Mesa Community College psychology department hosts student and faculty symposium
The third annual Psychological Science Spring Symposium was held at Mesa Community College’s Southern and Dobson campus on May 3 and showcased MCC student research projects, a feature speaker sharing insight on one of psychology’s most recent developments, and a variety of on-campus MCC’s resources dedicated specifically to the psychology department.
Seven student projects highlighted statistical research related to different social issues.
Four students presented research about a specific culture’s history, and how that relates to the psychological profile of that culture.
Cianna Leben presented a research project that showed a possible correlation between GPA levels and students who took handwritten notes versus those who used alternative note taking methods
Lee Bartlet presented research that studied stress levels within law enforcement related fields.
While Bartlet did not find the correlation she suspected she would, she took it in stride.
“That’s the beauty of research, sometimes you don’t find what you’re looking for, but you find something new instead,” said Bartlet.
J. Richard Douglas presented a research study seeking a correlation between birth order of siblings, and their respective introversion or extroversion qualities, something that Douglas felt a personal connection towards as a child with several siblings of differing sociability.
Gabriel Joseph Velarde presented a study that showed the benefits of meditation amongst those who participated in a control group study, showing a slight decrease in overall stress levels of those who participated in meditation.
Taiya Kiley presented research about students with adverse childhood experiences, and their respective academic achievement. Kiley reflected on the knowledge she gained through the research process, even if her original hypothesis was not necessarily supported.
Maverick Josef Tad-y presented a study evaluating the impact sleep quality had on both employment status and those in college.
Amanda Webster presented a research study that sought a correlation between news media consumption and reported depression levels.
Students also presented research projects on different foreign regions, including Greek culture by Malala Thompson, Japan by Lucia Casillas, Thailand by Michael Mosley,
Jef Gazely, a licensed counselor specializing in eye movement desensitization repetitions, and other energy psychology techniques, gave a speaker presentation on newer forms of psychotherapy that focus on how the body reacts to stimuli.
Gazey advocates these forms of psychotherapy to anyone above the age of six.
The psychological science spring symposium was last held in 2022, after taking a two year hiatus due to the COVOD-19 pandemic.
“I think this is going to become a bigger event every year and I’m hoping that it’ll be a major event that we can start having cross across departments and have other departments coming in as well,” said Christina Ahles, a psychology faculty member, and organizer of the symposium.
