Faculty Member

Chris Agnew, PhD, Professor, Social Psychology, RSVP Lab Director

Description of Research 

We conduct research on interpersonal relationships and are particularly focusing on relationship processes that take place in virtual reality (VR).

Description of Undergraduate Participation

Research assistants perform a variety of tasks, including collecting data in our VR lab. You will be trained on how to conduct research involving participants who interact with one another within VR. We also design new VR studies together as a lab team. Lab team meetings take place weekly, either in person or via Horizon Workrooms in VR, with lab team members using lab-supplied Meta Quest headsets to attend. Team members also assist with relationship experiments and surveys not focused on VR.

Research Setting

All work is completed in the Psychological Sciences building or in virtual space. Research assistants spend most of their hours working in the lab.

Number of Assistants Needed

We are recruiting up to 4 new undergraduate students to join the RSVP Lab in Spring 2024 to work alongside returning undergraduate research assistants. Research assistants are expected to   work an average of 9 hours per week during the semester and receive 3 credits for PSY 39000.

How to Apply

Send:

1. Your CV
2. Unofficial Purdue transcript
3. Statement of research interests
4. Reasons for applying, as one PDF file via email attachment to Dr. Agnew at agnew@purdue.edu.

Minimum 3.3 overall GPA required. Interviews for the most promising applicants will take place via Zoom in October and November 2024. Thx for your interest!

Faculty Member

Dr. Ximena Arriaga (Principal Investigator)

Description of Research 

This lab examines different aspects of close relationships, including the positive and negative impact they can have on people. Current research projects examine:

• Conditions that affect attachment security in relationships
• Understanding psychological barriers to leaving an aggressive relationship
• Partner aggression in digital platforms

Description of Undergraduate Participation

The ARCC Lab experience encourages students to think about what causes relationships to unfold as they do and why. What are the underlying features, causes, and consequences that surround being in a close relationship?

The ARCC Lab meets on a weekly basis. These meetings function to discuss relationships research and manage current projects. Attendance is required.

Lab tasks include presenting research, running studies with participants, providing observational ratings of couple interactions, reading and coding text descriptions from couples, and other miscellaneous tasks.

Research Setting

Lab meetings will be held in person and, on occasion, virtually via zoom. Assigned tasks can be completed on campus or from a remote location.

Contact Information

To submit an application, send an email to arcc@purdue.edu with “PSY 390” in the subject line. Within 72 hours, you will be sent an application.

Additional Information

Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are interested in learning about research are encouraged to apply. Special consideration will be given to students have excellent social skills and a strong academic record.

Faculty member and other supervisors

Dr. Jennifer Brown

Lab Website: https://jenniferbrownphd.wordpress.com/

Description of research area

Work conducted in our clinical health psychology lab is focused on addressing substance use, HIV, and reproductive health disparities both domestically and globally.  Current research seeks to:

• Develop and evaluate culturally-tailored interventions to prevent HIV/AIDS; improve reproductive health and substance use outcomes; and address the intersection between substance use and infectious diseases.
• Implement evidence-based interventions in community settings to improve HIV, reproductive health, and substance use outcomes.
• Understand cultural facets of mental health, substance use, reproductive health, and infectious disease disparities.

Description of undergraduate participation

Students will be involved in all phases of research, including:

• Conducting literature reviews
• Designing studies
• Working with research participants
• Analyzing data
• Preparing presentations and publications of study results

Students will also participate in regularly scheduled lab meetings and discussions of readings on relevant clinical health psychology topics.

Research setting

Dr. Brown’s lab is located on the first floor in the Psychology Building.

Application

If you are interested in joining our laboratory, please contact Dr. Brown at the email address below for an application or fill out this survey form: Survey Form

Contact information

Email: respectlab@purdue.edu

Research Team

Yu-Chin Chiu, PhD, Associate Professor

Cognitive Neuroscience of Cognitive Control Lab

Description of Research Area 

Cognitive control is a psychological construct that refers to a collection of processes that allow us to orchestrate thought and action according to our goals. For instance, we are able switch from one task to another by implementing cognitive control over task sets. While cognitive control is crucial to our everyday behavior, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Our lab conducts behavioral and neuroimaging experiments that try to specify the neurocognitive architecture of cognitive control and how it interacts with perception, learning, and memory.

