Undergraduate Research in Psychology
Faculty Members with Research Opportunities
for Undergraduates
Dr. Amit Almor
E-mail: almor@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 460, Phone: (803) 777-4302
Website: http://people.cas.sc.edu/almor/
Description: Aging related impairments such as Alzheimer's dementia provide an opportunity to examine the relation between language and memory processes. We are currently comparing several areas of language and memory processing in young, healthy elderly, and patients with Huntington Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Alzheimer's Disease.
My other major area of research is referential processing which addresses the question of why do we sometimes choose to use a name, in other times a pronoun, and in yet other times a category term? Our research suggests that when people process referential expressions they show a balance between the processing cost of these expressions and the discourse function they serve. The processing cost of referential expressions is related, among other things, to memory interference. Pronouns minimize this interference and in our view are the solution language"invented" to reduce the cost of reference. We are using reading measures, eye tracking, memory tasks, and neuroimaging to study referential processing.
Responsibilities: Beginning undergraduate researchers are typically involved in running experiments, preparing stimuli for experiments, and participate in data coding and analysis. More advanced undergraduate researchers work on their own projects. All lab members take part in weekly lab meetings in which we discuss our and related research.
Requirements: To work in the lab you will most likely enroll in PSYC 399 or 498. Normally you will have to meet the following requirements:
Sophomore, Junior, or Senior
GPA of 3.0 or greater
Interest or background in psychology and/or language
Be able to be in the lab for a minimum of 9 hours a week
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Dr. Cheryl A. Armstead
E-mail: armstead@mailbox.sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 429, Phone: (803) 777-5756
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/armstead.html
Student Stress Study
Description: Have you ever encountered stress as a student? Sure you have!! This independent study opportunity will focus on discovering the physiological and psychological effects of stress among USC students.
Responsibilities: Skills in survey administration and laboratory blood pressure monitoring will be developed in this course. You'll also learn about blood pressure and EKG monitoring. This is a good experience for students interested in health psychology, pre-med, or public health.
Requirements: Students must be reliable, hard working,and mature. Independent study students must also have experience interacting with culturally diverse populations. Health related experience is necessary.
ICSC: Behavioral Surveillance of Risky Sexual Behaviors
Description: This independent study opportunity will focus on factors influencing risky sexual behavior among young, lower SES individuals in the community.
Responsibilities: Students will assist in collection and coding of anonymous information related to sexually transmitted diseases risk behaviors.
Skills in survey administration and community health promotion will be developed in this course. Students will be introduced to the workings of public health agencies.
Requirements: Students must be responsible, mature undergraduates. Independent study students must have experience interacting with
culturally diverse populations. Health related experience is highly desirable. Since sexual behavior is being assessed, potential independent study students
must evidence the ability to handle sensitive issues in a confidential fashion.
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Dr. Gordon C. Baylis
E-mail: gordon@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 237-C, Phone: (803) 777-5480
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/baylis.html
Infants in a Lumpy World
We live in a lumpy world - one that is divided into things and the background space. How do we decide what parts of our visual experience
corresponds to things, and what corresponds to the gaps between things? This skill is so good that we scarcely realize that we do it.
When do we learn this? Or is it innate? Experiments on infants and young children will examine the origins of this figure-ground segmentation.
What Makes YOU So Special?
People have different cognitive skills. Sometimes skills vary with personality traits or with gender. We will carry out experiments to
understand what perceptual skills vary between people, and how we might predict the attentional and perceptual ability of people.
Processing Complex Visual Information
What do we see at a glance? What takes a second look? What is important? What should we ignore? Opportunities are available for
undergraduates to work in a laboratory to explore what makes sense in the vast amount of complex visual information.
This research involves undergraduate subjects, and occasionally patients with brain damage who have problems processing visual information.
