individuals’ educational attainment as adults.
The conference has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The students research will be recognized at the 2021 conference.