Award-Winning Central Students and Faculty Recognized at Chicago Conference

Central College students and faculty were recognized during the 95^th Annual Midwestern Psychological Association, April 20-22, in Chicago, Illinois.

Keith Jones, Mark and Kay De Cook Endowed Chair in Character and Leadership Development and professor of psychology, received the 2023 Midwest Psychological Association Excellence in Mentoring Award. It recognizes an outstanding mentor who provides guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the knowledge, professional skills, competencies and character of others.

Trey Woods, Class of 2024, received a Psi Chi Regional Research Award for a research project on moral decision-making. This is a highly selective award for the top student research projects. More than 800 applicants were considered for the Psi Chi session at the Midwestern Psychological Association conference this year and only a few students received this award.

Leah Gilbertson, Kaitlyn Isom and Jaeni Sprague, all in the Class of 2024 — were selected to receive competitive student research grants through the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology. Gilbertson and Sprague both were awarded an Undergraduate Research Grant for the Spring semester. Gilbertson received the Mamie Phipps Clark Diversity Research Grant.

Shelby Messerschmitt-Coen, assistant professor of psychology and a 2015 Central graduate, will serve as the faculty sponsor for Sprague. Gilbertson and Isom will be sponsored by Randall Renstrom, associate professor of psychology.

Presenting Research from Experimental Psychology

• Riley Gatton ’23, Morgan Galbraith ’24, Grace Helgeson ’24 and Trey Wood ’24
  “Is There a Morning Morality Effect for Every Day and Utilitarian Moral Decision-making?”
• Spencer Daves ’24, Kaitlyn Isom ’24 and Margret Vonderheid ’24 
  “Does the Social Context in Which a Politician Uses Taboo Language Impact Their Candidacy for Office?”
• Tessa Brubaker ’23, Addison May ’24 and Tanner Randol ’23
  “The Relationship Between Personality and Conspiracy Theory Belief”
• Leah Gilbertson ’24, Luke Henkhaus ’24 and Clark Hood ’24
  “The Relationship Between Government Trust, Political Ideology and Conspiracy Theory Belief”
• Cameron Bannister ’23, Jaeni Sprague ’24 and Devyn Switzer ’24 
  “The Impact of Gender and Job Type on Perception of Creativity”

Presenting Research from Advanced Research in Psychology

• Lilly Bracy ’23
  “How Queerness and Involuntary Isolation due to COVID-19 Impact Resiliency in College Students?”
• Paige Busick ’23
  “Judgments of Casual Sexual Relationships”
• Makenna Hall ’23
  “College Students’ Perceptions of Psychological Intimate Partner Violence”
• Kelsea Hurley ’23
  “Mock Juror Perceptions of Guilt Based on Defendant Race and Gender”
• Gabrielle Kimm ’23
  “The Effect of Parenting Style and Narcissism on Gender Identity Acceptance”
• Kaila Plum ’23
  “Perceiving Anxiety: The Roles of Labeling, Knowledge, Age”
• Ryan Roberts ’23
  “Responses to Athletes’ Career Decision: Perceptions, Attributions and Empathy”

Presenting Research from Social Cognition

• Lilly Bracy ’23, Allyson Madsen ’23 and Kaila Plum ’23
  “Religious In- and Out-Group Perceptions”
• Quevion Baker-McCaulay ’23, Riley Gatton ’23 and Ryan Roberts ’23
  “Black Men’s In- and Out-Group Perceptions”
• Tessa Brubaker ’23 and Gabrielle Kimm ’23
  “Abortion Stigma and Person Perception: Projection and Dispositional Attributions”
• Natalia Mindowicz ’23 and Gabriella Petruzzello ’24
  “The Effects of Context and Induced Guilt on Abortion Attributions”