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Dr. Shauna M. Cooper
E-mail: smcooper@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 554, Phone: (803) 777-6859
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/cooper.html
Research Lab Website: http://people.cas.sc.edu/scooper/AAYDLAB/index.html
- Research Showcase Video:
- African American Youth Development: Implications for Outcomes in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
Parenting Processes in African American Families: Implications for Adolescent Psychological and School Adjustment
Description: My research focuses on socialization and parenting practices in African American families. In particular,
I am interested in how gender may influence parenting and socialization in African American families as well as how this may influence
child and adolescent psychological and school outcomes. Currently, I am conducting an investigation exploring father-daughter relationships
in African American families. In particular, this study is exploring how fathers’ socialization practices, parenting style and involvement
are associated with African American girls’ psychological and educational outcomes.
Responsibilities: The independent study will involve approximately 8-9 hrs/week of lab work on the DADDS Study ("Dad Active in
Daughters Developing Successfully"). Responsibilities include assistance in participant recruitment, administering questionnaires to parents and
adolescents, entering data, conducting literature searches. Students are encouraged to do an APA style research paper on a lab-related project
(e.g., lit review, results, discussion) and submit for publication. Also, students are required to participate in weekly lab meetings.
Requirements: A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better is preferred; Previous background or interest in psychology; Interest in issues related
to African American families and children.
Emerging Adulthood among African American Youth
Description: Emerging adulthood, defined as a distinct developmental period (18-25 years of age), has been
characterized as a time of identity exploration and transition for many youth. This independent study explores emerging adulthood
among African American youth. Using University and community-based samples, this investigation explores African American youths’ views
about adult responsibilities, including familial responsibilities, perceived gender roles, beliefs about community/civic involvement and
career-related/educational goals. Additionally, this study explores contextual stressors that may adversely influence adjustment during
this period (psychological and school/work adjustment) as well as culturally-specific and developmentally-appropriate protective factors.
Responsibilities: The independent study will involve approximately 6-8 hrs/week of lab work. Responsibilities include assistance
in participant recruitment, questionnaire administration, data entry, conducting literature searches. Also, students are required to participate in weekly lab meetings.
Requirements: A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better is preferred; Previous background or interest in psychology; Interest in issues related to Psychology;
African American families and children. Students are encouraged to do an APA style research paper on a lab-related project (e.g., lit review, results, discussion) and
submit for publication.
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Dr. Keith E. Davis
E-mail: daviske@mailbox.sc.edu
Phone: (803) 777-4639
499 or 599 independent study (3 credit hours, to be earned either during Summer Session 1 or 2, 2009)
Description: Do laymen have two different conceptions of romantic love and other forms of love? The research procedures involved getting rating of the degree to which specific problems are deficiencies in a romantic love relationship and whether or not, if missing, certain characteristics would prevent a relationship from being or counting as a romantic love relationship. Student rating the following 14 characteristics which respect to their being both a deficiency or a disqualifying condition: Trust, Investment in Partner’s Well-being, Respect, Sexual Desire, Exclusiveness, Acceptance, Knowledge/Understanding, Preoccupation, Emotional Intimacy, Enjoyment, Commitment, Freedom to Be Ourselves, Similarity, & Affectionate Feeling.
Responsibilities: Students will be expect to do data checking and data entry during the spring term 2009, but receive credit during a Summer term because they will need to acquire a background in the relevant scholarly literature by reading approximately 10 articles and chapters. They will also participate in the analysis of these data to answer 1 or 2 research questions that they formulate based on their reading and consultation with Dr. Davis. The paper will be expected to be a 12 to 15 page (doubled-spaced) ms in APA style with an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, references and suitable tables and/or figures. Students will be encouraged (but not required) to present their data at Psychology Day or at conferences that allow student posters or papers.
Requirements: Must have a 3.2 GPA; must be a junior; must have already taken Psyc 227 and Psyc 228 and have taken 2 from among the following courses, Psyc 405, 430, 440, & 301.
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Dr. Kate Flory
E-mail: floryk@mailbox.sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 528-c, Phone: (803) 777-4304
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/flory.html
Description: My research examines: (1) predictors of risky behaviors, including substance use and risky sex, among USC college students, (2) why adolescents with ADHD are at-risk for cigarette smoking and other negative outcomes, and (3) the social skills and peer relations of children, adolescents, and young adults with ADHD.
