Tag: PSY 350

Janieve Boyles

Perceptions of Homeless Youth

Social psychology has shown that people are often quick to judge others simply on prejudices based on group membership. Appearance affects people’s first impressions of and attitudes towards others. The goal of present study was to investigate how people’s perception of a homeless youth varied based on information provided about the individual. Perceptions based on snap judgments to a photograph of a homeless teenager were compared with impressions of the homeless teenager when the photograph was accompanied with her background story. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group or control group. The experimental group read an autobiographical story about a homeless youth and were shown a photograph. The control group was only shown the photograph. Both groups answered questions about attitudes towards and willingness to help the homeless youth. It is expected that those who read her story will feel more empathy and be more willing to help her than those who only see a photograph. It is important to determine whether knowing the background story of someone affects impressions.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room, Poster #1

1:00 – 3:00 PM

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Ruben Carmona & Emily Sutherland

The Affects of Gender on Following Directions

An individual’s ability to keep on task when doing a task is important for performance and learning. Many times  minds wander to something else while completing  a task.  In the present study  it was hypothesized that female participants would follow the instructions  as compared to male participants.. Each participant was given a worksheet with 10 questions.  They were instructed to read all of the questions before completing the worksheet. The last item on the worksheet instructed the students to complete questions number one, three, and seven. The number of questions each person answered was counted. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in males and females and the number of questions that were answered.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room, Poster #11

10:00 AM – Noon

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Sarah Hooker, Geoffrey Sloan, Chelsea Stone

Prune Juice or Plum Juice? A Study on the Effects of Word Framing

Researchers suggest that people, when faced with varying choices, are more likely to select more appealing choices over those that seem less desirable. The way in which a selection is presented, or framed, has an influence on the decision maker. The purpose of the present study was to explore the impact of word framing on decision making when choosing between identical juices labeled either “prune” or “plum.” It was hypothesized that the majority of participants would favor the juice labeled “plum” as the word “prune” may seem less appealing. Traditional undergraduate students at Northwest Christian University were asked to taste both juices and select the juice that they preferred. The results of this study allow for a greater understanding of the impact that framing has on the decision making process.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room, Poster #12

10:00 AM – Noon

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Shaneesa Applegate, Kristin Fulbright & Hayley Leno

The Effects of Physical Activity on Learning

Exercise may be beneficial in the learning process by helping students focus on the task at hand. The following study was conducted to determine if physical activity before a math test would help improve scores. Students from an introductory psychology class at Northwest Christian University were recruited. The participants were split into two groups. One group was asked to walk for ten minutes, and the other was asked to rest quietly in the room for ten minutes. After this, they were given a ten question high school level math test. The hypothesis was those that went for a walk would perform at a higher level in answering math problems than those who did not walk.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Chasity Castañeda-Estrada, Jessica Hirte & Karen Reynolds

The Effects of Priming Analytical Thinking on Performance on a Cognitive Task

Priming, a technique used to influence how one thinks, has been shown to affect an individual’s performance on cognitive tasks that depend on either analytical or intuitive thinking. Using pictures of famous statues the Thinker and the Discus Thrower, the aim of the present study was to prime participants to think either intuitively or analytically. Undergraduate students from an introductory psychology class from Northwest Christian University were asked to participate. The hypothesis was that priming participants to think analytically would increase scores on a cognitive reflection task that required analytical, as opposed to intuitive, thinking.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Haley Cochell, Trevyn DuBois, & Darcy Snyder

Bias Towards Dogs on Euthanasia Decisions

The goal of this study was to measure potential bias towards a certain dog breed, particularly Pit Bulls. In the current study participants were asked to read a description of a dogfight. They were shown one of three pictures of a dog (a Dachshund, Labrador Retriever, or a Pit Bull). Participants were asked to rate how likely they would be to support the euthanasia of the dog that began the fight. It was hypothesized that a higher percentage of people would have a prejudice against a Pit Bull as opposed to the Dachshund or Labrador Retriever.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Denise Barrett, Patricia Martinez & Jacob Wathen

Does Gender Influence Bystander’s Willingness to Help?

The more people who witness someone needing help, the less likely they are to offer assistance. This is known as the bystander effect which is due to the diffusion of responsibility. Passersby assume someone else will offer assistance. In the United States, females are often viewed as more helpless than males and receive more assistance. Based on this assumption an observational study was done to see if a female would receive more assistance than a male who posed as a homeless panhandler for one hour.

