Charlotte Parque ‘22 gathers research experience in and out of the classroom
Psychology major Charlotte Parque (‘22) has taken advantage of multiple research experiences while attending SCU including working in Dr. Jui Bhagwat’s Early Cognitive Development lab for the past three years, where she is currently working on a senior thesis examining how self-compassion and mindfulness are related to academic identity and success. After taking PSYC 53 with Dr. Katy Bruchmann, in which her class conducted a research project testing the effects of social comparison on intentions to reduce plastic water bottle usage, Charlotte also joined Dr. Bruchmann’s Social Comparison and Cognition lab as a research assistant and helped to turn her class project into a peer-reviewed research paper, which was recently published in Frontiers in Psychology.
Charlotte writes about her time at SCU:
“Having worked more extensively on research projects inspired me to pursue research-based internships the summer between my junior and senior year. I accepted a position at the Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business through the Leadership Alliance. During this 9-week internship, I worked under the mentorship of Dr. Ayelet Fishbach and Annabelle Roberts on a research project examining the role that feeling close to the end of a goal has on revising one’s work. Through this internship, I also had the opportunity to attend panels, brown bag talks, and discussions hosted by graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members at Booth. Finally, at the end of the internship, I presented the outcomes of my project at the Virtual Leadership Alliance National Symposium. Since the end of my internship, I have continued working as a virtual research assistant at the Center for Decision Research.
Santa Clara University’s psychology department has given me an immense amount of support as well as opportunities for me to develop and to grow as a student. I have been able to present my research findings at the Western Psychological Association conference, work closely with faculty members, and much more. After I graduate, I plan to do more research work before I apply to graduate schools to pursue my PhD.”