Undergraduate Research

Research Directed Individual Study (DIS) is an important part of the undergraduate experience in the Psychology department. It provides an opportunity to put what you have learned in the classroom to work in the laboratory, and gives you the chance to participate in the generation of new research findings. You can learn more about research, develop research-related skills (e.g., research design and data analysis), and prepare yourself for jobs, graduate school, or other paths that you might take after graduation. For those of you planning on attending graduate school, gaining research experience through a DIS is a crucial part of your application.

Research seminar

To acquaint you with research opportunities in Psychology, the Department offers a 1-credit (S/U) Undergraduate Research Opportunities seminar – PSY4970. The seminar provides exposure to lines of research being conducted by faculty and graduate students in the Department of Psychology. On most weeks in the seminar, faculty members or graduate students from our department will come and talk to you about their research and describe opportunities that are available in their labs for undergraduates to conduct a DIS research assistantship (and/or Honors Thesis).

Tips for applying

As you apply to work in a research lab, here are things to keep in mind:

  • There are often more students interested in doing a DIS than there are opportunities available in a given semester. Thus, if you are looking for a DIS position, it is best to a) start early in your undergraduate career to give you ample time to land a position, and b) be aware that you may need to contact more than one lab in order to find a position. Be persistent!
  • If you contact a lab and do not hear a response within a reasonable amount of time (~ 2 weeks), feel free to follow up to make sure your application does not get lost in the shuffle.
  • When you contact labs, be professional! Treat this as you would treat a job interview.

Questions and advising

If you have more questions about whether a DIS experience is right for you, or about what kind of DIS experience you might want to take, you can contact our Psychology advisors or career liaison for an appointment. You can also contact our Director of Undergraduate Studies (Orenda Johnson, ojohnson@psy.fsu.edu).

Current Opportunities

Adherence Promotion with Person-centered Technology (APPT) Project
Faculty Mentor(s):
Neil Charness
Research Area:

The aims of the Adherence Promotion with Person-centered Technology (APPT) project are to promote early detection and treatment of age-related cognitive impairment and dementia by 1) enhancing adherence to cognitive intervention and assessment protocols, 2) improving understanding of barriers to long-term adherence, and 3) assisting in the development of algorithms for predicting and preventing adherence failures.

Anxiety and Behavioral Health Clinic (ABHC)
Faculty Mentor(s):
Brad Schmidt
Research Area:

etiology, prevention, and treatment of anxiety disorders and associated forms of psychopathology.

Attraction and Close Relationships (ACR) Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Andrea Meltzer
Research Area:

Relationship science, from evolutionary and social psychological perspectives.

Brain Systems for Spatial Orientation in Health and Disease
Faculty Mentor(s):
Aaron A. Wilber
Research Area:

Alzheimer's disease, spatial orientation, rodent animal disease models

Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE)
Faculty Mentor(s):
Neil Charness
Research Area:

Exploring the applications of AI for older adult healthcare; Exploring the potential of virtual reality to support cognitive, physical, and social engagement in older adults

Children’s Learning Clinic
Faculty Mentor(s):
Michael Kofler, Leah Singh
Research Area:

ADHD; neurocognitive factors

Cognitive Affective Neuroscience (CAN) Laboratory
Faculty Mentor(s):
Non-Psychology Faculty
Research Area:

anxiety disorders; cognition; emotion; neuroscience

Cognitive Neuroscience of Human Memory
Faculty Mentor(s):
Chris Martin
Research Area:

Cognitive neuroscience of human memory, how it relates to other aspects of cognition (e.g., perception, decision making, motor control), how it changes across the lifespan, and how it can be enhanced to promote graceful aging

Compton Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Don L. Compton
Research Area:

modeling of individual differences in children's reading skill development, identification and treatment in children's reading disabilities.

Contextual and Automatic Influences on Relationships (CAIR) Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Jim McNulty
Research Area:

Close relationships: the contextual nature of interpersonal processes and implicit social cognition

Cougle Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Jesse Cougle
Research Area:

cognitive, behavioral, and biological processes in anxiety disorders, PTSD, problematic anger, and obsessive-compulsive and related disorders; computerized treatments

Development, Equity, and Resilience (DEaR) Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Non-Psychology Faculty
Research Area:

Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine. Pediatrics

Dewan Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Adam Dewan
Research Area:

how sensory perception is mapped and encoded within the brain using a combination of genetic, optogenetic, optical imaging, and behavioral techniques in mice

Eating Behaviors Research Clinic
Faculty Mentor(s):
Pamela Keel
Research Area:

eating disorders; purging disorder

Enhancing Neurocognitive Health, Abilities, Networks, & Community Engagement (ENHANCE) Center
Faculty Mentor(s):
Neil Charness
Research Area:

Developing novel technology solutions to help older adults living with a cognitive impairment (Mild Cognitive Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment) live independently.

