Psychology Student Research Conference Program
Fall 1997
Students
enrolled in Experimental Psychology at Dordt
College design and conduct original experiments,
write a professional
research paper, and publicly present their findings
to the
campus community. Abstracts
from their papers are reprinted below;
for more information,
e-mail Dr. Sherri Lantinga.
Self-Esteem Acts as a Buffer Against
Anxiety -- Dan Blom
Anxiety is a big issue in our
world today. Every day we experience some sort of anxiety in our lives.
Tests, papers and jobs create this tension. Self-esteem also has a big
role in our lives. So how we perceive ourselves affects almost everything
we do. This study will set out to see if self-esteem acts as a buffer in
high threat situations. This is saying that self-esteem is not a factor
in low threat situations, but it acts as an anxiety lowering factor in
situations that present a higher threat.
Breaking Social Norms: An Emotional Motive
-- Angie Dirksen & Carmen Wielinga
From day to day people are faced
with social norms whether they are conscious of them or not. People breaking
a norm tend to feel more uncomfortable than those observing them. Unlike
past research, which focused mainly on naturalistic observation, this study
measured emotional reactions as well. Uncomfortableness was manipulated
by having 16 students ask someone, who was already seated, if they could
sit in his/her seat. The other participants were simply by-standers.
Gender Differences Concerning Poster
Content -- Sue M. Boersen
This study was designed to rate
the responses of males and females concerning sexy posters. This was done
by doing a 2x3 design, using 101 undergraduates. The participants rated
their fondness to either a scenario of a poster with a woman in a sexy
red string bikini posed in a sexual manner beside a cascading waterfall,
a man in a red skimpy speedo posed in a sexual manner beside a cascading
waterfall, or simply a cascading waterfall. Gender differences did not
differ concerning sexy posters. However, there was a significant difference
found in the poster type (bikini, speedo, or waterfall).
The Effects of Music on Reading Comprehension
-- Tricia Rozenboom & Kim Koedam
Many students study while listening
to rock music. Several studies have shown that background music can influence
an individual's reading comprehension, while some studies have found no
effect. We were not interested in how music lyrics affect individual's
reading comprehension, but how different styles of music affect reading
comprehension. We tested the reading comprehension of three groups: one
with no background noise, one listened to classical music background, and
one to rock music. Although the mean scores differed in the predicted direction,
we found no significant differences between music groups. That is, students
did perform better in a no music background than they did in a music background.
A Positive "Weapon" Effect -- Chad
Vande Lune
When out and about in this world,
many people mind their own business. Whether it be focusing on their task
at hand or day dreaming of far off lands. So how well do they pay attention
to their surroundings or those they come in contact with as they go about
their day? Whatever their situation, they will come in contact with other
people in a variety of situations. But what makes people take notice of
specific encounters with those around them? Each person has something that
draws their attention to another, whether it be clothes, hair, or body
size. Maybe there is one characteristic that draws attention and enhances
ability to recall or remember a person. That is what this study is going
to explore. Will people take better notice of an individual's hair color,
clothing, and body size if there is some positive factor present, in this
case a name tag?
Attitudes Concerning Smoking Behavior
-- Renee Hoekstra
Past research shows us that
there are personality differences between people that smoke and people
that do not smoke. Therefore, do people tend to perceive smokers differently?
This present study was designed to discern a difference between the way
subjects would rate a smoking and nonsmoking confederate. In this study
58 college students saw a video clip of a male confederate and rated the
attractiveness of the confederate. Thirty-eight subjects rated the nonsmoking
confederate and 20 rated the smoking confederate. No significant difference
was found between the way subjects rated the smoking and nonsmoking confederate.
However, a 2x2 design might have shown different results. In a possible
2x2 design both smokers and nonsmokers would rate a smoking and nonsmoking
confederate.
Gender Differences and the Acceptance
of Sexually Provocative Posters -- Mikal Laninga
Gender differences influence
many aspects of our lives. These differences may even influence the way
women respond to poster content as compared to men. To determine the extent
of gender difference influence on attitudes toward sexually provocative
posters, 100 college students read a scenario about a poster and completed
a questionnaire. One third of the participants read a scenario in which
a woman was dressed in a red string bikini and posed in a sexual manner
by a waterfall, another third read a scenario in which a male dressed in
a skimpy red speedo who was posed in a sexual manner by a waterfall, and
the last third read a scenario of a poster of a waterfall. Responses to
the poster content were significantly different by participant gender.
Social Facilitation and Humor --
Jessica Bowers & Tanya Vander Kooi
Research has shown that audiences
laugh more and rate the content to be funnier when they hear a laugh track
in radio talk shows and in speeches. Research has also shown that people
laugh more when they are in a group than when they are alone. It is not
known if individuals laugh more and rate the content of movies as funnier
when they are in a group than when they are alone. In this study 38 Dordt
college students viewed a 3-minute comedy movie clip. Half of the students
had confederates laughing in the room as they watched and the other half
of the students did not have confederates present while viewing the movie.
We hypothesized that participants with confederates in the room would rate
the clip as being funnier and would laugh more than participants without
confederates. Participants completed a questionnaire indicating the funniness
of the clip and how much they laughed. Significant differences were not
found between the groups.
Gender Bias in Readers of Academic Writings
-- Brent J.A. Smeenk
Gender bias in readers was investigated
in order to determine the effects of the author's gender on readers assessment
of an academic writing. The present study was a 3 (author: male, female,
androgynous) X 2 (order: first, last) design in which readers responded
to a hypothetical academic article. No significant effect was found for
the gender of the author or for the order in which the author's name was
presented. However, there was a significant interaction indicating that
when the female author's name is at the top of the page, her article is
given less credibility than when her name is at the bottom of the article.
This suggests that readers are biased against the academic writings of
female authors.
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