Research Opportunities

If you would like to gain behind-the-scenes experience in psychological research, you should enroll in PSY 49600. Graduate schools view research experience as one of the most important factors in admissions decisions. The course requirements vary depending on the professor, but most involve administering research sessions and/or data coding and the possibility of contributing ideas to new projects.

Listed below are some helpful suggestions:

• Approach a professor whose research is most closely aligned with your interests. Research experience in social psychology will increase your chances for admission to a social Ph.D. program moreso than will research in psychobiology, but any research is better than none. Research interests of the various professors are listed below.
• It is best to approach a professor who knows you from a class, but don't hesitate to approach someone cold.
• Don't take it personally if a professor says "no." Most of the professors can accomodate only a small number of students, so if one turns you down, approach someone else.
• Be prepared to work hard on the research. New knowledge does not come easily.
• Be prepared to work responsibly. You might view the research as a semester's project, but the professor with whom you work probably sees it as part of his/her life work. The professor takes it very seriously, and you should do so as well.
• The requirements of a PSY 49600 (or equivalent) vary depending on the professor, but most require extensive data collection and/or analysis as well as an APA-style paper.
• Get involved with research early in your undergraduate career. This increases the chance of your authoring a paper presented at a regional or national meeting, or even of your serving as an author or coauthor on a published article.

Current Research Opportunities

Dr. Blakemore:

Dr. Blakemore's research concerns children's gender development. For more details, email me at blakemor@ipfw.edu.

Dr. DiClementi:

Methamphetamine use and HIV-risk behaviors in rural populations; drug-use networks, sexual networks, and undiagnosed Axis I and II disorders in rural methamphetamine users; HIV education and prevention; health disparities in medical education, prevention, and outreach; hypnotizability and information processing as related to interoceptive cueing and symptom perception.

Dr. Drouin:

Anyone with an interest in children, cognitive development, and/or literacy might find that my research team is the place to be! Students involved in this research lab will likely be involved in several studies related to children’s and adults’ literacy. Activities may include working with preschool children in a literacy intervention, testing children and adults with literacy batteries, data entry, and conducting literature reviews. Students may enroll (with permission) in 1, 2, or 3 credits of PSY 496, and are expected to devote approximately 3 hours per week to the research for each enrolled credit. Because we work with children, this research opportunity is best suited for students with some daytime availability. Moreover, because of the training involved, I prefer that students plan on being a part of the research team for at least 2 semesters; however, a good candidate would not be turned down because he or she has only one semester available.

Dr. Hill:

Students may become involved in research on attraction and sexuality. Involvement will include assisting with conducting research sessions, preparation of data for analysis, and possibly assisting with data analyses and the design of future research. Typically, students are expected to have completed at least PSY 120, PSY 201 (Statistics), and PSY 203 (Research Methods) in order to become involved in research. It is preferred that research assistants receive academic credit for their participation by enrolling in PSY 496. It is also preferred that students register for 3 credit hours in the course. Students are expected to be willing to devote 3 hours per week for each course credit enrolled. Students are also required to write a short APA-style paper related to the research in which they participate. Please contact Dr. Hill if you are interested to determine eligibility for participation.

Dr. Jackson:

Dr. Jay Jackson's primary research interests are intergroup relations and social dilemmas, especially from a social identity/self-categorization perspective. In particular, he is interested in understanding the social psychological and personality factors that influence responses to social dilemmas involving subgroups of people. He is also interested in group identification as a multidimensional construct, and how different dimensions may be affected by different situational forces (e.g., group size, group status, perceived conflict) and be related to particular outcomes (e.g., intergroup bias, intragroup cooperation).

Please see his web site for more details: http://users.ipfw.edu/jacksonj/

Dr. Kaiser:

Dr. Kaiser would like research assistants to help with his studies that examine the function of a brain region called the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a brain region heavily involved in learning and memory. The primary responsibility of research assistants will be to train and test the rats on the behavioral task. The rats must learn to discriminate between cups of scented sand (some of which contain rewards and some of which do not). Dr. Kaiser will tell you more about the task if you get into contact with him at kaiserd@ipfw.edu. Once in lab, if you are interested, you may also assist with the surgeries that are done to lesion the hippocampus.

Dr. Lawton:

Dr. Lawton's research is on gender differences in processing visual and spatial information, particularly in relation to how we find our way around in the environment (e.g., "go north" versus "turn right at the light"). Research assistants will be responsible for running experiment sessions with PSY 120 participants and will have the opportunity to contribute ideas to the design of new projects during the semester. Students may register for 1, 2, or 3 credits in PSY 496; volunteers are also welcome. A GPA of 3.0 or above is preferred, and completion of the Research Methods class (PSY 203) is desirable, but not necessary. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Lawton via e-mail: lawton@ipfw.edu.

Dr. Lundy:

Research assistants needed for projects on parent-infant interactions and cognitive/social development in preschool children. Assistants will conduct experimental sessions, and learn about data analysis. Students are expected to have completed PSY 120, PSY 201 (Statistics), and PSY 203 (Research Methods) to become involved with research. It is also preferred that students register for 3 credit hours in the course. Please contact Dr. Lundy if you are interested in participating.

Dr. Miller:

My research is concerned with emotional aspects of collective action (e.g. unionization). Please e-mail me and let me know if you are interested.

Dr. Ross:

Dr. Vartanian:

Students interested in Dr. Vartanian's research should visit her home page here.

Dr. Yoder: