Marie Sabbagh, '12

Marie Sabbagh, '12

Cohort

2012

Biography

Marie Sabbagh was born and raised in Paris, France. She will graduate in May 2012 with her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice and a behavioral forensic certificate. Alongside being named UCF's Undergraduate Researcher for the month of October, Marie was nominated for Order of Pegasus and is a recipient of the Women's Executive Council Scholarship, the UCF Scholars Award, and the Student Government Association (SGA) Student Achiever's Scholarship. She has two publications and plans on submitting two more to the UCF Undergraduate Research Journal before graduation. In addition, Marie has interned with UCF Victim Services/Police Department and is president of Psi Chi International Honor Society at the UCF campus in Cocoa, Florida. Marie's research interests focus on the implementation of juvenile sex offender prevention programs and juvenile delinquency prevention programs through empirically supported research. Marie intends on obtaining a Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology or a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Forensic specialization.

Faculty Mentor

Erin Murdoch

Undergraduate Major

Psychology; Criminal Justice/Behavioral Forensics

Future Plans

Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology

Research

Confronting or Self-silencing in Response to Sexist Behavior: Exploring Women’s Willingness to Confront Sexism Conducted at the University of Central Florida as part of the Cocoa Social Psychology Research lab. Mentor: Dr. Erin Murdoch, UCF Psychology Awards:Honorable Mention Scholarship in Social Sciences III category, 2010 SURE Abstract:Past studies on confronting sexism suggest that sexism is not an innocuous annoyance but a serious issue with negative psychological impact. To the best of our knowledge, no other research has utilized a high-impact design to explore how to encourage women to confront sexist behavior. The present study was designed to explore women’s willingness to confront sexist comments and whether it is possible to increase the level of confrontation by modeling confronting behavior. Twenty-nine female psychology students were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions, one where confronting behavior was modeled, and one where it was not. In both conditions, participants were told that the purpose of the study was to evaluate group decision-making processes; in fact, each participant was grouped with two confederates who were following a script that included two prejudicial comments. The participants’ choices to confront or self-silence were evaluated in terms of condition and questionnaire responses. Although initial analysis indicated that modeling behavior is not an effective way to increase confrontation of sexist remarks, certain factors (e.g., age, level of self-monitoring, degree of confrontation) did suggest that confronting can be influenced. The present research also suggests that women lose tolerance for sexist remarks when the behavior appears to indicate a pattern, rather than a one-time deviation. A surprising number of women indicated that they had confronted when they had not; they even transcribed confrontational comments they had not made.

Summer Research

Examining Neighborhoods Trajectories and Criminal Outcomes Among Female Juvenile Offenders Conducted at John Jay College of Criminal Justice as part of the McNair Scholars Program Summer Research Experience Mentor: Dr. Preeti Chauhan, Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice Abstract:The recent narrowing of the gender gap in juvenile arrests necessitates a focus on gender-specific risk factors. The current study seeks to add to the burgeoning literature on female juvenile offenders by examining (1) neighborhood trajectories of female juvenile offenders; (2) the association between trajectories and criminal outcomes; and (3) racial disparities within these associations. This study will analyze data gathered from the Gender and Aggression Project (GAP), a longitudinal study of incarcerated girls, to determine what types of neighborhoods offending girls live in at 3 different developmental stages. Using the 2000 and 2010 Census tract data, girls’ addresses will be geo-coded to determine neighborhood disadvantage and residential mobility. Further, criminal offending will be analyzed through self-reporting and official arrest data.

Summer Research Institution

John Jay College

Graduate School

University of Southern California (Ph.D.)

Disciplines

Criminology and Criminal Justice | Psychology

Marie Sabbagh, '12


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