Abigail Schwartz, Class of 2027, was awarded an Undergraduate Research Grant by Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology, in support of her research under the mentorship of Allan Clifton, Associate Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Independent Studies. Abbie’s project, “The Social Architecture of Disordered Eating on a College Campus: A Mixed-Methods Social Network Study” explores how disordered eating behaviors manifest and spread within undergraduate social networks and may correlate with organized activities such as student athletics and dance organizations in the context of campus structural food environments (e.g., all-you-care-to-eat at Gordon Commons versus à la carte at the Retreat). With this project, Abbie hopes to advance understanding of disordered eating as a socially embedded phenomenon. Anticipated findings of network homophily—the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others—in disordered eating are consistent with social contagion theory and suggest that peer relationships may contribute to eating-related norms. Associations between disordered eating and network centrality highlight the potential influence of socially visible individuals in normalizing these behaviors.

Headquartered in Tennessee, Psi Chi is an international organization of professionals, scientists, faculty, students, and alumni that awards more than $400,000 in awards, grants, stipends, and scholarships each year to recognize and promote excellence in the science and application of psychology.