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Psychology
UI graduate faculty
research projects in Psychology currently available to SROP scholars.
This list does not represent all faculty interested in being
mentors. Please check the
Psychology faculty website for additional research interests.
Women's Health Study
| Principal Investigator |
Erika Lawrence, Assistant Professor Department(s): Psychology College of Liberal Arts and Science Interdisciplinary: UI Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC) |
| Assistant | |
| Research Description |
The goal of this project is to integrate public
health and psychological research efforts to explain the longitudinal
course of intimate partner violence and its impact on women's physical
and psychological health. The first aim is to predict the
longitudinal course of intimate partner violence. The goal of this
project is to integrate public health and psychological research efforts
to explain the longitudinal course of intimate partner violence and its
impact on women’s physical and psychological health. The first aim is to
predict the longitudinal course of intimate partner violence – both
psychological and physical violence. The second aim is to demonstrate
the impact of intimate partner violence on women’s physical and
psychological health. The third aim is to demonstrate that the impact of
intimate partner violence on women’s health is modified by (a) women’s
interpretations of their partner’s violence, (b) women’s emotional
reactions following the violence, (c) the frequency of the aggressor’s
alcohol and other substance use during violent episodes, and (d) rurality (as it relates to social isolation and access to resources. Women throughout the state of Iowa are being recruited, with a particular emphasis on women in rural areas. We plan on including 200 women in our study. The women participating in the study may schedule up to five 60-minute sessions over the course of one year with a predoctoral clinical psychology student (each woman is paired with one interviewer for the entire study) to discuss the nature of the violence in their relationships and their mental and physical health. The findings from this study will be used to develop an empirically driven primary prevention program targeting intimate partner violence. |
| Undergraduate Role | Assisting with subject recruitment, screening potential subjects for eligibility, entering and checking data, attending lab meetings, attending weekly journal club meetings focused on the literature on close relationships and intimate partner violence, weekly meetings with the PI. (Opportunities for independent research projects are offered to students who will be in the lab for at least two semesters or one summer and one semester.) |
| Minimum Qualifications | 3.5 GPA, B+ in a statistics course (if taken), B+ in a research methods course (if taken), completed application, two references. |
| Contact Information |
319-335-2417 erika-lawrence@uiowa.edu Professor Erika Lawrence |
Depression During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period
| Principal Investigator |
Michael O'Hara, Professor Department(s): Psychology College of Liberal Arts and Science |
| Assistant | Laura Gorman |
| Research Description |
|
| Undergraduate Role |
|
| Minimum Qualifications | 3.0 gpa; basic statistics course |
| Contact Information |
319-335-2460 319-335-0191 (Fax) mike-ohara@uiowa.edu Professor Michael O'Hara |
Object Perception and Attention
| Principal Investigator |
Shaun Vecera, Assistant Professor Department(s): Psychology College of Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| Research Description | Investigate human visual perception and how attention is directed to one object among many. |
| Undergraduate Role | Assistance with data collection and analysis. |
| Minimum Qualifications | 3.25 gpa; major in psychology or a related field (Biology, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, etc.) |
| Contact Information |
319-335-0839 (Email address) shaun-vecera@uiowa.edu University website for Professor Shaun Vecera |
Cognition in Pigeons
| Principal Investigator |
Edward. A. Wasserman, Professor Department(s): Psychology College of Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| Research Description | To explore learning, memory, and cognition in humans and other animals. |
| Undergraduate Role | Help conduct original scientific research. |
| Minimum Qualifications | Psychology or biology major interested in behavior and cognition. |
| Contact Information |
(Telephone) 319-335-2445 (Email address) ed-wasserman@uiowa.edu University website for Professor Edward Wasserman |