This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Inspired by a friend’s attitude toward the homeless, Lauren Appio ’07 (Kendall Park, N.J.) decided that her honors thesis would focus on attribution theory, a psychological term stating that people try to assess the cause of a negative event, which determines how they respond.
“I was inspired to do my thesis on this topic after an experience I had with a friend. While we were in New York City, we saw a homeless person sitting on a park bench. I mentioned to my friend how much sympathy I had for the homeless, talking about how difficult and scary that life must be. My friend responded that I shouldn’t feel bad because homeless people were lazy and just needed to find a job and get off the streets,” says Appio. “Even though we were both looking at the same person, we certainly weren’t seeing the same thing. I was interested in figuring out why I reacted with sympathy, and my friend with anger.”
She is working with John Shaw, associate professor and assistant head of psychology.
“In her thesis, Lauren examined how students’ levels of perspective taking and social dominance orientation interact with several situational factors in their effects on the students’ attributions concerning homeless people,” he explains. “Lauren found many interesting results, several of which have important implications for the way in which college students view homelessness.”
Appio, a psychology and English double major, explains that a long line of research suggests there is a general pattern to this kind of response. When evaluating the negative predicament of another person, people will generally not engage in helping behaviors if they find this situation was caused by an internal, controllable cause. That is, the potential helper believes the person who needs help is to blame for his or her situation.
A potential helper will be more likely to engage in helping behaviors if the situation was caused by an external, uncontrollable cause. The purpose of Appio’s thesis is to determine if certain personality factors affect these attributions and subsequent helping behaviors.
Understanding the factors that influence whether people will provide aid to the homeless and other marginalized populations is very important to Appio.
“We live in a society that determines that some people are more ‘deserving’ of help than others, but I’m still confused by the anger shown to those among us who often need our help the most,” she says. “The fact that my research came out of a real-life situation continues to encourage me, because I know then that it also has real-world applications.”
Shaw believes Appio consistently demonstrates the persistence and tenacity important for completing and publishing empirical research.
“I have really enjoyed working with Lauren over the past two years as her EXCEL mentor and her honors thesis adviser,” says Shaw. “Lauren is a skilled researcher, a critical thinker, and an excellent writer. I am confident that the skills she has honed as an EXCEL Scholar and during her honors project will serve her well in graduate school and beyond.”
After graduation, Appio plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical and counseling psychology, and hopes to conduct research on the mental health effects of poverty and racism.
She has enjoyed working with Shaw during her time at Lafayette.
“Professor Shaw is encouraging, flexible, and brings humor into every situation,” she says. “He has also been an incredible resource as I apply to graduate school. The research experience I’ve gained at Lafayette could not be rivaled elsewhere. Professor Shaw has always made time to meet with me, and my friends who are also doing theses have had similar experiences with their advisers.”
Appio previously conducted EXCEL research with Shaw on human overconfidence, and is serving an internship with Lehigh County Juvenile Probation. She is executive co-chair and a leader of First-Year Student Orientation. She is a member of Alpha Phi sorority and psychology honor society Psi Chi. She also volunteers for HIV/AIDS awareness and with Habitat for Humanity through the Landis Community Outreach Center.
Honors theses are among several major programs that have made Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. The College sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year; 40 students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.