Psychology at UC Riverside

Here's what some of our current Graduate Students have to say about their experiences at UCR.

Rene Dickerhoof – Social/Personality

During my time here at UCR I have had the opportunity to work with a leading researcher in the field of Positive Psychology. My lab is currently working to answer two broad-sweeping questions in this research field: 1) "What type of intentional activities can increase happiness in the general population ?" and, 2) “What are the cognitive mechanisms that lead to such increases?”

Despite previous pessimism in the literature suggesting that efforts to improve happiness are futile (Lykken & Tellegen, 1996), our lab believes that durable increases in happiness are within the average person's reach. Indeed, we are investigating several cognitive and behavioral strategies thought to sustainably increase happiness over long-term periods of time (i.e., six months or more). These strategies include activities such as practicing altruism and kindness, regularly setting aside time to recall moments of gratitude, and writing about one’s best possible future self.

In addition to testing the efficacy of these practices, we are particularly interested in the cognitive processes that mediate the effectiveness of these tasks. That is, how do these strategies work to improve well-being? We propose that these cognitive and behavioral techniques create novel positive experiences that alter cognitions (i.e., create positive thinking) as one progresses through each activity. Over time, these “altered cognitions” may ultimately increase positive moods, happiness, and well-being.

In addition to this present work, my time at UCR has also allowed me to present several conference posters focused on the relationship between cognition and well-being. Further, I recently published a chapter on subjective well-being, and I currently have two papers under review for publication.

As I hope to have demonstrated, the graduate program at UCR in general, and my laboratory work in particular, have provided me with the necessary knowledge and resources to succeed as a social/personality psychologist. Based on my experience here, I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in pursuing a research career – either in industry or in academia – in this field.

Lisa Greve – Social/Personality

To me, the excellence, expertise, and reputation of the psychology department faculty represents one of the most striking aspects of the graduate experience. I am constantly impressed by how concerned, enthusiastic, and interactive UCR professors are not only for the development of science but also for the development of their students. For example, the Social-Personality faculty holds a weekly meeting, called “MAMA,” in which graduate students are encouraged to bring questions and concerns about their research. These meetings are helpful as faculty and graduate students alike are able to put their heads together to provide feedback to vexing methodological/statistical questions.

In addition to a world-class faculty and a collaborative mentor-student environment, graduate students have opportunities to teach, to participate in many different research projects, and to take part in the organizational aspects of the program. For example, I helped organize the weekly Brown Bag meetings for the Social-Personality department (these “Brown Bags” allow faculty and students to present their current research as well as to be exposed to the findings of other social-personality researchers). In doing this, I met several researchers from a variety of colleges and have learned invaluable lessons about organizing these events. Likewise, I have had the pleasure of being a teaching assistant for several classes as well as being an instructor for my very own course!

In terms of research, I work in the Riverside Accuracy Lab under the guidance of my advisor, David Funder. The ultimate goal of our lab is to understand what factors are related to the accuracy of personality judgments. For example, are some individual’s personalities more likely to be judged accurately than others? Within this larger goal, I am working with Dr. Funder to understand whether personality characteristics are associated with the words that individuals use. Dr. Funder meets with me on a regular basis to discuss our research, to clarify whatever may be confusing, and to keep me moving in a productive direction.

Aside from my central research project, I have also had numerous opportunities to collaborate on research projects with other graduate students. In all, the psychology department is dedicated to providing the support, training, and mentoring that is necessary to make graduate school an enriching experience. As a result of the excellent faculty, high-quality graduate students, and variety of opportunities afforded to students, I’ve grown professionally and personally, and I am very satisfied with my decision to attend UCR.

Laura Halderman - Cognitive

I am in my final year in the cognitive program, studying under Christine Chiarello in the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab. Typically, my lab focuses on hemisphere differences in linguistic processes. My research explores the time course of phonological and orthographic processes during word recognition and how these two processes differ across the cerebral hemispheres. I began exploring this topic for my second year project, UCR’s equivalent to a master’s thesis. This project is an excellent opportunity to hone research skills and in many cases, it is students’ first opportunity to conduct original research. It provides a great learning experience and a challenge because each student defends their work at their area’s weekly meeting. This project also gives students a head start because many times, it can become a first author publication.