Responsibilities: Depending on which projects are currently underway, undergraduate students working with me will be expected to perform one or more of the following duties: (1) helping with research participant recruitment, (2) helping to collect data from children, adolescents, parents, and/or young adults, which may involve online surveys, phone interviews, or in-person assessments, (3) helping to transcribe and code video-taped interactions, (4) helping with data entry and management, (5) helping with literature searches, reference lists, and other manuscript-related needs, and (6) helping with other research-related tasks, such as organizing files and making photocopies.
Requirements: Undergraduate students interested in working in my lab should have some flexibility in their schedules, should plan to commit to at least 10 hours/week for two semesters or one semester and the summer (some of this can be volunteer), and should have an interest/experience in working with children or adolescents. A GPA of 3.5 or higher is required. Students working in my lab are encouraged to prepare and submit a Magellan Fellowship application and to present research findings at the USC Discovery Day, an annual research showcase for undergraduates.
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Dr. Fernanda Ferreira
E-mail: ferreirf@mailbox.sc.edu
Office: Barnwell, Room 237-B, Phone: (803) 777-4137
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/ferreira.html
Description: Have you ever stopped to think about the important role that language plays in every aspect of your life? You are able to quickly understand what people say and respond appropriately, but what is the basis for these skills? In our lab, we examine these questions by presenting subjects with linguistic and visual stimuli and examining their performance as measured by reaction time, accuracy, eye movements, and brain responses. We focus on topics such as these: how do people deal with disfluencies and repairs in speech? what is the role of terms such as "like" and expletives such as "shoot" and "freakin'"? How does all the writing we now do because of texting and social networking websites affect our ability to process language? If these questions sound intriguing to you, and if you're ambitious and intellectually motivated, we're interested in the possibility of your being a research assistant in the lab.
Responsibilities: These would include library research, creation of stimuli (both sentences and pictures), subject testing, data analysis, and writing up of lab reports and papers. The benefits to you include the opportunity to acquire research experience, to learn first-hand how a lab works, and to interact closely with talented students and PhDs.
Requirements: You should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, an interest in language and language processing, and you should be a sophomore, junior, or senior. You should plan to work in the lab for at least two semesters and for about 8 hours per week. You will enroll in either PSYC 399 or 498.
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Dr. Tawanda M. Greer
E-mail: tmgreer@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 460, Phone: (803) 777-4302
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/greer.html
- Research Showcase Video:
- Applying Social Neuroscience to the Study of Race-Related Health Impacts for African Americans
Description: The two independent study students will work on a project entitled, The Multidimensional Inventory of
African American Functioning (MIAAF), which is a psychological measure that is being created by Dr. Greer. This measure is being
created to assist clinicians in providing culturally competent mental health services to African American adults. The measure consists of
6 subscales that capture biopsychosocial factors that are related to the overall functioning of African American adult clients
(e.g., social support, general health status, perceived oppression, self-concept). It is being designed for the purpose of deriving culturally
appropriate treatment plans and interventions.
Responsibilities: Independent study students will be involved in sorting and rating items for each of the 6 subscales.
Thus, students will play a very important role in helping to determine which items will be included in the pilot version of the measure.
Requirements: 2 independent study students in Psychology
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Dr. John Henderson
E-mail: jhender@mailbox.sc.edu
Office: Barnwell224-C, Phone: (803) 777-4263
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/henderson.html
Description: What determines where we look? How is looking related to seeing? Can you look and not see? Can you see without looking? Does everyone look at the same thing? If I see you looking at something, do I look at it too? Do people with Autism or ADHD look at the same things you do? Do they look at faces? In my research we study basic theoretical and empirical issues concerning how we attend and look at the world, and how looking interacts with perception and cognition. We primarily use eyetracking to study these questions, but also use computational modeling and neuroimaging.
