McNair Scholar 2023 Mya Reeves
Mya Reeves is a senior at the University of Minnesota majoring in psychology and double minoring in developmental psychology and sociology. Ms. Reeves is interested in research on education systems, public policy, and supporting underserved communities in the pursuit of higher education. She plans on getting a Ph.D. in School Psychology.
My dream is to get a Ph.D. in School Psychology and work in an education system. My goal is to foster an inclusive environment where all types of people feel welcome and can thrive. I hope to uplift students with hardships and enable them to thrive in education and life.
Research project
Separate Spheres Ideology and Public Abortion Attitudes and the Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Abstract: This 3-wave panel study examines the relationship between Separate Spheres Ideology (SSI), abortion attitudes, and attitudes toward reproductive health policies. Prior research on gender ideology has focused on prescriptive and descriptive stereotypes as measures, but this study aims to further test the validity of SSI as a measure of gender ideology. It was generally expected that those respondents who endorse SSI, who are committed to preserving the gendered-status quo in society, will be more likely to endorse the SCOTUS decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization and related policy attitudes when the Dobbs decision is depicted as a threat to the gendered status quo. So far the results have supported this hypothesis. The surveys were administered through Bovitz/Forthright, an online research panel. The analytic focus was to test the interaction between SSI at Time 1 and the experimental factors presented at Time 2. Wave 1 included baseline measures, such as SSI, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, political ideology, and political party, serving as control variables. In Wave 2, participants were randomly assigned to the control condition or one of two experimental conditions (Societal Impact or Basic Impact). Survey questions in Wave 2 measured various dependent variables, including attitudes toward abortion. Wave 3 also assessed attitudes toward Dobbs and other policy-related questions on abortion and reproductive health, but Wave 3 analyses are beyond the scope of this project. The study aims to examine the validity of SSI and its influence in a new, non-electoral context.
Faculty mentor
Eugene Borgida is a Morse-Alumni Distinguished Professor of Psychology and a professor of psychology and law at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Borgida received his Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on psychology and law, social psychology, and political psychology. Dr. Borgida has published works in numerous journals and served in influential roles, such as the chair of the psychology department at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Borgida has been a McNair faculty mentor for multiple years.