7th Annual Psychology
Capstone Symposium
Sponsored by
Undergraduate Studies Committee
and Psi Chi
Department of Psychology
April 14, 2010
Busch Student Center
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Psychology Capstone Project Judges
The Undergraduate Program Committee and Psi Chi thank the following individuals who
served as judges at this year’s symposium.
Faculty Judges
Ronald Kellogg, Ph.D.
Miriam Joseph, Ph.D., M.L.S.
Jeffrey Gfeller, Ph.D.
Janet Kuebli, Ph.D.
Dustin Jundt, Ph.D.
Graduate Student Judges
Dan Weidler, M.S.
Carrie Brown, ABD
Natalie Homa, B.S.
Victoria Herberger, B.A.
Sara Bagley, M.S.R.
Psychology Capstone Courses and Instructors
PSY 401 Advanced Statistics & Research Methods
PSY 486 History of Psychology
PSY 487 Human Services Practicum Project
PSY 488 Capstone Research Project
PSY 490 Critical Thinking about Psychology Projects
Undergraduate Program Committee
Janet Kuebli, Ph.D. – Chair
Kristin K. Kiddoo, Ph.D.
A. Michael Anch, Ph.D.
Kevin Fox, Ph.D.
Richard Harvey, Ph.D.
Justin Purl, Psi Chi President
Psi Chi Officers
Justin Purl – President
Beth McMillan – Vice-President
Claire Harwood – Treasurer
Patricia Donovan – Secretary
Megan Wilson and Megan Kloep – other board members
Kristin K. Kiddoo, Ph.D.
Kethera Fogler, M.A.
Bryan Sokol, Ph.D.
Frank H. Gilner, Ph.D.
Honore Hughes, Ph.D.
Bryan Sokol, Ph.D.
Eddie Clark, Ph.D.
Chris Conway, Ph.D.
Kevin Fox, Ph.D.
Ellen Hinkel-Reed, M.S.
GROUP A: RESEARCH PROJECTS
POSTER A-1
Authors:
The Effects of Proximity and Perception of a Person in Need on
Helping Behavior
Bryan Bander, Michael Binetsch, & Ghazaleh Fouladi
This study investigated the effects of proximity and perception of a person in need on helping
behavior. Proximity is significantly related to moral judgment and has been shown to
increase an individual’s likelihood to help a victim when increased by a picture of the victim.
Additionally, individuals are more likely to help a person in need who is perceived as having
higher value (e.g., a volunteer worker) than one perceived as having lower value (e.g., a
graffiti vandal). Participants were assigned to one of four conditions in which they read a
story describing either a positive or negative character that either included or did not include
a picture of the character. It was hypothesized that increased proximity would decrease the
likelihood to help, but only in the negative condition. Results and future implications will be
discussed.
POSTER A-2
Authors:
Epistemic Belief Strategies as Buffering Agents Against Mortality
Salience
Kacie N. Gebhardt & Matt S. Leonard
One’s beliefs can be powerful tools in many situations, such as thinking of one’s morals,
values, and mortality. Research shows that an individual made aware of their impending
death will cling to their beliefs and experience increase in implicit self-esteem to counter
negative effects to the self. Implicit self-esteem is most noted for its ability to buffer
negative effects, such as fear and anxiety of mortality salience. The present study looked at
whether a specific class of epistemic belief (i.e., metaphorism, empiricism, and rationalism)
is more vulnerable to the effects of mortality salience by measuring increase in levels of
implicit self-esteem. Following the Personal Epistemological Profile, participants were
primed (mortality salience vs. dental pain) and completed the Name-Letter-Effect Task.
Rationalism is hypothesized as the most efficient buffer, showing the smallest increase in
implicit self-esteem and least vulnerability to mortality salience, as rationalists are more
likely to view their death logically.
POSTER A-3
Authors:
Relationship with Professor and Class Satisfaction
Nicole Pommer & Ashley Decker
This study documents the class satisfaction rates of college students in regard to their
relationship with their professor. Students were given scenarios based on a relationship with
a professor and then proceeded to complete an adapted version of the Job Satisfaction Survey
(Spector, 1997) based on the scenario. Students also completed a short College Experiences
questionnaire (Pace & Kuh, 1998). It was hypothesized that students with informal
relationships would report higher levels of class satisfaction than students with formal
relationships. Additionally, it was hypothesized that women would rate higher levels of class
satisfaction with informal relationships; conversely males would report higher levels of
satisfaction with formal relationships.
POSTER A-4
Authors:
The Effects of Writing Style on Content Perception
Francesca Manzella, Kathryn McAleese, & Anja Pogarcic
Written communication such as e-mails and text messages are becoming the dominant forms
of interaction in the world. As face-to-face contact is being eliminated people can rely only
on the content of the messages to form impressions of the communicator. The Halo effect is
a cognitive bias that influences how a stimulus is perceived contingent upon preceding
stimuli. Differences in content perception were studied based on the type of writing style
(handwritten cursive versus typed print). In a 2X2 between groups design a group of college
students read 1 condition of a letter (typed rejection; handwritten rejection; typed acceptance;
handwritten acceptance) and were asked to complete the Perception of Content Scale. It was
predicted that in the acceptance condition, the typed letter would be viewed more positively
than the handwritten letter and in the rejection condition, whereas typed rejection letter
would be viewed more negatively than the handwritten rejection letter.
POSTER A-5
Authors:
Replenishing Mental Fatigue: Effects of Environment on Directed
Attention
Stephen Luehrs, Carole Dobbins, & Lauren Driscoll
The natural environment is preferred by many people as an escape from daily stress and is
often sought out as a place to concentrate, complete a task successfully, or improve cognitive
functioning. Kaplan’s (1995) attention restoration theory proposes that nature restores mental
fatigue, allowing more effective directed attention. The objective of this study was to extend
these findings by examining whether there is a relationship between participants’ hometown,
either natural or urban environment, and their cognitive test scores after exposure to a natural,
scenic environment versus a populous city environment. It was predicted that all participants
would show a restoration of cognitive abilities with regard to the nature task condition, but
participants from urban areas would show a restoration of cognitive abilities in the urban task
condition as well as the nature task.