Responsibilities: Beginning undergraduate researchers are typically involved in running experiments, preparing stimuli for experiments, and participate in data coding and analysis. More advanced undergraduate researchers work on their own projects. All lab members take part in weekly lab meetings in which we discuss our and related research.
Requirements: Sophomore, Junior, or Senior, GPA of 3.2 or greater, commitment of one year, interest or background in psychology or related cognitive science or cognitive neuroscience discipline
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Dr. Scott Huebner
E-mail: huebner@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 505, Phone: (803) 777-3591
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/huebner.html
Description: Dr. Huebner's research focuses on child and adolescent positive psychological well-being and school engagement. Research on the nature, determinants, and outcomes associated with students' positive social-emotional well-being and school engagement.
Responsibilities: Time commitments, nature of responsibilities, and credit hours can be negotiated. Depending upon interests and skills, responsibilities might include such activities as collecting data in schools, entering data into computers, writing a review of the literature, or co-authoring conference presenations and/or manuscripts for publication.
Requirements: A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better is preferred.
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Dr. Rhonda Johnson
E-mail: rwhite@mailbox.sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 525, Phone: (803) 777-4130
Description: The goal of the African American Community Engagement Lab (AACE) is to explore those processes that facilitate community and civic involvement among African Americans, particularly African American women and adolescents. Within this research area four central themes are explored: race-related factors, health, context and development. A second line of research conducted in the AACE Lab explores African American family processes. Particular attention is paid to those factors that promote positive outcomes for African American youth, racial socialization processes, and parent-child relationships.
Responsibilities: Students will assist with a variety of tasks related to the Women in Context Study (WIC) and the Youth Pursuing Positive Social Change Study (YPPSC). These tasks include aiding with recruitment, carrying out activities with the youth involved in the YPPSC study, and tracking participants. Students will also be involved in data collection, data entry, and data coding, as well as aspects of the publication process.
Requirements: A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better is required. Potential students should also have an interest in psychological research, particularly community engagement processes and African American family processes. Individuals must be able to make a one-year commitment to the lab.
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Dr. Sandra Kelly
E-mail: sandra-kelly@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 461, Phone: (803) 777-7610
Website: http://people.cas.sc.edu/sjkelly/index.html
Description: Dr. Sandra Kelly offers an independent study in neuroscience which would fulfill one of the neuroscience minor requirements and be beneficial to those students thinking of a career in neuroscience, medicine or neuropsychology. The student would be involved in examining the impact of alcohol exposure during development on brain and social behavior in rats or be involved in the examination of social behavior in deermice. Both types of research also would involve learning how to gather and analyze quantitative neuroanatomical measures and measures of the epigenome in brain. The student should be prepared to work with laboratory animals and work well with a laboratory team.
Responsibilities: The independent study will involve approximately 9 hours per week of laboratory work and some weekend work. Readings from the scientific literature, a lab group oral presentation and a term paper will be required.
Requirements: The student should have already completed or be taking PSYC 460 or SCCC 330P (Biological Psychology or Neuroscience). Some background in biology and chemistry is also helpful. The student should be available to be in the laboratory in three three-hour blocks of time during the regular working hours (9 AM to 5 PM).
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Dr. John Richards
E-mail: richards-john@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 512, Phone: (803) 777-2079
Website: JERLab.psych.sc.edu
Description: My research is on infant attention. I am interested in changes in attention to pictures and sounds in infants from 3 to 12 months of age. My experiments involve using heart rate as an index of attentiveness, and many use EEG or MRI to examine brain concomitants of attention.
Responsibilities: The responsibilities include contacting parents to bring infants in for
psychological experiments; helping to test the infants in the experiments; computer-based editing of ECG, EEG, eye movements, and judgments of fixation. Students in independent studies are required to do an APA style
paper describing the research, results from subjects that were tested, and a discussion.
Requirements: I accept students to work with me for one year (two semesters). This is because the training and timing needed to do a study takes this amount of time. I only accept students who want to enroll for an independent study and do an APA style paper describing their results. Generally this results in a published paper.
