{"id":27368,"date":"2016-03-16T11:45:35","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T15:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=27368"},"modified":"2016-07-19T11:23:17","modified_gmt":"2016-07-19T15:23:17","slug":"independent-research-projects-land-invitations-for-nine-senior-psychology-majors-to-attend-a-state-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/independent-research-projects-land-invitations-for-nine-senior-psychology-majors-to-attend-a-state-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Independent research projects land invitations for nine senior psychology majors to attend a state conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a deaf friend shared that deaf people often feel socially isolated and marginalized by the hearing community, Jessie Wheatley applied what she\u2019d learned in the past four years of psychology coursework at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU).<\/p>\n

Her research question: What are the differences between how hearing people think <\/em>they view the deaf community and how they actually<\/em> view the deaf community?<\/p>\n

Wheatley is one of nine senior psychology majors selected to present their findings at the Virginia Association for Psychological Science annual conference April 20-22, 2016, in Newport News, Virginia. All of the students are classmates in a two-semester applied psychology research course taught by Professor Gregory Koop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Psych<\/a>
Senior Jessie Wheatley’s research focus has developed into how hearing people interact with deaf people. She’s also involved in an independent study of Deaf culture and community and plans further research on the topic in graduate school. She is inspired by her fiance’s parents, both of whom are deaf, and who have shared much about their experiences. (Photo by Joaquin Sosa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For most students, their projects have led not only to the desired academic goals, but also to personal revelation and clarity of professional goals.<\/p>\n

Wheatley, for example, is also involved in an independent study in Deaf culture and community, and she has plans to continue the research in graduate school. And that friend who shared the feelings that were the impetus behind Wheatley\u2019s research? Her future mother-in-law.<\/p>\n

With curriculum change, students enter research process earlier
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

A strength of the psychology program<\/a> at EMU is that all students have the opportunity to conduct individual research on a topic related to their unique interests, says department chair Kim Brenneman<\/a>. “These original projects introduce every student to the ins and outs of scientific inquiry.”<\/p>\n

Senior psychology majors at EMU enter the research course with a \u201cbroad background in the field of psychology,\u201d having fulfilled prerequisites of general, developmental, social and cognitive psychology, as well as a course on interpersonal relationships among others, Koop said. They all have been introduced formally to the research process in the Cognitive Psychology class, where each student formulates a research proposal.<\/p>\n

Many of those proposals then develop into the independent research project required in Psychology 472\/473, Koop says.<\/p>\n

New curriculum that begins next year will introduce the design and analysis portions of the research process earlier, an emphasis which will not only build critical skills but quickly immerses majors in the intellectual rigor of their discipline.<\/p>\n

Topics move students deeper into field<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Psychology 472\/473, students delve into the research process while designing, developing and implementing their own project. The individualized research projects is intended to create \u201cmore critical consumers of scientific results\u201d and \u201cstrong candidates for graduate programs,\u201d Koop said.<\/p>\n

Most of the classmates expressed both a new appreciation for the \u201cintricacies of research,\u201d as one student put it, and also for the seriousness of the endeavor. \u201cIt takes such precaution to make even basic claims,\u201d says Rachel Bowman, who designed an experiment on racial bias.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you read a research article, it often seems as though the researchers easily attained the results they are sharing with the world,\u201d said Emily Myers, who has used the project to familiarize herself with attachment theory in preparation for a career in counseling. \u201cIn reality, conducting research takes an incredible amount of background research, planning, gaining feedback, working with others, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

In developing her research about developmental trauma associated with foster care and adoption, Bethany Chupp realized her project called for something \u201calong the lines of a doctoral thesis\u2026a longitudinal study of adoptive families over the course of several years.\u201d Setting that aside, she scaled down to the question of whether \u201cchanging the vocabulary used to discuss adoption changes participants\u2019 attitudes toward adoption and foster care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The title of her project is \u201cAdoption as Trauma: Viewing Adoption Through a Restorative Lens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes baby steps to get to bigger goals,\u201d she said. \u201cI need to start a basic level of examining attitudes and language before applying that to concrete case studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Meeting and networking at conferences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Attending conferences is an important professional development opportunity for undergraduate students, Koop said. \u201cYou get to test ideas, receive feedback and meet future colleagues. It\u2019s a great experience not only to witness scientists discussing their original work, but to contribute to this exchange of knowledge and develop professional communication skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other students selected to attend the conference include<\/p>\n