Undergraduate Research Opportunities

    If you are an undergraduate psychology major and you are interested in doing some research with a faculty member, there are some issues I would like you to consider before approaching me.

1) How much time can you commit?

    The research apprenticeship (PSY 302) is a 3 credit experience, and therefore would require 9 hours per week of work. Some weeks there may be less than that required, but other weeks there may be more. It is best if you have a good amount of free time on weekdays for meetings and for research activities; if you have other time commitments that limit your availability on weekdays, then that will make it difficult for this apprenticeship to work well for either of us.

    We also have independent study opportunities where you can register for a flexible number of credits, and with more credits,  the scope of your duties and involvement is also greater. Independent study projects can involve working on an existing faculty research project, OR can involve working toward a research proposal or research study of your own. As such, you should choose a faculty member with similar interests to yours, so that the faculty member can provide good and knowledgeable supervision of your work.

    It is also helpful if you could decide if you want to work on research with a faculty member for only one semester, or if you are willing and able to work for a longer period of time.

2) What are your reasons for wanting to do research?

    Research experience is very helpful to students who are considering graduate school but can also be useful for students seeking to work right after graduation in the psychology field. Personally, I am not concerned as to whether you plan to go to graduate school or not, as much as I want students who are highly motivated and willing to work hard, will commit to working regularly and consistently throughout the semester, and who want to learn from the experience. Anything less than that will lead to an unproductive experience for both of us.

3) What areas of psychology are you interested in?

    As was mentioned briefly on the opening web page, my main research interest is in peer support. I am currently working on projects concerning peer support for suicidal adolescents and young adults. I also do applied research (e.g, program evaluation of community services). My curriculum vita is also available on my web page, so you can see my recent publications for more specific topics I am working on. Students who are interested in these topics could work with me as research apprentices, if they can demonstrate adequate preparation and motivation. If a student is interested in developing their own research proposal/study, I could supervise projects in a number of domains including violence, suicide, social support, and other topics in applied social psychology.

I generally only take on students that I know quite well, either from having taught them before or by getting to know them through some other mechanism. If you do not know me at all, you should probably consider asking another faculty member who knows you better if you can do research with them. If you are interested in working with me on research, please email me first and tell me your thoughts on the issues listed above and send me a copy of your CAPP report as well. It is best to do this early in the course selection period that runs each semester.