American Association of Behavioral and
Social Sciences
Members of the lab recently attended the 19th Annual American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences Conference, hosted here in Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel. Members of our lab presented:
- Data Checking Preferences: Visual Checking is Slightly More Pleasant, by Joanne Angosta, Will Ebmeyer, and Claudia Chiang-Lopez
- Partner Read Aloud: Data Checking at Its Fastest, by Marlen Ibarra and Amber Ruggiero
- Full Speed Ahead: Data Checking Methods and Accuracy, by Joanne Angosta, Will Ebmeyer, and Deirdre Bonner
Presenting at a national conference is a huge accomplishment, and we prepared ourselves as best we could for AABSS.
However, I don’t think any of us were even remotely prepared for the weather that first day. The wind was merciless; worse than the parking. Funnily enough, I was more nervous about finding decent parking than I was about the actual conference. The area surrounding the Linq and Flamingo is a strange place, and I didn’t want to walk confusedly for so long that I’d get blown away! I had the poster! My coauthors would have nothing to present! Still, I made it to the Conference in one piece.
I was able to calm my hair, but that was only one hurdle. I still had to present at the actual conference! I had two things to work on: my excitement and therefore, my talking speed. I have a habit of speaking quickly when things excite me. Even though my mind can keep up, my mouth and my listeners can’t make sense of my thoughts. When I looked at other posters, I could always take a step back and gather my thoughts. I was able to speak to other presenters with clearly worded questions and comments. But when people came to my own posters and asked questions, I got so excited that they were interested in what I was researching that I forget to stay collected and speak slowly! Luckily, as time went on, that excitement turned into calmness, and I got to answer questions more clearly and even managed to ask visitors my own questions. I loved how everyone at the conference came from different backgrounds and I wanted to be sure I knew how my research applied to their areas.
AABSS is interesting because it covers many fields of the social sciences. So, every poster session included research on social work, public health, different fields of psychology, and much more. For example, I presented at two poster sessions. One time, I was next to a graduate student presenting her master’s thesis on the impact of language on health service delivery. The next time, I was next to an undergraduate presenting research on misconceptions about forensic psychology. I thought the variety of research created an interactive environment, where each presenter knew something different and had new information to give to others. Leaving the conference, I had more questions than answers. But I think that’s the most exciting part about research. You learn about many things in the process, but there’s always room for more.
Joanne Angosta is a senior at UNLV majoring in psychology and minoring in public health. She has been a part of Kim’s lab for six semesters. Her research interests include mental health disparities, specifically between cultures. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in health psychology.