Celebrate student research, creativity

Jocelyn Lamore and Makayla Pollock are excited about Show Me Research Week.

The psychological sciences majors are two of approximately 470 University of Missouri undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows involved in the April 17–21 celebration of student research and creative activity.

The week involves professional development sessions, a visual arts and design showcase, keynote speakers, research and creative achievement forums, student presentations and more.

“This is a great opportunity to showcase my findings and to add to the broader understanding of parent/caregiving in the context of a mother’s response to infant distress,” said Lamore, a junior from Springfield. “It also is amazing to present what my mentor and I have been working on for most of the school year and also have the chance to expand my presentation skills.

“I’ll be able to gain valuable feedback about my research and presentation and meet other people involved in my field to hear about their research. I hope to walk away knowing more than I did.”

Both Lamore and Pollock, a senior from Omaha, Nebraska, are researchers in Ashley Groh’s Family and Child Development Laboratory, which focuses on the developmental origins and significance of a child’s early relationship with parents and the legacy of these relationships for social and emotional development.

Since its start in 2014, the lab has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students.

“I think it is critical for faculty to actively engage undergraduates in research and for students to take advantage of these opportunities early in their career,” said Groh, an associate professor of psychological sciences. “By becoming involved early in research, undergraduates will gain a better idea of their research interests and be more knowledgeable about the graduate program they want to pursue after completing their undergraduate degree. They’ll also gain critical research skills that will help them more smoothly transition into graduate school.”

Mother and child research

Pollock will present at Show Me Research Week on her research into the role of race in the neural processing of infant emotional cues, which focuses on young adults’ brain activity when viewing infants and adults of different races displaying various facial expressions.

“Show Me Research Week brings together people from various areas of interests and backgrounds,” she said. “This research project has been such an important part of my life these past couple of years. Presenting here allows me to share this project with so many and get feedback from a wide audience. This is also a great experience that can help me practice skills like presenting and networking that will be important for my career.”

Pollock’s research takes a significant step towards addressing systematic bias in research on the maternal brain, Groh said. Pollock’s study is the first to include a balanced sample of white and Black individuals and to comprise stimuli of infants from different ethnic and racial backgrounds to evaluate whether individual and infant backgrounds impact the brain responding to infant emotional expressions.

“Makayla is extremely self-motivated,” Groh said. “She has completed two independent projects in my lab from start to finish and has presented findings at institutional, regional and international conferences. Makayla sets high goals for herself and works hard to achieve them.”

Lamore’s research explores the role of partner presence in mothers' neural responses to infant crying, and its key findings could encourage further research on support for mothers during times of infant distress, which also can reflect implications for child outcomes.

“Jocelyn’s project addresses an important gap in parenting research,” Groh said. “We know that how mothers respond to their infant’s distress is important for infant social and emotional development. However, research has only considered mothers responding when they are alone. Jocelyn’s project will test for the first time whether partner presence supports the mothers’ brain responding to infant distress in ways expected to support parenting behavior and infant development.”

Calling Lamore a “problem-solver,” Groh noted that Lamore demonstrates resilience, resourcefulness and persistence as a researcher, which are critical skills for scientists because staying motivated and solving problems despite challenges are important to see a research project to completion.

For Lamore and Pollock, Show Me Research Week is not the end of their research but an opportunity to propel it.

Lamore plans to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology, focusing on young children to adolescents in a clinical setting. She hopes to continue her research within academia and also have the opportunity to be directly involved in her research by working in a clinic.

Graduating in May, Pollock is taking a gap year to prepare for graduate school and work toward publishing her research. It’s the continuation of a research journey that started as a new MU student.

“I knew I wanted to become more active within my major, and undergraduate research was a perfect opportunity to do that,” Pollock said. “My advice to other students is to reach out to professors who are conducting research you're interested in. Everyone wants you to succeed, and there are many resources around campus to help you along the way.”