Students in the psychology program at UCR have ample opportunities to present their research. This occurs most often in each area’s brown bag meeting, but because the research conducted at UCR is of high caliber, students’ work is often presented at conferences. I have had the opportunity to present my work at the annual meetings of both the Cognitive Neuroscience Society and the Psychonomic Society. One of the unique benefits of the graduate program at UCR is the conference funding available for all students through the Graduate Student Association. Each student can apply for a “mini-grant” which helps to fund conferences trips. This support is incredibly helpful because conferences get you in touch with cutting edge research.

Ultimately, the faculty has been the most essential component of the good graduate training I have received. The faculty is very knowledgeable, helpful and diverse. I have been exposed to many different kinds of research and methods in cognitive psychology and across the other areas as well. I originally chose to come to UCR because I had a strong sense that the research being conducted was dynamic and progressive. I have reflected on this many times, and it is amazing to me that I despite the fact that I know a lot more now than I did when I visited, I was absolutely correct in my assessment. Today, I still feel this is one of the most important and attractive qualities of UCR’s psychology department; dynamic and progressive research. I am confident that this will continue to be true for years to come.

Melinda S. Leidy – Developmental

I am a fourth year graduate student studying developmental psychology. I currently work in Dr. Ross Parke’s Social Development Lab. I have had a wonderful experience so far at UCR. I chose to come to UCR for several reasons. First, I wanted the opportunity to work with such esteemed professors in the field of Developmental Psychology. I also wanted to be trained as both a researcher and teacher. I was also drawn to the emphasis our program places on culture. Developmental Psychology as a whole is recognizing the valuable role culture plays in development and I am glad I’ve been able to be a part of a program that recognizes the importance of examining how culture impacts development.

For my second year project, I examined how marital conflict impacts child emotional regulation, and how this in turn influences their social and behavioral competence. In addition to that research project, I have also had the opportunity to work on several other projects with my adviser. One of the projects I have been involved in has been NICHD’s (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Study of Early Child Care. This is a national study, gathering data from 9 sites across the country that examines the effects of early non-maternal child care on child development. Under my adviser’s guidance and in collaboration with a lab at UC Irvine, I have coded videos containing peer interactions, run subjects, and helped plan the lab visit for the new wave of data that is about to be collected. I also had the opportunity to attend an APA Advanced Training Institute at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill that trained me to use the data collected by this project. This has opened up many opportunities for me to not only use an incredible data set, but to also collaborate and meet some other top scholars in the field of developmental psychology. All in all, I have been able to work on various research projects and learn valuable skills as a researcher. I have presented some of my findings at professional conferences (both the American Psychological Association and The Society for Research in Child Development), have co-authored several book chapters in my area of interest, and have submitted papers for publication in scholarly journals.

In addition to research, I have also been able to gain skills as a teacher. I have been a teaching assistant for both upper and lower division psychology classes and taught a psychology course this past summer. Currently I am advising an undergraduate’s honors project. I feel that all of these experiences are preparing me to be a professor where I can teach and mentor students in the area of psychology.

UCR has been a great experience for me. I feel very fortunate to be in this department, where I can work with so many well-known faculty members who are very supportive and encouraging of their students. The developmental area is one that fosters learning and not competition among graduate students. It is a place to learn, explore ideas and interests, and gain valuable skills. Overall, I feel I am receiving excellent training at UCR as both a researcher and teacher.

Summer Williams -- Social/Personality

Hi! I am a third year graduate student conducting research on health care communication with Dr. Robin DiMatteo. I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from UCR, went elsewhere to complete a Master’s degree and work at the community college level, and found myself drawn back to UCR to complete my graduate training. The psychology graduate program at UCR is awesome for many reasons. First, the faculty is amazing and carries a very high level of prestige, yet it is very easy to collaborate with them and be a part of the ever-expanding area of research being conducted here. Second, there are many opportunities to teach and gain valuable classroom experiences. Finally, the program prepares its students to be top notch researchers and intellectuals who will go out into the academic world and contribute to the field.

