Major, Debra

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Old Dominion University

Old Dominion UniversityODU Digital CommonsUndergraduate Research Symposium 2016 Undergraduate Research SymposiumFeb 13th, 10:15 AM - 11:15 AMOral Concurrent Session II: UndergraduateResearch in Psychology IDebra MajorOld Dominion UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.odu.edu/undergradsymposiumThis Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion inUndergraduate Research Symposium by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contactdigitalcommons@odu.edu.Major, Debra, "Oral Concurrent Session II: Undergraduate Research in Psychology I" (2016). Undergraduate Research Symposium. 8.http://digitalcommons.odu.edu/undergradsymposium/2016/MasterSchedule/8	 17	10:15-11:15	AM	(ROOM	1311)	Undergraduate	Research	in	Psychology	I	Chair:	Debra	Major,	Department	of	Psychology		Differences	Between	Men’s	And	Women’s	Experiences	When	Transitioning	Into	The	STEM	Workforce	Kelsey	Ellis	and	Rachel	Green	(Mentor:	Dr.	Debra	A.	Major)		The	purpose	of	Project	RISE	(Research	Investigating	STEM	Embeddedness)	is	to	understand	the	discrepancies	between	men	and	women’s	experiences	as	Science,	Technology,	Engineering,	Math	(STEM)	majors	by	following	them	in	their	transition	into	workforce.		Participants	were	interviewed	3	months	after	entering	their	job	or	graduate	program	and	were	asked	about	their	experiences	in	the	field.		These	responses	were	then	analyzed	to	investigate	how	embedded	STEM	graduates	are	in	their	entry	level	positions.		This	presentation	will	address	differences	in	student’s	transition	to	post-graduation	roles	based	on	the	type	of	position	(i.e.,	graduate	school	vs	workforce)	and	gender.		A	Methodological	Study	Of	The	Use	Of	“Aha!”	Ratings	In	Research	On	Insight	Problem	Solving	And	Creativity	Alonzo	Anderson,	Aekta	Javia,	Joesph	Abijaoudi,	Holly	Fizgerald,	Won	Valerius,	and	Chelsea	Dilks	(Mentor:	Dr.	Ivan	K.	Ash;	Graduate	Student	Mentor:	Kimberly	Lee,	M.S.)		Creativity	is	often	associated	with	people	experiencing	sudden	flashes	of	inspiration	and	understanding.	These	type	of	experiences	have	been	called	insights	or	“Aha!”	moments.	“Aha!”	moments	or	insightful	solutions	are	often	described	as	answers	that	suddenly	appear	in	the	mind,	with	little	effort,	and	extreme	confidence	that	the	answer	is	correct.		This	can	be	contrasted	with	incremental	or	analytically	solved	problems	where	solutions	are	reached	through	effortful,	deliberate,	and	strategically	application	of	prior	knowledge.		Researchers	have	often	used	subjective	ratings	of	participants’	own	“Aha!”	experiences	to	differentiate	between	insightful	and	incrementally	solved	problems.		In	the	current	study	we	investigated	the	construct	validity	of	these	Aha!	ratings,	by	presenting	participants	with	the	three	different	aspects	of	the	“Aha!”	rating	(Suddenness,	Effort,	and	Confidence)	as	separate	measures	to	see	if	these	aspect	of	the	solving	experience	were	highly	correlated.			Academic	Performance	and	Help	Seeking	Among	College	Transfer	Students	Sarah	Brown	(Mentor:	Dr.	Konstantin	P.	Cigularov)			College	transfer	students	make	up	over	a	third	of	the	total	student	population	and	their	numbers	are	continuously	growing.	Although	transfer	students	are	likely	to	experience	academic	adjustment	challenges	at	their	new	institution,	there	has	been	little	research	on	the	relationship	between	help-seeking	and	academic	performance	among	college		 18	transfer	students.	In	the	present	study,	we	investigated	differences	in	help	seeking	between	low	(<	2.0)	and	high	(>	3.5)	GPA	transfer	students,	and	the	effects	of	gender	on	help-seeking	and	GPA.	Participants	were	157	transfer	students,	most	of	them	in	their	second	semester	at	their	new	institution,	who	complete	a	web-based,	anonymous	survey.	There	was	no	significant	difference	between	the	low	and	high	GPA	groups	in	terms	of	the	number	of	sources	for	help	the	students	sought	when	faced	with	a	university-related	problem.	When	we	examined	specific	sources	for	help,	high	GPA	transfer	students	were	more	likely	to	seek	help	from	faculty	than	low	GPA	transfer	students;	the	other	sources	(i.e.	academic	advisors,	other	students,	friends	or	family,	tutors,	and	university	counseling	center)	had	similar	likelihood	of	being	sought	out	by	both	groups.	Female	and	male	transfer	students	reported	similar	likelihood	for	seeking	help	in	terms	of	number	of	sources	and	type	of	source.		Our	findings	suggest	that	seeking	help	from	faculty	is	a	useful	strategy	distinguishing	high	from	low	performing	transfer	students.		Therefore,	higher	education	institutions	should	encourage	faculty	to	engage	students	and	build	rapport,	and	also	provide	opportunities	and	encourage	students	to	engage	with	faculty.			 	

Oral Concurrent Session II: Undergraduate Research in Psychology I

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Oral Concurrent Session II: Undergraduate Research in Psychology I

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