Research Opportunities

Independent Study (PSYC 485)

Independent study is an opportunity for you to receive course credit for working in a professor’s research lab or for working with a faculty member on a research project. This experience is advantageous for those who are interested in graduate school, may need a letter of recommendation or simply want to gain research experience.

PSYC 485 contract forms: While some professors have their own unique application form(s), the general-purpose contract (PDF) should also be completed.

Available Faculty Members

Students should send an initial email inquiry to a faculty member about their interest in independent study to learn more about opportunities in a given research lab.

Faculty Member	Office/Lab	Email	Research Interests	Important Resources
Anne Britt	PM 363/PM 1	britt@niu.edu	Comprehension, cognition and memory Integration of information from multiple sources Enhancing learning and understanding through use of computer-aided instruction Argument comprehension and construction	N/A
Michelle Demaray	PM 575/PM 534	mkdemaray@niu.edu	School psychology Social support perceived by children and adolescents Bullying and victimization in schools, including bystanders in the bullying situation and cyberbullying Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)	Demaray’s website
Amanda Durik	PM 414/PM 329	adurik@niu.edu	Motivation in achievement situations	N/A
Lisa Finkelstein	PM 571/PM 30	lisaf@niu.edu	Aging at work Stigma at work Mentoring relationships High potential employees Humor at work	N/A
Angela Grippo	PM 357/PM 427	angelagrippo@niu.edu	Interactions of stress, emotion and cardiovascular function	Grippo's website, her lab's Facebook page and unique lab application
Michelle Lilly	PM 318/PM 32	mlilly1@niu.edu	Family violence, trauma, mental health and recovery	Lilly's website
Christine Malecki	PM 312/PM 534	cmalecki@niu.edu	School psychology Social support perceived by children and adolescents Curriculum-based measurement Innovative school psychology delivery services	Malecki's website and unique lab application (DOC)
Leslie Matuszewich	PM 420/PM 427	lmatusze@niu.edu	Effects of chronic and acute stress on behavior and the brain Pharmacological regulation of motivated behavior Developmental models of mental illness	Matuszewich's unique lab application (DOC)
Randy McCarthy	PM 307/PM 329	rmccarthy3@niu.edu	Who behaves aggressively Why do people behave aggressively When do people behave aggressively	N/A
Keith K. Millis	PM 320/PM 1	kmillis@niu.edu	Discourse comprehension Technology and instruction Experimental aesthetics Memory processes	N/A
Nina Mounts	PM 410/PM 233-235	nmounts@niu.edu	Social development of children and adolescents across diverse ethnic groups Linkages between parent and peer contexts Parent-child relationships including parenting style and parental management of peers Peer relationships including peer influence and friendship formation	Mounts's unique lab application (PDF).
Julia Ogg	PM 310/PM 237	jogg@niu.edu	Externalizing behavior Family-school relationships Teacher-student relationships Academic enabling classroom behaviors	N/A
Holly Orcutt	PM 557/PM 330	horcutt@niu.edu	Fear conditioning/fear-potentiated startle Experiential avoidance onsequences of trauma exposure	Orcutt’s research website and unique lab application (DOCX)
Laura Pittman	PM 314/PM 132-134	lpittman@niu.edu	Developmental psychopathology Family process Extended family Parenting practices Poverty Cultural diversit Transition to college	Pittman's website, and a unique lab application (PDF)
Rachel Saef	PM 569/PM 139	rsaef@niu.edu	Personality in the workplace Employee well-being Individual differences how employees perceive and react to organizational injustice, diversity and stress	website and unique lab application (DOCX)
Brad Sagarin	PM 416/PM 227	bsagarin@niu.edu	Attitude change Resistance to persuasion Deception, jealousy and infidelity Evolutionary psychology Human sexuality Statistical approaches to missing data and non-compliance	Sagarin has a number of new and ongoing studies on jealousy, infidelity, human sexuality and research methods
Alecia Santuzzi	PM 561/PM 327	asantuzzi@niu.edu	Managing disability in the workplace Perceptions among women in male-dominated work environments Social paranoia in highly evaluative situations	Santuzzi's website
Elizabeth Shelleby	PM 316	eshelleby@niu.edu	Development of child disruptive behavior problems Preventive interventions for at-risk population Parenting practices Early child emotion regulation and the influence of contextual stressors on child mental health	N/A
Kara Styck	PM 359/PM 240	kstyck@niu.edu	Academic, social-emotional and behavioral assessment Screening and progress monitoring in K-12 schools Rasch analysis Psychological measurement	N/A
David Valentiner	PM 422/PM 334	dvalentiner@niu.edu	Anxiety disorders Coping with stress Emotional processes related to anxiety and coping	Valentiner's website and unique lab application (PDF)and pre-written contract (DOC)for PSYC 485
Doug Wallace	PM 309/PM 430	dwallace@niu.edu	Animal models of Alzheimer's disease	N/A
Katja Wiemer	PM 569/236	katja@niu.edu	Concepts and categories Abstract concepts Determinants of similarity Perceptual bases of cognition Embodied cognition Metacognition Semantics Natural language processing Maladaptive cognitions in mood disorders	N/A
Kevin Wu	PM 311/PM 33	kevinwu@niu.edu	Obsessive-compulsive disorder Anxiety Dimensional models of adult psychopatholog	Lab website which includes a page that addresses in detail possible research experiences available to undergraduate students

Research

Contact Us

Department of Psychology
Psychology/Computer Science Building 400
815-753-0372
askpsyc@niu.edu

Undergraduate Program

Declare a major: askpsyc@niu.edu

Advising: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) Advising

Graduate Program

Inquiries: kwest1@niu.edu