In March 2025, psychology major Nadia Lonnberg ’25 was awarded a $1,471 Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Award to support her St. Mary's Project entitled “Pop Cultural Videos and Their Impact on Multimedia Learning” which is being conducted under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Nayantara Kurpad. Lonnberg's research proposal was among the top 11 received during the award cycle, which led to Kurpad receiving a $1,500 stipend as part of the award.
Lonnberg's SMP investigates whether pop culture can enhance educational outcomes by examining clips from popular media, such as The Office and Modern Family, impact student learning in psychology courses. Grounded in the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) and Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), this research explores whether integrating pop culture references improves retention and reduces extraneous cognitive load. Participants, recruited through CloudResearch and college-based pools, were exposed to either traditional lectures or lectures augmented with pop culture clips, covering concepts such as classical conditioning and working memory concepts. The online survey included a psychology knowledge quiz, questions regarding Judgments of Learning (JOLs), immediate and delayed retention tests, and a cognitive load questionnaire. The anticipated findings suggest that pop culture integration will enhance both immediate and long-term retention, boost learner confidence, and optimize cognitive load. These results aim to provide educators with evidence-based strategies to leverage pop culture for improved student engagement and understanding.
After graduation, Lonnberg plans to work as an applied behavior analysis instructor at Ivymount School and continue research endeavors, and pursue a master's and/or PhD in counseling psychology with the dream of becoming a therapist in the next seven years.
Find out more project details and results at Lonnberg's presentation on SMP days (April 28, 2025 at 12:45pm in Goodpaster Hall 195).
