On March 27, 2023, students participated in the 2nd Annual Social Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference. Social Psychology undergraduate students, Sophia Cupello, Shaza Hassan, Monserrat Ramirez Ruvalcaba, and Alison Rogers developed the conference as part of the course requirements for SOCPSY 3K03: Research Experience, under the supervision and guidance of faculty supervisor and conference faculty advisor, Dr. Sarah Clancy. The 3K03 students also worked closely with Raisa Jadavji, Claudia Meneguzzi, and Shaina McDonald, the 2022 conference developers and RAs. Claudia, Raisa, and Shaina delivered the pre-conference workshop held on March 13, 2023, with the assistance of Alison, Monserrat, Shaza, and Sophia, and provided support to the 3K03 students throughout the project.
Having a keen interest in teaching and learning pedagogies, as well as fostering opportunities for student research, engagement and skills-building, Dr. Clancy offered 3K03 to provide an opportunity for current students, Alison, Monserrat, Shaza, and Sophia, to earn course credit while having hands-on practical research experience, working alongside Claudia, Raisa, and Shaina, a team of seasoned conference developers and organizers. The entire conference team – Alison, Claudia, Monserrat, Raisa, Shaina, Shaza, and Sophia – should be commended for their excellent work in developing and hosting the conference. The conference team should be incredibly proud of all you have accomplished and achieved!
The pre-conference workshop on March 13, 2023 provided an opportunity for student presenters to build their confidence and skills in public speaking and communicating research findings. Student presenters participated in a variety of activities during the workshop and were provided instruction on creating PowerPoint presentations for their presentations. The workshop was an essential skill-building activity in preparation for the conference on March 27, 2023. The conference on March 27, 2023 provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to have a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space to present their research to their peers and professors. The topics presented on March 27, 2023 included:
- “A Reflection on Contemporary Sexuality” by Leila Cottin (Level 3, Non-degree Social Sciences Exchange Student)
- “Comparative Study Exploring Psychological Well- Being of International and Domestic Students” by Christine Huang (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Karolina Kalashnikova (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Laurie Baker (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Monserrat Ramirez Ruvalcaba (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Shaza Hassan (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology)
- “Grateful Students: An Intervention to Increase Satisfaction with Life” by Yumna Qaisar (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology)
- “Hate Truly is the Virus: A Major Research Paper on Anti-Asian Hate Incidents During the COVID-19 Pandemic” by Christina Doan (Graduated December 2022, MA Sociology; Graduated April 2021, Honours Social Psychology)
- “How Romantic Relationships Influence the Subjective Well-Being of McMaster University Undergraduate Students” by Sophia Cupello (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Natalie Del Valle (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Alexa Evangelista (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Fadera Sanda (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Madison Cherry (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Aaliyah Paul (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology)
- “Implications of Access to Education for the Underprivileged: A Secondary Study of Intersectionality” by Rachel Helling (Level 3, Honours Social Psychology)
- “Prayer’s Ability to Combat a Decreased in Subjective Well-Being” by Jane Gardner (Level 3, Honours Social Psychology)
- “Rates of Imposter Syndrome Among Female- Identifying Individuals in Undergraduate STEM Programs at McMaster University” by Al-Ain Dalisay (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Alison Rogers (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Alyssa Cockburn (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology), Lana Abdul Raheem (Level 4,Honours Social Psychology), Olivia Eakins (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology)
- “Working in the Kinks: Exploring the Use of Kink to Empower Queer People” by Maxwell O’Toole (Level 3, Honours Social Psychology)
Please see the conference program for additional details.
Student presenters may have their abstract published in the 2023 edition of the McMaster Undergraduate Journal of Social Psychology, providing another opportunity for their research to be shared with others.
The student presenters effectively communicated their research in well-organized and articulate presentations, with excellent PowerPoint slides as visual accompaniments to their presentations. The range of interesting research presented highlights the importance of having an undergraduate research forum for students to share their work with others. The attendees were supportive and actively engaged with presenters, asking excellent questions aimed at learning more about the students’ research projects. The student presenters should be so proud of their outstanding and engaging presentations!
The conference was well-attended by students, family members and friends, and faculty and staff of the Social Psychology Program. Congratulations to all presenters and conference developers/facilitators on an excellent event. The Social Psychology Program is so proud of you!