天美传媒

SRCD is the top conference for the study of child development, and the event drew more than 6,000 professionals and scholars in the field. 

Dr. Elizabeth Rellinger Zettler, professor of psychology, and Dr. Caitlin Vasquez-O'Brien, assistant professor of psychology, accompanied seniors Samantha McFarland 鈥�19 and Sarah Christian 鈥�19, who presented their work entitled, 鈥淔ear Avoidance and Approach as Mediators Between Parent Effortful Control and Child Problem Behaviors,鈥� and juniors Rylie Putrich 鈥�20 and Abbey Keller 鈥�20 who presented findings from their work, 鈥淒on鈥檛 Worry, Be Happy: Parent Positive Personality, Perception of Daily Hassles, and Child Self-Control.鈥� Each student-faculty research project was completed during the past summer when students recruited and interviewed families as part of the Developing and Understanding of Childhood Knowledge (DUCK) study. 

鈥淲e're very proud that among the crowded field, both of our student projects were selected for the program, and our students did a great job sharing their research,鈥� said Dr. Vasquez O鈥橞rien, who noted that undergraduate presenters are rare at these types of international conferences with the majority of work coming from graduate students and Ph.D.s in the field. Being able to interact with these leaders in the field and learn from their experience was a valuable part of the trip for 天美传媒students. 

鈥淭he most memorable part was probably meeting first-year graduate students and just being able to ask them for advice,鈥� said Abbey Keller. The junior health sciences and psychology major plans to pursue occupational therapy in the future. She said that because this was her first conference, she didn鈥檛 know what to expect, but learned a lot.  

Sarah Christian, a biology major, found that working with psychology majors on research and attending the conference broadened her perspective and gave her a better understanding of psychology. 

鈥淚 was able to attend the presentations that appealed to me the most,鈥� said Christian. 鈥淚 chose to attend ones that I felt related most to my interests such as the concentration of global health within public health. Being at a child development conference exposed me to learn about the impact of different global health issues on child development.鈥�

Christian, who plans to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in public health at the University of Illinois Springfield after graduating from 天美传媒in May, lists communication, written skills and research abilities as some of the benefits of her experience which will help her in the future.

Samantha McFarland, who will also graduate in May, said the entire process -- from completing her summer research to attending the conference -- was an enriching, hands-on learning experience. She recalls working closely with faculty and the families involved in the study, and  said attending the conference helped put that work in context within what is currently happening in psychology. 

鈥淚 found that it is critical to have different perspectives when attending these conferences and when conducting research because it allows for a broader understanding of any topic,鈥� she said. 

McFarland hopes to apply the methodological approaches she learned at 天美传媒 next year when she attends graduate school at the University of Denver. She recently accepted a scholarship into the university鈥檚 master鈥檚 program in research methodology and statistical analysis. 

鈥淚f all goes according to plan, I will become a data analyst. I could not be more grateful to Dr. Vasquez-O鈥橞rien and Dr. Rellinger Zettler for their unwavering support, along with all of the opportunities they have provided me throughout my college career,鈥� said the psychology major. 

While at the conference, the group met with two 天美传媒alumni who were also presenting research completed as part of their graduate programs. Riley Marshall 鈥�16 presented her student-faculty research completed at Southern Illinois University Carbondale where she is earning a doctoral degree in psychology with a focus on behavioral genetics. Bret Eschman 鈥�11 who is currently at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, finishing a doctorate in psychology with a focus on infant visual cognition, also presented his work.