Psychology Student’s Undergraduate Research Examines How Kids View Allergy Accommodations

By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences

Psychology major Stella Jones is building on her undergraduate research in the Knowledge in Development (KID) Lab, now studying how children assess the fairness of allergy accommodations in the classroom. 

Working alongside her graduate mentor, Juliette Wackerle, Jones has had the chance to conduct literature and data analysis for the first time thanks to the Mentored Undergraduate Research and Creative (MURC) Activities Award, provided through the Dean’s Office.  

“I have experience with different steps of the research now that I didn’t have access to in any other role I’ve had,” Jones said. “I will also get to present this information at the Undergraduate Arts & Research Showcase culminating event to communicate my findings.” 

Psychological and Brain Sciences Department Chair Nicholas Noles said the MURC award is a fantastic opportunity, both for the undergraduate student and their graduate student mentor.  

“The award encourages undergraduates to engage meaningfully in a research experience that is deeper than they might receive as a lab volunteer or practicum student,” Noles said. “At the same time, the graduate student has the opportunity to develop as a mentor and supervisor. The MURC award creates opportunities for professional growth for everyone involved, all while supporting the research mission of the College of Arts and Sciences.” 

The purpose of this particular study is to investigate children’s concepts of fairness regarding allergy accommodations in school. As children age, they begin to associate fairness with individual needs, affecting how they view accommodations, but little is known about accommodations for allergies specifically.  

Jones and Wackerle conducted this study by asking children ages 5 to 10 questions about a character with allergies who received accommodations and then questions about a character without allergies who received the exact same accommodations. They were then asked to rate each situation as fair or unfair, and to what extent. 

Now a junior with a minor in Applied Family Science, Jones has enjoyed the process of exploring different scenarios with children to analyze the findings of the study. 

“The topic of accommodations in the classroom was particularly engaging for me because I have a lot of experience with kids who typically receive accommodations,” Jones said. “I have a stepbrother with autism and have worked at his summer camp for adolescents with developmental disabilities.” 

The study’s participants are introduced to two characters: Dalia, who has an allergy, and Susan, who does not have an allergy.  

“So, we ask them if they know what an allergy is as a baseline. Then, the children are presented with different scenarios, like, ‘You’re in a class with Dalia, but she has an allergy so her class cannot have a pizza party. Is this fair or unfair - a little or a lot?’” 

Responses from children are rated on a thumb scale to show a range of fairness. 

“Our analysis is telling us that children think the accommodation is fairer when the character has an allergy, rather than a personal preference,” Jones said. “They think it’s fairer that the class can’t have a pizza party because someone has an allergy rather than because someone doesn’t want to.” 

But that doesn’t mean they like it or think it is completely fair; she goes on to explain.  

“I think it’s interesting because, they actually think both situations are unfair; it just differs to the extent,” Jones said. “Overall, the most common answer is that allergy accommodation is just a little unfair, but the personal preference accommodation is a lot unfair. So, they actually see them both as unfair, which is interesting because it is opposite of what I would have thought.” 

Noles shared that graduate students in the lab highlight Jones's motivation and helpfulness. 

“Stella was already a great intern, but she has noticeably grown as a leader after receiving the MURC,” he said. “As her expertise have grown, Stella has run research studies independently, helped to train other interns, and provided quality feedback on lab operations. I’m really impressed with her work.” 

Jones has enjoyed her experiences as an undergraduate researcher and is planning to apply to attend graduate school. She wants to pursue a career as a child clinical psychologist and earn a PhD in the future. 

“I love working in the KID lab,” Jones said. “They have so many opportunities for undergraduate research interns and I have had opportunities to work directly with kids.”