Instructions to students: PSYC 199 must be added before the end of week two (2) of the quarter you intend to participate. If you are doing a two quarter commitment you MUST submit an application for enrollment every quarter.

PSYC 199 APPLICATION

PSYC 199 opportunities are listed in the order they were submitted to the psychology student affairs office. Questions regarding postings should be addressed to the individual contacts.

Back to Research Opportunity guidelines


Dr. Keith Rayner

Lab: Rayner Eyetracking Lab, http://raynerlab.ucsd.edu (858) 822-7813

Commitment: Any two quarters. Can include summer.

Contact: raynerlab@gmail.com

Research Description

The main topic of research in the Eyetracking lab is eye movements during reading and other cognitive processes. We study a wide variety of processes, ranging from language comprehension, language production and scene perception to visual search and eye movement control.

Requirements

Sophomore standing or higher, GPA of at least 3.0, interest in Psychological research, fairly flexible hours, has taken Intro Psych, Intro Cog Sci or Intro Linguistics.
Preferred: Has taken Cognitive Psych or Linguistics classes. Two quarter commitment or more.

Student Responsibilities

Help develop stimuli, run subjects, process data, attend meetings and participate in discussions.
9 - 12 hours a week, mostly flexible schedule


Dr. Edward Vul

Lab: Cognition and Inference Lab

Commitment: Fall, Winter, Spring

Contact: evullab@gmail.com

Research Description

We study human cognition and decision making: how do people combine sparse information with their prior knowledge about the world to make decisions? And how do limitations of memory and attention influence this process? Different projects investiate these issues in different domains; examples include: visual attention, consumer behavior, intuitive reasoning, verbal problem solving, etc.

Requirements

We have no hard requirements, but preference is given to students who:
(a) have experience with probability and statistics
(b) have experiments programming (ideally in python/matlab/R)
(c) apply earlier (e.g., sophomore or freshman year).
That said, these qualifications are a wish-list, and we will consider all students who meet university requirements for a 199.

Student Responsibilities

We expect all students to enroll for 4 units (12 hours/week). Responsibilities vary from project to project, and based on level of involvement and technical background of the student; but you will likely need to help run experiments, read/discuss articles, perhaps analyze data, and help implement future experiments.


Dr. Nicholas Christenfeld

Lab: Fictional research Lab

Commitment: Spring 2012

Contact: jleavitt@ucsd.edu

Research Description

We are researching why people enjoy fictional stories. Most of our paradigms involve giving subjects stories or vignettes to read and gathering subjective response data.

Requirements

You must be reliable, independent, and conscientious. You will have to take responsibility for scheduling and running your own experimental sessions (following preliminary training and instructions). You *must* regularly check your e-mail, actually read your e-mails, and respond to e-mails.  Preference given to applicants who can be conscientious, accurate and detail-oriented while working with data.  Interest in stories and the human mind is a plus.

Please write a concise e-mail including your gpa, year (junior or senior), and why you are interested in/qualified for fictional research. Feel free to additionally include something about a favorite work of fiction, an idea about why people like stories, or a clever remark about whether actual research is being done. 

Student Responsibilities

Responsibilities typically include assembling experimental materials, scheduling and running subjects, and data entry. Additional responsibilities may include web research, literature search and analysis, and critical feedback on experiment materials. Commitment is 4 units or 10-12 hours per week.


Dr. Leslie Carver

Lab: Developmental Neuroscience Lab

Commitment: Spring, 2012

Contact: Please contact the lab coordinator, Rebecca Cunningham, at dnlab@ucsd.edu.

Research Description

The Developmental Neuroscience Lab runs studies with children between the ages of 8 months and 7 years of age. Our research focuses on different developmental behaviors (e.g. social referencing, joint attention, etc.) and the brain bases behind them. The majority of our studies have a play based behavioral component with different toys and experimenters, and an Event Related Potential (ERP) component which measures brain activity in response to audio or visual stimuli.

Requirements

Completion of HDP1 or PSYC 101
3 quarter commitment of 12 hours/week
Must have prior experience with children

Student Responsibilities

It is a 3 quarter, 12 hour/week time commitment. Students will be trained in and assist with all aspects of data collection and analysis using behavioral and ERP measures. Students will participate in regular group and individual meetings with the professor.


