Faculty Research Interests & Requirements for Independent Study
Dr. Addison
Research Interests: Teaching of Psychology; Student Evaluations of Teaching
Dr. Addison prefers that students who are working with him develop their own projects according to their individual interests. Students need to have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and at least be enrolled in Research Methods (PSY 3805) when they begin their Independent Study. Dr. Addison prefers a two-semester commitment from students, but he will make exceptions in special cases.
Dr. Bernas
Specific Research Interests: (1) How people understand and learn about religious, cultural, socio-moral or political perspectives that oppose or are different from their own; (2) how people reason, think critically, and argue about controversial issues; (3) how people experience ambivalence or conflicting attitudes towards other people or other perspectives, and how they express such ambivalence in their everyday discourse; (4) how mindfulness or mindful awareness facilitates people’s understanding of other people and perspectives; (5) how people communicate, interact, and learn in computer-mediated instructional settings.
Students working with Dr. Bernas may develop their own research projects according to individual interests or work on one of Dr. Bernas’ ongoing research projects. Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and must register for 3 credit hours. To do supervised research with Dr. Bernas, students must have completed Research Methods (PSY 3805). The latter is not required for independent study. Students may assist in data collection, literature review, and data coding and analyses.
Dr. Best
Research Interests: Problem Solving Strategies; Conditional Reasoning
Students working with Dr. Best may develop their own research projects in any area of psychology, or may work with him on ongoing projects in cognitive psychology. He has no specific requirements regarding completion of Statistics (PSY 2610) or Research Methods (PSY 3805), or Cognitive Psychology; however, students who wish to design their projects in an area of cognitive psychology should probably have completed at least two semesters of those three courses. In general, for a student-designed independent study to be a worthwhile project, two semesters of independent study are required, but students may participate in an ongoing project for only a single semester.
Dr. Brito
Research Interests: Diversity & Multi-Cultural Issues; Student Expectations; Metacognition; Perceptual & Cognitive Interactions; Visual Perimetry
Students working with Dr. Brito may develop their own research projects in any area of psychology, participate in ongoing research, or assist in general Lab projects. Students need to have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and at least be enrolled in Research Methods (PSY 3805) when they begin their Independent Study work. Students developing their own research projects register for Supervised Research. Generally, students take 2 or 3 semester credit hours and spend 3 hours in the Lab each week for every credit hour taken. Dr. Brito prefers a two-semester commitment from students, but will make exceptions for students in their last semester at EIU.
Dr. Canivez
Research Interests: Psychometric Evaluation of Intelligence; Achievement, Personality & Psychopathology Tests; Sport Psychology; Computer Applications in Psychology
Students working with Dr. Canivez may develop their own research projects related to individual interests related to psychological measurement or sport psychology. Students may also elect to assist Dr. Canivez on a funded grant project. Students need to have completed statistics and must have taken or be enrolled in research methods. In addition students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Although Dr. Canivez prefers juniors and seniors, exceptions may be made for those who have completed the educational prerequisites.
Dr. Gruber
Research Interests: Social Fields; Lucid Dreaming; Intuition; Mind-Body Health
Students working with Dr. Gruber will join a team of research assistants exploring psychic phenomena – a form of mental telepathy or extra-sensory perception, involving groups of people or “social fields.” Dr. Gruber prefers to work with juniors and seniors, and will work with students for one or two semesters.
Dr. HaileMariam
Research Interests: ADHD in Children/Adults; Depression in Children; Educational Achievement of Bilingual Children; Early Intervention of Learning Difficulties.
Students working with Dr. HaileMariam may sometimes develop their own research projects. Students will be working on projects involving Children’s Mental Health and Learning Difficulties. Students need to have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and Research Methods (PSY 3805) with grades of C or better before they begin their Independent Study work. Dr. Hailemariam requires a 3.0 minimum GPA and at least a two-semester commitment from students.
Ms. Hanft-Martone
Research Interests: Abnormal behavior: individuals with an autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder
Students working with Ms. Hanft-Martone may develop their own research projects according to individual interests. Students need to have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and at least be enrolled in Research Methods (PSY 3805) when they begin their Independent Study work. Students may work for only 1 semester with Ms. Hanft-Martone.
