Limestone Psychology Students Present At National Conference

Charles Wyatt
Limestone Psychology Students Present At National Conference

Four Limestone senior Psychology majors recently presented research projects at the Southeastern Psychological Association’s 65th Conference.

Faythe Brown, Matt Hommel, Jesse Ketchum, and Raekwon Reggler each presented their independent thesis projects at the conference held in March. Their projects were titled, respectively, “Obedience and Religion,” “Effects of CEO Openness and Honesty on Business,” “Personality Versus Political Orientation: What is a Better Predictor of SDO and Authoritarianism?” and “Effects of Music on Mood.”

The students worked with their advisor, Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Kelly Jones, over the course of a year to design, propose, and complete their research projects. As part of their class, students also presented their research during the Limestone College Research Symposium held earlier this month.

Students can choose to go above and beyond the class requirements by submitting their research for presentation at the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) Conference. Students write a summary of their research, which is then judged by professional members of SEPA to determine if it will be accepted for presentation.

“We are extremely proud of our students for presenting at SEPA,” said Jones. “Many undergraduates do not have the chance to be involved in research, or present at professional conferences, and those who do both are stand-outs in the field. Faythe, Matt, Jesse, and Raekwon did phenomenal jobs from start to finish on their projects. It has been a joy to teach and work with them, and we are excited to see all that they will accomplish in their careers.”

Brown is from Kings Mountain. She is currently working on research in Obedience in Religion and plans to attend graduate school in the fall of 2020. Hommel is from Ballston Spa, NY. He is the Psychology Club social media coordinator and plans to pursue a degree in Sport Psychology upon graduation in May. Ketchum is from Columbia, MD. He is the Psychology Club president and has previously won the department research award. Reggler is from Hialeah, FL. He was an academic All-American and has had a research paper published by Limestone College. He will attend St. Thomas University for its Master's program in Marriage and Family Therapy in the fall.