Students are required to complete a research project during their senior year at Monmouth College. The topic is self-selected, and students receive guidance and feedback from the faculty and fellow students.
While a research project is not required until the senior year, some students become interested in research at an earlier stage in their career and that is also encouraged.
When possible, research is submitted for publication at conferences or in journals. All seniors are encouraged to present their research at ILLOWA. Some students have also had research presented at MPA. ILLOWA is a regional undergraduate Psychology conference held annually, and MPA (Midwestern Psychological Association) is an annual professional conference held in Chicago. In addition to these conferences, students also present their research to the Monmouth College community at the annual Senior Science Poster Session, held near the end of Spring semester.
Other recent student project titles include:
"You Are the Apple of My Eye: Perceived Parental Favoritism in Relation to
Self-Esteem and Locus of Control," Carrie Gerardi ('03)
"The Effect of Procrastination on Sensation Seeking, Self-Handicapping, and
the Five Factor Model," Rachel Hulick ('03)
"Shyness and Life Satisfaction: Can Role Playing Change Social Anxiety?" Jon
Peterson ('03)
"Mommies Wear Dresses and Daddies Wear Ties: Sex-Role Stereotypes of
Preschoolers," Catrina Pullen ('03)
"The Combined Effects of Music Tempo and Exercise on Mood, Anxiety, and
Relaxation," Tiffany Robison ('03)
"Speech Therapy and the Initiation of Communication in a Child with Down
Syndrome," Shanah Thompson ('03)
"The Effects of Parental Marital Status on Intimate Relationships," Amanda Cox
('02)
"Social Dominance and Status as Predictors of Drug Use," Regina Mangieri ('02)
"Who is Bluffing? An Analysis of the Effect of Accuracy and Personality Traits
in Competitive Play," Mac McLaughlin ('02)
"Frustration in Organizations: Effects on Performance," Jennifer Paris ('02)
"Possible Impacts of Abstinence Effects From Smoking on Productivity," A.J.
Nixon ('02)
"The Restorative Effects of Nature: Does it Help?" Dan Sparks ('02)
"Neurological Theories of Why Dreams Occur," Rebecca Evans ('01)
"Gender and Accuracy: Predictions in Verbal and Spatial Tasks," Rebecca
Leisher ('01)
"Communication Styles: Comparing Computer-Mediated and Face-to-Face
Interaction," Heather Mabee ('01)
"A Person-Perception Study of Smokers and Non-Smokers," Marissa Vishnu
('01)
"Ambiguous Racial Identity," Vanessa Armstrong ('01)
"How Does love Affect Performance in a Task Situation?" Sara Bliss ('01)
"Misinformation, Priming, and Its Effect on Memory Conformity," Jessica Carson
('01)
"How Gesture Affects Word Retrieval," Erin Fink ('01)
"Self-Predictions Among Pool Players: How Accurate Are We?" Amber Fowler
('01)
"Physiological Responses of Individuals with High and Low Neuroticism to
Violent Pictures," Amy Neal ('01)