Social psychology PhD students Olivia Evans, Monica Gendi, Stephanie Hardacre, Romany McGuffog, and Matylda Mackiewicz, (along with Associate Professors Mark Rubin and Stefania Paolini, and Dr Elise Kalokerinos) recently attended the Annual Society of Australasian Social Psychologists (SASP) conference in Wellington, New Zealand. Being the most popular avenue for the dissemination of current social psychological research within Australasia, the 3-day conference attracted 150 pre-eminent national and international researchers. It allowed us to communicate our research to a larger academic audience, and to build collaborative networks with key Australian (and international) academics.
Olivia was shortlisted for the Outstanding Postgraduate Research Award, and presented on the role of social integration in the relationship between social class and mental health. Olivia also chaired her first symposium, titled “Socioeconomic Inequality”, where she discussed the role of social trust and support in the relationship between social class and mental health. Romany participated in the same symposium, presenting findings on the relationships between social class, sleep, and mental and physical health. In different sessions, Monica presented on how perspective taking and social support mediate the relation between need for closure and mental health, while Stephanie delivered a presentation on the effects of leader gender and message framing on mobilising people for gender equality. Matylda presented qualitative analysis findings regarding intergroup contact in the context of attending a Hijab stall.
Meanwhile, Mark presented on workplace sexism and belonging in male-dominated industries, while Stefi discussed findings relating to the effects of incidental and integral emotions on interethnic bias. Finally, Elise delivered a talk on the effects of negative emotional anticipation in regards to negative events.
Because half of SASP’s attendees comprise postgraduate students, it offered a different atmosphere compared to typical conferences, in that it allowed us to network with students and academics alike. We were treated to a very special traditional Māori pōwhiri (welcome ceremony), followed by a hongi (ceremonial touching of noses). We also enjoyed postgraduate workshops discussing the benefits (and perils) of working with the media, and demystifying the publication process. On the social side of things, a visit to the fascinating Te Papa Museum was followed by a trip on the Wellington Cable Car. In what is quickly becoming a SASP tradition, we then tried our hand at Wellington’s only Escape Room – with great success! We can’t wait to attend next year’s conference – this time a little closer to home in Sydney.
