As is true for most majors at Bates, all psychology seniors must complete a senior thesis. This archive lists the name, title and a brief summary (abstract) of the projects of select seniors who graduated in 2024.

Please check out our complete Senior Thesis Archive.

Note: indicates an empirical thesis project and indicates a community-based learning thesis project.

Click a name to view that student’s abstract, or scroll down to view all students.

Kay Cochran
Angela Kaila Craddock
Abigail K. Danko
Tia Freund
Ally Friedman
Jermiah Germain
Colby Giberson
Abigail Harkness
Tamaki Hashiramoto
Julia Jeong
Kendra Jiang
Maya Kaslow
Simon McCormick
Julia M. Tanna
Alex Voight-Shelley

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Kay Cochran       

Well-Being in Youth Sports: Maine Coaches Perceptions About Increasing Retention Rates

Physical activity through participating in sport can allow youth to get the benefits of being active while also gaining a sense of belonging and self-confidence. Coaches and mentors can have a major stake in how youth become better players and people. Scales describes the Complete-Learn-Honor approach, outlining ways to incorporate well-being into coaching strategies while also enhancing player performance. In collaboration with the Maine Sports Commission, the present research analyzed coaches in Maine perception of incorporating well-being into their approaches. Results emphasize the usefulness of the Scales approach to increase retention and the need for incorporating well-being into sports programming.

Angela Kaila Craddock       

Psychological Abuse Cases: How Prosecution Strategies and Gender Impact Case Outcomes

Abstract Previous research has examined how a variety of factors impact abuse case outcomes. The current study extended the research by investigating how prosecution strategies interact with offender-victim gender and jurors’ gender to influence jurors’ decisions in psychological abuse cases. Mock jurors (N = 419) from MTurk and Bates College were assigned to an experimental mock trial case. It was predicted that jurors would view defendants more negatively (i.e., longer sentencing length, higher guilt ratings) and victims more positively (i.e., higher believability ratings) when prosecution strategies were offender-centered compared to victim-centered, the juror’s gender was female compared to male, and there was a male defendant with a female victim instead of vice-versa, as indicated on a survey. The hypotheses were partly supported as participant gender and victim-defendant gender had the expected effect in specific situations, but prosecution strategy had an unanticipated impact on perceptions. Implications of these findings are discussed in a legal context and related to the protection of those impacted by abuse. Keywords: mock trial, psychological abuse, gender, prosecution strategies

Abigail K. Danko       

Navigating Financial Transformation: Applying Therapeutic Techniques to Financial Therapy for Overcoming Financial Stagnation

The present study analyzes the perceived effectiveness of simplistic and personalized financial therapy techniques for individuals who describe themselves as feeling “financially stuck.” The participants consisted of individuals from Amazon MechanicalTurk who fit the necessary criteria that were relevant to the current study. The participants were all individuals within the ages of 30 and 45 who make between $75,000 and $200,000 per year, and whose financial goals were heavily focused on cash flow, savings, and debt payment rather than investments. Participants completed an online Qualtrics survey that determined their attitude toward their current financial situation (financially stuckness), which of the four money scripts they identified with, and the perceived effectiveness of various financial therapy techniques. This study found a significant correlation between financial stuckness and outstanding debt payments; and also found a significant correlation between financial stu ckness and confidence in aspects of personal finances (cash flow, savings, and debt payments). Furthermore, financial therapy techniques that focused on changing negative financial behaviors were perceived to be more effective than techniques that focused on reducing financial anxiety. This study may lead to further research on therapeutic techniques that can be personalized to an individual – especially those currently in debt. This study also suggests that there may be benefits in financial education programs that target specific aspects of personal finance. Moreover, financial technology and apps – such as Budge, Inc. – may find these results useful to further develop their product to the user’s specific financial situation and psychological needs.

Tia Freund       

Different Types of Movements and their Effects on Cognitive Functioning

The purpose of this study is to understand how different types of movement can improve cognitive functioning in a short period of time. Undergraduates from Bates College participated in three different forms of movement (Stretching, Aerobic, and Quiet Rest) and then completed a Stroop task after each movement condition. The expected result was the aerobic condition to have the smallest Stroop effect and the control condition to have the largest Stroop effect. Due to incomplete counterbalancing and to avoid practice effects, I only analyzed the third block of data. The results showed that there was no significant interaction between activity type and Stroop conditions for reaction time or accuracy. There was a marginally significant effect of aerobic exercise on Stroop accuracy showing that, only after aerobic exercise, responses for congruent trials were more accur ate than incongruent trials. There was a significant main effect of the Stroop condition for reaction times, showing that for all three conditions, participants were faster to complete the congruent combinations of words and colors compared to the incongruent words. A possible explanation for the lack of difference between activity types could be attributed to the short exercise durations. Future studies should continue to look into the time course effect of movements on executive control.