Dr. Piotr Winkielman

Lab: http://winkielmanlab.ucsd.edu/

Commitment:

Contact:

Research Description

No opportunities are available at this time.

Requirements

Student Responsibilities


Dr. Christine Harris

Lab: Harris Lab

Commitment: Fall 11, Winter 12, Spring 12

Contact: noriko@ucsd.edu

Research Description

Student will assist in carrying out studies on emotion.

Requirements

Taken Harris course (Psych 153) and received an A.
GPA= at least 3.0 (prefer 3.3 or higher)
Previous research experience is a plus.

Student Responsibilities

Duties will include running participants on experiments, data entry, and attending lab meetings.


Dr. Harold Pashler

Lab: Learning, Attention, and Perception Lab http://laplab.ucsd.edu/

Commitment: Fall 11, Winter 12, Spring 12

Contact: Attention Lab attentionlab@ucsd.edu

Research Description

Student will assist in carrying out studies on learning and memory. The focus is to explore methods to enhance learning and reduce forgetting over time.

Requirements

Interested in research.
Min GPA = 3.0

Student Responsibilities

Duties will include running participants on computer based experiments, scoring data, and attending lab meetings.


Dr. Victor Ferreira

Lab: Language Production Lab http://lpl.ucsd.edu

Commitment: Any two quarters during Fall, Winter, Spring

Contact: vferreira@ucsd.edu

Research Description

The primary research focus of the laboratory is human language production behavior. We look at how language users form sentences and produce words, and how that behavior leads to successful communication.

Requirements

Sophomore (PSYC 99) or Junior (PSYC 199) standing or higher
Minimum GPA of 3.0
2 Quarter commitment (12 hours a week, flexible schedule)

Student Responsibilities

Responsibilities include developing stimuli, scheduling and testing participants, coding data, and attending weekly lab meetings.


Dr. David Liu

Lab: Brain & Cognitive Development Laboratory

Commitment: Fall, Winter, Spring

Contact: davidliu@ucsd.edu

Research Description

We research the development of children’s folk psychological understanding of concepts such as mental states and traits. In addition, we use EEG/ERP with adults and children to investigate the neural correlates of these social-cognitive abilities.

Requirements

Minimum GPA of 3.0
Minimum commitment of two quarters
Interest in developmental psychology and/or cognitive neuroscience

Student Responsibilities

Some 199s will primarily be running studies with preschool-age children. Some 199s will primarily be collecting EEG/ERP data with adults. Other responsibilities include recruiting schools and families, coding data, and reading articles.


Dr. John Serences

Lab: Perception & Cognition Lab http://sites.google.com/site/pcclab/

Commitment: Fall 2011

Contact: pcclab@gmail.com

Research Description

We study visual attention, working memory, and perceptual decision-making. We use psychophysics, computational modeling, and neuroimaging techniques to investigate the influences of behavioral goals and previous experiences on these cognitive processes.

Requirements

Interest in cognitive psychology research; Junior status; cumulative GPA >= 3.0. Minimum 2 quarter commitment.

Student Responsibilities

Duties include: becoming familiar with background literature related to research; scheduling and running subjects through experiments; analyzing data; assisting in designing/modifying  experiments.


Dr. David Barner

Lab: Language and Development Lab, http://ladlab.ucsd.edu

Commitment: Fall 11, Winter 12, Spring 12

Contact: Ellie Chestnut, chestnut.ladlab@gmail.com

Research Description

We are currently interested in the relation between language and thought, the acquisition of words that denote quantities, and mathematical development in children (ages 2 to 8). We investigate how children learn to count, use new words, and make inferences in conversation.

Requirements

Background in psychology and/or linguistics
Interest in research
Minimum GPA of 3.0
Minimum commitment of two quarters
Must like kids! (or at least think they're funny)

Student Responsibilities

Responsibilities include becoming familiar with the literature, designing studies, scheduling and running participants, entering and analyzing data, and attending lab meetings.