Research: Not just for grad students | The Experience of Understanding | The Dissection of Discovery
Why Does Undergraduate Research Matter?
“When applying for grad schools and careers, undergraduate research is one way to stand out. It’s not a requirement, and it shows that a student is willing to go above and beyond the traditional classroom experience. Participation in independent research is evidence that a student has an extra edge, is well-rounded and self-motivated.”
Dr. Craig Jackson
Program Coordinator, Psychology Department Division of Social Sciences
By Rebecca L. Desjardins '03
The image of giggling little girls leaning in close whispering with hand-covered mouths is one that’s readily available when most people think of the word “gossip.” But despite all of the stereotypes, the art of gossip is not restricted to the popular adolescent girls on the playground… Gossip spans all ages and classes, and men are not immune to catching the chatty habit either…
Contrary to popular belief, men do gossip,” said Eileen De La Cruz, a senior psychology major from Georgia, “and when asked anonymously, they will admit it.”
De La Cruz, with Psychology Professor Dr. Craig Jackson, took on the topic of gossip for a 10-week research project funded by a 2007 Summer Student Science Research grant from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC). This grant awards $2,500 to a student to conduct in-depth research on a particular topic of interest with a faculty adviser.
“I thought social psychology was interesting,” said De La Cruz, “and gossip is something in everyone’s life.”
Dedicated to the Details
This pilot study, “Gossip and the Underlying Motivation for Engaging in its Practice,” was intended to develop and test a survey assessing participants’ attitudes toward different types of gossip, gossipers and contents of gossip and evaluate whether or not gossip can be viewed positively. Respondents stated their level of agreement with 49 gossip-related statements using a five-point scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree, and also answered open-ended questions about their attitudes and experiences with gossip.
Before the survey could be distributed, it first had to be approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure that the study met standards of the American Psychological Association.
“This was a great opportunity to do research now to see how I like it. This is just a small taste of what it will be like to get a Ph.D.,” said De La Cruz, who plans to attend grad school with a possible career as a school psychologist in sight.
“The research itself was fun, but I didn’t know there was so much red tape,” she said. “It’s a lot more work than you can anticipate sometimes, and you have to be dedicated to it.”
Once approved, De La Cruz distributed surveys to students around campus during the last two weeks of summer session and the first three weeks of the fall semester.
Exploration of the data showed that older respondents tended to have a less favorable attitude toward gossip; and that many respondents gossip about celebrity news, to share information with friends, and to stay informed about others’ relationships.
“Gossip is sometimes viewed as a bad thing, but there seem to be some benefits,” Jackson said. “When accurate, gossip can relieve uncertainty.”
Further studies will be conducted to determine the strength of these initial findings.
The Research Advantage
At least one follow-up study may be completed by De La Cruz to meet the requirements for Psych 480: Original Research Project, in which students perform an independently created empirical study, report on the project in a formal written presentation, and defend the effort in an oral examination before a committee comprised of two members of the psychology faculty, and a third faculty person recruited from another discipline.
In a program where psychology majors are required to complete an independent research project to graduate, this kind of experience may seem like the norm, but De La Cruz said, “It was different just to have earned a grant, and to present information outside of a class – not for a grade, and not because I had to. I saw how much is really involved in a ‘real’ research project.”
Jackson said that he’s unsure if students realize that completing a program that has a requirement for research is to their advantage. From beginning to end, the research process helps students develop skills in planning, development, analysis, writing and public speaking – skills valuable in college, in careers and in life.
Since completing this stage of research, De La Cruz, who said she’s “not much of a public speaker,” has presented the research to the Tidewater Chapter of Sigma Xi in November 2007, and to the Virginia Psychological Association in April. Findings have also been accepted for presentation at the Association for Psychological Science Convention in Chicago in May.
“I think she did get the perspective of what it takes to do research – the process, what’s involved,” Jackson said. “This kind of research will help her get into any graduate school program.”