PSY 350, Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Kristin Fulbright, Kaitlyn Moore & Emily Svendsen-McLean

Perceived Stress of Student-Athletes and Non-Athletes

Stress is experienced by everyone, especially college students. Research suggests that student-athletes may experience stress uniquely than their non-athlete peers. Student-athletes have the additional stress of competing, preventing injuries, disappointment, pressure from coaches and time management. The present study compared stress in student-athletes to non-athletes. It was expected that student-athletes would experience more stress than non-athlete students and that student-athletes would have additional stress because of their sport.

PSY 350, Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Joshua Alvarado

Academic Dishonesty

Because cheating is viewed as dishonest and goes against biblical teaching, it was hypothesized that NCU students who attend church regularly would have lower rates of cheating compared to those who do not attend church. Participants were asked if they ever cheated in an academic setting including tests, assignments, or papers. In addition, participants were asked to report emotions experienced after cheating or choosing not to cheat. The results showed that most participants reported cheating at least once even if they reported attending church regularly. Results on emotional experiences and conclusions will be discussed.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Sabrina Biggers

Analytical Thinking Promotes Religious Disbelief

The present study is a replication of Gervais and Norenzayan (2012). Participants will be recruited from a Christian school to see if analytical thinking promotes religious disbelief. Participants will view pictures then answer questions on belief in supernatural agents and

intrinsic religiosity. It is expected that this study will show analytical thinking will diminish religious belief.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Amy Dummer & Wendie Green

The Influence of a Persuasive Message

Drawing from existing research that shows attitude change is associated with higher source credibility, it was expected that an expert would exert more influence in changing attitudes on learning styles than a non-expert. Undergraduates at NCU were recruited to participate in an experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: expert and non-expert. Participants watched a video presentation, but told the source of the video was a student or an expert. The results showed that the message was effective in changing attitudes. However, there was no significant difference between the expert and non-expert groups.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Belinda Kinkade & Sharaya Moretti

The Effects of Color When Purchasing Chocolate

Colors are influential as each color is believed to evoke specific emotions and feelings. Research has shown that males and females like the color blue. This study measured the impact of color on decisions to purchase chocolate bars. It was expected that participants would select the blue wrapped chocolate bar more frequently. Students from NCU (n = 31) completed a questionnaire rating quality and attractiveness of chocolate bars in colored wrappers. The result showed that brown was the preferred color wrapper. Understanding the effect of color perception on decision making is important for marketing. 

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Jenny Maupin

My Mother’s Quilts: Quilting for Good Mental Health

Quilters, in general, appear to have good mental health primarily because they quilt. A two-part questionnaire was conducted with the Emerald Valley Quilters Guild. Part one included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and part two was more geared toward necessary demographic information, levels of happiness, satisfaction with life, and love of quilting. Any identifying references were removed from BDI and it was labeled “Well-Being Inventory Part I.” The goal was to achieve a negative correlation between depression (i.e., low depression scores) and life satisfaction and enjoyment of quilting (i.e., high scores).

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Amber Osbourn, Taylor Richardson & Emmelene Romer

The Effects of Self-Reflection on Happiness

Previous studies have shown that self-reflection can affect an individual’s happiness level. In this study two different modes of self-reflection were used: prayer and journaling. The hypothesis was that level of happiness would be different after self-reflection through prayer or journaling, and prayer would result in higher happiness levels. Participants were NCU students (n=29) who were randomly assigned to pray or journal for 5 minutes then answer a Daily Mood Form. The results showed a statistically significant difference between groups; participants had higher levels of happiness in the prayer group as compared to the journaling group.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Jolene Rogers

Correlation Between Study Habits and Test Anxiety

Anxiety is a sense of unease, feelings of dread, or feelings of worry. Symptoms of anxiety can have a large influence on productivity and happiness by affecting daily living. There are methods in which anxiety can be lessened. The current study addresses if and what correlation exists between study habits and test anxiety. It was hypothesized that better study habits would correlate to show lower levels of anxiety. This study resulted in no correlation between the two variables.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Rebekah Rossberg

Introversion and Loneliness

This study looked at loneliness as it relates to personality type. Data collection used the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Myers Briggs Personality Test. Introversion versus extraversion was the primary portion of personality that was being looked into. Data analysis will include correlations between levels of introversion and loneliness, as well as class standing.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

David Wadsworth

Self-Disclosure or Self-Aggrandizement: How Personality is Related to Facebook, and Twitter Use

