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As a co-captain of the varsity softball team, Kathryn Longshore ’07 (Philadelphia, Pa.) is no stranger to high-pressure situations.
This spring, she’ll face a different challenge by presenting her honors thesis research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at the Dominican University of California in San Rafael April 12-14.
“Being accepted to present at NCUR is a real honor,” says the psychology major. “It will give me a chance to present my work and gain feedback from a wide range of fellow undergraduates and experts in the field of psychology. It’s a very exciting opportunity.”
Under the guidance of Susan Basow, Dana Professor of Psychology, Longshore studied the effects of gender and athletic status on college students’ expectations for, and attributions following, a competitive task. Attributions are reasons people give for their success or failure.
In Longshore’s study, same-gender pairs of students competed against each other to get the most points when trying to hit the bull’s eye of a dartboard with mini Velcro balls. She assessed participants’ attributions, emotions, and expectations for the future after the competition was complete.
“I hoped to find gender differences in only the non-athletic participants, and conversely, no difference within the athletic population,” Longshore explains. “The most interesting results lay within the expectations data, such that males always expected to do better than females, and athletes always expected to do better than non-athletes. In addition, athletes had more positive emotions and made more internal attributions after a win. Due to the lack of distinct attribution style, one could conclude that gender is not as consistent a differentiator as people would like to believe.”
Basow believes the student’s work will contribute to how coaches choose to motivate female and male athletes.
“This topic is important because many people, including coaches, think male and female athletes need different types of encouragement or coaching,” says Basow. “Kat’s results throw some light on the matter.”
As a student-athlete, Longshore was especially intrigued by how athletes view themselves during competition. She plans to pursue a master’s program in sports psychology after graduation, and is currently looking at programs in England.
“Attributions are particularly interesting because they are something we do on a constant basis – explaining our behavior – so I found it interesting to see whether athletes differed in this particular area, as if perhaps they have been trained to think about or react to success and failure differently,” she says. “I included gender because I am often [disturbed] by the label ‘female-athlete’ rather than simply referring to females as athletes, which we are. You never hear people say ‘male athletes,’ so I wanted to show that at least in regard to attributions, gender does not matter. Athletes are simply athletes.”
Longshore previously collaborated with Basow on research that studied gender differences and aggression. Longshore conducted a thorough and updated literature review for the project, which was begun by psychology and Spanish graduate Kristen Cahill ’04, psychology and art graduateJulie Phelan ’05, and Ann McGillicuddy-DeLisi, Metzgar Professor of Psychology. She was among the research team members credited on the journal article published in Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Basow was impressed by Longshore’s commitment to her honors thesis and the amount of growth she displayed as a researcher over the course of conducting the study.
“Kat chose a very complicated design because, as an athlete, she was truly interested in her research question,” says Basow. “She defended her decisions very ably in her honors proposal and at her final honors defense. I think she grew to appreciate the challenges of conducting carefully-controlled experimental research. She also learned new and advanced statistics to use in analyzing her data and struggled with interpreting them appropriately. Her accomplishments in this regard put her on par with typical master’s-level research students.”
“The experience is truly invaluable; I have learned more about the research process and everything that goes into coming up with, designing, carrying out, and writing up a study than I ever thought I would at this level,” adds Longshore. “I feel as though I have skills as a researcher that most people do not learn until they are in graduate school, which has given me a huge head start for my future education. Much of this comes from the opportunity to work so closely with people who are considered experts in their respective fields.”
Longshore’s previous research experience with Basow made her confident that the professor would be an ideal mentor for her honors thesis work.
“I knew I wanted to incorporate gender into my honors thesis, and after working with Professor Basow previously, I knew she had conducted numerous research projects on gender differences and lack thereof, and would be a fantastic resource in that area,” explains Longshore. “I knew she would challenge and guide me in a way that would bring out the best work I could produce. It has been an amazing opportunity to work with Dr. Basow. She has been an incredible mentor these past two years, always encouraging and challenging me to be my very best.”
Basow’s clinical psychology and gender expertise has been covered by a variety of media outlets, including the BBC, CBS, CNN, and Canadian CityTV. A widely published leader in her field, Basow is author of Gender Stereotypes: Traditions and Alternatives,printed in three editions, including a Chinese translation. She has made numerous presentations at professional conferences and has served as a consultant and expert witness. She is consulting editor for scientific journals Psychology of Women Quarterly and Sex Roles and a licensed psychologist. She also helped found the Women’s Studies program at Lafayette.
Basow believes Longshore’s research experience and enthusiasm for the process of conducting original studies will serve her well as she pursues a master’s degree.
“Kat, because of both her research experiences, will be a very attractive candidate for graduate programs,” she says. “[She] is very bright and accomplished, both as a researcher and as a writer. She enjoys the exchange of ideas and is able to work independently. It was a pleasure to work closely with her over the last two years.”
Longshore studied abroad in London, where she compared healthcare systems in the United States and United Kingdom. She also served an internship with a sports psychologist while abroad. She is an athletic peer mentor, peer tutor, and psychology lab assistant. She also is a member of Questioning Established Sexual Taboos and Delta Delta Delta sorority.
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; 21 students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.