Psychology major Thompson seeks Sigma Xi research grant

Melody Thompson, a junior majoring in Psychology from Canisteo, has submitted a student research grant proposal to the Sigma Xi Grants in Aid of Research Program.

The objective of “Predicting Financial Literacy Skills in Emerging Adults: Concordance of Hypothetical and Real-World Temporal Discounting Tasks,” Ms. Thompson’s project, is to address a major gap in the scientific literature on human decision making and how it relates to financial planning for students.

If approved, the grant would support original experimental research in the domain of financial literacy as well as rational and irrational decision-making processes that affect spending. The grant, which seeks $660, is to support the costs of recruiting research participants. Research is to be conducted in the fall 2022.

Thompson’s research is being supervised by Department of Psychology Associate Professor and Chair Joseph McFall and sponsored by SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Jack Croxton, a local Sigma Xi member and director of the Office of Student Creative Activity and Research.

Sigma Xi is a national scientific research honor society.