Psychological Science Program Research Opportunities for Students 

At USF-St. Petersburg, research opportunities outside the classroom are available to motivated undergraduate psychology majors from their freshman year forward.   Our students are currently collaborating with faculty on various projects, on topics as diverse as: severe behavior disorders in children, children coping with HIV, early family adjustment, social perception and judgment, and the interaction between vision and hearing.

Important News for You:

Faculty Seeking Research Assistants!

If you're interested in being a research assistant, here are the current openings for research assistants (this semester and next) with both Psychology and Social Work professors.

Dr. Susan Allen. Student assistant for Head Start research looking at family outcomes of Head Start children. Would like a student that could be involved both semesters to help with parent interviews, staff focus groups, and qualitative data analysis. Contact Dr. Allen, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Davis 229, 873-4969, sfallen@stpt.usf.edu.

Dr. Jessica Cabness is currently studying issues of women at mid-life, particularly women (35+ years) who have experienced the surgical removal of their reproductive organs and surgical menopause.  During Phase I (November-December 2007), research assistants (RAs) will be involved in analyzing the electronic data.  In Phase I, beginning in January 2008, RAs will provide logistical support for a focus group of 15 women, extract themes emerging from the audiotapes and focus group transcriptions, conduct literature reviews, and assist with manuscript preparation. E-mail Dr. Cabness at jcabness@stpt.usf.edu.

Dr. Vikki Gaskin-Butler is looking for two Research Assistants for spring semester 2008. Dr. Gaskin-Butler's research focuses on the spiritual, physical, psychological, and social well-being of African Americans. Dr. Gaskin-Butler is developing a collaborative effort to host a summer academic enrichment project for elementary school-aged African American children living in South St. Petersburg. In addition, Dr. Gaskin-Butler is collaborating with Dr. Carolyn M. Tucker at the University of Florida on the Family Health Self-Empowerment Project for Modifying and Preventing Obesity. E-mail Dr. Gaskin-Butler at vgaskinb@stpt.usf.edu.

Dr. James McHale has one Research Assistant workstudy position available for the 2007-08 academic year that is ideal for a psychology, social work, English, or linguistics major. The position involves transcription of audio-taped interviews with mothers and grandmothers co-raising preschool children about their family circumstances. Other duties beyond transcription are possible and include other coding and project support activities, data entry and analysis. Past experience with transcription is strongly preferred, and excellent typing skills and attention to detail are a must. Hours are flexible and negotiable. If you are interested and work-study eligible, e-mail a brief note outlining past experience and qualification to Dr. McHale at jmchale@stpt.usf.edu.

Dr. Michiko Otsuki needs 2 or 3 Research Assistants immediately for her Health Psychology Research Group. Health Psychology Research Group is engaged in studies of psychosocial, developmental, and cultural factors in health behaviors, with a specific focus on lung health (e.g., asthma, smoking) among ethnic minority and non-minority youths.  If you are interested in health or pediatric psychology, or any other health-related disciplines (e.g., medicine, nursing, social work, public health), this would be an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on research experience!!

The Research Assistants will be responsible for assisting in: lab set-up, IRB submission, interviews and surveys, study protocol development, literature search, and database and reference management.  Thesis/conference presentation opportunities may be available depending upon your interests.

If you are interested, please contact Michiko Otsuki at motsuki@stpt.usf.edu or at 727-873-4867.

Psychology Labs and Research Groups

All of your psychology faculty have their own research programs underway. If you would like to learn more about our research programs, you can contact us directly or read more in the links below.

To learn more about Dr. Durand's research on severe behavior problems in children, please go here. 

To learn more about Dr. McHale's research in family psychology at USF-St. Petersburg's Family Study Center, please go here.

USFSP student and post-doctoral researchers involved with Dr. McHale's "Families through Time" study: FRONT ROW: Dr. Donna Elliston, Crystal Cummins, Autumn Soyka, Aldjenatu Romero; MIDDLE ROW: Symphony Thomas; Meredith Machler; BACK ROW: Traci Landers; Kyle DePalma; Chris Scull; Jessica Thompson.

To learn more about Dr. Pezzo's research in social perception please go here www.stpt.usf.edu/pezzo

USFSP students Tina Gonzalez and Symphony Thomas presenting research conducted with Dr. Pezzo, at the 2004 Tomorrow's Leaders Symposium

To learn more about Dr. Odgaard's perception research, please go here Human Sensation and Perception Laboratory.

To learn more about Dr. Chenneville's research in the area of pediatric HIV, please e-mail her at chennevi@stpt.usf.edu.