POSTER A-6
Authors:
Effects of Feedback Type on Self-Efficacy and Subsequent Task
Performance Mediated by Locus of Control
Allison Ewen, Allison Garcia, Caitlin Higgins, Andrea Hoff, Michael
Sarmiento, & Ryan Soles
This study examined how actual performance feedback, determined by the results of a
competition, affects an individual’s subsequent task performance by influencing their feelings
of self-efficacy, and how locus of control mediates that relationship. The researchers
hypothesized that positive feedback (being told they are the “winner”) would cause a slight
increase in task performance for individuals with high self-efficacy and a greater increase for
individuals with low self-efficacy, whereas negative feedback (being told they are the “loser”)
would cause a decrease in task performance for individuals with low self-efficacy and have
little to no effect on individuals with high self-efficacy. It was also hypothesized that
participants with an internal locus of control would be more affected by the actual feedback
than those with an external locus of control. Results and implications for future research will
be discussed.
POSTER A-7
Authors:
The Effects of Stress on Semantic Processing
Jessica Anthony, Jennifer Brilley, & Patricia Donovan
Stress has been shown to reduce task performance, but few studies have looked at cognitive
performance via heuristics to study the effects of stress. One way to measure cognition is
with the Moses Illusion. When asked how many animals Moses brought on the Ark, a
majority of people respond “two” even though they know the correct answer is “Noah” when
asked later. The current research investigated the effects of stress and heuristic reliance on
the prevalence of the illusion by inducing stress through public speaking (or not) and by
manipulating the font legibility (easy vs. difficult). Performance was measured by the
number of illusions missed. It was predicted that difficult font would cause participants to
notice the distortion, leading to fewer mistakes, but that this effect would be eliminated when
participants were under stress.
POSTER A-8
Authors:
Emotional Affect and Processing Levels on Word Recognition
Valerie Mandoske, Allison Mecca, Hikaru Tsujimura, & Jessie
Jeevarajan
This study investigates the relationship of affect and level of processing (LOP) on the
creation of false memories. Past research has shown that positive affect facilitates one’s
ability to make semantic associations while negative affect has been linked to greater
selective attention. Participants were presented with word lists in varying LOPs after hearing
a positive or negative musical composition. On a later recognition test, they were asked to
make remember, know or guessing judgments regarding whether the word was previously
studied. LOP research suggests information processed at deeper levels leads to greater
consolidation. The consolidation strength of items activated by the spreading activation
process is predicted to give participants greater confidence that the critical lure was initially
present. It is expected that participants in the positive affect group, with a deeper level of
encoding, will have more false memories than any other group. Further implications will be
discussed.
POSTER A-9
Authors:
Personality and Empathetic Impact on Viewing Facebook Profiles
Sanita Saengvilay & Mary Herbst
The expansion of online social networking sites has grown beyond use of connecting friends
and family, but since all information on the sites are universally accessible, there has been a
huge surge on user privacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of
personality on viewing anonymous Facebook profiles. A student population (N = 100) was
surveyed on personality factors including extraversion/ introversion and viewed either a
“socialite” or “reserved” Facebook profile. They were then given a hypothetical situation
regarding the student presented in the fabricated profile and asked whether the outcome of
the situation was fair or not (i.e., empathy). Introverted participants were predicted to be
more empathetic, overall, than extroverted participants. This effect was expected to be
qualified by an extraversion x profile interaction, with introverts empathizing more for
reserved profiles and extroverts empathizing more for socialite profiles.
POSTER A-10
Authors:
Electrical Brain Potentials of Visual Implicit Learning
Milap Dubal, Francesca Manzella, & Jennifer Hedrick
Event-related potential (ERP) brain waveforms were observed while adults participated in a
novel visual implicit learning task. Participants were presented with different stimuli
(colored circles) that predicted the appearance of a target stimulus at different levels of
predictability (90%, 20%, 0%). To serve as a basis of comparison, participants also
completed a standard visual oddball experiment in which they were to respond when a rare
target stimulus occurred. The results showed that similar ERP waveforms were elicited with
both the oddball and implicit learning tasks, a positive-going waveform between 300ms and
500ms post-stimulus. Crucially, in the implicit learning task, this positivity was observed
with the onset of the high-predictability color (which, in essence acts as a pseudo-target),
rather than the target itself. These findings provide new evidence for understanding the
neural basis of implicit learning.
POSTER A-11
Authors:
Neural Correlates of Implicit Learning Across the Visual and
Auditory Modalities: An ERP Study
Katie Corkery, Seth Sheldon, & Brian Winebright
The event-related potential (ERP) effects of implicit learning of a structured sequence were
investigated. The goal was to compare the ERP waveforms for visual versus auditory
sequence learning. Differences in effects could provide evidence for separate modalityspecific cognitive processes for implicit learning. The study required participants (n=11) to
respond to a target stimulus following the presentation of one of three predictors of varying
strengths (90%, 20%, 0%). Participants completed both a visual and an auditory version of
the task (with order counter-balanced). The visual task yielded a P300-like effect for high
predictor items and a late negative drift occurring around 600msec, which was associated
with predictor strength. The auditory task did not demonstrate a clear index of learning,
possibly due to methodological issues related to auditory stimulus presentation. A
comparison of results for the two tasks may indicate potentially different cognitive processes
for visual and auditory implicit learning.
POSTER A-12
Authors:
Neural Correlates of Implicit Learning in Children
Jessica N. Anthony, Ethan Jost, & Hikaru Tsujimura
The ability to implicitly learn patterns in the environment is an important contributor to
aspects of cognitive development in children, especially language acquisition. This study
sought to examine the development of implicit learning by comparing the
electrophysiological brain responses of adults and children while completing two tasks: a
visual implicit learning task and a version of the classic oddball paradigm. Event-related
potentials (ERPs) were recorded during both tasks. The results showed that while both
children and adults exhibited the prototypical brainwave response associated with target
detection in the oddball task, only the adults demonstrated neural indications of learning in
the visual implicit learning task, a positivity between 300ms and 400ms after stimulus onset.
This suggests differences in implicit learning abilities between children and adults.
