3/26/2018 Cedar City, UT

As an artist and a student of psychology, Ashlyn became interested in combining both disciplines in a field called Art Therapy. When it came time for her to complete her Senior Capstone Project, she knew exactly what she wanted to do! Southern Utah University provided her with the resources to find the answers to the questions that interested her most.

Ashlyn selected a mentor, Dr. Michelle Grimes, who helped her narrow her research focus to art therapy as a potential intervention for conduct problems in youth, and pointed her toward some literature. After reviewing the literature, Ashlyn worked with Dr. Grimes to design a study investigating the relationship between art and aggression in children. The study involved an online survey administered to parents of at least one child currently between the ages of 4 and 12. They predicted a negative correlation between aggressive tendencies and visual arts involvement in children. A Pearson’s Correlation test in SPSS failed to find a significant relationship. Although her hypothesis was not supported, this project provided valuable research experience and provides direction for further research.

Ashlyn presented this project at Southern Utah University’s Psychology Undergraduate Research Symposium, where she won first place. The project has also been selected as a Distinguished Student Projects in SUU’s Festival of Excellence, where Ashlyn will be presenting April 3rd, 2018.

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Ashlyn Judd, (435)592-2778, ashlyntjudd@gmail.com