IX. Undergraduate Research

The following section is adapted from Joseph Pallodino's article, which originally appeared in the March 1986 APA Monitor.

Caring for Inquiring Minds

 Undergraduate research is a prime vehicle for reaching some of the goals of a liberal arts education, such as:  

Few would argue with these goals as a partial statement of the desired result of a college education. These are also goals which participation in undergraduate research can influence. For those concerned about careers, we argue that our students will be better prepared if they develop a wide range of skills than if their skills are geared to a specific job existing in today's market.

We are all consumers, not only of tangible products, but also of ideas. We need a scientific, questioning attitude to help us evaluate the claims that bombard us every day in the media. We need to constantly ask: "What do they know?" "How do they know it?"

 Students can also be liberated from ignorance and a reliance on authorities. "Psychology can be one of the most truly liberating of the liberal arts," Cole wrote. Undergraduate research participation can be one of the most liberating aspects of your education. Below are some ways in which you can derive maximal benefits from conducting research.

·        Get started early. A research orientation and a questioning attitude can be instilled in a variety of courses, including Fundamentals of Psychology. But we don't overwhelm students, and don't try to cram research down your throats. We believe in the maxim: Show 'em, don't tell 'em! We introduce you to simple data collection techniques, such as naturalistic observation and archival data collection. Later, you are asked to communicate your own research to the entire class. This is one of the central purposes of our Research Methodology course.

·        Prime the pump. There are hundreds of conceivable research projects. Undergraduates may either be overwhelmed or have no idea where to start because they can think of none! We can help prime the pump by carefully selecting research articles for you to analyze, using the pedagogical device previously described. Later, we may provide you with suggestions for potential projects. We also encourage you to consider the possibility of replicating prior research. As a discipline, we sometimes suffer from a failure to replicate.

·        Take a new look. We have tried to alter some age-old thoughts about where research takes place. Though not suggesting an exodus from the lab, we try to increase the variability of the types of projects we encourage and in the locations we seek for such research. We believe students should engage in research in many locations, using different methods.

·        Present your research. Presentation in class should be a minimum requirement. Participation in student research conferences is strongly encouraged. Since we have increased our emphasis on undergraduate research, there are even more such opportunities, providing forums for students to present their research efforts and to improve communications skills. The Annual University of Scranton Psychology Research Conference, organized and sponsored by the department, is a prime forum to present your research. Our students have also historically presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) and regional undergraduate conferences.

The fruits of research. Research is not an esoteric endeavor, difficult to comprehend and difficult to accomplish. Encouraging you to engage in research does not mean that we are trying to clone Ph.D. psychologists. Research by undergraduate students is consistent with the goals of a liberal arts education. It is also consistent with your career orientation if that orientation extends past entry-level positions.

Students who engage in research will be better equipped to deal with an expanding accumulation of information and an ever-changing world. One week after the final, few of you will recall the diagnostic criteria for any of the DSM-IV disorders. Few will remember whether the amygdala refers to an Italian antipasto or a part of the brain and none will know the formula for an analysis of variance.

What, then, can we expect of you? When you are faced with a problem, we can hope you will tackle the problem in a logical and methodological manner. You will be able to draw upon the published literature, and you will learn to use the current methods to access appropriate literature. You will be able to analyze and synthesize the literature. Applying the literature to the problem at hand will serve to crystallize the path to be taken. The variables involved will be operationalized, and the necessary data will be brought to bear on the problem at hand. You will be able to communicate your findings in a comprehensible manner, both orally and in writing.

You will, in short, have learned something about research -- and about life.

Research Opportunities 

Representative Student Research

*Hosey, M., Buchanan, J., & Karpiak, C. P. (2005, March). Declaration of nontraditional majors by freshmen students from single-sex high schools. Presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association. Boston, MA.

