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		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)
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
Michelle Lilly	PM 318/PM 32	mlilly1@niu.edu	Family violence, trauma, mental health and recovery
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 Malecki's 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 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 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 Orcutt’s 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 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	Saef's website Saef's 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
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 lab application (PDF)
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