Faculty and Students Participated at Psychology Conference
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009
Dr. Sandra Webster, Westminster College professor of psychology, and seven Westminster students participated in the 37th annual Western Pennsylvania Undergraduate Psychology Conference April 25 at Robert Morris University.
Webster moderated the paper session on health psychology and attended the steering committee meeting.
Webster, who serves as faculty development officer, has been with Westminster since 1983. She earned undergraduate and master's degrees and Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Two senior psychology majors presented their capstone research:
David Dean presented "An Evaluation of Homonegativism Based on Psychophysiological Measurement Following Visual Stimuli," a poster on attitudes and physical reactions to homosexuality. His research was advised by Dr. Kirk Lunnen, Westminster associate professor of psychology. Dean is a son of Renee Dean and David Dean, both of New Castle, and a graduate of Shenango High School.
Amanda Kowalczyk gave an oral presentation, "Correlation between Adult Attachment Styles and Roommate Satisfaction among First-Year College Students," a study of the relationship between college roommates' attachment styles and their adjustment to college. Her research was advised by Dr. Jamie McMinn, Westminster assistant professor of psychology. Kowalczyk is a daughter of Brett Kowalczyk and Cathy Humphrey of West Springfield and a graduate of Northwestern High School.
Five students presented posters of the experiments they conducted in Webster's research design and statistics class:
Mikayla Barcus, a sophomore psychology and mathematics major, presented "Experimenting the Emotions that Different Tempos of Non-Lyrical Music can Produce," a study of the effect of music tempo on emotion. Barcus is a daughter of Timothy and Michelle Barcus of Downingtown and a graduate of Downingtown High School.
Matthew Facciani, a sophomore psychology major, presented "A Modified Replication of the Asch Study: How Social Influence Contributes to Conformity," a study that tested the effects of social influence and task complexity on conformity. Facciani is a son of Patrick and Joanne Facciani of Cranberry Township and a graduate of Seneca Valley High School.
Maranda McClintock, a junior psychology major, presented "The Effects of Video-Taping on Anxiety and Performance," which showed that being videotaped increases anxiety and reduces manual dexterity. McClintock is a daughter of Randy McClintock of New Brighton and Wendy Wolfe of Rochester. She is a graduate of New Brighton Area High School.
Jessica Miklosovic, a junior psychology major, presented "Cognitive Dissonance: Effects of Perceived Choice on Attitude Change," that showed how cognitive dissonance can increase agreement with unpopular perspectives. Miklosovic is a daughter of Jacki Miklosovic of Eighty Four and a graduate of Jamestown Area High School.
Cassandra Treshok, a sophomore psychology-human resources major, presented "Effects of Education on Environmental Awareness and Attitudes in First-Year College Women," a study of how knowledge of environmental issues changes attitudes about them. Treshok is a daughter of Anthony and Karen Treshok of Sarver and a graduate of Freeport Area High School.
Contact Webster at (724) 946-7359 or e-mail websters@westminster.edu for additional information.
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