The 4th Annual NIU Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference

Our annual departmental research conference was a resounding success, with 23 student posters co-authored by faculty in our department and 27 student presenters in total.  Congratulations to everyone for another strong showing!  

Winning Posters:

• Cristina M. Quarrato (Advisor: Doug Wallace)
• Ashley Dotson (Advisor: Angela Grippo)

Honorable Mentions:

• Kaitlyn Krigbaum (Advisor: Anne Britt)
• Elliott Ihm (Advisor: Angela Grippo)
• Tiffani Scott (Advisor: Anne Britt)

A complete listing of the department's participants, presentation titles and faculty mentors follows:

• Effects of conclusion-evidence agreement on memory
  Authors: Karina Perez, Brent Steffens, & Anne Britt 
  Presenter: Karina Perez 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. M. Anne Britt 
• Exploring the effects of fetal alcohol exposure on adult navigation
  Authors: Cristina M. Quarrato, Derek A. Hamilton, & Douglas G. Wallace 
  Presenter: Cristina M. Quarrato 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Douglas G. Wallace 
• Narrowing the focus: Improving memory for historical texts
  Authors: Tiffani Scott, Brent Steffens, & Anne Britt 
  Presenter: Tiffani Scott 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. M. Anne Britt  
• The Links Between Grandparent Cohabitation Situations on the Quality of the Grandchild Relationship
  Authors: Kelsey Sondgeroth, Micah Ioffe, & Laura Pittman 
  Presenter: Kelsey Sondgeroth 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura D. Pittman 
• Infusion of GAT1-Saporin into the medial septum spares mnemonic function and impairs self-movement cue processing
  Authors: Sarah Stuebing, Jenny Koppen, Shawn Winter, Joseph Cheatwood, & Douglas Wallace 
  Presenter: Sarah Stuebing 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Douglas Wallace 
• Effects of the Deployed Parent in Military Families on the Parent-Child Relationship and the Adult Child’s Non-Family Network Relationships
  Authors: Brittany Torres & Patricia Wallace 
  Presenter: Brittany Torres 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia Wallace 
• Seduced Into Poor Recall of Important Text
  Authors: Kirk Weishaar, Michael C. Mensink, & David N. Rapp 
  Presenter: Kirk Weishaar 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael C. Mensink 
• The Effects of Manipulating Personal Responsibility on Analog Checking Behavior: Testing the Cognitive Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptoms
  Authors: Lisa Wiersema, Kayde Merrell, Mary Catherine Nasca, Victoria Yopst, & Kevin Wu 
  Presenter: Lisa Wiersema 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Wu 
• Critical Levels of Social Support for Adolescents: How Much Social Support is Enough?
  Authors: Alysa Berenson, Laura Farrett, Lauren Nelson, Kirsten Smythe, Guadalupe Trejo, Katie Douglas, Megan Leino, Christine Malecki & Michelle Demaray 
  Presenter: Alysa Berenson 
  Faculty Mentors: Dr. Christine Malecki & Dr. Michelle Demaray 
• Evaluating sex differences in self-movement cue processing during a food hoarding task
  Authors: Ashley Blackwell, Sarah Stuebing, Ariel Finney, Jenny Koppen, Shawn Winter, Leslie Matuszewich, & Douglas Wallace 
  Presenter: Ashley Blackwell 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leslie Matuszewich & Dr. Doug Wallace 
• Playful and Aggressive Relational Behaviors in Fifth Grade: Associations with Social Outcomes
  Authors: Lauren E. Boddy, Kara C. Baumhardt, Jennifer T. Morgan, Adric Peccarelli, Jamie Price, Jewel M. Robinson, Britta Rodenbeck, Stephanie Swanson, Christina L. Piccirillo, & Amy E. Luckner 
  Presenters: Lauren E. Boddy, Jewel M. Robinson, and Jennifer T. Morgan 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amy E. Luckner
• Building a Serious Game for Teaching Critical Thinking
  Authors: Poonam Dhillon, Lisa Rogers, Keith Millis, & Patricia Wallace 
  Presenter: Poonam Dhillon 
  Faculty Mentors: Dr. Keith Millis & Dr. Patricia Wallace 
• Social Isolation, Stress, and Depression: Insights from an Animal Model
  Authors: Ashley Dotson, Neal McNeal, Joshua Wardwell, Melissa Scotti, Rachel Schultz, & Angela Grippo 
  Presenter: Ashley Dotson 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Angela Grippo 
• The Role of Gender and Emotion in College Students’ Aggressive Behaviors 
  Authors: Luciano Gomez & Patricia Wallace 
  Presenter: Luciano Gomez 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia Wallace 
• The Role of Peritraumatic Dissociation in the Relationship between PTSD Symptoms and Alcohol Use in a Sample of Trauma Exposed Women
  Authors: Allison Hansen & Holly Orcutt 
  Presenter: Allison Hansen 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Holly Orcutt 
• Interpretation is hard! Cultural Modeling for Repetition in Literature
  Authors: Jonetta Haymer, Eve Keith, & Joseph Magliano 
  Presenter: Jonetta Haymer 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joseph Magliano 
• Reversing the Effects of Social Stress Through Environmental Enrichment and Exercise: An Animal Model
  Authors: Elliott Ihm, Ashley Dotson, Nalini Jadia, Neal McNeal, Rachel Murphy, Rachel Schultz, Joshua Wardwell, Andrew Wegner, & Angela Grippo 
  Presenter: Elliott Ihm 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Angela Grippo 
• Finding “good” information
  Authors: Kaitlyn Krigbaum, Kris Kopp, & Anne Britt 
  Presenter: Kaitlyn Krigbaum 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. M. Anne Britt  
• Demographic Correlates of NIU Students’ Interest in Math
  Authors: Curtis Krueger, Megan Michalak, Jacob Hough, Michael Rydell, & Amanda Durik 
  Presenter: Curtis Krueger, Megan Michalak, Jacob Hough 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amanda Durik 
• Activation of Elderly Stereotype Prime and Intent for Action:  Do These Factors Influence Distance Perception?
  Authors: Matthew Langley, Matt Rasmussen, Daiv Boveri, & Katja Wiemer 
  Presenter: Matthew Langley 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Katja Wiemer
• Dodgers and Robbers: Effects on Food Protective Behavior in Adulthood from Early Methamphetamine Exposure
  Authors: Rebecca Mayle, Rob Miller, Chandler Betke, Eden Anderson, Leslie Matuszewich, & Doug Wallace 
  Presenter: Rebecca Mayle 
  Faculty Mentors: Dr. Leslie Matuszewich & Dr. Doug Wallace 
• Academic Success: Relationships between Study Habits, Demographics, and Classroom Performance
  Authors: Sara Marie Mendez & Vytenis B. Damusis  
  Presenter:  Sara Marie Mendez 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Vytenis B. Damusis (Purdue University Calumet) 
• Social Support is Beneficial for Coping with Stress: Studies Using an Animal Model
  Authors: Rachel Murphy, Katherine Appleton, A. Kim Johnson, Neal McNeal, Joshua Wardwell, Christina Bishop, Stephanie Steel, Melissa Scotti, & Angela Grippo 
  Presenter: Rachel Murphy 
  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Angela Grippo