Description of Undergraduate Participation

Students will:

1. Assist with running behavioral experiments in the lab (in-person) for 8-9 hrs weekly
2. Assist with conducting literature search and/or stimulus preparation

Research Setting

Our lab is located on the 2^nd floor of the Peirce Hall Building (PRCE).

Number of Assistants Needed:

1-2 students are needed

Contact Information

Please submit the following materials under the subject line “PSY390 [Spring 2025]” to yuchinchiu@purdue.edu:

• Transcript (unofficial is fine)
• What do you expect to learn from this experience?

Additional Comments

• Must have completed PSY 120 and/or PSY 200
• GPA of 3.5 or higher is preferred
• Minimum commitment of 3 credits per term (9 hours per week) required.

Faculty member or graduate student

Sébastien Hélie

Description of research area 

We use behavioral (mostly), EEG, fMRI, and computational modeling methods to study the cognitive neuroscience of decision-making and problem solving with typical undergraduate students (mostly) and older adults. We are especially interested in how individual differences in effort discounting, risk assessment, and reward sensitivity affect choices and ability in decision-making and problem solving. You can find a description of the lab’s work here: https://ccn.psych.purdue.edu/index.html.

Description of undergraduate participation

Research assistants will help with researching the literature and use computers to collect data from human participants in a lab setting. The research assistant may also help with EEG/fMRI data collection if needed.

Research setting

Laboratory for Computational Cognitive Neuroscience (Peirce Hall) and Purdue Life Science MRI facility (if fMRI work is performed).

Number of assistants needed

1 or 2

Contact Information

Sébastien Hélie at shelie@purdue.edu.

Additional Comments

Students who have taken Intro to cognitive psychology and/or Intro to cognitive neuroscience will be given priority. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is required.

Faculty member or graduate student

Dr. Jeffrey D. Karpicke

Cognition and Learning Lab

Description of research area 

The Cognition and Learning Lab conducts basic and applied research on how people learn. Specific areas of interest are as follows:

• Identifying effective learning strategies
• Metacognition and self-regulated learning
• Developing computer-based learning tools
• Memory retrieval processes and retrieval-based learning

Description of undergraduate participation

Students in the Cognition and Learning Lab have the opportunity to get involved in all phases of the research process. Most frequently this consists of running experimental sessions, helping to score and analyze data, and attending bi-weekly lab meetings. Additionally, students have the opportunity (although this is not required) to conduct independent research and learn more about experimental design/computer programming.

Research setting

The Cognition and Learning Lab is located on the 1^st floor of Peirce Hall.

Number of assistants needed

2-4 research assistants are needed.

Contact Information

Students interested in doing PSY 390/391/498 in the Cognition and Learning Lab should complete an application by April 12th. We will follow up with you within two weeks of that deadline. If you have any questions, please direct them to Angela Pastrana apastra@purdue.edu.  

Additional Comments

For more information see our lab website. Students with GPAs of 3.4 and higher are particularly encouraged to apply.

Faculty Member and Graduate Students

Teri Kirby, PhD, Assistant Professor—Social Psychology

Austin Zeng, Lab Coordinator

Junming Zhang, Graduate Researcher

Linh Pham, Graduate Researcher

Max Miller, Graduate Researcher

Description of Research

Research in Dr. Kirby’s lab explores a range of topics related to diversity, inclusion, identity, prejudice, and discrimination. We most often focus on racial/ethnic, gender/sex, and LGBTQ+ diversity.

Recent topics of investigation include:

• Diversity ideologies: ideas about how to accommodate differences across ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation categories (e.g., multicultural and colorblind approaches to diversity)
• Diversity initiatives: intersectional approaches to diversity initiatives, how diversity initiatives shape sensitivity to discrimination, self-concept, stereotyping, and academic/workplace outcomes
• The co-opting of diversity by majority/privileged groups
• Cultural appropriation
• Intersectionality and feminism

Description of Undergraduate Participation

Research assistants typically gain experience running participants in experimental lab studies, recruiting research participants, programming surveys, collecting survey data, entering or analyzing data, reviewing relevant psychological literature, and helping to design studies. They also gain experience with software that can be useful for graduate school (e.g., Qualtrics, Zotero, SPSS, R and RStudio).

Research assistants attend research group meetings to discuss projects in the lab and learn more about the research process. Finally, more senior research assistants may have the opportunity to conduct independent research projects and mentor/train more junior assistants.

