Psychology honor society presents findings

UNLV psychology majors have been conducting research throughout their college careers. Thursday, they had a chance to finally present their conclusions at the Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference.

Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology students, along with the Psychology Club hosted the conference in the hallway of CBC building B.

Groups of students organized their research into 20 poster projects that covered a hall in the CBC building. The hall was packed full of students curious as to what the others were presenting.

“We tried to incorporate the whole entire psychology department,” said Erik Ringdahl, president of the UNLV chapter of Psi Chi. “We sent emails to over 1,200 people. We’re hoping for a better turnout next year, but this is the first year for something huge.”

The posters were more than simple visual aids made of printed photos and glue. They contained abstracts summarizing the background of the research, the methods used to conduct it and the findings so far. The posters presented were of a caliber that would draw the attention of professionals worldwide.

Sally Barney, vice president of UNLV Psi Chi, pointed out the importance of the conference.

“It kind of gives you a smaller scale experience for poster presentations, so when you go to the actual professional conference, where there is going to be a lot more people and a lot more posters. Its probably a lot more nerve wracking,” she said.

“So this is a good experience on a smaller scale to prepare for the professional.”

Barney added that the conference, with its official judging and name standards, can be put as experience on the Curriculum Vitae that these students will use to get into graduate schools.

For some students, like junior Logan Smith, this was their first chance to put on a poster presentation

“It’s good to see other people’s work,” Smith said.

“It’s easy to get involved in school and in the psychology field when you see how many people are doing the same kind of work you are and you can build off each other. It’s really motivating.”

The 20 posters were not only placed on the walls for students to see. They were also judged for prizes. The top three posters received honors, and the top two winners will receive funding toward attendance of a professional conference.

The first place winner, Benjamin Watrous, conducted research comparing the cognitive defects of people with bipolar disorder and those of people with bipolar disorder co-occurring with anxiety disorders. He will be using his prize money to attend the American Psychological Association conference in Toronto.

“I feel great about winning,” Watrous said. “I’d like to thank Daniel Allen [psychology professor], my mentor.”

The second prize went to Dimitriy Kazakov, who has already signed up to take his research to the Western Psychology Association conference in Portland. Third place went to Erik Ringdahl, who wished to point out that all three winners couldn’t have done it without Allen’s help.

ON THE WEB:

UNLV Psi Chi : psichi.unlv.edu