USAO Psychology Team Presents Research at San Francisco Conference

CHICKASHA – For the second consecutive year, students and faculty from the University of Science and Arts were invited to present research data at the annual American Psychological Association conference. More than 10,000 psychologists from across the globe attended this year’s conference, held Aug. 17-20 in San Francisco.

Dr. Tina Winn, chair of the Division of Business & Social Sciences, and Dr. Chris Walker, assistant professor of psychology, took two top students to the 115th American Psychological Association (APA) conference.

Lexington psychology junior Chelsea Huddleston joined Misty Shepard, a 2006 psychology graduate from Lindsay, in the team’s presentation, “Achievement Goals and Hope as Predictors of Student Behavior.” Psychology students Blakely Adams, a senior from Nowata, and Kayce Godwin, a senior from Indiahoma, assisted with the project but were unable to attend the conference.

“The students did great,” Walker said. “Dr. Winn and I are very proud of them.  We feel that our students represented themselves and USAO very well.”

Walker said the team plans to submit data from the presentation to a psychology journal soon.

The psychology group also presented a second research poster entitled, “Do Epistemological Beliefs Predict the Acceptance of Civil Liberties Restrictions?” Recent graduates Regina Hatcher of Chickasha and Nindi Espinoza of Lovington, N.M. conducted research for the project but were unable to attend the conference.

Misty Shepard, who became a USAO admissions counselor this spring, said the opportunity to interact with internationally renowned psychology specialists was too good to miss.

“The APA conference was a great opportunity to be drenched in the most recent psychology research,” she said. “The annual conference allows students to rub shoulders with today’s great psychologists and leave with a newfound inspiration for the field. I want to thank my professors for the opportunity to be a part of such a commendable research project and the university for supporting us.”

Shepard joined the team last fall, when Winn and Walker took three psychology students to present two research projects at the international APA conference, which was held in New Orleans. During the conference, the team met up with two USAO alums pursuing doctorate degrees in counseling psychology. Both were presenting research at the conference.

PHOTO CUTLINE

A team of psychology students and professors from USAO recently presented research at an international psychology conference with more than 10,000 attendants in San Francisco. From left are Chelsea Huddleston, Dr. Tina Winn, Dr. Chris Walker and Misty Shepard.

NEWS RELEASE September 6, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND ARTS OF OKLAHOMA - CHICKASHA
CONTACT MICHAEL BENDURE, News Bureau, 405-574-1362, mbendure@usao.edu
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