Faculty Research Interests
(taken directly from faculty websites)
Mary B. Eberly Lewis
I have two primary research programs that have a common underlying theme - examining parent-adolescent relationships as contexts for adolescent development. The first program focuses on adolescent prosocial behavior toward parents as a function of qualities in their relationships. Prosocial behavior is any act intended to benefit another and includes helpfulness, showing concern, and affection. My interests focus on the way in which prosocial behavior is socialized in the framework of the family environment and ways in which variation in adolescent prosocial behavior occurs as a function in the changing nature of parent-adolescent conflict, warmth, cohesion, and communication patterns. The second program examines the role of parental separation anxiety in adolescent socioemotional development during the transition to college. Most recently, my research assistants and I have begun to examine the links among parent separation anxiety, quality of attachment representation, and late-adolescent developing autonomy, experience of social support, and experience of loneliness during the transition to college.
Andrea T. Kozak
Research interests include clinical psychology, obesity, stress, anxiety disorders, depression, exercise, cardiovascular disease
Deb McGinnis
Language and Aging Research Projects: Currently I am conducting several studies exploring age differences in text comprehension and explanations for those changes. In particular, I would like to understand why some adults over 75 are proficient comprehenders, while others exhibit dramatic deficits.
Epistemic Cognition Research Projects: This program of research addresses how people justify conclusions (epistemic cognition).
Michele Parkhill Purdie
My primary research interests concern the social psychological processes involved in the relationship between alcohol and sexual assault perpetration, victimization, and AIDS risk behaviors. I have established a strong program of research that focuses on both survey and experimental methodologies in examining how alcohol influences past sexual assault perpetration, the likelihood of engaging in sexual assault perpetration in the future, and the likelihood of engaging in sexual intercourse without a condom.
Dean G Purcell
Visual Perception: Currently examining how facial affect is processed.
Lakshmi Raman
My research focuses on children and adults' theories of health. One line of research examines the causal factors children and adults entertain in the manifestation of physical illnesses.
A second line of research examines children's and adults' understanding of the impact of nutrition on health.
Cynthia Sifonis
My research focuses on the relationship between category representation and category use. Specifically, the manner in which the use of category knowledge affects the representation of that knowledge and how the category representation affects category use.
Current lines of research include examinining how exposure to examples prior to a task that requires the individual to be creative, constrains the creativity of the resultants product. My research also includes research on applied analogical reasoning that examines the effects of conceptual distance between analogy source and target domains on the quality of solutions generated for the target domain.
Time frame: possible to work in lab for 1 semester. Prefers research assistants to be part of the lab for 2 semesters.
Qualifications for RA’s: Grade of 3.6 GPA or higher in Research Methods and Design. Students who have done well in the Cognitive psychology or Creativity courses are preferred.
Robby Stewart
Throughout my research career I have focused on attachment relationships within the family. At Oakland University I have studied the ontogeny of sibling attachment bonds, the similarities and differences in sibling, best friend, and significant other bonds, and the role of sibling relationships across the life-span. Currently we are focusing our attentions on enduring intimate relationships.
KanakoTaku
My line of research has centered on the construct of posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive psychological changes experienced as a result of the struggle with major life crises or traumatic events. My research has included the areas of clinical, health, developmental, personality, social, and cross-cultural psychology.
Time Frame: 2 semester commitment
Keith L. Williams
Alcoholism and drug addiction continue to plague society despite recent progress in the treatment of these problems and the understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms. Research has shown that behavioral and biological factors influence drug consumption. My focus is on bridging the gap between the behavioral and biological components that modulate drug-taking behavior and addiction. My interests include the pharmacological and behavioral mechanisms of drug reinforcement and craving, drug discriminative stimulus properties, hormonal influences on drug self-administration, and contribution of food intake mechanisms on drug consumption.
Time Frame: 2 semester commitment
Qualifications for RA’s: Ability to work occasionally on weekends.
Virgil Zeigler-Hill
The Self and Interpersonal Relationships Laboratory (under the direction of Dr. Virgil Zeigler-Hill) is currently looking for undergraduate research assistants for the Winter 2013 semester. Our research team includes a large group of undergraduate students who help us collect, code, enter, and analyze data. These experiences are designed to allow students the opportunity to gain skills that will be very helpful for those who plan to apply to graduate programs in psychology. Undergraduates may work as volunteers or to receive course credit. If you are interested in joining the Self and Interpersonal Relationships Laboratory, please contact Ciara Braun () for additional information.
Do well in your research methods and statistics classes
Do well in the courses taught by the professor you would like to work with.
●Stand out as a good student.
●Contribute to discussions
●Be dependable, reliable, helpful and conscientious
Do your research
●Find the professor with research interests most closely aligned with the area of study you would like to pursue
●Learn about the research they are currently conducting
●Find out the professor’s qualifications becoming their research assistant
●Find out the time and workload commitments the professor requires of their research assistants (these vary widely)
Contact the professor at least a semester before you would work with the professor if accepted (there are waiting lists for RA positions in most labs)
1Send an email expressing interest in working with the professor
aExplain why you would like to work with that particular professor (this would include information about your academic/career goals)
bExplain why you think you would be a good candidate to work in their lab (use what you learned in your research of the professor)
2Set up an appointment to meet with the professor (offer to come during office hours)
3Be prepared to send a polite reminder email if you haven’t received a response in two weeks or more