Westminster student earns Drinko grant for psychology research

Westminster College student Samantha Reed earned an individual Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research grant for her research project, “The Effects of Caffeine on Emotional Memory.”

Reed, a senior psychology major and honors student from Zionsville, Pa., used the grant to fund three semesters of research. She studied how caffeinated versus non-caffeinated beverages affect emotional memory. Reed distributed a memory test to 40 participants over two sessions to collect data based on the participants' ability to remember positive, negative and neutral words.
 
Dr. Eric Fields, assistant professor of psychology at Westminster, mentored Reed throughout the research.

“I think this experience has greatly helped me by giving me the chance to work alongside my adviser. I have learned more through this research process than in any class. It has taught me to work individually and problem solve,” said Reed.

Westminster’s Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research financially supports undergraduate work through various grants for students participating in academic programs, conferences and creative projects at Westminster College.

For more information on the Drinko Center for Undergraduate Research, contact director Dr. Patrick Lackey at ugresearch@westminster.edu.

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