Karpiak, C. P., Buchanan, J. P., & *Hosey, M. (2005, April). Mr. Nurse, Ms. Engineer: Persistence in nontraditional majors by university students from single-sex high schools. Presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Atlanta, GA.

Hogan, T. P., & *Hosey, M. (2005, March). Strategies for measurement estimation tasks. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Boston, MA.

Hogan, T. P., & *Evalenko, K. (2005, March). The fuzzy definition of outliers in introductory statistics textbooks. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Boston, MA.

*Parlapiano, C., & Hogan, T. P. (2005, March).  Personality variables related to two types of quantitative estimation tasks. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Boston, MA.

*Hosey, M., *Garofalo, A., & Karpiak, C. P. (2005, March). Undergraduate students’ ratings of their romantic relationships: Gender differences in perceived interpersonal negativity when things are bad. To be presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association. Boston, MA.

*Oliver, J. M., Norcross, J. C., Sayette, M. A., Griffin, K., & Mayne, T. J. (2005, March). Doctoral study in clinical, counseling, and combined psychology: Admission requirements and student characteristics. Poster presented at the 76^th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

Norcross, J. C., & *Oliver, J. M. (2005, March). An update on PsyD programs; Acceptance rates, financial assistance, and selected outcomes by program setting.  Poster presented at the 76^th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Orr, P., *Shinko, K. & Alford, B.A. (2005, April). Randomized controlled alternative treatments of psychological disorders. In Skeptical Inquiry and Clinical Practice. Symposium presented at the 20^th Annual University of Scranton Psychology Conference, Scranton, PA.

Norcross, J. C., Karpiak, C. P., & *Lister, K. (2005). What’s an integrationist? A study of self-identified integrative and (occasionally) eclectic psychologists. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61, 1587-1594.

Norcross, J. C., Karpiak, C. P., & *Santoro, S. O. (2005). Clinical psychologists across the years: The division of clinical psychology from 1960 to 2003. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61, 1467-1483. 

*Garofalo, A., Norcross, J. C., & Koocher, G. P. (2005, August). Discredited psychological treatments and tests: An expert panel. Poster presented at the 113^th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

*Yoder, K.M. & Cannon, J.T. (2005). 2D:4D Finger Ratio and Adult Behavioral Measures Related to Autism. Presentation at the Society for Neuroscience Abst.

Hogan, T. P., *Orr, P., *Smith, A., & *Dyer, C. (March, 2006).  Gender differences in computational estimation skill. Poster presented at Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Baltimore, MD.

*Rengert, C., & Hogan, T. P. (March, 2006). Tests used in counseling research. Poster presented at Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Baltimore, MD.

*Yurkon, P., & Hogan, T. P. (March, 2006). NEO-FFI item performance with college students. Poster presented at Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Baltimore, MD.

Hogan, T. P., *Orr, P., *Smith, A., & *Dyer, C. (March, 2006).  Numerosity estimation and spatial ability. Paper presented at Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Baltimore, MD.

*Applegate, J., Karpiak, C. P., & Buchanan, J. P. (2006, March). Uniforms in high school and body image in young adulthood. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD.

*Brenne, S., Karpiak, C. P., & Buchanan, J. P. (2006, March). The relationship between parental input and body image in college women. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD.

*Johnson, M., Karpiak, C. P., & Buchanan, J. P. (2006, March). Body image dissatisfaction in students from private high schools. Poster presented at annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD.

Karpiak, C. P., Buchanan, J. P., & *Smith, A. (2006, March). Attitudes about gender equality in university students from single-sex and coeducational high schools. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore, MD.

Hogan, T.P. & *Murphy, G. (April, 2006). Preparing and Scoring Constructed-Response Items: What the Experts Say. Poster presented at the University of Scranton Psychology Conference, Scranton, PA.

Alford, B.A. & *Orr, P.T. (2006). Review of The Illusion of Conscious Will. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 20, 105-107.

