Emme presenting her honors thesis research on social contagion in disordered eating

Author: Emme Reid | Major: Psychology, Public Health | Semester: Fall 2025

Hello! My name is Emme Reid, and I’m an undergraduate honors student at the University of Arkansas, majoring in psychology and public health, with minors in biology and medical humanities. Thanks to funding from the Honors College, I recently had the opportunity to go to the Society for Research in Psychopathology (SRP) conference in Los Angeles, California, to present preliminary findings from my honors thesis research. My research focuses on the social contagion of disordered eating, or put in simpler terms, how problematic eating behaviors and attitudes towards body image can be spread and shared by social groups and circles, such as sororities. Specifically, I am curious to see if sorority members have and “share” more problematic eating behaviors and body image beliefs compared to non-sorority women. To do this, I am conducting two different studies, and I presented the data from Study 1 at SRP.

At the SRP conference, I was able to present my research at a poster session. While this wasn’t my first poster presentation, this was the first one where I was presenting my own research. I felt like being able to present my own research was a very enriching experience and helped to prepare me for my honors thesis defense in November. Not only that, but being able to present my research ignited a new passion in me. I have the opportunity to conduct research in a field that I am interested in, and I was also given the privilege to share it with others! I have become a more confident speaker and presenter through this opportunity, and I am able to articulate my research better. Even though I was nervous before presenting, I immediately got excited to share my work with the first person who asked about it.

Although the poster presentation was the highlight of my trip, I had a wonderful time learning more about research in psychology. I was able to go to multiple different talks, learning about new and niche topics in the field. I may be biased, but the talk I enjoyed most was given by my mentor, Dr. Jennifer Veilleux. She presented a talk about distress tolerance and impulsivity with new findings from the study we are currently running in her lab, the Treating Emotional and Motivational Processes Transdiagnostically (TEMPT) Lab. It feels full circle to see that the work I am helping to conduct in our lab has promising preliminary results that can continue to inform treatment methods and models for mental healthcare.

This trip was also packed with a vast array of networking opportunities, from larger events like the student social to small, designated coffee breaks. I was also able to network while presenting my poster! The conference allowed me to make connections with people from all walks of “professional life” – undergrads, recent graduates, grad students, and even professors. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to go to the SRP conference, present my research, and have my conference attendance funded by the Honors College. I know that these experiences are helping me to become more prepared for graduate school and pushing me to be the best psychologist I can be.