Research Opportunities

Research Exposure Requirement Information

Looking for information on research exposure for PSY 1113 Elements of Psychology? Find it here: SONA Experiment Exposure

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Psychology is a research science, and most of our faculty have active research programs. Students can be an integral part of ongoing research in the psychology department by being a Research Assistant to a faculty member. Course credit is arranged through PSY 3440 (up to 12 hours) or PSY 3990 and 4990 Independent Study, for one to three credit hours per semester. The experience may be repeated for a maximum credit of six hours. Students may be invited by a professor to join his or her lab, or they may seek out a particular professor based on information from the website or the undergraduate academic advisor. Duties vary depending on the researcher and the project but can include tasks such as literature searches; gathering, coding and entering data; and participating in research discussions with the lab team. This opportunity is designed for students contemplating graduate school and provides valuable experience in the research enterprise.

If you would like to become a Research Assistant, please contact one of the research labs listed below, or make an appointment with a professor whose research is most relevant to your interests and career goals (see the Faculty page for more information about individual faculty members and their research).

Applied Social and Developmental Psychology Labs

Laboratory for Prevention/Epidemiology + Analytic Novelty, Uptake & Translation (PEANUTS)

PI: Dr. Charlie Rioux

Contact: Dr. Charlie Rioux (Email : charlie.rioux@ou.edu)

Our lab studies the factors associated with mental health from pregnancy to adulthood and across generations. Our research assistants learn about the research process and gain valuable experiences that are beneficial for future graduate studies in research or clinical settings. Students can assist with literature review, creating surveys, online recruitment of participants, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings. We usually accept students that can be involved in the lab for at least 2 semesters. See our current openings here.

Contexts of Health, Adolescent Resilience, and Measuring Stress (CHARMS) Lab

PI: Dr. Michael Sladek

Contact: Dr. Michael Sladek (Email: mrsladek@ou.edu)

Our lab strives to be a warm and inclusive space in which a diverse community of scholars pursue research with adolescents and young adults using strengths-based and identity-affirming approaches to advance health equity and social justice. We use a variety of methods, both quantitative (e.g., longitudinal surveys, daily diaries, sleep assessments, salivary biomarkers) and qualitative (e.g., interviews, focus groups), to better understand youth’s experiences and identities in everyday social and cultural contexts – and how the combination of experiences, identities, and contexts uniquely shape their health, well-being, and adjustment in school. Research assistants are involved in all phases of lab projects and join a collaborative team interested in learning more about youth health and development research and gaining experience for graduate school and careers in psychology, health, and education.

Pedagogy, Imagery, and Education (PIE) Lab

PI: Dr. Jenel Cavazos

Contact: Dr. Jenel Cavazos (Email: jcavazos@ou.edu)

The PIE lab focuses on two broad areas: (1) the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), and (2) the impact of mental imagery on study habits and memory. Current projects include educational outcomes for first-generation college students, the impact of gender ideology on academic success, and the role of aphantasia (the inability to voluntarily create mental images) and its effect on the college student experience.

Peers, Pals, and Popularity

PI: Dr. Lara Mayeux

Contact: Dr. Lara Mayeux (Email: lmayeux@ou.edu)

Our lab studies social and emotional development in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, with a specific focus on peer relationships, friendships, and social power. Current projects investigate the meaning of social power in adolescence and young adulthood, the role of gender and gender (non)conformity in peer popularity, the dynamic nature of friendship groups, and friendships and social support among LGBTQ+ youth. Students can assist with literature review, community recruitment of participants, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting findings. Currently not accepting students.

Social Self Lab

PI: Dr. Mauricio Carvallo

Contact: Mauricio Carvallo (Email: mcarvallo@ou.edu)

Our lab focuses on three main lines of research. First, we are interested in examining the antecedents and consequences of a “culture of honor” ideology. We can define “culture of honor” as a belief system that emphasizes the need to maintain one’s reputation with respect to others. Second, we are also interested in exploring how stereotypes and prejudice affect different minority group members. Finally, our lab is interested in exploring the reasons why students may be less likely to want to seek health related services while in college. Undergraduate students who participate in our lab are involved in different aspects of the research process, including running participants, analyzing data and literature reviews. Some students get to work closely with graduate students in the design and implementation of studies, present our lab research findings at different OU Research Conferences, and some are able to work on their own studies under the supervision of Dr. Carvallo.

CAI Lab

PI: Dr. Huajian Cai

Contact: Dr. Huajian Cai (Email: hjcai@ou.edu)

Our research focuses on four broad areas: implicit social cognition, the self, cross-cultural psychology, and psychological well-being. In the coming years, we will concentrate on two lines of studies. Firstly, we will use natural language processing (NLP) and big data-related methodologies to investigate how human culture and psychology vary with time and environments. Secondly, we will conduct lab or online experiments to examine how nature, self-authenticity, and nostalgia impact human psychology. Undergraduate students who join our lab will work closely with graduate students and can be involved in all phases of our research, including literature review, experimental design, data collection, data cleaning, data analysis, meeting presentation, and manuscript drafting. We aim to build a warm, inclusive, and collaborative lab!