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Dr. Jane Roberts
E-mail: jane.roberts@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 513, phone: 777-4638
Website: http://www.uscdevlab.com
Description: The USC Neurodevelopmental Research Lab conducts high-quality research with young children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families to increase our understanding of factors that affect the child’s development within a family systems context. We are interested in looking at multiple aspects of child development including attention, memory, social interactions, physiological responsivity, and behavior regulation. In addition, we are interested in how family experiences affect young children, so we also examine factors such as maternal mental health and responsivity.
This independent study will provide exposure to the process of designing, collecting, and analyzing data by longitudinally examining behavioral, cognitive, and physiological factors in young children with neurodevelopmental disorders. We study development across several populations, including children with autism, Williams syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and neurotypical controls. Students will be trained in managing data and will have the opportunity to observe or participate in data collection. Most students will also be able to participate in presentation opportunities such as USC Discovery Day and regional conferences.
Responsibilities: Students will assist the research team in recruiting participants, maintaining the lab, preparing for assessments, managing data, conducting literature searches, and preparing presentations. Students are also required to participate in bi-weekly seminar meetings covering topics such as preparing for graduate school and conducting strong research.
Requirements: Students will be required to devote 9 hours per week of laboratory work and may be asked to participate in some weekend assessments. During the school week, students must be available for several 2-4 hour blocks of time during normal business hours (9-5). Minimum GPA is 3.2 with a preferred GPA of 3.5. Please contact Dr. Jane Roberts for a formal lab application, which includes writing samples and standardized test scores. Preference will be given to students who can commit to the lab for one year or more.
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Dr. Jeffrey Schatz
E-mail: schatz@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 237-D, Phone: (803) 777-8439
Website: http://www.psych.sc.edu/facdocs/schatz.html
Executive Abilities Study
Description: This project involves working primarily with youths that have sickle cell disease, a blood disorder that can cause attention and school difficulties due to its effects on the blood supply to the brain. We are working to identify tests of memory, organization, planning, attention, decision making, and language skills that will be used as a part of future treatment studies for sickle cell disease to identify the benefits of the therapies for brain function.
Responsibilities: Beginning undergraduate researchers are typically involved with organizational aspects associated with the administration of the neuropsychological battery, and participate in data scoring and entry. More advanced undergraduate researchers are involved in the actual administration of cognitive tests to both the control and clinical populations associated with this project. All lab members take part in weekly lab meetings in which we discuss our and related research.
Requirements: Students must be reliable, hard working, professional, and mature. Independent study students must have a willingness to work with culturally diverse populations. Experience with children is preferred.
To work in the lab you will most likely enroll in PSYC 399 or 498. Normally you will have to meet the following requirements:
- Freshmen, Sophomore, or Junior
- GPA of 2.5 or greater
- Interest or background in neuropsychology or neuroscience
- Be able to work in the lab for a minimum of 9 hours a week
Contact: Melita Stancil, execfunc@gmail.com
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Dr. Brad Smith
E-mail: smithbrad@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 528-b, Phone: (803) 777-4294
Website: Scstudentexcellence.org
Description:I am trained as a clinical psychologist, but my major research and teaching often overlap
with school psychology. My major research interest areas are (a) middle-school students with learning and behavior problems,
(b) parenting interventions for middle-school students, (c) substance abuse prevention, especially among college students, and
(d) dissemination of school-based interventions with the assistance of service-learning students.
Dozens of undergraduates, including four Honors College Students, from USC have been involved in independent study research in my lab.
I am in the process of writing grants to pursue research on (a) parenting interventions, and (b) stimulant abuse among college students.
However, my most active research area right now is the Challenging Horizons Program (CHP), which is a program for middle-school students
with learning and behavior problems. The CHP provides a wide variety of opportunities for research initiated by USC undergraduates.