POSTER A-13
Authors:
Development of the Multi-level Personality Trait Assessment
(MPTA)
Justin Purl, Alan Tomassetti, Allison Ewen, C. Brandon Edwards,
Jennifer Brilley, & Sara Gargula
The Multi-level Personality Trait Assessment (MPTA) was developed in order to address two
shortcomings of previous trait assessments: (a) creating a measure a posteriori and (b) using
response anchors to measure behavioral intensity rather than distinct behaviors. These
criticisms were addressed, in part, by developing items designed to assess three discrete
intensity levels (high, medium, and low) of personality traits. The MPTA examines the
dynamic between these levels to achieve a more comprehensive assessment of an
individual’s personality. The construct and criterion validity of the MPTA was evaluated in a
sample of 221 undergraduate students and adult volunteers. Results provided mixed support
for the utility of this assessment. While several scales had poor internal consistency
reliability, these assessments both (a) converge with similar published personality scales, and
(b) predict unique variance in a variety of outcomes beyond the Big Five.
POSTER A-14
Authors:
A Productive Level of Cynicism: Test of Competing Models
Justin Purl, Alan Tomassetti, Allison Ewen, C. Brandon Edwards,
Jennifer Brilley, & Sara Gargula
The current study examines how different levels of cynicism on Saint Louis University’s
campus influences student engagement behaviors. The conventional wisdom would suggest
that higher levels of cynicism are associated with reduced engagement. We hypothesized,
however, that both low and high levels of cynicism are associated with reduced behavioral
engagement, while moderate levels of cynicism ought to predict higher levels of engagement.
This study included 219 students to assess cynical attitudes toward the university’s
administration, as well as engagement behaviors used in national accreditation surveys.
Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test our competing hypotheses. The results best
fit a curvilinear explanation for the impact of cynicism on student engagement, while the
linear hypothesis received no support. The main implication of these findings is that there
exists an ideal level of cynicism.
GROUP B: HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGY PROJECTS
POSTER B-1
Authors:
Consequences of the Mental Illness Metaphor
Adam Aholt, Devin Jourde, Lydia Pruitt, Evan Russell, & Erica Vance
The general function of metaphors is to reveal the complexity of a concept and to
systematically analyze its components by likening it to concepts that are already understood.
The metaphor of mental illness tries to explain unwanted behavior by usage of medical
terminology. Advancements in medicine and science revealed biological causes of mental
illness, resulting in the application of medicine to treat problems of behavior. Our research
discusses this metaphor’s historical origins, examines its broader impact, and unveils other
metaphors that evolved from it. Common-sense intuitions regarding mental illness are often
misguided and rooted in a legacy of mythical notions. Drawing from a medical perspective,
as the mental illness metaphor does, help combat these misconceptions and allows
researchers to make new breakthroughs in treatment.
POSTER B-2
Authors:
The Mind as a Conversation
Claire Harwood, Kate Henry, Grant Boyd, & Christina Mudd
To better understand processes of human thought, the mind has been compared to a
conversation. Conversational metaphors can be traced back to Freud’s view of
consciousness, Vygotsky’s model of internalization and self-control, and the concept of
imaginary audience. Broadly, the metaphor of the mind as a conversation lays the foundation
for many different cognitive theories. The primary drawback of this metaphor is the potential
oversimplification of cognition (e.g., brain modules “talking” to each other) and misguided
commonsense intuitions about mental life (e.g., “insanity defense”). Overall, this metaphor
has made concepts of psychology more accessible to all people.
POSTER B-3
Authors:
Colors as Emotions
Ashley Leonard, April Hubbard, Vicki Anderson, & Katie Ising
Colors have exemplified abstract emotions in many different arenas throughout history.
Colors representing emotions date back to pre-historic times in the first use of symbols and
drawings by primitive humans. In modern times, these representations of emotion permeate
many fields, such as physics, architecture, philosophy and medicine. Our project will focus
on this metaphor’s implications in the history of psychology, as well as the fields of art and
literature, business and religion. This metaphor’s diversity shows its vast importance of
representing emotions in concrete ways, especially through colors. Integrating itself into both
Eastern and Western cultures, this metaphor has become a dominant, even if unconscious,
element of everyday life. Through advertisements, therapies, and everyday language, this
metaphor is easily recognizable.
POSTER B-4
Authors:
Ancient Minds, Modern Times: The Savanna Principle
Carole Dobbins, Paige Fields, Joe Hilliard, Elise Monaco, & April
Senter
A metaphor is a learning device that allows us to better understand the unknown. Darwin’s
metaphor of natural selection had a revolutionary influence on contemporary thought. The
gradual acceptance of the “survival of the fittest” model produced a paradigm shift from
viewing humans within a theistic framework to a brutal struggle for survival. Today, the
contemporary school of evolutionary psychology unifies the gap between the social sciences
and biology. From evolutionary psychology comes a new theory: the Savanna Principle,
which proposes “the human brain has difficulty comprehending and dealing with entities and
situations that did not exist in the ancestral environment.”
GROUP C: PRACTICA PROJECTS
POSTER C-1
Author:
Wesley House Association
Alicia Faust
The mission of Wesley House Association is to provide leadership for the ongoing
stabilization of the neighborhood, and develop extensive local involvement in programs that
enrich the quality of life for all who participate. Wesley House serves as an anchor in the
community, providing a safe haven for the young and the young at heart. It continues today
as a United Way social service agency that provides ongoing support for youth and families.
Safe, fun and educational is the best way to describe the Wesley House Association after
school program. Qualified staff and eager volunteers provide a positive learning
environment for students. The activities are designed to promote character education and
esteem building. Youth are also provided with daily homework assistance and academically
enriching activities. Through an educationally diverse curriculum, Wesley House Association
seeks to provide a well-rounded experience for every child.
POSTER C-2
Author:
Miriam School
Aqdas Ahmed
Miriam School is a nonprofit school for students with multiple learning disabilities. The staff
utilizes an individualized approach to meet the needs of diverse students in order to help
them excel academically, socio-emotionally, and beyond. Small class sizes, averaging nine
students, allow teachers and their assistants to interact fully with students to recognize and
successfully meet their potential. This practicum site offers the opportunity to work with
students who need help exploring various learning styles, and to discover their individual
strengths. Utilization of psychology is essential in this setting because cognitive and social
abilities of students are emphasized in the curriculum, making this site ideal for practicum
students looking to apply psychology in an educational setting.