Ally Friedman       

Student-Athlete Disclosure of Distress to Coaches: The Promotive and Preventive Factors

The purpose of this study is to examine collegiate athlete’s willingness to disclose distress to their coaches. Athletes, like everyone else, are susceptible to mental illness. However, being an athlete has its own set of barriers standing in the way of utilizing seeking help. This research looked at how perceived stigma, other barriers, and severity of distress related to an athlete’s willingness to disclose distress to a coach. The participants are varsity athletes both at Bates College as well as other universities. We expected to see as people perceive barriers to disclosure, they will be less likely to disclose their distress to their coaches. Furthermore, we found as perceived barriers increased, disclosure decreased. As perceived stigma increased, disclosure decreased and as severity increased, disclosure increased. The results contr ibute to furthering an understanding of the importance of athlete mental health and how coaches play a key role in disclosure.

Jermiah Germain       

Teen Terrain: Assessing the Impact of a Library Teen Center

Studies show that adolescents require academic spaces to also stimulate their holistic development emotionally, socially and cognitively. The goal of this study was to enhance the library’s role in promoting youth education and engagement. This study was conducted with Auburn Public Library and focused on how a library teens center could support youth development. The data collection consisted of an observational approach regarding the arrangement of spaces in the teen center and interviews conducted with teen librarians across other public libraries in Maine. The results suggest that considering potential ways to enhance the physical layout of the teen space and accommodating to teen interests can make the space more inviting and increase engagement.

Colby Giberson        

Too Abstract or Too Concrete? Examining the Emotional Stroop Effect Under the Lens of Psychological Distance

The separate literatures on the emotional Stroop effect and the construal level theory of psychological distance, respectively, have deepened the available psychological knowledge on cognition and emotional capture. Though the two concepts have been occasionally examined together, few studies have been conducted in which an emotional Stroop task was modulated to incorporate high or low-level construals. This study used an emotional Stroop task combining a high-level construal and low-level construal condition that focused on words specific to college student life. Participants from Bates College identified the color of each of the words – a mixture of negative and neutral valances – after which their reaction times were measured. Participants had significantly slower reaction times to negative words about college compared to neutral words, but reaction time accuracy did not differ significantly across construal level. The findings of this study support previous research on the emotional Stroop effect but ultimately fail to show an effect of psychological distance.

Abigail Harkness       

The Effects of Post-Identification Feedback on Witness and Photospread Administrator Behavior

Giving participants confirming feedback after an identification affects their reports of the identification decision and the witnessed event (Wells & Bradfield, 1998). The purpose of Experiment 1 was to investigate if post-identification feedback corresponded with observable behavioral changes of eyewitnesses. In order to test this question, videos of participant-witnesses from Smalarz and Wells (2014) were analyzed. Witnesses given confirming feedback were rated as more competent and accurate than witnesses who received no feedback. Feedback did not affect how long witnesses talked or how many words they spoke. Experiment 2 investigated whether feedback affects photospread administrators by having them interact with a witness who has received confirming feedback or not on an identification decision. Then, participant-administrators constructed a photospread for the witness’s second identification. The primary dependent variable was how difficult the photospread was, as measured b y the similarity between the filler photos and the suspect. The average similarity rating was not significantly different across feedback conditions. These experiments contribute to knowledge about eyewitness identification decisions, the primary cause of wrongful convictions.

Tamaki Hashiramoto       

Exploring the Model Minority Myth and Psychological Distress among Asian Americans

The model minority myth portrays Asian Americans as successful, academically talented, and hardworking. This myth, however, may mask the challenges this community faces and fails to explore the impact on mental health and social expectations. The myth not only oversimplifies the Asian American experience and ignores the mental health disparities and racism they face, but also creates unrealistic standards, psychological stress, and ethnic tension. The purpose of this study is to identify how experiences with racism – internalized model minority myth and blatant anti-Asian racism – are associated with mental health outcomes (psychological distress and American meritocracy myth stress) through specific responses to the myth among 270 Asian American adults (Mage = 32.64, SD = 11.97). The results highlight a significant association between internali zed stereotypes and mental health outcomes, suggesting that dual perception of Asian Americans as a “superhuman” (i.e., model minority) and as “subhuman” (i.e., targets of violence) may contribute to adverse mental health outcomes. By elucidating the mechanisms by which these stereotypes affect mental health, this study contributes to a better understanding of the complex interplay between race, identity, and mental health in the Asian American community.

Julia Jeong       

Observing How Attitudes Towards Mirrors Are Related to Appearance Anxiety, Social Anxiety, and Body Image

The purpose of this research is to observe one’s attitudes and thoughts towards mirrors. Furthermore, this study looks to further observe how individuals’ attitudes towards mirrors are related to appearance anxiety, social anxiety, body appreciation. Participants in this study consisted of PSYC-101 students and other undergraduate Bates College students. To expand off of past research, the survey used four different measures used across different studies: the Mirror Comfort and Avoidance Scale (Freysteinson et al., 2021), the Anxiety Appearance Inventory (Veale et al., 2013), the Body Appreciation Scale (Avalos et al., 2005), and the Severity Measure for Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia) – Adult (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It was predicted that as mirror comfort increases, appearance anxiety decr eases and body appreciation increases. As mirror avoidance increases, appearance anxiety increases and body appreciation decreases. Lastly, it was also predicted that as appearance anxiety increases, body appreciation decreases and social anxiety increases. The results fully aligned with the predictions that were hypothesized. The findings from the present study contribute to past research by using the Mirror Comfort and Avoidance Scale and its findings of how an individual process their appearances when looking at their physical appearance in a mirror.

