May 2024 saw another successful DBS Psychology Poster Conference. Nearly 140 final year students from the BA (Hons) in Psychology and Higher Diploma in Arts in Psychology presented their psychology research project findings on campus across the day and evening at the DBS Psychology Poster Conference.
The dissertation and poster presentations are the culmination of a year of hard work by the students and the Poster Conference allows students to display and discuss the research findings from their independent piece of research in a professional environment. The event is also a beneficial networking event which provides students with a chance to share and communicate their work in a supportive setting to their friends, classmates and staff.
Students attended an assigned one-hour session, and discussed their work with fellow classmates, students, supervisors and examiners. For those in attendance, it was very clear that every session was full of enthusiastic students discussing and defending the rationale for their research questions, the resulting findings, and proposed research directions.
This event provided the students with an opportunity to develop their research presentation skills, and summarise their findings in a succinct, accessible way, both of which are very beneficial to academic and non-academic work. Similarly, the conference provided the occasion for other year groups to attend, where they could learn from the presenters, generate ideas for their own final year projects, and experience poster conferences well in advance of their own final year presentations.
The standard of work was excellent in every session and included some fascinating research including studies on reflections on adult autism diagnosis, teacher gender bias in recognition of ADHD, mental health and the use of social media sites amongst farmers, and competitive and noncompetitive behaviours of runners.
Following the conference, awards were given for best poster in each year group, with a prize-giving ceremony. The certificates of excellence were presented to each awardee and each first place winner received a voucher.
These awards were presented by Tim Bicknell, the President of DBS. Also present were Andrew Conlan-Trant (Chairman of DBS), Dr. Ciara Devine (Programme Level Manager for both programmes), Dr John Hyland (Senior Lecturer for Psychology and Social Sciences), and Dr. Pauline Hyland (Head of Undergraduate Psychology Research and Assistant Academic Director for Psychology and Social Sciences).
Winners:
BA (Hons) in Psychology – Full-time
1st: Amy Davidson
Supervisor: Dr Pauline Hyland
Project: Social Media Addiction: Impact on User’s Self-Esteem, Loneliness, Presence and Search for Meaning in Life
2nd: Adriana Akamine
Supervisor: Dr John Hyland
Project: Influence of playing video games and gaming habits on levels of resilience, self-efficacy, and coping
3rd: Lucas Paranhos de Moraes
Supervisor: Dr Fabiola Honorio Neto
Project: Beyond Monogamy: Exploring Stigma and Mononormativity in Consensual Non-Monogamous Relationships
BA (Hons) in Psychology – Part-time
1st: Donna Darcy
Supervisor: Dr John Hyland
Project: Parental stress, self-efficacy, and judgement fears: Summer Programme implications for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Joint second: Willier Nery Silva
Supervisor: Melane Pilek
Project: Fitting In or Standing Out: The Performative Masculinities of Non-Irish Men Living in Ireland
Joint second: Thalita Guarnieri Brandao de Sena
Supervisor: Dr Fabiola Honorio Neto
Project: Empowering Voices In Irish DEIS Schools: A Qualitative Exploration of Teachers' Experiences Through The Lens of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy
Higher Diploma in Psychology – Full-time
1st: Caoimhe Daniels
Supervisor: Dr Pauline Hyland
Project: ADHD in Irish classrooms from a teacher subjective experience
2nd: Annie O Connor
Supervisor: Dr Ciara Devine
Project: The Impact of Dysmenorrhea on Burnout and Quality of Life in Ireland
3rd: Thais Mychelle Ximenes Batinga
Supervisor: Conor McCloskey
Project: Navigating Identities: exploring the dynamics behind the religious and sexual identities amongst gay Latino men
Higher Diploma in Psychology – Part-time
1st: Aishling Fitzpatrick
Supervisor: Dr Garry Prentice
Project: Technological Impact on Healthcare for Gallbladder Disease: Dr Reddit will see you now.
2nd: Erika Adriana Rojas Encinas
Supervisor: Dr Stephen Fitzgerald
Project: An Exploration of Employees’ Attitudes towards Generative AI and its Usage in Knowledge-Based Sectors
3rd: Julie McCormack
Supervisor: Dr Rachael Kelly
Project: Factors Impacting Burnout in Irish Primary School Teachers