On March 3 through 5, 10 Elizabethtown College psychology students along with faculty members Dr. Michael Roy, Dr. Elizabeth Dalton and Dr. Robert Wickham attended the 93rd Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) Conference in New York City, N.Y. The students spent the weekend in New York City presenting their research as well as exploring the city in their free time. The research presented at EPA Conference included a variety of topics and research points and was presented by upper level psychology or neuroscience majors at the College. This kind of opportunity for students at Etown to be able to present research at a large conference is very meaningful for the students and faculty involved. The students interviewed were all first-time presenters at the EPA Conference.
Senior Margaret Harbord explained that her group conducted research on naturalness bias, as well as how people tend to prefer other people with natural ability compared to those who worked hard for their ability. She said her favorite part of the experience was being able to connect with the other psychology students as well as being able to explore the city. The students had gone to see a Broadway show and a comedy show while they were in New York City, so the experience was not all work and no play, and the students did not have much to complain about as they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Senior Jocelyn Kosik explained how she felt as though this was an opportunity to bond with professors and students in psychology as well as gain some insight and knowledge as to how conferences work and what is expected. Kosik’s research was investigating how variables that can affect adaptability relate to how higher education professors felt they adapted to online teaching. The adaptability factors she looked at were years in higher education, personality and social support and she used Etown professors as her first group of participants. Kosik has gone further with her research and is extending her research to professors at Lebanon Valley College, and those results will be presented at SCAD, which is another opportunity for Etown students to get their research out to the public.
Kosik explained that having other students there experiencing the same thing helped calm the nerves and she was able to relate to a lot of the other students presenting because they were all going through the same thing. She felt comfortable in presenting her findings and was excited for the conference to be in New York City.
Students in psychology and neuroscience are highly encouraged to attend a conference similar to this one as it serves as a good academic and personal experience in which one can grow and learn. Kosik explained that she benefited from EPA and that “other people would benefit from it as well.” This conference can be a stepping stone onto new research ideas in the field of psychology as while at the conference, students have the ability to walk around and visit and ask questions about another presenter’s research. This can then help stir up ideas for new research questions as well as offer insight on their own research as others can come up and ask questions about their research.
The EPA Conference allows students the opportunity to learn from their professors in a rich environment where they can get feedback in a real-world situation. This will help students be able to grow and learn in a more hands on way and it is encouraged to students. A conference such as this one is also helpful as it can guide a student’s future research and give new ideas.