In the first year of the program, I was able to focus on coursework in my core area (social/personality), gaining statistical expertise, and becoming familiar with the projects in my lab. By my 2 nd year in the program, I was engaged in my 2 nd year project, which was on the variations in interpersonal behavior of primary care physicians and the effects of the mental health status of patients, which I presented to the students and faculty in my area at the end of my 2 nd year. My advisor has been extremely supportive with my interests in the area of mental health and encourages my ideas and work in the area.

Going into my third year in the program, I have also had the opportunity to play an active role in the data analysis, writing, and manuscript preparation for several publications, as well as grants on which I’ve even been able to collaborate with faculty from other universities. It is during this process that the writing, statistical, and collaboration skills that I’ve been learning are put to perfect use. I find that I have the freedom to explore many realms of health communication in which I am interested, as I am currently working on a few meta-analyses with my advisor and other graduate students in my lab involving the impact of health beliefs and disease severity on adherence, as well as physician humanism and patient satisfaction and adherence.

Overall, the environment at UCR is very friendly and supportive. I am certain that the experiences I am gaining in my graduate studies here at UCR will prove invaluable to my future as a researcher, scholar, professor, or industry professional. Whatever path I decide to take, having a strong foundation in research and teaching from UCR will always be a major plus!

Suzanne Welcome - Neuroscience

I have benefited from being involved with both the Neuroscience Program and the Cognitive Psychology program. My participation in both programs means that I can benefit from the advice and ideas from a wide variety of faculty and students. I have had the unique opportunity to explore the relationships between these two fields through core classes in both areas.

I feel that the emphasis the program puts on research allows students to progress quickly on their own projects. At UCR, I had the opportunity to start my own original research from the moment I started the program. I presented my work on interhemispheric interaction in bilinguals at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society conference last year and submitted my first manuscript for publication recently.

My favorite thing about the program is the opportunities students get to present their work. As part of the Neuroscience Program, students present twice a year, once on a general topic in neuroscience and once on their own work. At the Cognitive Lunch series, students and faculty present their research yearly. These presentations provide not only the opportunity to receive valuable feedback and suggestions about their work but also practice putting together presentations and speaking about scientific work to an audience.

I have also enjoyed the seminars put together by various member of the Neuroscience and Cognitive Psychology faculty. Topics for seminars reflect the interests of the students in the program and provide the opportunity for people with different backgrounds to get together to talk about current issues. The informal setting allows everyone to feel comfortable enough to contribute to the conversation.

Marc Wolpoff – Developmental

As a graduate student in the developmental psychology program at UC Riverside, I have had great opportunities to grow as a student, researcher, and teacher. The developmental area of UCR’s psychology department is comprised of caring and experienced professors who make themselves readily available for graduate students. Classes are intended to enhance our knowledge base for research purposes, as well as to prepare us for our qualifying exams.

My research interests are in the area of cognitive development, and I work closely with my advisor Dr. Gauvain on many projects. Specifically, my research involves investigating how adolescents with limited discretionary time construct higher level cognitive skills like planning, logical reasoning and time management strategies. I am interested in student-athletes in particular, as they are a unique population with many resources but little discretionary time. I have presented results from my research at both the Society for Research in Child Development (2004) and the American Psychological Society (2004) conferences, and I am in the process of submitting my 2nd year project for publication.

Teaching has also been an important part of my graduate student experience. Most graduate students need to teach to support themselves financially, and UCR provides many opportunities for graduate students to both be a Teaching Assistant (TA) and teach. Being a teaching assistant is another great way to work closely with faculty and fellow graduate students, as well as improve teaching skills and master material. Summers provide ample opportunities for many graduate students to teach classes themselves. Overall, my experience at UCR has been very positive.