young researchers
Psychology science fairs are on the rise — and a great way to nurture new talent.
B Y J EN U SCHER
Inspiring
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t a friend’s birthday dinner, high school senior Michelle Hackman noticed a lull in the conversation and realized that all her companions were texting one another rather than talking. It disturbed her and sparked a research question to tackle for her science
research class: Do teenagers grow anxious when they are separated from their cell phones? Hackman, a student at John L. Miller Great Neck North High School in Long Island, N.Y., was surprised and excited to learn that her hypothesis was wrong. “The kids in my study who were allowed to keep their phones actually had higher levels of anxiety — it’s almost like the phone is a stimulant,” she says.
M o n i to r o n p s yc h o l o g y • n ov e M b e r 2 0 1 1
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - November 2011