POSTER C-3
Author:
YWCA Transitional Housing Program
Caitlin Barry
The YWCA is a national not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to social service,
advocacy, education, leadership development, and racial justice. Established in the United
States in 1858, the YWCA is the oldest and largest national women’s organization. YWCA
Metro St. Louis’ Transitional Housing Program is focused on providing homeless, single
women with adequate housing and the necessary tools to gain employment and help residents
obtain permanent housing. As a practicum student, one would be engaged in all steps of the
housing process, from intake interviews, to move in, to developing individual service plans.
The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace,
justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The Transitional Housing Program is always looking for
volunteers to further their ability to help women.
POSTER C-4
Author:
Marian Middle School
Curissa Seawood
Marian Middle School is the only all-girls Catholic middle school in St. Louis, Missouri. It
gives educational preparation to the students so they would be able to enter a college
preparatory high school. Marian ranges from the fifth to the eighth grade and the students
commit to a 10-month, 12-hour schedule/day. During their time at Marian, they are
developing critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, and life skills. There are many
opportunities for volunteers at Marian who include, but are not limited to, as a mentor, afterschool tutor, or even an office assistant. It is a great community of intelligent and active
minds that are excited to learn and receive an education.
POSTER C-5
Author:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri
Justin Dalisan
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a youth mentoring organization that allows adults one-on-one
interaction with children, fostering the development of positive relationships. The
organization partners with parents, volunteers, community organizations, and schools to
establish an all-around enriching environment for children, so that they may reach their true
potential. Each individual match meets on a weekly basis, during or after school,
participating in activities like learning new games, doing homework, and physical recreation.
Because of the efforts of BBBS, it has been shown that kids in the program are less likely to
get involved in physical confrontations, are more confident in their performance in
schoolwork, and they attend school on a more regular basis. This practicum site promotes
youth mentoring while also helping a student intern to acquire an increased understanding of
the field of psychology, especially in the area of child development.
POSTER C-6
Author:
Putting Children First: Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
Katie Semkiu
The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to
preventing child abuse and neglect in the Saint Louis area. One of the main services the
Crisis Nursery provides is a 24-hour helpline for parents. In addition, the Crisis Nursery
offers short-term shelter for children whose families are facing such extreme difficulties as
overwhelming parental stress, homelessness, sibling illness/death, or domestic violence. By
providing social support and parental education, the organization seeks to prevent abuse and
neglect in high-risk situations. A practicum at the Crisis Nursery incorporates aspects of
developmental and clinical psychology, including prosocial interaction, expression of
aggression, development of cognitive processes, abuse situations, and coping mechanisms.
This practicum site provides the student with extensive opportunities to spend one-on-one
time with the children at the nursery, attending to the specific physical, emotional, and
developmental needs of the child in a friendly and positive atmosphere.
POSTER C-7
Author:
The Down Syndrome Association of Greater Saint Louis
Kendall Dowsett
The Down Syndrome Association of Greater Saint Louis aims to provide effective resources
and support for individuals with Down Syndrome and their families. The ultimate purpose of
the DSAGSL is to be the most comprehensive resource on Down Syndrome so that the
individuals and their families may live the most enriching lives possible. Anyone interested
in working directly with people and children with disabilities or a non-profit similar to the
DSAGSL would benefit from the variety of opportunities available through the organization.
The agency advocates a plethora of programs and resources for individuals of all ages and
abilities as well as their families, including fitness clubs, cooking classes, job training, new
parent support groups, sibling workshops, learning programs, and much more. When
working with individuals with Down Syndrome, all it takes is an open heart and an open
mind to be successful.
POSTER C-8
Author:
St. Louis Crisis Nursery
Megan Kenkel
The St. Louis Crisis Nursery works to prevent child abuse and neglect by providing a
temporary shelter for children whose families are experiencing a crisis situation. In addition
to providing an immediate safe and nurturing environment for the children, the nursery
provides ongoing support for the struggling families through follow-up counseling services
and parental empowerment groups. Volunteers at the nursery interact directly with the
children and care for their emotional and physical needs. Typical activities performed by
volunteers include playing games, organizing arts and crafts, rocking infants, and helping
with activities such as feeding and bathing. Because most children come from unstable
environments, the nursery exposes volunteers to psychological issues involving the effects of
negative environmental conditions on child behavior and development. Overall, the Crisis
Nursery provides a relaxed and fun environment for volunteers, and more importantly it
provides the opportunity to show compassion for a child in need.
POSTER C-9
Author:
The Women’s Safe House
Melissa Rankin
The Women’s Safe House is a non-profit organization that welcomes women and their
children who have been victims of domestic violence. Safe House provides emergency
shelter in which the women are able to heal and make new connections to move on in their
lives. Women who call the crisis hotline and who meet the few requirements are given
immediate housing and everyday essentials. Each woman is offered individual counseling
and is required to attend group counseling to discuss life challenges and everyday life tasks,
such as acquiring a job, financing and parenting skills. Children continue school and attend
childcare during group counseling. To continue their stay, the women must save half of their
income and rotate through housing chores. Students who seek to assist women in crisis and
children in transition would greatly enjoy the use of their knowledge of psychology to
observe cognitive processes and development at Safe House.
POSTER C-10
Author:
Progressive Youth Connection (PYC)
Molly McDaniel
Progressive Youth Connection (PYC) is a United Way organization that focuses on providing
violence prevention and character education to students and parents in St. Louis. The afterschool program at Monroe Elementary School consists of snack time, tutoring, an activity
focusing on character building and free play time. Volunteers are able to assist students with
their homework, lead educational activities and most importantly build meaningful
relationships with the students. The most significant impact a volunteer will have through the
program is the relationships they build with individual students. These relationships will
allow for students to have a consistent positive role model in their life. PYC also runs other
programs focused on anger management, healthy relationships, bullying and awareness of
prejudice and discrimination.
POSTER C-11
Author:
Edgewood Children’s Center
Becca Ludwig
Recent studies suggest that nine to thirteen percent of American youth experience a serious
emotional disturbance1. Edgewood Children’s Center has developed a successful educational
and therapeutic environment for these individuals by offering a private school for nontraditional learners, a variety of unique treatments such as art and music therapy, an on
campus permanent resident facility, and an intensive treatment center. They also connect
their children with therapists and various community support services. This practicum is
ideal for the application of abnormal, adolescent, health, and personality psychology courses.
The Edgewood residence, in particular, offers a structured community where children are
supervised in order to learn appropriate social behaviors and respect for others. The children
at the residence rely heavily on the volunteers to create fun activities, to help with
homework, to remain open to conversation, and to provide a good role model.
