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| November 7, 2009 | HOME BACK SEARCH UH |
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SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY The primary research interests of the University of Houston’s graduate program in Social Psychology are currently concentrated around Health Behavior and Close Relationships. Our research on health behavior includes the prevention of substance abuse and other risk behaviors among adolescents, as well as stress and its effects on the immune system. Research on relationships examines the beliefs, cognition, and communication in and about close personal relationships. The program emphasizes the application of social psychological theories, methods, and concepts to research in real life settings and important social issues. Faculty members in the program have continually received support from both federal (e.g., NIH) and local agencies. Recent graduates of the doctoral program have received appointments at a number of university and research organizations such as: Michigan State University, State University of New York at Buffalo, University of Alabama, University of California at Santa Cruz, Duke University, Texas Youth Commission, Texas Department of Human Resources, Wayne State University, Stanford University, California State University at Sacramento, Baylor College of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, University of Arizona, and the University of Wisconsin. Students working in the areas of health behavior or close relationships are prepared for positions in university departments and federally funded research organizations. The social psychology curriculum is directed at developing the student’s strength in quantitative methods and theoretical, conceptual, and biological perspectives that are central to advanced training in social psychology. While students are encouraged to engage in self-initiated research endeavors, students in the program also have an opportunity to participate in active research programs under the mentorship of various members of the psychology faculty. There is also opportunity for inter-disciplinary research, allowing for a breadth of research experiences. Strong departmental programs in industrial-organizational, developmental, and clinical psychology provide excellent opportunities to augment and diversify the training in the social psychology program, as does the student’s access to courses offered in the Texas Medical Center (e.g., epidemiology, public health) and other universities in the Houston metropolitan area. The core classes for social psychology students include: Foundations of Social Psychology, History and Theories of Social Psychology, Social Cognition, Methods in Social Psychology, Grantwriting/Proposal development, and Program Evaluation. At least two semesters of statistics, as well as a minor (9 units) are also required. Recent social graduate students have minored in Marketing, Political Science, or Quantitative Methods. All students will complete a masters thesis and successfully pass comprehensive examinations before culminating their experience with a dissertation. Students generally take 4-5 years to complete the program. Give to the Department of Psychology |
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SOCIAL FACULTY Linda K. Acitelli, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Director of the Social Psychology Program Close Relationships Richard I. Evans, Ph.D. Distinguished University Professor, Director of the Social Psychology/Behavioral Medicine Research Group, and Director of the Dialogues with Notable Contributors to Psychology Project Health Psychology, Social Influence Models in Prevention of Addictive and Other Health Threatening Behaviors C. Raymond Knee, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Director of the Interpersonal Relations and Motivation Research Group Interpersonal Relations and Motivations Roy Lachman, Ph.D. Professor and Director of Graduate Studies History and Philosophy of Science; Interdisciplinary Science in Service of Improving the Human Condition Qian Lu, M.D., Ph.D. Assistant Professor Biopsychosocial Model of Pain and Chronic Illness, Written Emotional Disclosure, Cancer Survivorship, Psychosocial intervention for Ethnic Minorities Clayton Neighbors, Ph.D. Professor, starting January, 2010 Social Norms, Motivation, Etiology, Prevention, Brief Interventions for Health, Risk, Addictive Behaviors Lynne Steinberg, Ph.D. Associate Professor Item Response Theory, Personality Measurement Stephanie J. Tobin, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Social Cognition, Persuasion, Causal Uncertainty |
| Social Graduate Students |