A growing percentage of undergraduate students are interested in applying to graduate programs. In order to be a competitive graduate school applicant, most programs seek students who have had ample experience conducting and presenting their research. Although Nevada State College is not a large research institution, the college still affords its students opportunities to gain hands-on research experience through coursework offered and through working directly with faculty members. Seven psychology students working with Dr. Laura Naumann conducted research on two different projects during the 2015-2016 academic year. Students presented their preliminary findings from these projects at the WPA conference in Long Beach.
Who: Laura Naumann, Assistant Professor of Psychology, and her team of research assistants (Danette Barber, Pamela El Gergi, Melissa Jenkins, Brianna Mercadante, Katie Meyerowitz, Paula Ramirez, and Sein Tun).
What: Western Psychological Association (WPA)
When: April 28 – May 1, 2016
Where: Long Beach, CA
Why: To provide students with the opportunity to gain experience presenting their research findings to a scientific audience as well as learn about the most up-to-date research happening in the field of psychology.
Presentation Highlights:
Caught on Camera: Behavioral Measures of Friend and Romantic Relationships
Participants wore a mini-camera that captured photos of the surrounding environment including who the person was interacting with. Participants who were more avoidantly-attached (e.g., kept emotional distance from others) experienced less positive interactions with others and had lower satisfaction with their relationships.
Losing Focus: Behavioral Measures of Computer Use and Life Satisfaction
Participants wore a mini-camera that captured photos of the surrounding environment including when the person was on the computer. Participants who were captured spending more time on the computer were also judged to be more distracted while working (e.g., on their cell phone, engaging with others). Additionally, those who spent more time working on homework experienced more satisfaction with their life.
Assessing Mental Health Needs at a Minority-Serving Institution
- Students at Nevada State College completed a survey assessing their mental health over the last semester, if they had ever contemplated withdrawing from school, and their knowledge of mental health resources available to students. Sixty-three percent of NSC students had, at least once, contemplated withdrawing from NSC. These students experienced much higher levels of depression and stress compared to students who had never contemplated withdrawing. Unfortunately, 64% of NSC students had no knowledge of the free resources available through UNLV’s counseling center that could have helped them manage their depression and stress.
Interested in learning more? Visit NSC’s psychology website www.nscpsychology.com or reach out to Laura.Naumann@nsc.edu to get involved with psychology research (either as a participant or research assistant).
*To submit your presentation for the “NSC Presents” series, please contact Yanné Givens at Yanne.Givens@nsc.edu