Student Projects

Abstract: Using a sample of women, I tested three different aspects of how women who pretend orgasm and sexual excitement may differ from those who do not pretend sexual excitement. First, I tested women’s concern about their partners’ reaction to a sexual experience. Women who pretended orgasm reported more assurance that it was important to their partners that they reach orgasm, as well as feeling that their partners reached orgasm sooner when the women themselves reached orgasm. Second, I found that women who pretend orgasm are less likely to approach their partners for sexual intercourse yet respond with almost equal enthusiasm to their partner’s advances as non-pretenders. Third, I examined the relationships between self-esteem of women and various aspects of sexual functioning. Self-esteem was found to affect many aspects of female sexuality including intensity of orgasm, and number of sexual partners. However, it did not show any relation to pretend orgasm.

Semester	Name	Project	Picture
Spring 2008	Caitlin Rizzardo	Abstract: To investigate the effects of personality on reports of paternal investment, standings on the Big-Five personality dimensions and standings on six factors of parental assistance were secured from 97 women and 101 men. Results support the first hypothesis suggesting that across all factors of parental assistance, mothers were perceived as investing more than fathers—effects that interacted with participant sex for all factors. The interaction suggests that a greater disparity between reports of maternal and paternal investment emerged for reports of women than reports of men. The second hypothesis was partially supported. Children who report higher levels of Openness reported receiving less financial support from both parents. Surgency and Agreeableness were significantly positively related to several factors of maternal assistance but only one of the factors of paternal assistance. Limitations and future research directions are discussed based on an appreciation of the interrelationships between children’s self-reported personality and parental assistance.
Spring 2008	Erin Lavender-Stott	Erin is currently collecting data on a project examining the influence of parental name choice on various aspects of relationships with kin. Erin has secured funding for her project over the summer of 2008 from the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.
Spring 2008	Maegan Calvin	Maegan has been working on a study designed to examine the relationships between roles in relationships and the content of sexual fantasies.
Spring 2007	Vandhana Ramadurai	Abstract: Using responses provided by younger adults and older adults across two Western countries, we found that men, more than women, preferred the characteristics good cook and house keeper, chastity and good looks. Women, more than men, preferred characteristics like similar educational background, good financial prospects, emotional stability, ambition and industriousness and love. Younger adults, more than older adults, preferred characteristics such as good cook and housekeeper, similar education background, good financial prospects, chastity, desire for home and children, good looks, ambition & industriousness and education and intelligence. Older adults, relative to younger adults, preferred the characteristic pleasing disposition. Discussion highlights the importance of understanding possible developmental shifts in mate preferences.
Spring 2007	Samantha Toney	Abstract: We tested several hypotheses related to female mate preferences using a sample of college women. Women appear to have been selected throughout evolutionary history to choose mates, in part, on the basis of men’s access to resources and whether men are capable and willing to invest time and resources in her and her offspring. There has been a paucity of research on contextual effects influencing women’s mate selection. Humans associate a number of personality characteristics with attractive individuals that are linked with sex-specific mate preferences (M. Dermer & D. L. Thiel, 1975). One key component of attractiveness is body type (D. Singh, 1993). Therefore we examined how the relationships between participant body type, participant personality, potential mate’s body type, and potential mate’s personality interact to shape women’s mating decisions. The results inform us of the value of couching women’s mate preferences in the contexts in which they are expressed. Discussion (1) highlights how the evolved psychological mechanisms generating women’s mate preferences are not immutable but are sensitive to various personal and environmental circumstances and (2) highlights areas of future research. Presentation: Samantha presented her research at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in Lexington, Virginia.
Fall 2006	Rose Bottle	Abstract: Using a sample of women, I tested three different aspects of how women who pretend orgasm and sexual excitement may differ from those who do not pretend sexual excitement. First, I tested women’s concern about their partners’ reaction to a sexual experience. Women who pretended orgasm reported more assurance that it was important to their partners that they reach orgasm, as well as feeling that their partners reached orgasm sooner when the women themselves reached orgasm. Second, I found that women who pretend orgasm are less likely to approach their partners for sexual intercourse yet respond with almost equal enthusiasm to their partner’s advances as non-pretenders. Third, I examined the relationships between self-esteem of women and various aspects of sexual functioning. Self-esteem was found to affect many aspects of female sexuality including intensity of orgasm, and number of sexual partners. However, it did not show any relation to pretend orgasm.
Fall 2006	Lindsay Hodges Sink	Abstract: Using a sample of 35 parents, I tested several hypotheses about differences in perceptions of parenting adopted and biological children. I found that participants did not report any greater investment in their biological children than in their adopted children. Participants also did not report that their partners invested more in their biological children than their adopted children. Participants did report greater self and partner similarity to their biological children. Participants did not report a difference in the emotions, school performance, need for correction, or discipline for their biological children or their adopted children. The discussion section elaborates on the limitations of the current study and future directions that follow from the results of this study.
Spring 2006	Deanna Jackson	Abstract: This study examined the impact of social coordination on changes in personality and affect. Previous research on motor mimicry and mood contagion was examined from dynamical systems theory (R. Vallacher, A. Nowak, & M. Zochowski, 2005). Using a sample of undergraduate women, I examine how coordinating together affected reported emotions, personality standings on the NEO Personality Inventory (R. McCrae, & P. Costa, 1985), and self-esteem scores on the Self-Esteem Rating Scale (W. Nugent, & J. Thomas, 1993). Participants were assigned to engage in interaction with another participant for either five or ten minutes over three sessions within a one week period. Scores were taken before and after each session, which involved a series of coordinated hand movements. According to dynamical systems theory, paired participants' scores were expected to show convergence after coordination and that personality similarity and time spent coordinating would affect the degree of convergence. Results were obtained that support the presence of this in a few affective states. Discussion highlights how applying nonlinear dynamical systems models to psychology can add substantively to our understanding of changes in mood states, affect, and personality in the context of social and interpersonal interactions. Presentation: Deanna presented her research at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in Asheville, North Carolina.