Evolutionary Psychology Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Jon Maner
Research Area:

Evolutionary approaches to motivated social processes. Specific areas include: Close relationships, social hierarchy, social affiliation and rejection, and self-protective processes.

Florida Center for Reading Research
Faculty Mentor(s):
Christopher Lonigan, Chris Schatschneider, Rick Wagner
Research Area:

reading; child learning and literacy; policy

Gratton Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Caterina Gratton
Research Area:

fMRI studies of human brain networks and their roles in complex functions

Hammock Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Elizabeth Hammock
Research Area:

We use genetic, molecular, cellular, and behavioral techniques in an evolutionary framework to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of social and affective behaviors in developing and mature mammals

Hart Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Sara Hart
Research Area:

individual differences in cognitive abilities, development of reading and math skills

Institute for Successful Longevity
Faculty Mentor(s):
Neil Charness
Research Area:

Research in and resources on how to live longer, stay active and be fully engaged later in life.

Kids, Anxiety, and biomarkers of Threat sensitivity (KAT) Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Non-Psychology Faculty
Research Area:

neural biomarkers of anxiety disorders; error-related brain activity

Laboratory for the Study and Prevention of Suicide-Related Conditions and Behaviors
Faculty Mentor(s):
Thomas Joiner
Research Area:

nature, causes, and management of suicidal behavior and related disorders; interpersonal theory of suicidal behavior

Learning, Memory, and Language Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Michael Kaschak
Research Area:

aspects of language learning, language comprehension, and language production

March Research Laboratory
Faculty Mentor(s):
David S. March
Research Area:

Threat processing and attitudes, and their implications for prejudice.

Math Thinking and Learning Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Colleen Ganley
Research Area:

factors related to mathematics performance, learning and teaching in geometry and measurement, predictors of gender differences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) career choices Population studied: children and adolescents.

Motivated Social Cognition Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Irmak Olcaysoy Okten
Research Area:

Impression & belief formation and updating, with a focus on motivational (e.g., epistemic) and cognitive processes.

Nee Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Derek Nee
Research Area:

Cognitive Neuroscience of cognitive control and working memory using fMRI, TMS, and behavioral testing.

Patrick CNS Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Chris Patrick
Research Area:

externalizing disorders; psychopathy; substance use

Plant Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Ashby Plant
Research Area:

Research focuses on prejudice and stereotyping; specific interests include individual differences in the activation and control of prejudice, intergroup interactions, motivation and self-regulation, and the prejudice reduction process.

Queen of the Sciences Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
David Braithwaite
Research Area:

mathematical thinking and learning

Rinaman Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Linda Rinaman
Research Area:

The development, anatomy, and function of brain-gut circuits that control stress responsiveness and motivated behavior

Risk for Anxiety and Depression (RAD) Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Non-Psychology Faculty
Research Area:

neuroscience of anxiety and depression; event-related brain potentials

Schatschneider Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Chris Schatschneider
Research Area:

study of the development of reading and reading-related skills

Spector Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Alan Spector
Research Area:

Neural basis of gustation, animal psychophysics, sensory processes, regulation of ingestive behavior, taste preferences and aversions.

The Context Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Rasheda Haughbrook
Research Area:

Exploring the intersection of environment, genetics, and context, and their impact on academic achievement, physical health, and mental health development.

Varela Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Carmen Varela
Research Area:
Wagner Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Rick Wagner
Research Area:

the understanding of reading development, accurately defining reading disabilities, useful interventions for reading disabilities including the use of assistive technology and the methodologies of meta-analysis and structural equation modeling

Wang Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Zuoxin Wang
Research Area:

In the Wang lab, we are researching the neuroendocrine basis of social connectivity, social attachment, and social buffering on stress responses using a monogamous rodent model, the prairie vole. The research includes pharmacological, neurochemical, neuroanatomical, cellular and molecular approaches to address the underlying factors involved in the social process. Questions include: what happens in the brain during the formation of social connection and attachment; how social attachment buffers stress responses to social isolation or partner separation; and how and what neurochemical mechanisms underlie interactions between social reward and drug rewards.

Williams Laboratory
Faculty Mentor(s):
Diana Williams
Research Area:

Our laboratory uses rat and mouse models to investigate the diverse factors that control food intake and body weight.

Zhang Lab
Faculty Mentor(s):
Xiaobing Zhang
Research Area:

Our lab is interested in using cutting-edge optogenetic and chemogenetic tools in combination with neural tracers to dissect neural circuits for the control of feeding motivation and food consumption. We seek to understand how neural circuits for feeding and reward are merged to regulate eating behavior and how the dysfunction in neural circuits causes eating disorders and obesity.