Cognitive Psychology Labs

Decision Psychology Lab

PI: Dr. Edward Cokely

Contact: Olivia Perrin (Email: operrin@ou.edu)

The Decision Psychology Lab at the University of Oklahoma conducts research on human decision making, specializing in psychometrics, risk literacy, and predictive modeling with applications in health, business, consumer protection, and education. Directed by Dr. Edward Cokely, our mission is to integrate behavioral science and user-friendly technology to inform and improve decision-making and policy. We achieve this through the use of cutting-edge technology and hard work. Students interested in applying can click here.

Ethical Interactions Lab

PI: Dr. Adam Feltz

Contact: Dr. Adam Feltz (Email: afeltz@ou.edu)

The Feltz Lab at the University of Oklahoma focuses on policies and technologies that promote information transparency and helping to protect and understand the interests of diverse and vulnerable populations (e.g., surrogate medical decision making; food and water; Native American health; animal law). The lab takes inspiration from and has affiliations with diverse, interdisciplinary collaborators including psychology, philosophy, counseling, engineering, law, computer science, economics, and biology. These efforts combine to help illuminate the ways that we can help people make better, more informed decisions in a diverse world.

Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience Labs

Visual Neuroscience Lab

PI: Dr. Michael Wenger

Contact: Sarah Newbolds (Email: sarah.newbolds@ou.edu)

Our work emphasizes the combined application of behavioral and electroencephalographic (EEG) methods, using the methods of computational neuroscience to link these variables.There are currently three major areas of work in our lab: (a) the effects of brain iron deficiency and repletion on perception, memory, and cognition; (b) theoretical and empirical characterizations of perceptual organization; and (c) behavioral regularities and neural mechanisms of perceptual learning. We are always looking for research assistants who have interests in neuroscience and cognition.

Ethridge - Brain and Biomarker Lab

PI: Dr. Lauren Ethridge

Contact: Dr. Lauren Ethridge (Email: ethri@ou.edu)

The BABL group centers on the use of dense-array EEG as a translational tool for learning more about brain function in neurodevelopmental disorders. The ultimate goal of our research is to establish non-invasive biological markers for changes in brain function that not only elucidate neural and molecular pathways affected by disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and but also serve as aids for early identification, early predictors for response to individualized treatment protocols, and reliable indicators of treatment effects. Students assist with collecting behavioral assessment, EEG, and eye tracking data, and analyzing data from multi-site collaborative initiatives. Motivated students may conduct independent projects and present at conferences. Recommended at least two semesters commitment. Currently not accepting students.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology Labs

Snyder Lab

PI: Dr. Lori Snyder

Contact: Raechel Sanger (Email: raechel.sanger@ou.edu)

Our lab focuses on social processes in the workplace (I/O psychology), such as discrimination and deviant behavior. Students are involved in lit review, designing studies, collecting data, and writing manuscripts. Conscientious students interested in being involved for two semesters are welcome.

Day Lab

PI: Dr. Eric Day

Contact: James Lue (Email: james.c.lue@ou.edu)

Much of our research focuses on training, complex skill acquisition and adaptability, group dynamics and performance. Much of this research involves the use of computer-based video games. Our research assistants gain experience in running studies, working with data, and other valuable research activities necessary for graduate studies. Students interested in applying can click here.

Connelly Lab

PI: Dr. Shane Connelly

Contact: Josie Koubek (Email: josie.r.koubek-1@ou.edu) or Rachel Detherage (Email: rachel.m.detherage-1@ou.edu)

Our lab focuses on leadership, ethical decision-making, and emotions in the workplace. Students assist running studies, coding data, and conducting literature reviews. Our research assistants gain valuable experiences that are beneficial for future graduate studies. Many of our assistants earn letters of recommendations as well.

Harris-Watson Lab

PI: Dr. Alex Harris-Watson

Contact: Dr. Alex Harris-Watson (email: amharriswatson@ou.edu)

Our lab studies two broad areas: the role of traits (e.g., personality, intelligence) and collaboration at work. Within collaboration, we explore how the role of traits in relationships, team dynamics, leadership, and how people interact with socially interactive artificial intelligence (e.g., robots, chatbots). Undergraduate research assistants (RAs) in the lab help with a wide range of research topics and activities, such as preparing surveys, cleaning data, coding and analysis of data, and literature reviews.

Quantitative Psychology Labs

DISCOVER Lab

PI: Dr. Dingjing Shi

Contact: Catherine Bain (email: discoverlab123@gmail.com)

The main mission of the lab is to develop statistical models and build analytic tools that can be applied to investigate and interpret data from studies in psychology, behavior, and health-related domains.

We use a variety of research methodologies to better study various psychological problems with a special focus on health.
Dr. Shi is particularly interested in the methodological aspects of Bayesian statistics, longitudinal models, and network psychometrics. She collaborates with domain experts and develops statistical modeling techniques to tackle pertinent issues.

We strive to be a warm and inclusive space in which a diverse community of scholars pursue research using appropriate analytical techniques to advance the field of quantitative psychology as well as more applied fields such as health.

Research assistants are involved in all phases of lab projects and join a collaborative team interested in learning more about research and gaining experience for graduate school and careers in psychology, health, data science, and education.