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HUNTINGTON UNIV MAGAZINE

Psychology students' work published in online journal

FOR RELEASE December 12, 2008

Huntington, Ind.—All 21 Huntington University students from Dr. Wayne Priest’s Applied Research Methods course have had their research projects published in the online Undergraduate Research Journal of the Human Sciences.

The students, who worked in teams of three, have seven papers in the journal’s seventh volume at www.kon.org/urc/urc_research_journal7.html.

Seniors Claire Bates, Whitney Abbott and Naomi Woods published their paper titled “Death and Social Life: How Death of a Loved One Impacts Social Style.”

“We received responses from 118 Huntington students, which we used to explore how the experience of losing a loved one would relate to social style in years after the loss,” said Bates, a psychology major from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. “We tested the hypothesis that those who had experienced this sort of loss would have a friendlier social style than those who had not.”

The students did not find any significant evidence in either direction but felt the experience was worthwhile anyway.

“Having practical experience in research and presentation is essential for students seeking application to graduate school,” said Woods, a history major from Hillsdale, Mich.

Other papers that appear on the site include the following:

• “Self-Esteem and Class Standing in Liberal Arts Undergraduate College Students” by Katie Mitchel, Stephanie Smith and Jenny Simpson

• “The Relationship of Fear of Negative Evaluation and Perfectionism in College Students” by Wayne Stephan, Amber Stephan and Rosealee Palmer

• “Divorce, Its Implications on Children: The Onset of Sexual Relationships in Adolescents” by Christian Hubley, Andrew Freehauf and Mack D. Miller, Huntington University

• “The Impact of Sleepiness Levels on Academic Achievement for College Students” by Jessica Flood, Becky Brensinger and Stacie Cheek

• “The Relationship Between Stress and Eating in College-Aged Students”
  Brittany Gower, Christina E. Hand and Zachariah K. Crooks

• “The Relationship between Body Mass Index and Self-esteem in Female College Students” by Leslie A. Malkemus, Lissa M. Shipman and Cara J. Thomas

The students also presented their research projects at the 21st annual Michigan Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference on April 19 at Albion College in Albion, Mich.

The prerequisite class to Applied Research Methods, Intro to Research Methods, prepared students with the skills they would need to conduct and communicate about behavioral research in the social science world, Bates said. In Applied Research Methods, students actually carry out a research project, generally through a survey research project conducted on Huntington University’s campus.

“Most of the students will not be conducting research [in their career],” said Dr. Wayne Priest, associate professor of psychology, “but they all will consume it, which in the social science field is key.”

Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S.News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest. Founded in 1897 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Huntington University is located on a contemporary, lakeside campus in northeast Indiana. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

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