This year, 12 RMU students presented research at WPUPC hosted by Allegheny College.
For those interested in seeing RMU students "in action" at a conference, please take a peek at the PHOTO GALLERY!
The links below are to the pdf versions of the poster or paper handouts (if available). You will need a pdf viewer (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) in order to view these files.
Sarah Farrell: Self-esteem is a concept that varies among individuals and can be high or low depending on
personal experiences. Experiences such as being in college provide opportunities for self-esteem levels to fluctuate. Research shows that males and females in college tend to
have the widest range of self-esteem levels which are generally influenced by social aspects. Research also shows that the college students who are more social and involved
in extracurricular activities tend to have higher levels of self-esteem. This study attempted to examine similar factors college students have and how it is affecting their
self-esteem. One factor male and female college students have in common is sex. Research states that sexual activity is in fact a dominant part of college life. So the
present study sought to determine whether sexual activity was related to levels of self-esteem. To this end, 429 college students were given a survey to measure aspects of
their personal lives, self-esteem levels, and sexual activity. Analysis showed that there were positive correlations between self-esteem and athleticism, being in a committed
relationship, and sexual activity. students who are more social and involved in extracurricular activities tend to have higher levels of self-esteem. This study attempted to
examine similar factors college students have and how it is affecting their self-esteem. One factor male and female college students have in common is sex. Research states
that sexual activity is in fact a dominant part of college life. So the present study sought to determine whether sexual activity was related to levels of self-esteem. To
this end, 429 college students were given a survey to measure aspects of their personal lives, self-esteem levels, and sexual activity. Analysis showed that there were
positive correlations between self-esteem and athleticism, being in a committed relationship, and sexual activity. Eric Levine: People have a variety of ways to express their emotions; in particular, their wide array of
facial gestures can depict almost any mood. Somebody who is smiling sincerely presents a completely different picture than somebody who is smiling insincerely. This was
established using a Likert scale assessment in experiment one where we looked at whether people are good at detecting if somebody is smiling sincerely or insincerely. The
twenty pairs of faces were then used in experiment two by creating four composite faces for each individual: sincere right composite (right side of the face copied and
flipped to create a mirror image of the other), sincere left composite, insincere right composite and insincere left composite. Again, subjects rated the sincerity of the
smiles for these images. The goal was to determine if one side of the face was more responsible for expressing emotion (sincerity) than the other. Maegan Lewis: In this study relationships between divorce and trust variables were examined. Specifically,
marital status (married, divorced) was compared against degree of trust in government, technology, romantic relationships, family, and school. The study showed statistical
significance (p < .05) in terms of the relationship between marital status and romantic relationships. However, no other outcomes were significant (all p >
.05). These findings support the conclusion that children’s trust issues may be important considerations when dealing with the erosion of parental relationships. The findings
also suggest that trust issues that may develop from parental divorce do not appear to generalize to other non-romantic-relationship domains.
| Brad Zatorski: The objective of the research was to look for a correlation between coping and deviant behavior among college students. A compilation of three scales were integrated into a questionnaire. These scales were a 20-item coping scale, a four-item deviance/psychopathy scale, and a 12-item deviance scale. These scales were then tested on a sample of college students to determine the correlation of the scales. The results and possible implications are discussed. |
| John Mathe, Trisha Bubenheim, Daniel Lutz, & T'Azia Dixon: The Ausburg Multidimensional Personality Instrument (AMPI; Kelly, 2013) allows advanced undergraduate students to have "hands-on" lab experiences administering and interpreting a brief multi-scale personality test. The AMPI has domains that simulate the MMPI but were developed specifically for college students. In the current study, interpretive correlates for four commonly occurring one-point codetypes (Spikes 0 - Introversion, 4 - Psychodeviance, 2 - Dysphoria, and 9 - Hypomania) were examined using a sample of 559 students. To develop interpretive codetype descriptions, t-tests were used to identify items on a self-report inventory that discriminated between students with the AMPI codetypes examined in this study and the remainder of the sample. |
| Kimberly Perry: This study examines the correlation between relationship satisfaction and a 13-scale broad-band personality instrument. Students completed the AMPI (Kelly, 2013) and the satisfaction scale (Hendrick, 1988). It was predicted that higher scores on the AMPI scales measuring negative experiences (Dysphoria, Anxiety, and Hystericality) would relate to lower relationship satisfaction. The results of this study can be applied in a variety of relationship counseling scenarios. |
| Gina Mercuri: An exploratory qualitative research study that sought to examine student's feelings towards online and traditional classrooms and the susceptibility of cheating in each setting. Participants were interviewed with questions that focused on either online classes they have taken, or classes they have taken in a traditional classroom. The interview questions dealt with factors such as professor feedback and the susceptibility of the classroom environment for cheating. After the interview, participants were given a list of cheating behaviors and asked to rank how much each instance represented a cheating behavior. The results of the behaviors were analyzed to see if there was any correlation between one classroom setting over the other. The interviews were also analyzed to see if any patterns were different between the online and traditional conditions. Findings included that the main reasons students are believed to cheat is to get a good grade for both settings. Also, most participants agreed that online classes are easier to cheat in because of greater resources and opportunities for academically dishonest behaviors. |
| Alexandra Salerno: When a dancer is injured and cannot perform, the experience can be both physically and emotionally distressing, particularly when it impacts their career path. There is often a profound sense of loss and detriments to his or her psychological well-being (Schnitt, 1990). The purpose of this study was to explore dancers' experiences of returning to sport after experiencing an injury. In particular, this study examined dancers' emotional responses and fears of returning to sport. Using qualitative methodology, ten male (n=5) and female (n=5) professional dancers that had experienced a significant injury were interviewed regarding their injury experiences. Through interpretive analysis (Hatch, 2002), the interviews were coded and thematized. All participants described experiencing negative emotional responses upon experiencing their injuries. The major themes that were derived from the interviews will be identified. Discussion of the themes and implications for future research will also be presented. |
| Heather Schultz: Studies have shown that hazardous drinking among college students remains a significant public health concern (Boekeloo et al., 2011; Foster et al., 2011; Huchting et al., 2011). By one estimate, approximately 1,825 students (18 - 24 years old) enrolled in 2- and 4-year institutions die each year from alcohol-related causes, mostly due to motor vehicle crashes; nearly 700,000 students are hit or assaulted by another drinking student each year, while 97,000 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (Huang et al., 2010). The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between college students' attitudes towards drinking and their willingness to engage in high-risk drinking behaviors. Surveys assessing attitudes and behaviors towards drinking were completed by a sample of college students (n=208). According to the results, students reported having a relaxed attitude towards drinking. Findings indicate that students perceived it is acceptable for male students to have 5 or more drinks (89%) in one setting and acceptable for females to have 4 or more drinks per setting (75%). Further findings and discussion will be presented. |