Date of Defense

8-18-2026

Date of Graduation

8-2026

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Kate Martini

Second Advisor

Cynthia Pietras

Third Advisor

Lynne Heasley

Abstract

The following experiment tested the use of specifically designed posters to see the effect on eating habits of those who ate entrées from WMU’s food counter called Classics in the Student Dining Center. The independent variable was a poster with humorous and factual elements displayed at the point of choice in the dining center. The primary dependent variable was the percentage of vegan entrees chosen out of the total number of vegan and meat entrees served. The secondary dependent variables were the number of vegan entrees prepped and served, and the percentage of each entree that was served out of the number prepped during each phase of the experiment.

The results of this intervention were intended to inform efforts aimed at decreasing the consumption of meat at places like WMU’s dining center. With properly designed and placed posters, it was hypothesized that more WMU dining center patrons would choose vegan meal options. The data were visually analyzed in three different types of graphs. The data were represented in the form of a non-concurrent multiple baseline design graph to display the impact of the poster on the primary dependent variable. The bar charts and stacked, clustered bar charts were used to assess patterns and potential contributions of the ceiling effect to the results by measuring the secondary dependent variables. The results of the study did not reveal any notable changes in the percentage of vegan entrees chosen between baseline and intervention conditions, but no strong conclusions could be drawn from the results. Future studies could benefit from changing the setting to one where there is a lower chance of running out of the entrees under study, such as a restaurant setting. It would also be ideal to collect more data points for each entree and to collect survey data. They survey should ask about dietary restrictions and preferences of the participants, and if/how they perceived the poster used for the intervention.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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