University of Richmond undergraduates present research at psychology convention

Four Jepson School of Leadership Studies students presented their research at the 2026 Society for Personality and Social Psychology Convention, held Feb. 26-28 in Chicago. Seniors Samuel Chanenson, Emma McCauley, and Julia Mills, all double majors in leadership studies and psychology, and junior Nora Cahill, a leadership studies and French double major, were accompanied by their faculty mentor, Dr. Crystal Hoyt.

“It is important to involve students in the creation of new knowledge through original research,” Hoyt said. “And just as important to bring that knowledge back into the classroom. Presenting at conferences gives students a chance to strengthen their presentation skills and talk about their work with others. They also learn a lot by hearing about other people’s research, and they make important professional connections.”

In her poster session, Cahill discussed her research on how the belief that men and women have distinct, intrinsic qualities drives bias in leadership evaluations. Chanenson presented his findings on how individuals’ mindsets about their depression or anxiety predict both symptom severity and coping strategies.

McCauley's research examined the influence of gender essentialist beliefs — that men and women have innate qualities based on biology — on people’s interest in and sense of belonging in fields that are traditionally dominated by one gender. Mills investigated how people’s self-perceived assertiveness and empathy affect their decisions to take leadership roles.

Cahill and McCauley received Jepson School funding to attend the convention; Chanenson and Mills received School of Arts and Sciences funding.

“I fielded a lot of challenging questions and received great feedback and potential future directions during my poster presentation,” Chanenson said. “It made me feel like my work mattered and was worth engagement from academics.”

McCauley agreed. “It was exciting to share something I have invested so much time in,” she said. “And it was especially rewarding to hear ideas and feedback from more experienced researchers who study similar topics.”

For her part, Mills enjoyed attending the various conference symposia. “Nearly every project title appealed to me,” she said. “The range of topics reminded me how much I enjoy learning new things.”

In addition to the four students who accompanied Dr. Hoyt, three University of Richmond undergraduates attended the convention with faculty mentor Adam Stanaland, assistant professor of psychology. Stanaland helped organize a dinner for 20 Richmond faculty, student, and alumni conference attendees.

The strong showing of Spiders at the annual convention delighted Hoyt.

“The vast majority of presenters at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Convention are faculty and graduate students,” she said. “We are fortunate to have both the resources and the faculty dedication to support our students in presenting high-quality research at this conference — research that is often on par with master’s level work.”