Research Setting

Labs in Psychology Building

Number of Research Assistants Needed

1-4

Contact Information

Please submit your application at:

https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9tzVkWICaZbikMC

For questions, please contact Austin Zeng: zeng297@purdue.edu

Additional Comments

• Must have completed PSY 120
• Completion of or enrollment in PSY 240 and PSY 203 preferred
• GPA of 3.0 or higher preferred
• Minimum commitment of 2 credits per term (6 hours per week) required, as well as three terms overall. Those committing to more terms receive preference.

However, all interested candidates are encouraged to apply. We especially encourage people from underrepresented or marginalized groups to apply.

Faculty member

Hongmi Lee (she/her), Assistant Professor, Cognitive Psychology

Description of Research 

In the Lee Memory and Cognition Lab, we investigate how the human brain remembers complex real-world events. Our research is focused on understanding the characteristics of narrated memory recall for experiences resembling real-life situations (e.g., free web browsing) and the brain mechanisms that support the storage and recall of those experiences. We utilize a combination of behavioral experiments and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Description of Undergraduate Participation

As undergraduate research assistants, you will work closely with other lab members, contributing to a range of tasks essential for our fMRI and behavioral experiments. These tasks primarily include participant recruitment, preparation, and testing, as well as data coding, organization, and basic analysis. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to attend lab meetings and other lab-related events. If you express interest and demonstrate the required skills, you may also have the chance to develop your independent research project.

Research Setting

Most of the research activity will take place in our lab space and testing rooms on the 2^nd floor of Peirce Hall. fMRI experiments will be conducted at the Purdue Life Science MRI Facility on campus.

Number of Assistants Needed:

1 – 3 students

Contact Information

Hongmi Lee / Lee Memory and Cognition Lab

E-mail: LeeMemoryAndCognitionLab@gmail.com

Phone: N/A

Office: 3160 PSYC

Additional Comments

To apply, please send an email to LeeMemoryAndCognitionLab@gmail.com with the following materials:

• A very brief statement (no longer than one page) describing 1) who you are, 2) why you are interested in joining our lab, 3) your prior research experience and technical skills (e.g., computer programming), and 4) your weekly availability 
• A CV or resume, if available
• An unofficial transcript

We strongly prefer students with prior experience in data analysis using computer programming (Python, MATLAB, R, etc.). We require a commitment of at least 2 credits per semester (6 hours per week). Students from underrepresented or marginalized groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Faculty Member

Dr. Brooke N. Macnamara – Associate Professor – Cognitive and Industrial-Organizational

Skill, Learning, and Performance Lab

Description of Research 

The Skill, Learning, and Performance Lab (SLAP Lab) conducts research on skill acquisition, expertise, and achievement. We are looking for 390 students to participate in research on the following topics:

• How cognitive abilities predict skill learning
• How acute stress and stress responses predict skill learning
• How emotion-cognition traits predict skill learning
• How stress affects attention
• How people acquire dynamic spatial skills (e.g., returning a tennis serve)

Description of Undergraduate Participation

Students in the SLAP Lab will be involved in multiple steps in the research process. Depending on the research project assigned (dependent upon student interests and schedule availability), this may include the following opportunities:

• Learning how to collect heart rate variability (EKG) and blood pressure data
• Administering and scoring cognitive ability measures
• Running experimental protocols
• Taking participants through a stress test
• Collecting behavioral data

In some cases, student research assistants who continue in the lab following the spring semester may have opportunities to analyze data, conduct independent research, and/or receive pay. Federal work study students are especially encouraged to apply.

Students will attend bi-weekly lab meetings and can opt-in to receive mentoring on preparing for and applying to psychology graduate programs.

The minimum number of hours per week is 6 (two credits). Preference is given to students committed to 9 hours (three credits) per week. Students must have large chunks of available time to be in the lab each week (e.g., three 2-hour sessions, two 4-hour sessions). We need multiple students available for 4-hour experiment sessions each week (time includes set up). Preference is given to students with flexible schedules.

Research Setting

The SLAP Lab is located on the 3^rd floor of the Psychological Sciences Building and the 3^rd floor of Pierce Hall.

One space is designed to collect data from up to 8 participants at a time. Student research assistants in this space will gain experience managing and directing multiple people at once to ensure consistent experimental protocol administration.

