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OU Students Showcase their Research at 2014 SEPA Conference in Nashville

2014 Southeastern Psychological Association Meeting

 

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Site of the conference: Omni Nashville Hotel and Conference Center

Continuing a longstanding tradition of preparing our students to submit their own research to peer-reviewed professional conferences, this year three Oglethorpe University Psychology Majors accompanied their professors to the annual meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in Nashville, TN. Patricia Groover (’15), Jessica Lill (’15), and Anthony Maccaglia (’15) presented their original research with the support and encouragement of their respective mentors, Dr. Wise, Dr. Zinner, and Dr. Carton.

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Left to right: Students Jessica Lill, Anthony Maccaglia, and Patricia Groover

Patricia presented a talk on her research that examined the ability to predict proofreading skills through a combination of intelligence, reading fluency, and personality variables. Her talk was approximately 15 minutes long and took place in front of a packed room of conference attendees. She delivered a clear, concise account of her project with the poise of a well-experienced presenter. It was a very impressive performance. Similarly, Jessica and Anthony presented their research projects in the format of a 90 minute poster session. Jessica’s study investigated how gender and level of provocative dress influence helping behavior. Anthony and his co-authors (OU students Katherine Wallace, Elicha Almonord, Ashley Kelly, and Dalton Satterfield) investigated the ability of a trait sympathy measure to predict helping behavior and emotional reactions to a video of distressed animals. Both of them had many opportunities to explain their studies and to answer questions from other interested researchers. They did a fantastic job.

In addition to presenting their own research, the students and professors attended several other talks and poster sessions. Everyone celebrated their accomplishments with a fun meal at Chuy’s. Interested in joining us next year? SEPA’s 2015 conference is in Hilton Head, SC.

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Jessica Lill fielding questions about her study.

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Anthony Maccaglia explaining his study to another researcher.

 

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Patricia Groover delivering her presentation

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