Three Hobart and William Smith students joined their professors in New York City last month to present original research on mindfulness, mental health, and behavior at the 96th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association.
Lauren Legler ’25, Lindsay Ringbloom ’25, and Payton Kliesch ’25 shared the results of their independent studies at the professional conference, which highlighted the theme “Making positive changes in people’s lives and in the world.” They were joined by Professor Jamie Bodenlos and Assistant Professors Stephanie Anglin and Elizabeth Belcher of the HWS Department of Psychological Science.
Legler co-authored “Effect of Meditation on Resisting Cell Phone Distractions” with Belcher. Her project explored whether a brief guided meditation session could improve attention and reduce phone-related distractions. “The discussions deepened my understanding of my research and allowed me to connect with representatives from various graduate programs,” Legler said.
Ringbloom, who worked with Bodenlos, presented “Cognitive Fusion Mediates Mindfulness and Emotional Well-being in College Students.” Her study examined how becoming entangled in one’s thoughts may impact the connection between mindfulness and mental health. “Since this was my first conference, it was exciting to experience the academic environment and see firsthand how psychological research is shared and discussed,” she said.
Kliesch presented “Mental Health Outcomes in Patients Treated with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy,” a systematic literature review co-authored with Belcher and Kate Colvin. Kliesch analyzed the relationship between cancer treatment variables and psychological health. “EPA was an exciting opportunity to learn about a wide range of recent research,” she said.
Faculty also contributed to the academic discussions. Anglin presented findings from a paper co-authored with researchers at Arizona State and Towson Universities, titled “Personality Stability and Change Across the Academic Semester.” The study found that traits such as conscientiousness and openness decreased over the semester, along with declines in well-being, support, and healthy behaviors. “We observed declines in traits associated with maturity over the semester, suggesting that students must adapt to new challenges and expectations before growing from them,” said Anglin.
Belcher emphasized the value of student participation in such events. “It’s always valuable for students to have a taste of what it means to generate new knowledge,” she said.
Bodenlos, reflecting on the importance of these professional experiences, noted, “One of the reasons I took a position at a small liberal arts college was because of the opportunity to share experiences like this with students.”
Founded in 1896, the Eastern Psychological Association hosts its annual meeting to showcase new research and connect scholars in the field of psychology.
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