Watson Earns Prestigious Psi Chi Research Award at Conference

Tiara Watson, a spring 2019 graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Honors College with a degree in psychology, received the Psi Chi International Honor Society's Regional Research Award for her research project, “Perfectionism and Alcohol Use: Moderating Effects of Protective Behavioral Strategies” at the Southeastern Psychological Association conference in Jacksonville, Florida.

Watson's research involved examining relationships between alcohol use outcomes in collegiate students who self-identify as having adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism personality characteristics, and their employment of strategies used to assuage the negative effects of alcohol consumption. Her project was accepted though a competitive selection process for the general SEPA conference and Committee on Equality of Professional Opportunity (CEPO)-Psi Chi Undergraduate poster session.  

A native of Grenada, Mississippi, Watson was a McNair Scholar at USM and president of the university's chapter of Psi Chi and vice-president of Iota Kappa chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. While pursuing her studies at USM, she worked in the Behavior and Alcohol Research Lab under the supervision of USM School of Psychology Professor Dr. Mike Madson.

Watson plans to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology at Southern Illinois University, and focus on research that actively aids in the alleviation of mental health disparities in marginalized communities.

“Tiara was an exceptional undergraduate member of the Behavior and Alcohol Research Lab team, and this competitive award is an indication of the importance and quality of her work,” Dr. Madson said.  

For information about the USM School of Psychology, visit https://www.usm.edu/psychology.