Congratulations presenters and conference developers/organizers on the 2024 3rd Annual Social Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference!

On March 27, 2024, students participated in the 3rd Annual Social Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference. Social Psychology undergraduate students, Megan Lee and Paula Sheron Queiroz, 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 (co-investigator on the original 2021/2022 PALAT funded grant), the 2022 & 2023 conference developers and RAs.

The entire conference team organized and hosted a hybrid pre-conference workshop held on March 13, 2024. Beginning with icebreaker and other skill and confidence building activities, the workshop also provided instruction on creating PowerPoint presentations and giving a conference talk. The workshop was an essential skill-building activity to prepare presenters for their conference presentations on March 27, 2024. It was a fun, interactive, and educational informative day for all attendees!

As an strong advocate for student-centered teaching and learning pedagogies, including opportunities for student engagement in hands-on practical learning experiences both in and outside of the classroom, as well as student-centered research, learning and skill-building opportunities, Dr. Clancy was thrilled to supervise and mentor Megan Lee and Paula Sheron Queiroz in SOC PSY 3K03 as they developed and hosted the third annual research conference. SOC PSY 3K03 provided Megan and Paula with an opportunity for hands-on practical research experiences and peer-to peer collaborative learning. Dr. Clancy was delighted that Claudia, Raisa, and Shaina returned to provide additional mentorship and guidance to Megan and Paula, as well as take on an instrumental role in the pre-conference workshop.

Dr. Clancy wants to recognize and celebrate Megan and Paula, along with Claudia, Raisa, and Shaina, for their hard work, dedication, strong communication and organizational skills, creativity, and an entire semester of excellent, high-quality work that went into every step involved in developing and hosting the 3rd Annual Social Psychology Conference! The conference team should be incredibly proud of all they accomplished and achieved.

The hybrid conference was held on March 27, 2024, and provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to have a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space to present their research to their peers, family, friends, and professors. The topics presented on March 27, 2024, included (listed below in order of conference presentations):

• “Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) at McMaster University,” presented by Yuanning Hu, Yifan Wang, Ye Zang, Weiqi Zhang, and Yishu Zhu (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology students)
• “Examining the Relationship between Attachment Styles, Academic Performance, and Well-Being among McMaster Undergraduate Students,” presented by Sara Hossein, Ayma Iqbal, Alisa Karban, and Duygu Turkmen (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology students)
• “Police Experiences: Navigating Hypervisibility and Critique,” presented by Aidan Lang (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology)
• “White School: Examining the intersection of Racism and Ableism in Western Education,” presented by Deanna Fraser (Level 3, Honours Social Psychology)
• “Families Behind the Filter: How Social Media Influences Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Parenthood,” presented by Valentina Ademi, Rachel Helling, Alexx McIntosh, and Phoebe Wang (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology students)
• “A Comparative Study of Student Behaviour in an Academic Versus Non-Academic Environment,” presented by Tanya Kakar (Level 3, Honours Social Psychology)
• “Analyzing Attachment Styles within Gilmore Girls,” presented by Asal Salimi (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology)
• “Associations between Culture, Biomarkers, and Medicalization in Western Society’s Increasing Mental Health Crisis,”presented by James Barrie (Level 3, Honours Social Psychology, Research Specialist Option)
• “Attachment Styles and Sexual Dynamics: Exploring the Influence on Young Adults’ Sexual Standards, Behaviors, and Attitudes,” presented by Emma Borque and Cassandra Kahoon (Level 3, Honours Social Psychology students)
• “Exploring the Connection between Social Integration and Subjective Wellbeing and the Impact on International Student Identity,” presented by Olivia Mickus, Venette Patnubay, Joanna Scarlett, Paula Sheron Queiroz, Ryan Winstanley, and Noah Woodworth (Level 4, Honours Social Psychology students)

Please view the conference program for additional details.

Student presenters will have their abstract published in the 2024 edition of the McMaster Undergraduate Journal of Social Psychology viewed here, providing another opportunity for their research to be shared with others.

The presentations were articulate, well-developed, and well-organized as the student presenters shared their research with an actively engaged, enthusiastic and supportive audience of peers, family, friends, faculty, and staff. The student presenters should be so proud of their outstanding and engaging presentations!

A big thank you to everyone who came out to support the students at the conference! A special thank you to Social Psychology Program Administrator, Jessica Bouchard, for facilitating printing of the conference program, invitations to the McMaster community, and assisting with logistics on the day of the two events.

Congratulations to all presenters and conference developers/facilitators on an excellent event. The Social Psychology Program is so proud of you!