POSTER C-12
Author:
Lemay Child and Family Center
Stephanie Parker
Lemay Child and Family Center provides quality care and education to the youth in a
nurturing environment. They provide care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years. Services
they provide for the children include infant-toddler education, preschool, and before and after
school care. The Center also provides services to the families that are supplemental to the
education of the children such as parent support groups, social service support, and parent
education. The services provided by the center introduce students to psychological
experiences such as social workers, family therapists, and child development. The practicum
experience allows volunteers to be hands-on in the classroom and help children with art
projects, music activities and learning experiences. The volunteers provide extra help for the
classroom giving the children more opportunities for individual assistance. The experience is
a good application of the psychology classes offered at SLU.
POSTER C-13
Author:
Precious Days Daycare
Terrence Washington
The practicum experience was at Precious Days daycare which is a privately owned 24-hour
day care. The day care owner is licensed through the state of Missouri and was more than
willing to receive a psychology student’s help. After orientation and on the job training,
independent work began. This work consisted primarily of teaching in classroom settings.
All of the work expected of a teacher in childcare was performed such as developing lesson
plans, teaching classes, and preparing meals. The ages of the children in the daycare ranged
from newborns to thirteen years old. The daycare catered primarily to destitute parents in
need of childcare in order to provide a local family owned daycare with affordable rates and
an emphasis on safe and fun learning within a Christian based environment.
POSTER C-14
Author:
Sexual Assault Response Team at YWCA: “Eliminating Racism
and Empowering Women”
Tiffany Chang
The Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) provides 24/7 immediate, in-person crisis
intervention to victims of rape in all 17 hospital Emergency Rooms in the St. Louis city area.
Advocates provide one-on-one support, present resources, and sit with the victim throughout
his/her stay in the Emergency Room. SART is through the YWCA, and has a great working
relationship with hospital nurses and the city police department, responding to approximately
500 calls a year. Advocates undergo 40 hours of invaluable training, which challenges their
worldviews about rape and victimization, instilling a proper mindset to approach a victim in
the ER. This practicum experience challenges the psychology student to use all that she has
learned, in effort to understand the nature and dynamics of sexual violence. It may be
difficult at times, but working to heal the damages of sexual violence is one of the most
worthwhile causes one can be involved in.
POSTER C-15
Author:
Caring for Heroes: Volunteering at the St. Louis VA Medical
Center
Eric George
The St. Louis VA Medical Center provides a number of medical services to US military
veterans. I volunteered in the ER, where my responsibilities included restocking rooms, and
transporting patients and lab work, but I also took the time to really talk to the patients.
Pertinent psychology courses include: health psychology, abnormal psychology, and
personality theory. The medical professionals at the VA truly care for their patients, but the
patient-provider relationship, including communication, needs some improvement. I believe
that if the professionals do not have time to do so, a clinical/counseling health psychologist
should be available at hospitals to better facilitate this relationship.
POSTER C-16
Author:
St. Patrick Center’s Mobile Outreach Team: Building Rapport
with the St. Louis Homeless Community
Laura Henry
St. Patrick Center (SPC), the largest provider of homeless services in Missouri, aims to
promote permanent, positive change in the lives of individuals by providing access to
housing, mental health and substance abuse programs, and employment. SPC’s Mobile
Outreach Team was created in 1988 to reach those living on the streets suffering from mental
illness and/or substance abuse. The Outreach team bridges the gap between mistrusting
homeless individuals and the services they desperately need by establishing genuine, caring
relationships. As a pseudo-Team member, I was introduced to the multitude of human faces
and experiences that are the St. Louis homeless.
POSTER C-17
Authors:
Perspective-Taking and School Climate: A Service Project
Comparing Two St. Louis Elementary Schools
Emily Price & Laura Rundell
We explored the psychological constructs of perspective-taking and school climate through a
service project at two St. Louis schools: a low-income parochial school and a language
immersion charter school. We drew from Selman’s (2003) model of perspective taking and
Cohen’s (2009) dimensions of school climate to inform our comparison of students’ conduct.
According to Selman, perspective-taking skills are related to social context, especially the
kind of interpersonal relationships contributing to a positive school climate. Cohen identifies
a variety of dimensions of school climate – safety, interpersonal relationships, teaching and
learning practices, and external environments – that could be related to the development of
perspective-taking. We focused particularly on the dimensions dealing with navigating peer
interactions, building a sense of community, and implementing effective discipline.
POSTER C-18
Author:
Resilience in Children at the St. Louis Crisis Nursery
Kelly Makatura
I am exploring the factors of resilience in the context of the St. Louis Crisis Nursery. The
Crisis Nursery is an emergency shelter for young children. I have created a categorical
system for the children that I have observed; it represents the endogenous and exogenous
factors that measure resilience. By observing maladaptive and resilient children, I have
gained valuable direction in making decisions about my future career.
POSTER C-19
Author:
The Women’s Safe House
Jessica Anthony
In the United States a woman is beaten every 15 seconds; domestic violence is the leading
cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 and 44. The Women’s Safe House was the
first domestic violence shelter in St. Louis, founded in 1977. Annually, the shelter serves
600 abused women and their children. The Women’s Safe House provides safety, support,
and residential services for women and their children (males up to age 17), offering a variety
of programs, including case management, children’s services, and aftercare programs. The
site also has a 24 hour crisis hotline, as well as volunteer programs and community
education. All of the services are provided at no cost, so that the women can save for her
family’s future. Until the violence stops, The Women’s Safe House will be there to provide
safety, shelter, and support.
POSTER C-20
Author:
Washington University School of Medicine’s Early Emotional
Development Program
Hilary Duckworth
The Early Emotional Development Program, in association with Washington University,
serves the greater St. Louis community as a pediatric mental health clinic, as well as being
the site of a number of federally-funded research projects exploring various facets of
preschool depression. Researchers and clinicians are attempting to further understand the
correlation between emotional development and childhood mood disorders. I have taken
only a small part in this work, by assisting in data entry and observing assessments and
counseling in the laboratory. I provide child care and assist in grant work. I have been able
to observe groundbreaking research and its application in a clinical setting.
