THE 11th Honours Psychology Research conference held at Southern Cross University's Coffs Harbour campus revealed the wide scope of projects being undertaken.
Organ donation, understanding Facebook behaviour, why good people do bad things and assessing ultrasound-based arthritis intervention, were just some of the research papers presented.
Conference organiser Dr Gail Moloney said 40 students presented findings of research projects to academics, fellow students, community organisations, family and friends.
"The projects are diverse and many have involved participation from the community," Dr Moloney said.
"The discoveries make a real contribution to our understanding of human behaviour."
Student Michelle Hayward presented results of a study titled 'Organ Donation: you don't have to be a doctor to save lives.'
"I made the decision in my first year of psychology that when I did my thesis I wanted to do research into organ donation," Michelle said.
"I knew that there was a shortage of donors and that there were obviously psychological barriers to people donating.
"Also, I wanted to make a contribution to society.
"To do something that potentially could have a real impact and be of benefit within the community.
"My study is examining if the interventions that my participants undertook resulted in them speaking with their family about their organ donation decision.
"There has been a lot of research into organ donation but very few that have actually used interventions, even less that have found successful interventions."
Some of the other research topics include:
Michelle Sim - The Relationship Between Vitamin D, Mood and Attention
Christine Farrell - Callous, carnivore: should I trust you with my pet, Poopsie?
Hannah George - Why good people do bad things? The role of State Empathy
Amie Morgan - Predicting social aggression: what makes a bully?
Belinda Favaloro - Are you more emotional in your first or second language?
Brooke Blanch - Eyewitness to the mind's eye: truth or vivid lies?
Elizabeth Hanley - Understanding Facebook behaviour: is it compulsive or rewarding?
Josh Dooner - What Lies Beneath: assessing ultrasound based arthritis intervention