For Natasha Merchant, a rising senior at East Stroudsburg University, psychology is more than just her major \u2013 it\u2019s a source of comfort and healing that she has seen the positive effects of firsthand.<\/p>\n
Merchant, a member of ESU\u2019s University Honors Program from Bushkill, Pa., is so drawn to the subject that she has immersed herself in a trio of research projects at ESU, including one with a deeply personal connection.<\/p>\n
Merchant\u2019s mother was born in Pakistan and lived in Jordan as a child before moving to the United States as a teenager, where she raised Merchant and her four brothers as a single parent. Though her mother grew up around American culture, the stigma around mental health in her home countries lingered, impacting her decision to talk with a therapist.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when someone is in an environment where mental health resources are readily available, the perspectives of family and close community, especially those rooted in different cultural backgrounds, can still strongly influence their willingness to seek help,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When her mother finally got the help she needed, it proved to be an inspiration.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing her say that her therapist is the reason that she\u2019s here today made me want to do that for other people,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything about her motivates me to keep going and keep working hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also piqued Merchant\u2019s interest in psychology within the family dynamic. Earlier this year, she began a project analyzing whether there is a connection between birth order and compassion.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hypothesis is that middle children are most compassionate because they tend to be left out compared to the youngest and oldest children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Merchant began exploring existing research on the topic and developed a survey that she distributed to dozens of children who are the eldest, youngest and middle child in their families. She plans to break down the data and complete her research in the fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this research will show that birth order does matter and it can be used as a variable in other research,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Merchant is heavily involved in another research project focused on whether artificial intelligence-generated practice tests enhance learning and improve performance for psychologists preparing for the Psychopharmacology Examination for Psychologists (PEP), a test that enables psychologists to prescribe medication.<\/p>\n
Merchant began working on the project in the fall semester alongside fellow student researchers Lisa Jones, Peterson De Oliveria and Vincent Principe. She is continuing her work this summer w<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile he was studying for it, he saw that there wasn\u2019t great studying material out there,\u201d Merchant said.<\/p>\n
With the goal of improving preparation for the PEP, the team extensively reviewed existing materials, then used A.I. to help combine the most useful information from those materials \u2013 as well as details the team determined were missing \u2013 into an all-in-one study guide. The guide consists of 17 practice tests that increase in difficulty as the individual progresses through the series, Merchant said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Chang and the team distributed the study guide to 10 psychologists preparing to take the PEP. As their feedback comes in over the summer, Merchant will log and categorize the data so the exam guide can be refined into a cleaner, more effective version.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen everything is said and done, we\u2019re going to run it through some tests to see if there was a significant difference for those who used our guide and whether they truly helped the psychologists earn better grades,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
If successful, the team will look to make the exam guide available to everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole experience really opened my eyes to how much hard work and effort goes into research projects, even ones that might seem small from the outside,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
A third project Merchant is researching involves the Compassion of Others Life Scale, a psychology tool developed by Dr. Chang that measures compassion. The scale has been translated from English into Chinese and Spanish already, and Merchant is working on translating it into Arabic and Urdu, while making the scale more streamlined.<\/p>\n
Merchant said she chose ESU over other universities because these opportunities were readily available.<\/p>\n
\u201cESU is my hometown school, and it was always going to be my first choice to pursue my bachelor\u2019s degree,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten the opportunity to do research, and I know people who go to schools in New Jersey and New York who haven\u2019t gotten the same opportunity yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
After graduating from ESU, Merchant hopes to apply to graduate school and enter a clinical psychology doctoral program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be face-to-face with people who need help the most, but I still want to continue researching because I enjoy it so much,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n