A survey of college students was conducted that measured the self-promoting social media behavior of posting “selfies” (pictures of self or self and others usually posed in a mirror and taken with a digital camera). It was hypothesized that there would be a correlation with this behavior and personality traits as measured by the NPI-16 personality inventory. The amount of time students spent online engaged with these social networking sites and their frequency of use were also measured. The grandiose exhibitionism subscale of the narcissistic personality

inventory was hypothesized to predict this self-promoting behavior.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Travis Brown, Samuel Eymann & Allyssa Mittleider

Correlation Between Stress and Illness

Stress and illness are two social factors that affect everyone’s daily life. In our study we looked at how these two correlate with one another by constructing a questionnaire with specific questions relating to stress and illness. It is expected that the questionnaire will reveal information that each participant, who has been sick within a the month prior to taking the questionnaire, will have written about or marked events as “stressful” that they have experienced with the month prior as well. The answer will correspond with each other in such a way that it exemplifies the illness leading to stress.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Khala Carpenter

The Personality’s Eye on Emotion: How Personality Affects Emotion Recognition

This study is designed to explore the relationship between personality and one’s ability to recognize emotions based of facial expressions. Participants take a personality test and are then asked to judge people’s emotions. Then they are asked how they made their judgments: based on their thoughts, feelings, or emotions. 

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

1 – 3 PM

Charlene Able, Karlie Griffith-Solinger & Charolene Somatis

The Effects of Communication Style on Writing Complexity and Length

This study is an investigation of the difference in description complexity while describing a photograph using handwriting and typing techniques. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one will use handwriting and the other will use a computer to type the description of a photograph during a defined time allowance. It is hypothesized that the participants that type a description will have more complex written communications.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

9 – 11 AM

Laynee Bevans, Rose Carrigan, Danielle Nance & Britney Yip

The Effects of Exercise on Stress

NCU athletes will be participating in a study to investigate the effects of exercise on stress. The researches hypothesize that exercise reduces stress. In addition, the researchers are interested in determining whether or not there is a gender difference in stress levels. Johansson, Hassmen, & Jouper (2008) did a study on the effects of Qigong exercise and found that participating in Qigong exercise helps reduce stress.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

9 – 11 AM

Crystal Rutherford & Jacob Smyth

Compassion or Sympathy: Do we Have a Negative Bias Against Middle Aged Homeless Male Adults

This study looks to explore if the general public view homeless people with either sympathy or compassion as defined as feeling sorry for a human being under unfortunate circumstances but doing nothing to change it, whereas compassion is feeling sorry for a human being under unfortunate circumstances and doing something to change it. We plan to use pictures of homeless males of varying ages to determine which of these emotions, if any, can be seen in a sample group.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

9 – 11 AM

Samantha Zysett

Framing the Worship Setting: Lyrical Content Explored

Many pastors and worship leaders propose that any song, whether originally proposed for Christ or not, when put into the context of a    worship setting can be used to glorify God. The present study will explore whether or not framing has any effect in the presentation of secular, non-God centered, or ambiguous lyrical content when this same said lyrical content is presented in the context of a worship setting.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

9 – 11 AM

Chelsie Elkins, Ken Latham, Melanie Lowery & David Vermilyea

The Effect of Initial Bias on the Suitability of Adoptive Parents

Research has shown that people demonstrate prejudice in selecting job applicants when presented with photographic images of people from different racial groups with resumes. The relationship between prejudice and photographic images of couples of different racial background and sexual orientation was examined. Participants were given packets containing an adoption application and a photograph of a couple who were Caucasian, bi-racial, Middle Eastern, or gay. The participants rated the suitability of the couple as adoptive parents. It is expected that the Caucasian couple will receive higher ratings of suitability than the other couples.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

9 – 11 AM

Quentin Guidry, Lindsey Hall, Joel Leinbach & Brittany McKinley

The Effects of Varied Types of Exposure on Subconscious Memory

Many studies have shown that information can be retained on a subconscious level. The relationship between different types of presentation of to-be-remembered objects and subconscious memory was studied. Undergraduate students from Northwest Christian University were asked to participate and were assigned to a “hands-on” group or “list” group. Participants in the hands-on group were asked to arrange nine physical objects in any manner. Participants in the list group viewed the word names of these same objects on a PowerPoint slide. After three minutes, all participants were asked to recall as many items as they could. It is expected that participants in the hands-on group will recall more items than those in the list group.

PSY 350

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room

9 – 11 AM