Kevin Greenberg Received Honors Thesis Award

Kevin Greenberg

 

Kevin Greenberg received an award for the Outstanding Honors Thesis in Psychology.

 

Title of thesis:  "The Effect the Duration and Location of Rest Breaks have On Sustained Attention and Reaction Time"

 

Advisor: David Strayer. Kevin also worked with Rachel Hopman, Jeanine Stefannuci and Kristina Rand.

 

Topic: The research focused on the Attention Restoration Theory (ART), which states that natural environments help to restore mental capacities more effectively than urban environments. The particular research I conducted tested if a natural environment was more restorative for mental resources compared to a lab environment and furthermore, what were the effects of being exposed to the natural/lab environment for different lengths of time.

Experience: The thesis experience is something that no class can teach. You learn how to conduct an mini research project from start to finish, which is incredibly beneficial if you are interested in working in a research field or plan to go to graduate school. For those considering a thesis, I would recommend talking with a graduate student or professor about your research idea because they help give you advice about how to turn your idea into a thesis project.

Future Goals: I plan to continue my education as I am working toward my doctorate in Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. Otherwise, I plan to keep having fun speedskating, camping, and getting ready for ski season.