The 52nd annual Psych Day, the largest event of the year put on by the psychology department at Long Beach State, was celebrated on April 18 at the Psychology Quad.
Held by the Psychology Student Association, the six-hour long showcase featured an array of informational tents, booths and both undergraduate and graduate student research projects.
In conjunction with many other events happening on campus this week, including a panel on diversity in mental health care and a training on suicide prevention by Project OCEAN, the various psychology resources at the Beach were put on display.
The event’s main attractions were the finalized group research projects conducted by teams of undergraduate students. Later in the afternoon, the graduate student participants were brought to the spotlight.
Students stood in front of their poster boards, explaining experiments they conducted and what their results had concluded.
A competition was held to determine the finest proposed and tested projects. Winners in both the undergraduate and graduate categories received $100, according to Christopher R. Warren, a professor of research methods at CSULB.
“Most teams collaborated with a professor, who gave them guidance on the diverse range of subject matters they ended up doing research on,” Warren said.
Second-year psychology major and forensic studies minor, Amelia Howe, did a project dealing with personal control and aggressive inclinations under low group efficacy. Howe, who also works as a research assistant, talked about how Psych Day is a date circled on every psychology major’s calendar.
“It introduces undergraduate research to new students and those interested in learning,” Howe said.
Graduate psychology programs from schools such as University of California Irvine and Pepperdine had information booths set up, ready to inform students at CSULB on the next steps in their psychology journey.
Doctoral judges evaluated research posters as students spoke with representatives from the Psychology Student Association, known as Psi Chi.
The association’s purpose is to encourage networking between students, alumni and faculty within the psychology program, in order to lead to future opportunities for success within the field.
The Psychology Resource Office (PRO) also plays an integral role in assisting students with advice they may need, whether it be for graduate school, internships or volunteer opportunities.
“We’re the only major on campus that offers a research office,” Gjorn Portem, a third-year psychology major, said.
In his first semester as an assistant at PRO, Portem said the program was, “For students, by students.”