DJ, Anna, & Morgan at poster competition

Author: Anna Quesada | Major: Psychology | Semester: Spring 2023

Anna Quesada is a senior psychology major and a departmental honors member of the

Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences. Working in the Cognition of Depression and Anxiety (CODA) Laboratory under Dr. Matt Judah in the Department of Psychological Science, Anna has been working on her thesis for over a year. Her future plans are to work toward a publication and eventually earn a PhD in clinical psychology.

The aim of my research was to understand the role of worry in sleep hygiene. Worry, among other factors, can lead to sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances in undergraduate students can result in poorer class performance and grades, as well as negative effects on mental and physical health. Sleep hygiene involves bedtime routines that can help promote good sleep quality. Understanding the impact of worry on the relationship between sleep hygiene and sleep disturbances could inform strategies for improving sleep quality among undergraduate populations. My research findings revealed associations between worry and sleep hygiene, as well as between sleep hygiene and subjective sleep quality.

I was a transfer student to the University of Arkansas. On my first day of classes, I had to find my way to the Poultry Science building and sit in a math class with over 200 students. Having grown up in rural Oklahoma, where my classrooms rarely exceeded 10 students, the experience was overwhelming. I quickly switched to a psychology elective, behavioral neuroscience, in search of a smaller class size. It was in that class that I first met Dr. Matt Judah and learned about sleep hygiene. Despite its challenges, the class proved incredibly rewarding, as I discovered how various aspects of our daily routines and biorhythms impact numerous aspects of our lives. Sleep, in particular, fascinated me, as it influences and is influenced by countless factors. The following semester, I joined Dr. Judah’s lab, a neuropsychology lab where I learned to use EEG (electroencephalogram). Dr. Judah’s research focuses on ERPs (event-related potentials) recorded by EEG, exploring the association between anxiety disorders and depression are related to attentional bias and cognitive control. Dr. Judah agreed to be my mentor for my honors thesis, but it had to be related to his research interests. In one of our conversations, I chose to investigate worry. Reflecting on what I wanted to explore further, I recalled the intriguing topic of sleep hygiene from the behavioral neuroscience class. Dr. Judah agreed, and thus began the research process.

I was assigned a graduate student mentor, Morgan Middlebrooks, who helped me and two other honors students set up our longitudinal design for data collection. We encountered some difficulties initially. In the first semester of data collection, no participants signed up. Morgan proposed a new approach to our recruitment process and study design. Our team spent several hours ironing out the details and getting everything in motion. Both Morgan and I can attest to the countless hours we put into the behind-the-scenes work. The most challenging aspect of the entire process was performing statistical analyses. I met with Morgan at least twice, and Dr. Judah at least 3-4 times, seeking guidance on how to run the analyses in SPSS. I undoubtedly learned a great deal!

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to conduct my own research. Throughout the process, I experienced significant growth as a scientist, honing my skills in research, scientific writing, critical thinking, and general communication. I was thrilled to be awarded 2nd place in the Honors College Poster Competition for National Undergraduate Research Week. Additionally, I received positive feedback during my defense, and my committee members seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Graduating cum laude with a major in psychology and a minor in child advocacy, my ultimate goal is to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology and potentially establish my own business or practice one day. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Judah and Morgan Middlebrooks for their invaluable support and guidance throughout this journey. They rock!