Headshot of Jenna Thomas
Author: Jenna Thomas | Major: Biology/Psychology | Semester: Fall 2023
I’m Jenna Thomas, a Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences student majoring in biology and psychology at the University of Arkansas. After I graduate, I hope to attend medical school to pursue a Doctor of Medicine.
During the fall of 2022, my sophomore year, I started working in Dr. Anastasia Makhanova’s SPARK lab in the psychology department. I took Dr. Makhanova’s social psychology class in the spring of 2022 and was intrigued by her work, so I applied to join her lab in the spring of my freshman year. I began as a research assistant on a study investigating the effects of the transition to parenthood. Throughout my time in the lab, my interest in the impact of parenthood on individuals has grown, motivating me to conduct my own research on this topic.
This semester, my third semester in the lab, a team of undergraduate students, including myself and three others, began coding data for what is known as the Parenthood Study. This study encompasses the various ways in which the transition to parenthood affects individuals and their relationship when they have their first child. This research aims to further the understanding of the effects that having a child has on one’s relationship and overall health. Through this research, strategies and programs can be developed to ease the stress of the transition to parenthood, allowing couples to maintain their relationship while caring for their child.
We have collected data from around 130 pregnant couples and are currently collecting additional data as the babies reach six months of age. Data includes several surveys throughout pregnancy and after birth, as well as two in-lab sessions. The in-lab session data include three saliva samples, one urinary sample, two problem-solving videos, two support videos, and several surveys.
Two main focuses of the study are support from one’s partner and problem-solving with one’s partner. During the in-lab sessions, couples have discussions regarding problem-solving and support. This semester, we focused on coding the videos regarding support from the first in-lab session. During these discussions, each individual has the opportunity to express a goal and seek support from their partner. As a team, the other three students and I were able to code all 255 videos, with many of them being coded twice to ensure accuracy. The coding process involved watching each video closely and filling out a survey on different aspects of an individual’s direct and indirect support of their partner. This process was tedious, as the videos became repetitive when watching many in one sitting, but it was helpful to share the coding process with other students. Additionally, through watching numerous videos, I gained valuable insights into what constitutes effective support. I am confident that this experience has equipped me to better support my partner in the future.
A significant problem revealed during coding was that many couples did not follow the instructions regarding the discussion. Couples were instructed not to discuss their relationship or problems concerning their partner; however, many couples found themselves in arguments about their relationship or their partner. Additionally, many individuals did not seem to have a goal or would not spend much time talking about their goal before changing the subject to something unrelated. This made coding difficult for some videos, as the support we were coding for was short-lived or not present. Nonetheless, Dr. Makhanova was a tremendous help in guiding me and the other students through any questions we had regarding the coding process. In addition, my fellow students, Lauren, Tyler, and Haadiya, were instrumental in allowing us to complete coding all the videos this semester.
As an individual who has committed over a year to this study, I am excited to have finally begun data analyses and am proud of the work my team has completed this semester. There are many different areas being researched in this study, and I am excited to see the results when data analyses have finished. Next semester, we will begin coding the problem-solving videos from the first in-lab session. In addition to coding, we will finish running the second in-lab sessions next semester, which means in-person data collection will be complete. I will also have the opportunity to travel to New York in April to present a poster on this study at the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society Conference.
The Honors College grant has enabled my team to continue running our study because we must pay our participants for each survey and in-lab session they complete. We are mostly running second in-lab sessions right now, for which couples are paid $150. This is arguably one of the most important areas of research in psychology, as the transition to parenthood is such a prevalent experience and affects individuals worldwide. This means our findings will not only be relevant but crucial in shaping our understanding of human behavior and relationships on a global scale. My team is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this area of research and looks forward to furthering this study.