The other space is a series of small rooms. Student research assistants in this space will work closely with a senior research assistant (graduate student or post-bac research staff) to guide a single participant through a complex experiment. Research assistants in this space will wear lab coats, assist participants in placing EKG electrodes on their torso, prepare buckets of water with precise temperatures, maintain neutral expressions, and move back and forth between rooms to monitor participants during a behavioral paradigm, monitor physiological readings, administer protocols, and screen potential participants.

Number of Assistants Needed

7–8 research assistants are needed.

Contact Information

Students interested in the SLAP Lab should complete this application. Applications received earlier receive more preference than applications received later. We aim to complete interviews and confirm the spring lab schedule by the end of fall term.

Additional Comments

For more information, see our lab website.

Students are expected to respond to lab communications within 24 hours.

The following students are especially encouraged to apply:

• Students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in psychology (any subarea).
• Students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.
• Students eligible for federal work study.
• Students who may be interested in working in the lab for more than one semester.

Faculty member

Susan South, PhD Professor – Clinical Psychology

Jessica Dupree, Graduate Researcher

Magaret Lupo, Graduate Researcher

Description of Research Area 

Research in the Relationships and Mental Health Lab seeks to investigate the role psychopathology plays within intimate romantic relationship experiences. Past research in the RMH Lab has focused on links between trait personality and dysfunction within marital relationships, as well as the interplay between personality and psychopathology and their influence on one another.

Currently, the lab is funded for a project examining the effects of adverse interpersonal experiences on mild cognitive impairment in an ethnically diverse sample of older adult twins. Additionally, the lab is in collaboration with Dr. Chris Eckhardt’s team to investigate the impact of stress, mood, and alcohol use on relationship experiences, and Dr. David Rollock’s lab to investigate discrimination, relationship functioning, and mental health.

Description of Undergraduate Participation

Research assistants will help facilitate data collection by assisting with participant concerns, programming surveys, as well as entering or analyzing data.

Research assistants will also attend biweekly lab meetings to read and discuss relevant journal articles, watch presentations from Dr. South and graduate students regarding research processes to gain additional experience useful for graduate school. Research assistants who have been with the lab for more than one semester may also have an opportunity to conduct their own independent research project.

Research Setting

Most of our research will take place in our lab space in the Psychological Sciences building. Some work may be completed remotely.

Number of Assistants Needed:

3

Contact Information

For questions, please contact Dr. South: ssouth@purdue.edu

To apply, please contact RMHLab@purdue.edu for an application. Applications are due 11/22/2024.

Additional Comments

Students taking the course for credit should commit to working 3 hours in the lab for each credit (e.g., 9 hours/week for 3 credits).

Faculty member

Principal Investigator: Alex Harris-Watson, PhD, Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Graduate Researcher(s): Jeffrey Masser

Description of Research Area 

The Individual Differences in Groups and Organizations (INDiGO) lab investigates topics related to two broad areas: the role of traits (e.g., personality and intelligence) and collaboration (e.g., teams, leadership, human-AI interaction) at work.

Examples of current, ongoing projects include:

• Development and validation of a measure of teammate characteristics (e.g., personality traits)
• Investigation of how personality impacts followers’ preferences for different leadership styles and characteristics
• Predictors and consequences of perceptions of AI as a teammate in human-AI teams

Description of Undergraduate Participation

Undergraduate research assistants (RAs) help with a wide range of research topics and activities, such as preparing surveys, collecting and cleaning data, coding and analysis of data, literature reviews, and writing related to ongoing research in the lab.

In addition to attending lab meetings (approximately 1 hour each week), undergraduate RAs are expected to work an average of 3 hours for each credit of PSY 390 (i.e., 3 credits = an average of 9 expected hours outside of the lab meeting).

Research Setting

Research meetings are held in our lab space in the Psychological Sciences building. Some work can be completed remotely (e.g., from home) with computer access. Depending on the specific project, some work may need to be completed in person in the lab space (e.g., due to the need for specific equipment for in-person data collection).

Number of Assistants Needed:

2-3

How to Apply

To apply, please complete the application form here. Contact Dr. Harris-Watson with any questions as aharrisw@purdue.edu.

Applications will be reviewed and interviews conducted prior to the start of each semester.