Baril, G.L. & *Swetter, B. (May 2006). Females with high church attendance are most likely to report self-serving behavior. Poster presented at the American Psychological Society, New York, NY.

*Orr, P.T., *Tropiano, H., & Cannon, J.T. Mental rotation and perspective taking: Sex differences and relationships with 2D-4D ratio Soc. For Neuroscienc Abst., October 2006.

Patel, N., *Orr, P.T., Krupka, A.J., & Cannon, J.T. Effect of environmental enrichment in standard cages on Barnes Maze performance of BALB/c mice Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst., October 2006.

Hogan, T.P., & *Evalenko, K. (2006). The elusive definition of outliers in introductory statistics textbooks Teaching of Psychology, 33, 252-256.

Norcross, J.C., Koocher, G.P., & *Garofalo, A. Discredited psychological treatments and tests: A Delphi poll Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 37, 515-522 2006.

Slotterback, C., *Leeman, H., & Oakes, M.E. No pain, no gain: Perceptions of calorie expenditures of exercise and daily activities Current Psychology, Spring 2006.

Oakes, M. E., Slotterback, C. S., *Bator, T., Corrigan, E. R., *Alaimo, S., & *Vagner, E. .  The vitamin mystique: An analysis of beliefs and reputations of vitamin supplements among a regional sample of grocery shoppers Food Quality and Preference, June, 2006.

*Fala, N., Karpiak, C.P., & Buchanan, J.P. Parental attitudes about thinness are related to body shame in securely attached young women Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA, March 2007.

*Irace, C., Cannon, J. T., Karpiak, C., Baril, G., & *Melone, A. Environmental Attitudes: Relationships with Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, Political Affiliation, and Moral Reasoning Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA, March 2007.

*Vogler-Musil, S.J., & Slotterback, C.S. Do Idealized Images Shape Our Self Worth? The Effects of Media on Self Esteem. Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Philadelphia, PA, March 2007.

Hogan, T.P., *McLaren, J., & *Cerio, M. Correlates of numerosity estimation Poster presented at EPA annual meeting, Phila., PA. March 2007.

Baril, G.L. & *Swetter, B. Females Low on Gilligan's Cave Accurately Predict Others Admission of Wrong Doing Assoc. for Psych. Science, Washington, DC, May 2007.

*Swetter, B., Musyt, J., *Chin, L., Karpiak, C., & Cannon, J.T. Environmental enrichment in standard cages increases social approach behavior in BALB/cJ mice.  Abst. of the Eastern Psych. Assoc. (2008).

*Rengert, C. M., *D’Agostino, R. L., & Norcross, J. C. (2008, March). Preparing for life after graduation: Impact of a 1-credit career seminar on psychology majors. Poster presented at the 79th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Evans, K. L., *Schatz, D. M., Norcross, J. C., & Bike, D. H.  (2008, March). Do we practice what we preach?  Why psychotherapists decline personal therapy. Poster presented at the 79th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Ellis, J. L., Norcross, J. C., & Sayette, M. A. (2008, March). Getting in and getting money: GRE scores, acceptance rates, and financial assistance in APA-accredited clinical programs. Poster presented at the 79th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Schatz, D. M., *Evans, K. L., Norcross, J. C., & Bike, D. H.  (2008, March). The therapist’s therapist: Selection criteria and demographic congruence. Poster presented at the 79th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Piatek, E., *Guenther, R., *Irace, C., & Cannon, J.T. (2008). An analysis of gender differences in performance on Piaget’s water-level task and a failure to find relationships with 2D:4D finger ratio.  Abst. of the Eastern Psych. Assoc.

Karpiak, C.P., Buchanan, J.P., *Hosey, M., & *Smith, A. (2008). University students from single-sex and coeducational high schools: Differences in majors and attitudes at a Catholic university.  Scholarly Article published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, 31, 282-289.

*Piacente, A., & Hogan, T. P.  (2008, March). Comparison of SPSS/PC and MINITAB for conducting multiple regression analysis. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Boston, MA.

