Psychology student wins top research award
June 2, 2015 : By Office of Communications & Public Engagement
Emily Armstrong, a recent graduate of Liberty University’s Department of Psychology, won the PSI CHI Undergraduate Research Award, one of two undergraduate awards presented at the national 2015 Association for Psychological Science Convention (APS) in New York City, May 21-24.
APS is a nonprofit organization with over 26,000 psychologists in more than 80 countries as members. The annual conference covers the latest in innovative research in psychological science.
Both undergraduate and graduate students are able to share their research projects as either poster presentations or paper presentations. Previous winners have included students from Harvard University, New York University, and Dartmouth College.
Armstrong’s award-winning submission was titled, “Intensive Parenting Beliefs and Parent Outcomes: Mindfulness as a Protective Factor?” She used data from 350 mothers of preschool-aged children to research the association between intensive parenting beliefs (that say children’s needs should come before the parents) and maternal outcomes, including stress level, life satisfaction, and positive parenting behaviors. Specifically, she explored whether mindfulness served as a protective factor for these mothers.
“Winning this award meant a lot because it allowed me to represent the research component of Liberty’s psychology department on a national level,” Armstrong said. “ I have grown into a better person, thinker, and researcher because of Liberty’s program, and this award was the culmination of my undergraduate degree.”
Armstrong completed her research project with Dr. Brianne Friberg, an assistant psychology professor and director of the Daniels Program, which gives Liberty psychology students the opportunity to work closely with a professor on research endeavors.
“Having worked with Emily for two years on a variety of research projects, this award is especially meaningful as I observed her develop into a team leader conducting applied research in the area of parenting,” Friberg said.
Friberg said the award recognizes the “caliber of research” conducted by students within Liberty’s psychology department.
“As a faculty mentor, it is exciting to watch our students take ownership of research and present their findings to leaders in the field, as well as academics who have a personal interest in the area,” she said. “Our students are graduating with a high level of skill and self-efficacy in the research process, and these qualifications are often noted by other academics during the conference presentations.”
This is the second award for Armstrong this year; in April, she was a member of a Daniels research team that won the Uzi Selzer Award for best undergraduate paper in an applied area at the Virginia Psychological Association State Conference.
