Student Research Opportunities

During your studies at Cedar Crest, you will not only gain a solid knowledge base in psychology, but will also have the opportunity to conduct research. You will also develop your oral and written communication skills, enabling you to present your findings before peers, faculty and attendees at conferences. Specifically, you will:

• Apply research methods learned in courses to research questions of interest
• Receive training on state-of-the-art lab equipment available on campus
• Develop complementary skills such as critical thinking, teamwork and leadership
• Learn to articulate your findings in a professional manner

Student Research Projects

You have the opportunity to work on a research project in a faculty member’s area of interest. The semester before you begin the research course, you will select a subject upon which to focus your psychology research. Your project must relate to the expertise of one of the members of our department’s faculty. Because each professor specializes in a different field of psychology, our program offers students a wide variety of choices for project topics.

After your project topic is approved, you will work with the appropriate faculty member to conduct and develop your research. Upon completion of your research, you will be invited to share your findings at a number of conferences, including the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) Undergraduate Conference in Psychology and a conference for the Eastern Psychological Association. Cedar Crest also holds an annual Health and Wellness Conference in which students may also choose to present their research to the campus community.

This year, Cedar Crest College hosted the 27th Annual LVAIC Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference, on April 21, 2012.  Over 150 faculty and students from eight institutions in Pennsylvania gathered on our campus to listen to 35 oral and 20 poster presentations on a wide range of topics in psychology.  The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Karyl Swartz, Director of AIDS, Behavioral and Population Sciences at the National Institutes of Health's Center for Scientific Review, the main body of NIH that reviews research proposals for scientific merit.  Her talk, "The Dynamic Cycle of Research" included an overview of her own NIH funded research, as well as programs for funding, grant-writing experience, and opportunities to be a reviewer available to small institutions through NIH.  The program of the day's events can be found here.

Recent Student Research Presentations

Students have presented the following research projects at these recent psychology conferences.

Eastern Psychological Association, Pittsburgh, P.A., March 1-4, 2012

Perceptions of Bullying Based on the Gender and Attractiveness of the Assailant
Shannon Haberzettl and James Scepansky

The Relationship Between Facebook Use and Interpersonal Communication Skills in Female College Students
Rena Wallace and Sharon Himmanen

LVAIC Undergraduate Conference in Psychology, April 21, 2012

Violent Video Games Enjoyment and Frustration:  Influences of Game Difficulty and Personality
Sara Berscheski
Faculty Advisor: Dr. James Scepansky

Sleep Deprivation and Odor Detection Thresholds in Rats (Rattus norvegicus)
Laurian Della
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sharon Himmanen

The Influence of Contraceptive Choice and Promiscuity on Perceptions of Sexual Behavior
Danica Hannis
Faculty Advisor: Dr. James Scepansky

Perception Regarding Young Mothers:  The Effects of Age and Life-Circumstances
Jennifer Kerns
Faculty Advisor: Dr. James Scepansky

Effects of Face Shape and Symmetry on Mock Jurors' Perceptions of Defendants
Crystal Morloch
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sharon Himmanen

Recognition of a Face Following Superficial Modifications
Liselotte Penix
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sharon Himmanen

Influence of Priming on the Categorization of Gender Stereotyped Role Words
Kristin Scott
Faculty Advisor:  Dr. James Scepansky

The Effects of Priming Stereotype and Equality on Occupational Hiring
Kenia Valdez
Faculty Advisor:  Dr. James Scepansky

The Effects of Frustration on Approach-Motivated Behavior
Rena Wallace
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sharon Himmanen