Red River Psychology Conference Abstracts

We provide easles to hold your poster boards. Easles will fit poster boards measuring approx. 32 x 39 inches.

We do NOT have corkboard type displays for pinning large poster printouts. Be sure to bring a stable poster board to support any computer-printed posters

A poster presentation is an excellent way to gain valuable experience presenting your work to peers and colleagues one-on-one. Many students present posters at their first conference as a way to learn about the conference experience without some of the stress of giving a talk in front of a big audience. But don't be fooled- poster presentations are hard work and should be prepared carefully and presented professionally. Some tips to help improve the quality of your presentation and enhance your ability to communicate within the discipline of psychology include:

1. A poster is not a paper glued to a poster board. Don't think that you can simply print out a paper you wrote and stick it to a poster board- not only is the small font difficult to see but there is typically too much information to present in this way. People at the conference will not want to stand and read your poster- they expect you to "walk them through" your research, using the poster as an illustration of main points, findings and conclusions.
2. Choose what information to display. A poster should include the basics of an APA style report- title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion. But each section should include only the highlights of this material, not the entire paper (see #1). You should give the details verbally as you "walk them through" each part of your poster. Figures or tables of results should be included for a quick and clear illustration of your findings, some even include a "take home message" that is stated simply at the end.
3. Posters should be seen and heard. Use large font (18 or 24 point) so that people standing a few feet away can easily see your main ideas or results. Make it colorful, include figures, tables, graphs, even photos of your experimental set-up, if appropriate (you can request A/V equipment in advance to show video of your experiment or stimuli, if appropriate). Don't include too much text, just hit the highlights and then tell your peers the rest in a well-rehearsed script that you have practiced.
4. Network. Poster presentations have the unique advantage of bringing you eye-to-eye with your colleagues so take advantage of this. Ask for suggestions, opinions, etc. not only about your research but about your career too. Professors and other students are great resources.
5. Be professional. This is, afterall, a professional conference so look and act the part. Dress nicely and be prepared to discuss your work with colleagues and peers. Attend other talks or presentations and engage your peers in interaction. Poster sessions run for 2 1/2 hours so try to rotate co-authors by the posters at all times, if possible. First authors must be present at their posters during the first and last 20 minutes of the poster session.
6. How about a handout? Many conference-goers appreciate handouts of your poster. These can be one-page summaries of the presentation including your name and contact information for those who have questions for you later. Prepare about 50 handouts.

A PC and projector will be provided for presenters doing a verbal presentation.

A paper presentation is an excellent way to gain valuable experience presenting your work in front of an audience. This is a skill that every psychologist should practice as conference presentations are an important part of your professional work. Presentations should be about 10-12 minutes long, with an additional 3 minutes for questions. Some tips to help improve the quality of your presentation and enhance your ability to communicate within the discipline of psychology include:

1. Do not read your paper. Although this is a "paper" presentation, it is not meant that you should literally read a paper. You must present your research to the audience in an interesting and informative manner. Use notecards or an outline of your talk as a guide and practice your oral presentation skills ahead of time:
• make the information interesting as well as informative
• make eye contact with your audience
• pace yourself, don't talk too quickly or too slowly
• avoid "um's" and "ah's" as you speak
• prepare to be nervous so practice your talk ahead of time
2. Choose what information to present. You cannot present everything about your work in 10 minutes, so don't try. Try to communicate in simple terms what you did, why you did it, who you did it to, what you found, and what it means.
3. Use visual aids. Make transparencies or slides of some of your information (such as hypotheses, experimental conditions, main findings, etc.) and use figures or tables when possible. A/V equipment should be requested in advance. PowerPoint presentation equipment and overhead projectors will be available, but be sure to bring your presentation on multiple media just in case (e.g., floppy disk, zip disk, flash drive, etc.)
4. Visual aids should be visible. Use a large font (e.g., 18 point or better), label axes on graphs, add color, etc., but don't clutter with too much information on one page.
5. Be professional. This is, afterall, a professional conference so look and act the part. Dress nicely and be prepared to discuss your work with colleagues and peers. Attend other talks or presentations and engage your peers in interaction.
6. Practice your talk in front of others. A 10-minute talk can easily be rehearsed a few times so take advantage of your friends and learn from the feedback they provide.