POSTER C-21
Author:
Saint Louis Crisis Nursery
Lauren Driscoll
The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery (SLCN) is a not-for-profit agency composed of five locations
dedicated to providing a safe haven for children in an attempt to prevent child abuse and neglect.
The SLCN provides short-term emergency shelters for children, birth through age 12, whose
families are experiencing a crisis (homelessness, illness, domestic violence, parental stress, etc.).
While at the SLCN, children receive 24 hour care by trained staff and volunteers, a
developmental assessment, a medical exam, medications, and therapeutic and art activities.
Practicum students have an opportunity to impact children’s lives through play, therapeutic
activities, and providing unconditional love.
POSTER C-22
Author:
The Village Academy
Jane Hwang
My practicum was at The Village Academy, a non-profit early education center for children
in the St. Louis area. The Village offers a preschool program for children 2½ through 5 years
of age as well as an after school program for children 5 through 12 years of age. In the
preschool program, they follow The Creative Curriculum for Preschool to facilitate
social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language development. Classrooms are split by age
groups to better match the specific needs of the children. My role at The Village was that of a
teacher’s aide during preschool hours. I assisted the teachers in the classroom, large group
activities, as well as helped supervise outside play. My learning goals for this experience
were to gain a better understanding of development in young children, especially in areas of
cognition and language. I also wanted to observe the process of learning and maturing as the
semester progressed and the differences between gender in the children’s interactions with
their peers and teachers.
POSTER C-23
Author:
Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN)
Katie Jenks
KEEN is a non-profit organization that gives children with developmental and physical
disabilities an opportunity to participate in sporting activities. This free program allows
children to play one-on-one with a volunteer, while aiming to improve their confidence and
athletic and social skills. Volunteers are required to attend a brief orientation before assisting
at KEEN for the first time and can then attend other sessions whenever they choose. As a
volunteer, I was paired up each week with athletes who had a variety of disabilities, and I
learned how to provide for them a fun and safe experience. As I gained more familiarity with
the site, I also trained new volunteers and answered questions the parents and children had.
This site gave me hands-on experience with children with disabilities and allowed me to see
their progression in the development of important skills.
POSTER C-24
Author:
Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments
Kristen Maltarich
A.L.I.V.E. is a 501(c) (3) organization that receives support through federal and state government
funding and from donations. This agency serves men and women, with no discrimination of age,
race, sexual orientation, religion, or national origin, and children ages 4-17. A.L.I.V.E. solely aids to
assist individuals who are or have been victims of intimate partner violence, and children who have
been victims of domestic violence. Receiving A.L.I.V.E.’s services typical requires: calling into the
crisis line, completing an intake and standardized test, and receiving individual counseling or
attending group support sessions. This agency serves to assist individuals through counseling, nights
of safety, emergency transportation, court advocacy, and special services. The goal of counseling is
to formulate a safety plan, promote healthy living, and assist and guide healing for the individual.
The staff consists mainly of licensed counselors and social workers (LISW), graduate students, and
undergraduate interns. This agency is exceptional for a practicum student with interest in clinical or
counseling psychology or social work. It is a hands-on, profoundly engaging clinical setting that
allows students to gain knowledge and experience in counseling, building rapport with clients,
understanding policies and procedures, and learning other valuable techniques useful to the clinical
setting.
POSTER C-25
Author:
The Sparkling GEMS of Gateway Elementary in Saint Louis
Public Schools
Jen Petruso
Gateway Elementary, which is part of the Saint Louis Public School District, is a magnet
school that emphasizes math, science, and technology for children in grades K-6. The school
educates and serves children who live in the urban setting of St. Louis but seeks to provide a
unique and diverse education to all those who are accepted (by lottery) to the school. While
at Gateway, I worked in a kindergarten classroom with 19 students. During my time in the
classroom, I helped facilitate small reading groups, worked one-on-one with students playing
reading and writing games, and was one of three teacher chaperones during lunch and recess.
I also helped my teacher organize lessons and other creative projects for the students.
Working at Gateway I was able to take part in and learn about many of the aspects of the
classroom and of public education in general.
POSTER C-26
Author:
Central Institute for the Deaf
Nikki Sipe
Central Institute for the Deaf is a school serving children from birth to 12 who are hearing
impaired. CID accepts any student regardless of the severity of their impairment or finical
standings. There is an extremely low teacher to student ratio of 4-1 at CID, giving the
children they attention and assistance they need to flourish. The goal of CID is to work as
quickly and effectively with the students to mainstream them into a school with their hearing
pears. There is a staff of deaf educators, speech pathologists, and an audiologist to support
and work with the students. CID is also a “quiet school” architecturally built to reduce excess
sound, to best serve the needs of any hearing impaired individual. This was an amazing site
to work at for anyone interested in working with children, in education, or communication.
POSTER C-27
Author:
Grace Hill South Grand Head Start
AJ Vivian
Grace Hill South Grand Head Start provides services to promote academic, social and
emotional development, as well as providing social, health and nutrition services for incomeeligible families. South Grand Grace Hill serves more than 120 3 to 5 year old children and
families each school year by providing a supportive, engaging and exciting learning
environment. The practicum experience allows the student to improve the lives of the
students by becoming a positive role model in their lives. The student becomes a stable role
model by working with the children in a one on one setting along with small groups.
Working as a teacher’s aid the student helps the children with facilitating small group
activities, problem resolution, reading and writing skills, along with leading the whole class
in circle time activities. This practicum site allows for and increases their young students’
language, literacy and social skills.
POSTER C-28
Author:
Marion Middle School
Andrew Guerra
Marion Middle School is an all girls establishment created by Catholic religious sisters to
provide girls ranging from 5th-8th grade with a quality private school education who
otherwise could not afford it. At Marion Middle School, I am given the opportunity to work
with girls and learn from them by tutoring and experiencing their daily life styles.
Additionally I get to work with an organization which stresses the importance of a quality
education for economically disadvantaged students. By tutoring in the after school program I
not only help young girls advance their skills but develop relationships and broaden my own
world view. At the beginning we worked individually on math assignments containing
algebra and geometry, but as time went on we turned to a wide variety of subjects. Assisting
with history lessons and class projects essentially gave me the experience to act as a second
teacher.
