2005-2006 Undergraduate Research Award Winner
John Crane will graduate in May 2006 with a bachelor of science degree in Psychology. He has played an active part in research since his transfer here in 2003; working on a number of different topics. His main research interests are in developmental psychology and public policy implementation. His first empirical study under Dr. Victoria Kazmerski was entitled, “Effects of Marital Status on Mail Survey Return Rate, Sibling and Peer Relationships: A Sibling Comparison Study.” Other projects John was involved in were: creating an after school program for fourth and fifth graders, an assessment of technology use in the classroom, and familial influences on relational aggression.
While pursuing his degree at Behrend, John presented his research at a number of conferences, including the 14th and 15th annual Sigma Xi research conference, the 33rd and 34th Western PA Undergraduate Psychology conference and the 18th annual Association for Psychological Science conference in New York, New York. John’s work on sibling relationships and relational aggression earned him a first place and runner up award at the Sigma Xi conference. He was also awarded a runner up at the Sigma Xi conference for his work with the after-school program. In support of his work, John has received three academic research grants and one fellowship.
John is currently a co-author on two papers to be submitted to scientific journals in 2006. The first paper assesses familial socialization influences on relational aggression. This paper documented the significant importance of the father-daughter relationship as related to relational aggression and victimization. The second paper assesses the use of personal response systems in the classroom.
In addition to his work in psychology, John has completed two projects with the school of business. His work with the Harbor Creek school district dress code assisted the school board to make a number of changes to their dress code policy. His second project assessed the effectiveness of the new Times News publication “Tangent.” He was awarded best marketing plan for his project.
In May 2006 John will continue his education here at Penn State Behrend, pursuing his M.B.A. He just recently accepted a graduate assistantship with the Center for Credit and Consumer Research to continue his work.