Caitlin Redmond Published Undergraduate Research in "Metamorphosis"

2012 Nov 30

Caitlin Redmond, of Albuquerque, NM, published undergraduate research in the Council of Public Liberal Arts College (COPLAC)'s research journal, Metamorphosis. Redmond's publication, Health Discrimination and Perception of Individuals with Medical and Mental Needs , was completed with the help of her colleague, Sara Bennett, and faculty mentor Dr. Ava Santos. Redmond's major is Psychology.

The abstract for the paper is as follows: Health discrimination, the process of disadvantaging an individual based on a medical diagnosis and its associated stereotypes, is an increasing global problem. Recent studies demonstrate that more cultures are practicing health discrimination. Prejudice from health is an especially complex topic because each condition has assumptions based on physical appearance and symptoms. For individuals with medial labels, health discrimination hinders their daily progress. While there is a significant amount of research about the retrogressive impacts on health discrimination, literature examining the origins of health discrimination is not as comprehensive. Our study examines the prejudice that precipitates health discrimination. We hypothesize that people will perceive individuals with medical and mental needs as different after viewing media clips which portrayed negative perceptions of individuals with medical and mental needs. We tested this concept using undergraduate students from three lower division psychology courses at a small liberal arts college. Each class saw a media clip which corresponded with three different health conditions: physical need, mental need, and a combination of physical and mental needs. Statistical data were obtained through surveys designed for each media clip. The results of this study were significant showing that negative perceptions and health discrimination exist in college students.

Metamorphosis is part of COPLAC's effort to highlight some of the best recent work in undergraduate research. Each semester, faculty committees at member campuses select two outstanding projects for inclusion in Metamorphosis. Also, students who have presented at one of COPLAC's regional undergraduate conferences can submit their projects for inclusion. Learn more about the journal at http://www.coplac.org/metamorphosis.

Fort Lewis College is a selective public liberal arts college that launches careers and changes lives through a compelling educational experience that features nationally recognized academic programs, extraordinary personal attention from faculty, the freedom of intellectual exploration, and once-in-a-lifetime experiential learning opportunities. Fort Lewis College is a physically active and athletic campus that takes full advantage of its breathtakingly beautiful mountain setting in Durango, Colorado. For more information, visit www.fortlewis.edu.