By Lauren Sorenson– Megan Blackley, a senior Biopsychology and Biology major at Morningside, recently won first place in the Experimental Psychology category at the Great Plains Convention for her poster presentation over her research on the perceptual speed in musicians and non-musicians.
The Great Plains Convention was held Friday, March 21- 22, at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO.
Blackley, from Sioux City, explains, “Perceptual speed is one of the seven primary mental abilities, such as flexibility of closure, number facility, etc. Perceptual speed specifically involves the accurate identification of visual details, similarities, and differences.” She says, “I hypothesized that musicians would have a higher perceptual speed than non-musicians because of the requirements when reading sheet music, such as reading the various notes, noticing tempo and key changes.”
Also Blackley used multiple tests to measure perceptual speed and summed the result of each test to come up with a final score. Although she did not find any significant difference in perceptual speed scores of musicians and non-musicians, she did find a significant difference between sexes. Males tended to score higher in comparison to females.
Blackley attended the convention along with nine Morningside students and six faculty/staff members. Thirty-four Midwest schools were represented at the convention and over 100 students presented their research.
Blackley also noted that it takes courage to stand in front of numerous people and present your research. She says, “An audience can be critical and intimidating, but in the end they are still people who are there because they are interested in what you have to say.”
If you’re interested in more information about the Great Plains Convention please visit: www.greatplainsconvention.com
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