Psyc 4990 Oklahoma State University: The STATE's University
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Undergraduate Research Opportunities Available

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Undergraduate Research Opportunities Available

Psyc 4990 is a class in which students work directly with a faculty member or graduate student concerning a specific research project. Duties may include, but are not limited to, tasks such as literature reviews, running subjects, or scoring questionnaires. Listed below are the projects for the upcoming semester. You may enroll in Psych 4990 for 1 to 3 credit hours; a maximum of 6 credit hours may count toward degree requirements. Most Psyc 4990 sections require Psyc 3214, Quantitative Methods, as a prerequisite. Some require Psyc 3914, Experimental, as well. Psyc 4990 projects are competitive and the number of positions available are limited. The process for enrolling in a 4990 project is as follows:

1. Obtain a 4990 application form here.

2. Make an appointment to interview with the faculty member (professor's telephone numbers are listed with the projects) who is conducting the research which interests you (research is described below). Do not leave the form in the professor's mailbox. It is your responsibility to contact the professor and set up an appointment time.

3. Bring your completed Psych 4990 application form to your interview.

4. If you are accepted into the project, ask your supervising faculty member to sign the clearance form (at the bottom of the application), detach it, and return the signed clearance form to Silvia Frutos in 211 N. Murray or Kevin Seymore in 318 N. Murray.

4990 Reseach Projects - Spring 2009

Dr. Charles Abramson: The small systems approach to toxicity assessment. Students should have a willingness to work with ants, bees, crabs, and flies. (If you are allergic to stings, it is best that you not apply). Construction skills would be useful. Students will conduct experiments with invertebrates (i.e., flies, bees, worms) that measure learning and how this learning is influenced by toxicants. Construction of apparatus that measure invertebrate learning (such as maze for ants) will also be done.

charles.abramson@okstate.edu. Office 401 N. Murray.

Dr. Melissa Burkley is looking for 2-3 students to assist in research focusing on stereotypes, prejudice, and diversity issues. Students' duties will include running participants, administering questionnaires, entering data, and library work. Students should have good interpersonal skills, a strong interest in research, and should be responsible and self-motivated. Those interested must be available to attend a one hour weekly research meeting in addition to working 8 hours per week.

melissa.burkley@okstate.edu. Office 401 N. Murray.

Dr. Jared Dempsey: is looking for 2-3 students interested in researching drugs, alcohol, and anxiety. Current projects involve measuring emotional response physiologically (electromyography, skin conductance, heart beat) and through traditional psychological means. Emotional responses to drug images are being investigated as a potential treatment effectiveness gauge among alcohol and nicotine dependent participants. A secondary study involves an investigation related to social anxiety and smoking. Students will be trained in conducting psychophysiological assessment, running participants, and typical laboratory duties (e.g., data analysis, data entry, literature reviews). Interested students must be available to attend a one hour weekly research meeting in addition to working 8 hours per week. ***Please note***: laboratory procedures involve showing participants graphic photographs (both erotic and violent) to induce different emotional states. If you are offended by these types of photographs it may be best to consider alternative research experiences. However, alternative laboratory research projects may be available.

jared.dempsey@okstate.edu. Office 201 N. Murray. Telephone: 744-4594

Dr. DeMond Grant is looking for 4 students interested in anxiety and mood disorders. Research within the lab focuses on examining cognitive (e.g., rumination, attention) and interpersonal (e.g., interpersonal dependency, reassurance-seeking) factors associated with anxiety and mood disorders, using a variety of experimental tasks and psychophysiological measures. Responsibilities include running participants, recruitment, library work, and data entry. Those interested must be available to work 8 hours plus a weekly 1 hour lab meeting.

demond.grant@okstate.edu

Dr. Doug Hershey: Studies in the Cognitive Development Lab will involve the examination of adult cognitive development, and other aspects of successful aging and life planning. Needs 1 to 2 students. Students will be involved in many different types of activities including data collection, data analysis, and interpretation of findings. Students should have completed a course in experimental psychology and a course in statistics. Weekly meetings are required, and a time commitment of approximately 10 hours per week is expected.

douglas.hershey@okstate.edu Office 201 N. Murray. Telephone: 744-4594

Shelia Kennison's lab has an ongoing need for undergraduate laboratory assistants in summer and fall. RA's will test participants in computerized experiments and assist in other research related. Students with interests in languages other than English are encouraged to apply (e.g., Spanish, Japanese, French, German, & Chinese). You do not need to be a psychology major to apply. For an interview, please complete the following form: http://psychology.okstate.edu/faculty/kennison/kennison4990.htm

Dr. Larry Mullins: Child Health Psychology Lab. In this lab, we are interested in investigating aspects of coping and adjustment in children with chronic health conditions, including pediatric cancer, sickle cell disease, asthma, and diabetes, among others. In particular, we are interested in looking at how parents cope with the uncertainty of their child’s illness, and we have developed interventions to assist their coping efforts. Primary responsibilities of assistants will include the conducting literature searches, development of databases (including library searches), assistance with grant preparation, and assistance with recruiting and running participants. At least sophomore standing and library skills are required. Computer skills (including data entry, programming, web design, and/or multimedia authoring) are also advantageous, but not required. Must be willing to commit to weekly lab meetings; other time very flexible. Needs for Summer or Fall of 2008: 3-4 students.

Email: larry.mullins@okstate.edu   221 North Murray. Phone: 744-2341.

Dr. Melanie Page is looking for undergrad RAs to help with the Families and Schools for Health Project (FiSH). You need to have at least 1 4 hour block of time between 8-3 and preference will go to those with 2 such blocks. You will be interviewing children in surrounding schools and doing fitness assessments with said children. You are required to complete a criminal background check and IRB online training. If you are interested, please contact our project manager at aimeejobarret@yahoo.com or Dr. Page at melanie.page@okstate.edu.

Questions about Psych 4990 can be sent to either of the Psychology Department's undergrad advisors:

Silvia Daggy , Academic Advisor
Department of Psychology
102A N. Murray
Stillwater, Ok 74078
405-744-5543
silvia.frutos@okstate.edu
Kevin Seymore, Academic Advisor
Department of Psychology
102B N. Murray
Stillwater, Ok 74078
405-744-4015
kevin.seymore@okstate.edu
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