Research

One of the biggest strengths of our program is the opportunity for you to work closely with faculty on scholarly research. All of our full-time faculty are active researchers who encourage you to participate in faculty-directed projects or help you develop your own research.

As you can see by the long list of presentations and publications, these collaborative endeavors are quite successful in producing quality research. You can present at professional conferences, at the Council for Undergraduate Research, and right here at MCLA's Undergraduate Research Conference where many Psychology majors present their work every year.

Don't hesitate to contact a faculty member to learn more about their research or to ask about getting involved in a lab!

Student Conference Presentations (2005-Present)

Byrne, T., Peck, S., & Gulotta, K. (2017). Recent research on response duration.
Symposium presented at the 6th Annual Massachusetts Association for Applied Behavior Analysis Conference. Marlborough, MA

Nunez, L., Amidon, V., & Byrne, T. (2016). A behavioral-economic analysis of high-fat
food consumption in rats. Poster presented at the 37th Berkshire Conference on Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Amherst, MA.

Johnston, B., Peck, S., & Byrne, T. (2016). The behavioral effects of caffeine in rats
responding under a progressive-duration schedule of food delivery. Poster presented at the 37th Berkshire Conference on Behavior Analysis and Therapy,
Amherst, MA

Byrne, T., Kelliher, H., Lemay, M., Manning, T., & Peck, S. (2016). A duration suite.
Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Chicago.

Acton, B., & Byrne, T. (2015). Incentives increase participation in academic advising for undergraduates on academic probation. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Connecticut Association for Behavior Analysis, New Haven, CT.

Acton, B., Conway, J., & Byrne, T. (2013). Contingency management of academic performance. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, Minneapolis.

McCormick, M., Munsell, B., Furney, K., & Benjamin, R. (2013, October) Student Perceptions, Performance and Motivation in the Core Curriculum. COPLAC Regional Conference. North Adams, MA.

Acton, B., Bartini, M. (2012) Improving the Academic Performance of At-Risk students. COPLAC Regional Conference. Willimantic, Ct.

Byrne, T., Acton, B., Kissinger, B., Finch, C., Dickerson, A., Antil, A., Chase, S., Bartini,H., Duffy, M., Noyes, B., Lindamood, A., Tiner, A., Romero, M., Vasquez, C., (2011). Contingency management improves attendance and performance for students enrolled in a GRE tutorial. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Amherst, MA.

Gaizetis, E., School Bullying: Effects of School Climate on Teachers' Perceptions of Efficacy. (2011). 25th Annual NCUR, Ithaca, NY.

Ober, R., & Claffey, S.T. (2011) In God We Trust: Stress and Well-Being in Parents of Children with Mitochondrial Disease. Poster presented at National Conferences on Undergraduate Research, Ithaca, NY.

Bartini, M., Cavanaugh, J., Bryant-Bosshold, D., Mace, N., Vanderpot, L., Johnson, B., & Boody, J. (2010, March). Relational aggression in structured laboratory tasks: An examination of college students and their friends.  Poster presented at the 2010 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Philadelphia, PA.

Gulotta, K., Malloy, P., & Byrne, T. (2009). Characteristics of responding under aprogressive-duration schedule. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Phoenix.

Machado, M., & Byrne, T. (2009) Effects of sign postings on vandalism in a college dormitory. Paper presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Phoenix.

Cavanaugh, J., and Bryant-Bosshold, D., The Adaptive Nature of Social Aggression. (2009). 23rd Annual NCUR, La Crosse, WI.

Vanderpot, L., and Mace, N., Predictive Factors of Relational Aggression in College Students: Friendship Quality and Personality Traits. (2009). 23rd Annual NCUR, La Crosse, WI.

Greenburg, S., & Byrne, T. (2008). Further analysis of delay-interval responding. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Chicago.

Hug, J., Adults' Perceptions of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders.  (2008). 22nd Annual NCUR, Salisbury, MD.

Girgenti, A. & Bartini, M. (2007, March). Differences in support and opposition of capital punishment. Poster presented at the 2007 Annual Conference of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA.

Denette, E, & Byrne, T (2007, May) Are wine goblets enough? Assessing housing in Betta splendens. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis, San Diego

Girgenti, A. & Byrne, T. (2006, October). Progressive-ratio performance in rats exposed to conditions associated with activity anorexia. Poster presented at the 27th Berkshire Conference on Behavior Analysis and Therapy, Amherst, MA

Caucci, G., Fusini, A., & Jay, T.B. (2006, July). Slower reading times but poorer recognition rates for romantic sentences. 16th Annual Meeting of the Society for Text & Discourse, Minneapolis, MN.

Janschewitz, K., and Jay, T.B., (2006, July 3-4). Swearing with friends and enemies in high and low places. Invited address. Conference on Impoliteness. University of Huddersfield, UK.

Gaesser, B., Tovani, A., & Jay, T. (2006, April). Semantic priming effects with taboo words. Poster presented at National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). University of North Carolina, Asheville.

Gaesser, B., Tovani, A., & Jay, T. (2006, March). Semantic Priming Effects of Taboo Words. Poster presented at Eastern Psychological Association, Baltimore.

Greenberg, S., Gaesser, B., Wendt, D., and Berman, M., Implicit Attitudes and the Perception of Morality and Stability of Aggression.  (2006). 20th Annual NCUR, Asheville, NC.

Tirrell, S. A. & Bartini, M. (2005, April). Aggression and dating popularity: A dominance theory approach. Poster presented at the 2005 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Atlanta, GA.

Publications (2006-Present)

Valois, M., Peck, S., & Byrne, T. (2017). A comparison of resetting and nonresetting
contingencies in progressive-duration schedules. Behavioural Processes. 142,
119-125.

Peck, S., & Byrne, T. (2016) Demand in rats responding under duration-based schedules of reinforcement, Behavioral Processes, 128, 47-52.

Gulotta, K., & Byrne, T. (2015). A progressive-duration schedule. Behavioural
Processes, 121, 93-97.

McNamara, A.A., Johnson, L.E., Tate, C., Chiang, T, & Byrne, T. (2015) Acquisition of
operant behavior in rats; A retractable-lever procedure. Behavioral Processes,
111, 37-41

Wood, B. T., Bolner, O, & Gauthier, P. (2015). Student Mental Health Self-disclosures in Classrooms: perceptions and Implications. Psychology, Learning, and Teaching, 13, 2, 83-94

Claffey, S. T., & Manning, K. R. (2010). Equity but not equality: Commentary on Lachance-Grzela and Bouchard. Sex Roles, 63, 781-785.