Contact: Abby Barber
Two Mississippi State psychology majors are among top winners in regional research competition sponsored by an honor society for students in the field.
Senior Hope Eliser of Natchez and junior Michelle L. Pigg of Amory were two of 16 receiving first-place research awards given by Psi Chi. They were among nearly 80 student members from around the Southeast whose faculty-guided investigations were accepted for judging.
Their reports recently were presented at a meeting of the Southeast Psychology Association meeting in New Orleans, La. Affiliated with the American Psychological Association, SEPA includes members from Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.
Eliser is president of the MSU chapter of Psi Chi, a national group founded in 1929 with chapters now at 1,000 American senior colleges and universities.
A Dean's Scholar, she is the daughter of Delain Robinson and Leo Eliser. Her research involves an examination of jury decision-making in sexual harassment trials (Conclusion: A juror's gender has an impact on liability and damages). Following graduation in May, she plans to pursue graduate study in health psychology.
Pigg's investigation focused on correlations between interpersonal violence and rape issues (Conclusion: Persons who are more accepting of violence or have participated in dating violence are more accepting of rape myths). A President's Scholar and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pigg, she plans to pursue advanced studies in industrial psychology or neuropsychology.