Most of the students who have completed research in the CHP have been accepted into graduate school. This is often very good research
as indicated by the fact that students who completed research in CHP won awards at Discovery Day in 2006 and 2007. Also, several
undergraduates have published (or are in the process of publishing) research completed in my lab as undergraduates.
Responsibilities: Students who work in the CHP, typically begin by working as a staff member in the after-school program.
The CHP is organized around vertical teams, such that entry-level staff are mentored by returning staff, who are mentored by graduate students,
who are mentored by faculty. Thus, there is a strong opportunity for advancement. Most returning staff develop independent study projects.
Entry level staff usually take Psychology 489, the Community Psychology Practicum. After about 18 hours of training, they begin working
directly with middle-school students in the CHP about 8 hours a week. Returning CHP staff take independent study classes. Some returning
students elect to complete case studies while enrolled in independent study (i.e., Psych 498). The students most likely to attend Ph.D.
programs complete a two-semester sequence of student-initiated research (Psych 598 and 599). The first semester usually involves designed
the study and the second involves collecting, analyzing, and reporting data.
Requirements: Students must apply for a position in my lab similar to applying for a job. This includes writing a
statement of purpose, completing a job application, and submitting references. Applicants are interviewed by CHP staff and assigned
to duties commensurate to their skills and experience.
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Dr. Suzanne Swan
E-mail: swan@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 553, Phone: (803) 777-2558
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/swan.html
- Research Showcase Video:
- Engaging College Men to Prevent Violence Against Women
- Colloquia Video:
- Investigating Unexamined Questions of Gender in Relationship Aggression: Intimate Partner Violence…And Violent Women? Men Preventing Violence Against Women?
Description: The college years are, unfortunately, a high-risk time for women to experience sexual assault and dating violence.
Over the course of a college career, up to 25% of women may experience a sexual assault and 45% of students (both male and female) may experience
intimate partner violence. Other types of interpersonal violence, including stalking, bar fights, etc., are also common on college campuses.
We believe that violence against women is not solely a “women’s issue”. Rather, violence against women and men cannot end unless men take an
active role in stopping it. Though only a minority of men engage in violence against women, all men can have an influence on the culture and
environment that perpetuates men's violence against women. Changing Carolina is a preventive intervention conducted with male college students
to reduce intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women, as well as other forms of interpersonal violence. Although the primary
target audience is men, a number of female students are also involved in Changing Carolina.
Responsibilities: Undergraduate student researchers are typically involved in collecting data from students who participate in the
Changing Carolina class and other programs, as well as data coding, entry, and analysis. Students also help to get the word out about Changing Carolina
to other students, and may assist in developing grant proposals and other projects.
Requirements:Usually, sophomore, junior, or senior; GPA of 3.0 or better; interest or background in psychology; interest in issues related to violence and violence prevention.
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Dr. Doug Wedell
E-mail: wedell@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 462, Phone: (803) 777-4258
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/wedell.html
Description: Have you ever wondered how people make the decisions that they do? For instance, why do some people prefer
risky options to safer ones, or how do people choose one apartment from all of the available apartments in
the city? In our lab, we explore the issues involved in judgment and decision making situations like these.
In particular, we seek to develop cognitive models of the process of decision making in order to better understand
the process and possibly improve it. Past and current issues explored in our lab include: What strategies do
people use to make decisions? How do consumers choose products? Does attractiveness depend on your context?
How do people feel about risky decisions? We are currently seeking an ambitious junior or senior with an interest
in decision making to be a research assistant.
Responsibilities: Responsibilities would include the following: library research, construction of stimulus materials, analysis of
data, collecting data for ongoing projects, and the development of new research issues. Your creativity and hard
work will be rewarded with research experience and the development of your own ideas, both of which are invaluable
for a Psychology major seeking admission to graduate school.
Requirements: To work in the lab you will most likely enroll in PSYC 399 or 498. You should be a
Sophomore, Junior, or Senior with a GPA of 3.0 or greater.