GROUP D: CRITICAL THINKING PROJECTS
POSTER D-1:
Authors:
To Administer or Not: Plight of the ADHD Child
Leslie Merenda, Katrina Bush, & John Ting
Should schools mandate prescriptions for children with ADHD or should parents continue to
choose their own methods for treating the disorder? On one hand enforcing the drugs will
help minimize classroom disruptions, thereby cultivating a better learning environment for
students. On the other hand, mandating the medication removes the control from the parents
and does not take into consideration individual differences. The purpose of this project is to
investigate when ADHD prescriptions should be used, how helpful the drug is, the side
effects of the drug on children, and other interventional methods that can be used to treat
ADHD. For our project, we plan to make recommendations that will help school officials and
parents come to an agreement. The actions proposed by our team will be based on a review
of psychological literature on children with ADHD and interviews with teachers, children,
and a pediatrician who specializes in hyperactive children
POSTER D-2:
Testimony
Authors:
Do The “Eyes” Have It?: Reliability & Admissibility of Eyewitness
Elena Leonard, Christine Michealson, & Jeanna Storment
The ongoing debate as to whether or not eyewitness testimony should be allowed in courts has been
the focus of much research. Proponents of eyewitness testimony claim that eyewitness testimony is
reliable and often necessary to convict a criminal. Opponents of the use of eyewitness testimony
believe that the testimony is not always reliable and is often easily influenced. The specific purpose of
the following research is to determine whether eyewitness testimony should be admissible in court.
Following a thorough examination of current psychological literature on reliability of eyewitness
testimony and the conduction of interviews, our team is prepared to make recommendations. The plan
of action that our team proposes includes the admissibility of eyewitness testimony only on a case-bycase basis. We recommend that expert psychological witnesses should analyze each witness and their
testimony to ensure reliability with respect to memory and corroboration of the testimony by
circumstantial evidence.
POSTER D-3:
Author:
Close the Achievement Gap, Not the Schools
Anja Pogaric, Felicia Timmermann, & Jacquelyn Wells
While a crucial part of the quality of education in the United States depends on funding and available
resources, research shows that teaching styles and learning abilities can impact the overall academic
achievement of students. The Saint Louis academic community continually struggles with the rising
number of inner-city schools facing closure due to their students’ consistent low scores on
standardized exams. Specifically, minority students display lower achievement on the Missouri
Achievement Program tests and reflect similar findings on dropout rate and ACT exam statistics with
minorities attending St. Louis City public schools. This project focuses on alternative solutions that
include tailoring the learning styles to children of various ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds
to help control the achievement gap between students of different cultures. It proposes new steps
towards achieving higher academic performance of students and to give education recommendations
to schools districts facing closure.
POSTER D-4:
Author:
Major Influences on Smoking: Personality Traits and Peers
Rather Than Cognitive Dissonance
Julio Ruiz, Rachel Ball, & Heather McGhee
The purpose of this project is to identify attitudes and strategies that may affect smoking and to
provide an action plan. This topic is controversial because of the prevalence of smoking on college
campuses. A recent study at Harvard School of Public Health found a 28% increase in the number of
students considering themselves to be smokers. The focus of this project was at Saint Louis
University. Interviews with experts in the fields of psychology, clinical health sciences, and other
Saint Louis University community members were conducted. Interviews supplemented literature
reviews on cognitive dissonance, smoking demographics, cessation, prevention, and educational
program techniques. The project impacts the Saint Louis University community. Some
recommendations include new steps and actions to disseminate information based on findings.
Specifically, a smoke-free education day, emphasis on interest groups, and distribution of information
about smoking. These recommendations are aimed at effecting school policies and attitudes towards
smoking.
Senior Legacy Symposium
The Senior Legacy Symposium is a celebration of outstanding undergraduate student
work across the University that represents the Five Dimensions of the SLU Experience. The
Psychology Department selected three capstone projects to receive the high honor of
representing Psychology at the Senior Legacy Symposium this year. Selection was based
upon review of the Legacy Statements in conjunction with the Capstone Poster Abstracts.
The recipients are announced at the Psychology Capstone Symposium Awards Ceremony.
We wish to recognize the high caliber of the Legacy Statements below for being clearly and
persuasively written and for showing mature insight and authentic self-reflection about how
their capstone projects and SLU experience reflected the Five Dimensions.
Francesca Manzella, Kathryn McAleese, Anja Pogarcic
With this project, we have utilized what we have learned in our statistics course and have
brought it to life in an applied setting. Our knowledge of research methods and statistics has
prepared us for research in the future, and has given us a real world experience in the field of
Psychology, an experience we hope we can use to help others in the future. In addition, this
poster will allow us to share our knowledge and study findings with others in the professional
and student community. Our research focuses on perception based on handwriting styles.
Initial perceptions often bias a person’s primary opinion of others. Communicating this
research on perception can help bridge the gap between our perceptions and what is actually
beneath the surface. Because of this, our research also focuses on the values pillar. In a
materialistic world, we often forget about the underlying meaning of human communication,
and rather take things at face value. Hopefully our study can highlight the importance of
looking at the content instead of the appearance.
Allison Ewen, Allison Garcia, Caitlin Higgins, Andrea Hoff, Michael Sarmiento, and
Ryan Soles
The dimensions of Scholarship and Knowledge and Intellectual Inquiry and Communication
are integrated into our project as we have become scholars in our chosen field of psychology
as a result. This began with our fulfillment of curriculum requirements that prepared an
educational foundation upon which we have been able to build. By enrolling in the Advanced
Research Methods and Statistics Capstone course we had the opportunity to learn through
experience. We acted as researchers: exploring concepts, forming hypothesis, and creating
our own study for which we were able to collect and analyze data from actual participants.
From this experience we have also learned how to express ideas and concepts clearly, both in
verbal discussion, and in the form of scholarly articles, which has helped to prepare each of
us for the next step, whether it is advanced study or a career in the psychological field.
Spirituality and Values were involved in our project such that we sincerely contemplated the
effect that the study would have on the participants. There was much deliberation on the
method of the study to ensure that not only did it comply with the Institutional Review
Board’s (IRB) standards of ethics but that it also upheld the absolute right of human dignity.
We designed the study in such a way that we could measure the concepts we were interested
in studying without posing a detriment to the participants’ sense of self value. Furthermore,
the ultimate goal of our research is to provide information about how to elicit optimal
performance from individuals through feedback that works to build their confidence.