Hogan, T. P., & *Rengert, C.  (2008). Test usage in published research and the practice of counseling: A comparative review. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 41(1), 51-56.

*Teter, J. & Hogan, T. P.  (2008, March). Reliability of measurement estimation assessment. Poster presented at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Boston, MA.

*Swetter, B.J., & Cannon, J.T. (2008). Synaptic World, an improved model of synaptic transmission. Soc. for Neuroscience Abst.

Karpiak, C.P., *Swetter, B., *Imperio, C., *Garcia, M., & Cannon, J.T. (2008). Anxious behaviors in BALB/cJ mice:  Do different approaches to envirnonmental enrichment produce different effects?  Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst.

Hogan, T. P., & *Parlapiano, C. A. (2008). Personality factors related to quantitative estimation skill: Confirmation and extension. Psychological Reports, 103, 189-198.

Norcross, J. C., Klonsky, E. D., & *Tropiano, H. L. (2008). The research-practice gap: Clinical scientists and independent practitioners speak. The Clinical Psychologist, 61(3), 14-17 and The Independent Practitioner, 28, 206-208.

Norcross, J. C., Bike, D. H., *Evans, K. L., & *Schatz, D. M. (2008). Psychotherapists who abstain from personal therapy: Do they practice what they preach?  Journal of Clinical Psychology, 64, 1368 -1376.

Bike, D. H., Norcross, J. C., *Evans, K. L., & *Schatz, D. M. (2008, August). Psychotropic medication use among psychotherapists seeking personal therapy.  Poster presented at the 116^th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Ellis, J. L., Norcross, J. C., & Mayne, T. J. (2008, August). APA-accredited clinical programs: Acceptance rates, financial assistance, and selected outcomes. Poster presented at the 116^th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Fala, N. C., Norcross, J. C., Koocher, G. P., & Wexler, H. K. (2008, August). What doesn’t work? Discredited treatments in the addictions. Poster presented at the 116^th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Evans, K. L., *Schatz, D. M., *Ellis, J. L. & Norcross, J. C.  (2008, August). Doctoral admissions and training in APA-accredited counseling psychology programs. Poster presented at the 116^th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.

*Guenther, R., *Piatek, E., Burnham, B. R., & Cannon, J.T. (2008, November). Staying the course: Connections between political attitudes, habitual responding, and 2D:4D finger ratio. Poster presented at the 38^th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC

Burnham, B. R., *Pittagula, G., *Mertens, J., & *Greiner, L. (2008, November). Perceptual load and working memory load on attentional capture. Poster presented at the 16^th annual Object, Perception, Attention & Memory meeting, Chicago, IL

Bike, D. H., Norcross, J. C., & *Schatz, D. M. (2009). Processes and outcomes of psychotherapists’ personal therapy: Replication and extension 20 years later. Psychotherapy, 46, 19-31.

Norcross, J. C., Bike, D. H., & *Evans, K. L. (2009). The therapist’s therapist: A replication and extension 20 years later. Psychotherapy, 46, 32-41.

Norcross, J. C., *Ellis, J. L., & Sayette, M. A. (2009).  Getting in and getting money:  A comparative analysis of admission standards, acceptance rates, and financial assistance across the research-practice continuum in clinical psychology programs. Training and Education in Profession Psychology.

*Tropiano, H. L., Norcross, J. C., & Klonsky, E. D. (2009, March). The practice-research gap: Clinical scientists and independent practitioners speak. Poster presented at the 80th annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Pittsburgh, PA.

*Hynds, S., *Sminkey, M., *Kenefick, J., & Nolan, J.M. (2009, May). Why did the driver let the undergrad cross the street? Salient laws may undermine trust and informal social control for pro-social behaviors. Poster presented at the 2009 Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.

In addition to these and other works, our psychology students are contributors to our annual research conference.