2014 – 2015
University of Georgia, Faculty of Psychology, Athens, Georgia, USA
Halfway through my Bachelor studies, I decided that I wanted to gain experience in research to see if it was the career path I wanted to take (turns out, it was!). Next to my studies, I became a research assistant for two research labs for my remaining time at the University of Georgia.
Team: Cynthia Suveg, Jason M. Nelson
The mission of the DAP lab is to conduct research that can help foster healthy development in children and families from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds. Guided by the notion that development is best informed by studying pathways that lead to both adaptation and maladaptation, our research examines risk and protective processes in typically- and atypically-developing youth and their families using a multi-level, multi-method assessment strategy (behavioral observations, physiological assessment, ecological momentary assessment).
- Involved in a study that investigated emotion-focused CBT for children with (comorbid) anxiety disorders, and another that investigated physiological and emotional synchronicity during parent-child interactions
- Scheduled children and parents for assessments
- Administered and scored semi-structured interviews (e.g. KAI-R) and questionnaires (e.g. YSR, CBCL)
- Coded (macro-level) affect from parent-child interaction videos
- Provided feedback on manuscripts during weekly team meetings
- Managed the databases for ongoing studies
Bachelor Thesis:
Physiological functioning of children with anxiety: A literature review
Awards:
2015 – Judge Horace B. Russel Prize, Department of Psychology, University of Georgia; Awarded annually to a BSc. Psychology student for the best written work in psychology
2015 – Undergraduate Research Award, University of Georgia Libraries, University of Georgia; Awarded annually for excellence in undergraduate research and academic inquiry
2014 – CURO Research Assistantship, University of Georgia Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities; Stipend for undergraduate students to actively participate in faculty-mentored research
Presentations:
2015 – Annual Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Symposium, Athens, Georgia, Oral Presentation: Physiological functioning of children with anxiety: A literature review
The University of Georgia (UGA) Regents’ Center for Learning Disorders (RCLD) is one of three centers across the state of Georgia established by the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents to provide assessment, training, research, and resources related to students who have learning disorders (such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disorders, and Traumatic Brain Injury) that impact their functioning in the academic environment.
- Planned and conducted a study that investigated non-credible test performance (using neuropsychological test criteria) during ADHD assessments in post-secondary education
- Scored self- and observer-reported ADHD symptom questionnaires
- Constructed databases of archival data
Presentations:
2015 – Annual Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities Symposium, Athens, Georgia, Poster Presentation: Symptom validity testing during ADHD assessments of college students
2015 – Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, Poster Presentation: Examination of non-credible effort and symptom exaggeration during ADHD evaluations to determine postsecondary disability