Kendra Jiang       

Pressuring Gender Roles: How External Influences Link to a Worse Self

This study sought to examine potential relationships between gender conformity, externalized self-perception, sense of self, and loneliness. I predicted that autonomous motivation for gender conformity will be positively correlated with a strong sense of self, and negatively correlated with externalized self-perception and loneliness. Additionally, I hypothesized that pressured motivation for gender conformity and high investment in gender ideals will be positively correlated with externalized self-perception and loneliness, and negatively correlated with sense of self. The participants were chosen from MTurk, and they received a survey to be taken online. I measured their autonomous and pressured motivation, investment in gender ideals, externalized self-perception, sense of self, and loneliness. I conducted correlational analyses between the variables to find pote ntial associations between them. I found that while autonomous motivation did not have significant relationships with externalized self-perception, sense of self, or loneliness, pressured motivation and investment in gender ideals were positively correlated with externalized self-perception and negatively correlated with sense of self. Moreover, pressured motivation had a stronger relationship with these other variables than autonomous motivation did. These have implications on the ways different motivations for gender role conformity can affect well-being. Overall, external pressure is worse for well-being than personal motivation.

Maya Kaslow       

How Do Perceived Anxiety Levels Correlate with Actual Anxiety Levels and What Impact Does This Have on Academic Performance and Study Habits?

This study explores the correlation between perceived anxiety levels and actual anxiety levels and their impact on academic performance among college students. Anxiety is frequently used interchangeably with stress in a way that leads to misconceptions about its effects on academic habits and performance. Using a Qualtrics survey, this research aims to shed light on how the alignment or misalignment of perceived anxiety and actual anxiety influences students’ approaches to academic success. The data will then be analyzed using 2×2 ANOVA tests and correlational analyses in order to understand how perceived and actual anxiety interact and correlate with academic performance and study habits. These findings will help researchers better understand how differing states of mental health in terms of anxiety approach academic success.

Simon McCormick        

Goal-Directed and Habitual Control Amongst Sports Bettors

In the evolving landscape of sports entertainment, the legalization of sports gambling in 2018 has impacted the dynamics of professional and collegiate sports, with sportsbooks becoming prevalent in the realm of live sports coverage (Bumbaca, 2023). This study seeks to examine whether gambling severity, like other forms of addiction, is related to decreased levels of goal-directed behavior rather than habitual behaviors. There were 148 participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete slips of action tasks designed to assess the relative contributions of goal-directed behavior and habitual responding, along with a survey that assessed gambling behavior with a paid incentive. The results indicate that individuals with more problematic gambling behaviors tend to have reduced cognitive control relative to individuals who do not gamble or do not exhibit problema tic gambling behaviors. These findings add to the literature by showing a relationship between addiction and cognitive control.

Julia M. Tanna       

Experiences of Adults With Cerebral Palsy: Grit, Stigma, and Health-Related Quality of Life

Cerebral palsy (CP) is an early child-onset disability that affects an individual’s motor function and is associated with a life-course spectrum of challenges in physical, developmental, and social health (CDC, 2022). There is little research about environmental impacts and overall emotional well-being of adults with CP (Hickey et al., 2023). Analyses included in this paper are a part of a larger research project supervised by Dr. Michael E. Msall. The scope of this work included utilizing the Grit Scale (Duckworth et al., 2007), an adapted version of the Inventory of Stigmatizing Experiences (Stuart et al., 2005), the Health-Related Quality of Life Index from the CDC (Mielenz et al., 2006), and a variety of classification scales to examine how stigmatizing experiences among people with CP correlates with their level of grit. Additionally, the relationship between both variables and health-related quality of life was examined. No significant relationship was found between stigma and grit, grit and Health-Related Quality of Life, or stigma and Health-Related Quality of Life. This research is valuable because it prioritizes the direct perspective of the individual with CP about what it is like to live in society. Keywords: cerebral palsy, daily life, grit, stigma, health-related quality of life

Alex Voight-Shelley       

The Prevalence of Young Adults who Grow up with Parents with Undiagnosed Depression and the Potential Effects on their Individual Development

Background: While there have been numerous studies exploring the impact of growing up with parents who have diagnosed mental illnesses, such as depression, there is a significant gap in research that considers the impact on individuals who grow up with parents whose depression is both undiagnosed and unacknowledged. This underdeveloped area of study raises questions about how children can bear consequences without formal recognition or support of the condition. Undiagnosed depression can manifest in ways that can affect familial dynamics, relationships, and overall well-being. Addressing this gap in research is crucial for fostering a better understanding between mental health and family life, ultimately paving the way for more comprehensive and inclusive mental health support systems. This study delves into the consequences of growing up in a family where mental illness is prevalent, focusing on how it is attributed to individual development. Method: A random sample of Bates College students (ages 18-22) were sent a constructed survey asking about their experiences with a potentially undiagnosed parent. Results: will indicate whether or not children and young adults recognize and are negatively affected by their parents undiagnosed depression.