Summer Honors Institute Students Conduct Field Study in Psychology Date: June 22, 2000 Story by: Dawn Fuller Phone: (513) 556-1823 Photos by: Colleen Kelley Archive: General News A field trip to the Cincinnati Children's Museum involved a little work along with a lot of fun for 33 Ohio high school students enrolled in UC's Summer Honors Institutes for Gifted Students. The teenagers were on assignment at the Children's Museum as they explored the differences between the genders. The trip was just one stop on the weeklong exploration of "Psychology Today," one of three programs UC offers during the summer break for high-achieving high school sophomores and juniors. UC Psychology Professor Daniel Langmeyer and Assistant Psychology Professor Paula Shear have been leading students on an academic adventure that included the exploration of brain function, memory, personality and dreams. At the Children's Museum, the students examined differences in how girls and boys played and interacted with each other as well as how they related to their parents. The honors students also wanted to see if there was a difference in how parents disciplined their sons and daughters. "I thought the little boys would be more adventurous, but I've seen that more of the girls are going off by themselves" said 16- year-old Amanda Seiter, who will be a junior this fall at Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus. Sonja Boulware of Beaver Creek High School, Eric Greenwell of Springfield South High School and Shivani Shah, a sophomore at Bishop Waterson High School took a break at the "play" lunch counter at the museum as they compared notes on what they saw in the grocery store across the room. The store featured plastic foods (bananas, chips and such), baskets for shopping and a cash register that the children could operate. Boulware said the children were carefully picking out what they wanted. She kept a list on one little boy, and his final bill included bread, cake mix, potato chips and plastic fruit. The students will be presenting their findings and conclusions 2 p.m. Friday, June 23 in Room 200 of the College of Law. Another group of high school students is looking ahead to studying the practice and ethics of medicine June 25- 30 as a new Summer Honors Institute gets underway. The third institute will be held July 9-14 as the final group of students examines law, language and society.