Dr. Havey
Research Interests: Neuropsychology; Phonological Processing, and Reading; Cultural issues in school psychology
Students working with Dr. Havey may also develop their own research projects according to individual interests. Dr. Havey may also require assistance with data collection and entry. Dr. Havey does not require specific course work to be completed, and will work with individuals of all classes including those in their last semester.
Dr. Heller
Research Interests: Blindness; Tactile Pictures; Illusions; Spatial Imagery; Spatial Cognition & Memory
Students working with Dr. Heller may develop their own research projects according to individual interests. Dr. Heller requires a 2.5 minimum GPA (3.0 preferred) and will work with students in their last semester.
Dr. Leal
Research Interests: Cognitive Development; Mental Retardation; Memory Development; Developmental Disabilities
Students working with Dr. Leal may develop their own research projects according to individual interests. Students need to have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and at least be enrolled in Research Methods (PSY 3805) when they begin their Independent Study work.
Dr. McCormick
Research Interests: Early Literacy; Beginning Reading
Students working with Dr. McCormick may develop their own projects according to individual interests. Students need to have completed Child Psychology (PSY 3515) prior to beginning their Independent Study work. Openings are limited.
Dr. Rauch
Research Interests: Extreme Racial and Religious Attitudes; Prejudice; Jury Decision-Making; Eyewitness Memory and Behavior
Students working with Dr. Rauch may develop their own research projects or may work with her on ongoing projects in social psychology. There are no prerequisites for students who wish to participate in an ongoing project, however, students who wish to design their own projects should be enrolled in or have completed Statistics (PSY 2610). Research Methods (PSY 3805) and Social Psychology (PSY 3870) are also recommended. In general, a two-semester commitment is required for students who wish to design their own projects, but students may participate in an ongoing project for a single semester.
Dr. Scher
Research Interests: Sexual & Romantic Relationships; Social Taboos & Disgust; Achievement Motivation & Procrastination in Adults & Children; Evolutionary Psychology
Students may develop their own project within Dr. Scher’s general research areas, or they may work on an ongoing project. Dr. Scher encourages motivated students to begin Independent Study research as early as possible in their academic career, but students generally must commit to work on a project for at least two semesters.
Dr. Sharma
Research Interests: Acculturation of Minorities; Issues in Diagnosis of Mental Illness; Child Abuse
Students working with Dr. Sharma may develop their own research projects according to individual interests. Although Dr. Sharma does not require specific course work to be completed, she does require that students have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Dr. Sharma will work with individuals of all class standings including those in their last semester.
Dr. Spencer
Research Interests: Personality and Behavior
Students working with Dr. Spencer may develop their own research projects according to individual interests. Students need to have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and at least be enrolled in Research Methods (PSY 3805) when they begin their Independent Study work. Dr. Spencer requires at least a two-semester commitment from students.
Dr. Stowell
Research Interests: Psychological Influences on Endocrine and Autonomic Nervous System Function; Use of Technology to Facilitate Student Learning
Students working with Dr. Stowell may develop their own research projects or work on projects developed by Dr Stowell. Students should have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and at least be enrolled in Research Methods (PSY 3805) when they begin their Independent Study work. Dr. Stowell will work with individuals of all classes including those in their last semester.
Dr. Williams
Research Interests: Psychopharmacology; Biological Basis of Behavior; Drugs Effects on Reward and Pain Mechanisms; Relationship Between Neurochemical Events and Ongoing Behavior
Students working with Dr. Williams assist in the continuation of ongoing physiological experiments in the rodent lab to receive the only hands-on animal research experience offered by the Department. There are no prerequisites for this work and individuals wishing to do more than one semester activity are most welcome. Students are required to perform all related tasks such as feeding/handling of rats, as well as maintenance of the rodent facility. Interested sophomore or later students are welcome to inquire about opportunities and projects ranging from 1 - 3 credit hours participation.
Dr. Wilson
Research Interests: Clinical Psychology; Psychology of Religion
Students working with Dr. Wilson may develop their own clinically themed research projects according to individual interests or assist with ongoing research projects. Students must have a psychology GPA of 3.5. Students need to have completed Statistics (PSY 2610) and at least be enrolled in Research Methods (PSY 3805) when they begin their Independent Study work. Dr. Wilson requires at least a two-semester commitment from students.