05/08/2026
By Jamie Trottier
The Department of Psychology recently welcomed students, faculty, staff and guests to its second Annual Psychology Research Symposium, an event that showcased the department’s expanding culture of undergraduate and graduate research. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural symposium, this year’s program introduced oral presentations from doctoral students in addition to poster presentations from undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students.
Throughout the day, attendees explored student-led research spanning applied behavior analysis, developmental psychology, cognition, artificial intelligence, mental health, bilingualism, trauma and child advocacy. Faculty mentors, classmates and community members gathered to celebrate the department’s commitment to research, collaboration and experiential learning.
The symposium highlighted both the depth and diversity of research taking place across the department while providing students with valuable opportunities to present their work in a professional setting and continue developing as emerging scholars and practitioners.
Students presented posters on a wide range of topics, including behavioral interventions, autism research, cognition, parenting, sleep and mental health. Poster presenters included:
- Jack Blake — A Systematic Review of Behavioral Training for Collaborators in Applied Behavior Analysis and Allied Professions
- Nicole Cannan — Examining the Associations Between Parenting Styles, Externalizing Behaviors, and Objectively Assessed Sleep in Middle Childhood
- Angelina Davis — Exploring Physical Activity’s Moderating Role on the Association Between Traumatic Brain Injury History and College Student Mental Health
- Jade Durkee — Cryptomnesia and Artificial Intelligence: Examining the Effect of AI on the Rate of Unconscious Plagiarism
- Hourieh Hayati & Adria Thistlewood — Face Recognition in Lineup Tasks: The Impact of Memory and Spatial Positioning on Identification Accuracy
- Milja Mankinen — A Qualitative Analysis of Feedback Interactions in Behavior Analytic Supervision
- Karen Salazar Laverde — A Systematic Review of Cultural Adaptations for Behavioral, Educational, Occupational, and Speech-Related Interventions Involving Family Members of Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
- Dishan Bagayao — Effects of Language of Instruction & Functional Play in Bilingual Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Yesenia Dominiguez — The Impact of Language Instruction on Acquisition of One-Step Directions in Emergent Bilingual Learners with Autism
- Johnny Labrie — Examination of Accumulated and Distributed Breaks and Impulsivity Measures
- Quinn McClernan — The Effect of Home Language Versus English Instruction on Discrete Trial Response Accuracy for a Bilingual Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Samantha Mitchell — The Effects of Behavior Skills Training on Coping Skill Treatment Package Implementation
- Angelica Mordan Percel — Effects of Parent Training with Culturally Diverse Families on Decreasing Challenging Behaviors: A Systematic Review
- Jasmine Nguyen — Listener Responding Skills in Linguistically Diverse Children with Autism
- Ana O’Neil — Effects of Language of Instruction & Functional Play in Bilingual Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Tien Pham — Precision Teaching and Frequency-Building in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review
- Wendy Salazar — The Effects of DRA-Based Schedule Thinning on Challenging Behavior in Denied/Delay Tolerance Training
- Cecilia Spinella — An Extended Systematic Literature Review of ABA Collaboration Across Disciplines: Including Families, Educators, and Culturally Responsive Practices
- Cherie Chin — Effective Communication for ABA Clients: A Systematic Review on AAC Training
- Emily Lindtveit — Undergraduate Students’ Awareness and Knowledge about Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Programs
For the first time, the symposium also featured oral presentations from doctoral students, expanding opportunities for scholarly exchange and interdisciplinary discussion. Oral presenters included:
- Alexandria Winstead — Child Sexual Abuse Multidisciplinary Teams: Barriers and Facilitators to Team Functioning
- Gabriela Lay — Adults’ Perceived Credibility and Rationale of Children Testifying as Non-Victim Witnesses
- Gloria Leyla Fanning — Does the Home Language Interfere with Learning? A Systematic Review of Language of Instruction in Individuals with Disabilities
- Angelina Davis — The Moderating Role of Visual Perception Skills on the Association Between Temperamental Fear and Children’s Pedestrian Safety
- Jack Blake — Experimental and Multilevel Analyses of Productivity Using Contingent and Noncontingent Break Schedules
- Jonathan Aube — AI in the College Classroom: Can Professors and Students Tell ChatGPT Apart from Student Writing?
The addition of oral presentations reflected the department’s continued growth in research productivity and graduate scholarship, while also creating mentorship opportunities between undergraduate and doctoral students.
Following the symposium, the department recognized several students for exceptional scholarship and presentation skills. Award winners included:
- Best Oral Presentation (Tie): Jonathan Aube and Gloria Leyla Fanning
- People’s Choice Award for Oral Presentation: Jack Blake
- Best Poster Presentation: Angelina Davis
- People’s Choice Award for Poster Presentation: Karen Salazar Laverde
Judges noted that selecting award recipients was particularly difficult given the strength and diversity of research presentations across the symposium.
As the Psychology Research Symposium continues to grow, the event has become an important tradition for celebrating student achievement, fostering collaboration and highlighting the department’s commitment to impactful psychological research.