Psychology students present original research

NORWALK - Cerritos College psychology students and faculty presented their original empirical and pedagogical research at the 93rd annual Western Psychological Association Conference in Reno, Nev., last month.Fifteen current students and one alumnus, along with faculty member Dr. Kimberly Duff, presented research they conducted as part of Duff's Research Methods course and a Directed Studies project. Students spent months designing and conducting research and writing a paper prior to being accepted into the conference. At the conference, students met with psychologists and discussed their research, heard presentations on cutting edge psychological research and networked with faculty at local transfer institutions. One of the highlights for students was the opportunity to hear and meet Dr. Philip Zimbardo, an 80-year-old psychologist who is still extremely active and conducts research on heroes. The Heroic Imagination Project is part of a national research collaboration that Cerritos College psychology students are a part of. Students benefit "tremendously" at these conferences, college officials said. Many of the students were able to connect with faculty at their transfer schools and, in the past, Cerritos College students who have presented research at WPA have benefitted - some were offered to work with faculty in psychology labs and some secured a scholarship. "The conference was inspiring," said student Della Drummond, who presented at the conference. "I came away motivated to continue my pursuit of a degree in the field. I met and listened to presentations by highly regarded psychologists. "Hearing them discuss their work was helpful to me because it increased my understanding of the breadth of the field," she continued. "I also met professors from universities who reviewed and commented positively on the research we presented. The executive director of the Psi Beta Honor Society reviewed our poster and encouraged me to submit the paper for scholarship consideration." Drummond, who is transferring to either UC Berkeley or Irvine beginning this fall, plans to obtain a degree in social psychology. She hopes to conduct research that explores neuroanatomy and neurochemistry involved in social interaction, and to make the information accessible to non-scientists. "Students fundraised throughout the semester to attend the conference," said Duff, the faculty member. Their attendance was also supported by donations from the Cerritos College Student Activities office, Freemont College, Sam's Burgers, Coffee Bean and Felippe's Restaurant. Following is a list of Cerritos College presenters and the titles of their presentations: "The Effects of Facebook on Self-Esteem" by Ozzy Carvajal and Jorge Garcia "Take It or Leave It: The Role of Mindset and Advice on Anxiety Reduction" by Elias Barajas "Success in Mathematics: Holding Negative Views Toward Math Impacts Achievement" by Chelsea Matthews "What's in a Name? The Impact of Names on Scholarship Applications" by Monique Razo and Carly Sanchez "The Impact of Religious Stereotypes on Person Perception" by Amanda Perez, Marcos Contreras, Belen Lomeli and Destiny O'Neal "Mindset, Stereotype Threat and Performance in Statistics" by Stephanie Garibay, Della Drummond, Pamela Perez, Steven Palacios, Sharon Ku, Amanda Perez, Damaris Garcia, Jaclyn Ranqullo and Kimberley Duff "The Effects of Lemon Scent on Memory" by Pamela Perez, Sharon Ku and Gelin Tuliao "The Look of Love: Studying Aggression After Exposure to Images of Male-Male Intimacy" by Della Drummond and Joyti Gore.

********** Published: May 9, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 04