Throughout the past few months, four psychology majors have been working with our faculty members on a variety of research projects. Some of the work they conducted involved administering and analyzing psychological stress tests as well as creating virtual and real-world mazes. Learn about their exciting research below.
 

Matt Scanlin '08 with
Assistant Professor Melissa VanderKaay
Research Topic: Effect of Nicotine on Stress

Fascinated by the convergence of biology and psychology, especially in the process of understanding how people are affected physically by emotional events, Matt Scanlin tested close to 20
non-smokers over the summer. This fall, he will compare the data from that control group to data to be collected from three other groups: non-smokers, habitual (nicotine dependent) cigarette smokers, and occasional (non-nicotine dependent) cigarette smokers called “chippers.” more ... 
 

Lauren Bousquet '08 with
Assistant Professor Anthony Richardson
Research Topic: Impact of Testosterone Levels on the Brain

Interest in how the brain works led Lauren Bousquet to pursue a summer research project examining how testosterone levels in the brains of men and women affect the ability to navigate in both real and virtual worlds. The results of her study of spatial abilities could have implications for space flight: for a person’s orientation in a new place, or for keeping track of where you are in a space ship. more ...
 

Seth Brown '08 with
Assistant Professor Ari Kirshenbaum
Research topic: Effects of Nicotine on Behavior Tolerance

Seth Brown received a grant through the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) to study the effects of nicotine on the central nervous system. The project aimed to test one of the very fundamental tenets of substance use: whether chronic administration of a psychomotor stimulant (in this case nicotine) results in the development of behavioral tolerance. more ...
 

Marty Machia '07 with Professor Sharon Lamb
Research Topic: Sexualization of Girlhood

At the August 2007 American Psychological Association Convention in San Francisco, CA, Marty Machia and Professor Sharon Lamb presented a paper they co-authored on “Sexualization of Girlhood: Do Ads Affect Attitudes about Sexual Abuse?”  The research they presented examined, through a priming study, the effects of viewing ads of adult women made up to look like sexy young girls. more ...