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Dr. Dawn Wilson
E-mail: dkwilson@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 512, Phone: (803) 777-8032
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/wilson.html
498 independent study - Project PATH
Description: Students enrolled in this course (3 credits) will participate in Project PATH (Positive Action for Today's health), a randomized community-based trial. The overall goal of the project is to determine whether a community based program can improve overall health (such as blood pressure and physical activity levels) in underserved African American adults. Communities that have agreed to participate will receive one of the following 1) a general health education program 2) a police patrolled walking program or 3) a police patrolled walking program plus a social marketing campaign.
Description: Independent study students involved in the PATH trial may obtain hands-on research experience through involvement with data collection and implementation of physical activity intervention. Students will also be involved in preparation of data collection and intervention materials, as well as data management and entry. Students will assist with various intervention/process/recruitment/measurement tasks related to Project PATH, which may include tracking participants of the program, updating contact information for the families, aiding in recruitment, doing follow-up calls and evaluating program implementation. . Students can also participate in professional and academic development meetings with other undergraduate and graduate students in the Obesity Research Group.
Contact: Sara Mijares, mijares@mailbox.sc.edu or
Hannah Lawman, hlawman86@gmail.com
Project Name: The Social Side to Health
Responsibilities: Students will be responsible for working on all aspects of the project, funded by NIH through a grant titled, "Social Context and Motivation in Minority Youth Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome." Students will make recruitment calls, collect data through one-on-one contacts with families at a local pediatric clinic, follow-up with participants, enter project data, and help with report writing.
Description: Adolescent overweight and obesity rates have increased at an alarming rate in recent years, particularly for minority youth. As a result minority adolescents are increasingly developing negative medical consequences such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and later cardiovascular disease, cancer, and stroke. This study proposes to look at a variety of interpersonal (e.g., motivation and self-efficacy), social (e.g., peers, parents), and environmental (e.g., school, neighborhood) influences on health behaviors (e.g., diet and physical activity) in adolescents at risk for obesity and the development of metabolic syndrome. This study is unique in examining multiple influences on physical activity and dietary behavior in two phases through quantitative and qualitative methods. Through partnerships with local pediatricians, 250 families will be recruited to participate. While many interventions have targeted increasing PA and improving dietary choices, interventions have thus far been largely unsuccessful, particularly among minority youth. A better understanding of factors related to PA and dietary choices is needed before effective interventions can be developed for minority adolescents. Results from this study will further our understanding of facilitators and barriers to improving health behaviors in minority youth at risk for negative health outcomes.
Project Director: Hannah Lawman, M.A.
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Dr. Svetlana V. Shinkareva
E-mail: shinkareva@sc.edu
Office: Barnwell 515, Phone: (803) 777-6189
Website: http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/facdocs/shinkareva.html
Research Opportunity in Quantitative Neuroimaging Lab
Description: Are you looking to get hands-on research experience in the field of cognitive neuroscience? Are you interested in learning the basics of experimental design, data collection and data analysis? Are you curious about fMRI? Our research focuses on the development and application of quantitative methods to functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data.
Responsibilities: The independent study will involve approximately 9 hours of work per week. Research position includes the opportunity to be involved in ongoing projects within the lab. These projects involve using fMRI to scan participants, designing and conducting experiments, and data analysis. Responsibilities will range from assistance in participant recruitment, data entry, and literature searches to data analysis, depending on experience.
Requirements: A GPA of 3.0 or higher; interest in language, neuroimaging, or quantitative methods; 6 hours of independent study over 2 semesters.
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Research Experience - Exercise Science Class
Shawn Youngstedt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Exercise Science
Arnold School of Public Health
Phone: (803) 777-9929
Dr. Shawn Youngstedt is looking for 2 undergraduate students interested in gaining research experience
to take an independent study EXSC class.
Responsibilities: The duties of these students will include:
- Learning basic research skills
- Learning basic science laboratory skills
- Working on a cancer metastasis animal model
- Learning sleep research techniques, including EEG in animals
- Working with sleep deprivation techniques
- Working with exercise training in animals
- Working with psychological techniques in animals
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