Ashley Leonard, April Hubbard, Vicki Anderson, & Katie Ising
Throughout the semester we have worked to integrate the 5 Dimensions of the SLU
experience: Scholarship and Knowledge, Intellectual Inquiry and Communication,
Community Building, Leadership and Service, and Spirituality and Values, in our class
discussions, presentations and community projects. As seniors, with four-years of experience
in psychology, we strive to assimilate each class’s work with our larger education, increasing
our scholarship and knowledge. Our class promoted community building by working with
high school students at Chaminade and Roosevelt High Schools, two distinct and diverse
communities within themselves. We also demonstrated leadership and service by presenting
our ideas to these high school students. Additionally, we were able to communicate our
understanding of university life and current movements in the field of psychology allowing
the students to broaden their horizons through intellectual inquiry. By working with two
very different high school communities, and our own classmates at SLU, we were able to
deepen our understanding of the Jesuit values of social justice and service for others.
Kathryn Jenks
At Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN), I was able to integrate several of the dimensions of
the SLU experience. Each time I volunteered at KEEN, I was able to use what I had learned
in my abnormal and child development classes to better understand the children and their
disabilities, and these interactions also allowed me to understand just how different children
can be with similar disabilities. KEEN also gave me the privilege of contributing to
community building. One of the goals of this program is to equip the children with the social
skills and confidence necessary to interact with others in the community, and it was very
rewarding to see the children grow in these skills each week. Lastly, KEEN provided me and
the other volunteers with the opportunity to serve children and their families from our local
community. I also was able to take a leadership role at KEEN, introducing new volunteers to
the program and running orientation sessions.
Emily Price and Laura Rundell
Few experiences are as educationally successful, emotionally rewarding, and experientially
eye-opening as learning through service, as we did through our work at two inner-city St.
Louis schools. We developed a deeper appreciation for leadership and service, community
building, and scholarship and knowledge. At the schools, we were assigned to facilitate
discussions on social justice and guide reading groups. This allowed us to hone our
leadership skills while promoting both justice and literacy. We were serving not only the
students by supporting their academic success and providing positive examples, but also the
community in which the schools function and to whom they provide education. Our
responsibilities at both schools helped to build a sense of community and encourage an
appreciation for diversity by fostering positive relationships with the students, as well as the
faculty, staff, and supporters of the schools for which we volunteered. Finally, our own
scholarly development was enriched through our exploration of two research literatures in
psychology: school climate and perspective-taking. Both of these psychological constructs
are argued to contribute to positive youth development.
Laura Henry
Through my experience working with the Mobile Outreach Team at St. Patrick Center, I have
furthered the growth of my whole person particularly in the dimensions of Intellectual
Inquiry & Communication, Community Building, and Leadership and Service. I have
bettered my ability to communicate effectively and compassionately with those I have served
and worked alongside to further mutual understanding. I have worked to be an advocate for
the outcast—the homeless, the mentally ill, and the substance abusers—with a team
dedicated to upholding the dignity of the individual and spurring permanent, positive change.
Lastly, I have come to recognize more and more the incredible power of people helping
people. I have witnessed the selfless giving and dedication of staff members at St. Patrick
Center as well as clients, and not a single day went by where I didn’t learn from these people
when we all came to serve with open hearts and open minds.
Milap Dubal, Francesca Manzella, Jennifer Hedrick
In this study, experiments were performed to better understand the neural basis of implicit
learning. A key goal of this research project is the pursuit of scholarship and knowledge. It
delves into the convoluted nature of the mind and investigates ideas that have only recently
come to the forefront of science and technology. This study was a study of scholarship and
knowledge in itself as it examined the cognitive process of learning -- the very essence of
scholarship and knowledge. Leadership and service were also strongly incorporated into this
study. As Leaders and fellow humans, we had a humanitarian duty to perform this study.
Having the knowledge, resources and technology to perform a study of this nature required
us to take charge and lead the way into the human mind. We were especially motivated to
delve into this study because of the benefits it could provide. Insight into the process of
learning may lead to the some of the greatest advances for humans. Five to ten percent of the
general population suffers from learning disorders. As our knowledge about learning
increases, so will our potential to help those suffering from these disorders. Finally, this
study incorporated dimensions of inquiry and communication. We were interested in the
learning processes of humans, and because of our research we were able to test and apply this
interest. Through our research, we were able to learn more about implicit learning, and our
wish is to take what we have learned and apply it to situations where it can be utilized, such
as with individuals with learning disorders. Also, by presenting our research, we will be
communicating our ideas to others, so that they may learn and build from our findings.
Jessica N. Anthony, Ethan Jost, Hikaru Tsujimura
This study promotes scholarship and knowledge by allowing students to conduct their own
research. The findings of this study will not only inform those who have been a part of the
research project but also others in the community, who may benefit from the results.
This study focuses intellectual inquiry and communication as we as researchers are
attempting to understand the mechanisms of language development, especially implicit
learning. Findings of the research will contribute to the understanding of language
acquisition processing and promote higher qualities of language learning programs in
educational institutes.
Community building is an integral part of research and this project as a whole. The reasons
for conducting this study are for the community and the results will be applicable to the
community. It will allow for a greater knowledge of information in implicit learning in
children which will also allow future researchers to also implement more advanced studies
and give back to the community.
Justin Purl, Alan Tomassetti, Allison Ewen, C. Brandon Edwards, Jennifer Brilley,
Sara Gargula
Our research project has integrated all five dimensions of the SLU experience. First, our
group has focused on becoming scholars of psychology through committing to this research
experience. This research group has studied the field of personality to find a way to advance
the literature on trait assessment. Second, in our study of personality, this group has fine
tuned its ability to question the scholarly articles that are important to understanding the
field. Additionally, the group meetings were tailored to exchanging ideas about advanced
concepts of assessment and trait theory. Third, this project has benefited from the help of
other students in the department of psychology who have formed a community of research
interest focused around laboratories. Every person in this community is respected for the
perspective that they bring to a project. Fourth, every member of the group is encouraged by
our mentor to lead the discussion to help the group as a whole to grasp the challenging
concepts dealt with during our study. Fifth and finally, our group has included the study of
values and their relationship to personality in order to understand the diversity of causes and
effects possible in studying individual differences. This focused research project has
purposefully integrated these five dimensions of the SLU experience to heighten the
significance of our time in class.