The chair of the Psi Chi/J. P. Guilford Undergraduate Research Awards Committee, Christopher Koch, PhD, has announced the winners of the competition. The first place winner is Laura Hoch of the University of San Diego (CA) for her paper entitled "Gender Differences in Perceived Sociocultural Pressure to be Thin." The second place winner is Kelly A. Machan of Western Oregon University for her paper entitled "Effects of Self-Evaluation on the P300 Event-Related Potential." The third place winner is Karla Maria Batres of Saint Peter's College (NJ) for her paper entitled "Effects of Generating Critical or Distorted Terms on Semantic Illusions." Psi Chi congratulates these 2004-05 winners of the Guilford Awards and wishes them continued success. Cash awards were as follows: $1,000 for first place, $650 for second place, and $350 for third place. We encourage all Psi Chi members to begin now to prepare papers to submit for the 2005-06 research competition.

Read abstracts of these award winning papers here.

Laura Hoch, the first place winner, is originally from Switzerland and has lived in San Diego for three years. Ms. Hoch was a psychology major at the University of San Diego, and received her BA in May 2005. Her interests are in clinical and family psychology, with a focus on minority children and adolescents. In order to pursue these interests, and eventually become a clinical psychologist, Ms. Hoch will begin a doctoral clinical psychology program in the fall. She is currently working on an independent research study for which she has received a research grant, investigating the prevalence and patterns of risky health behaviors in college students. Additionally, Ms. Hoch was able to conduct previous research on her own and as a research assistant for Dr. Jennifer Lento. She was able to publish one of these studies as first author in the Journal of Psychological Inquiry, as well as to present her research at several conferences, such as the Western Psychological Association Convention. Ms. Hoch complimented this research experience through internships at the Salk Institute, Children's Hospital, and through volunteer work at Head Start and the Sudanese Community Center. Also, Ms. Hoch served as secretary of the USD chapter of Psi Chi. Her honors include Dean's List, Highest Academic Average Awards, Phi Beta Kappa, and Kappa Gamma Pi.

Kelly A. Machan, the second place winner, will be attending Seattle Pacific University's clinical psychology PhD program in the autumn of 2005. Ms. Machan has been a research assistant for Dr. Joel Alexander for the past seven terms in Western Oregon University's Neurocognitive Lab. The results of the research from Dr. Alexander's lab have been published and presented.
     This past fall 2004, Ms. Machan interned at the Children's Farm Home in Corvallis, Oregon, a 24-hour psychiatric center for troubled youth for a psychology practicum. She has also worked for two clinical psychologists as a research and documentation assistant and is currently working as a psychology, math, and social science tutor at WOU, a job for which she was recommended by faculty.  
     Ms. Machan is a member of the Western Oregon University Psychology Student Association (WOUPSA) and has held various officer duties with Psi Chi. She is currently the president of Psi Chi (and WOUPSA) and was the secretary last academic year. During her presidency, the chapter funded as many as 30 research assistants and active WOUPSA members (combined with grant money) to attend the WPA conference on April 14-17, 2005. As president, she is active in bringing guest speakers to the chapter and others who are interested, as well as volunteering in the community.
     Ms. Machan feels that all of these experiences have provided her with a background in leadership, education, service, and community. She believes that her involvement at Western Oregon University and the community shaped her into the person and leader she is today.

Karla Maria Batres, the third place winner, is currently a third-year honor student at Saint Peter's College (NJ). She is pursuing a BS in psychology and will graduate in 2006. She has served as treasurer for the psychology club, as vice-president of the local chapter of Psi Chi, and has been elected president of Psi Chi for the 2005-06 academic year.
     Ms. Batres has been inducted into Psi Chi, Alpha Sigma Nu (the national Jesuit honor society), and the Order of the Cross Keys (a prestigious society that recognizes service, academics, and leadership). She was awarded the gold medal for academic excellence her first year at Saint Peter's College. She was also accepted for participation in both the American Psychological Association's Summer Science Institute (2004) and Advanced Statistical Training programs (2005).
     For the past three years, Ms. Batres has been a research assistant. Under the guidance of her mentor Dr. Maryellen Hamilton, she has pursued her own line of research and has presented three posters at regional conferences. She plans to complete an honors thesis on repetition blindness, pursue a PhD in cognitive/experimental psychology in the hopes of continuing to do research, and teach in an academic setting.