I received my B.A. in psychology at Texas A&M University and my M.S. in social psychology at The University of Florida. I am currently working towards my Ph.D. in social psychology at the University of Houston.

I have pursued several lines of research over the past 5 years, most of which center on two themes: interpersonal relationships and health. I have been particularly interested in how individuals cope with and otherwise respond to negative events (e.g., chronic illness, self-feedback, deception). For instance, I have recently been intrigued by maladaptive communication within interpersonal relationships, with a focus on the motives underlying deception. Ultimately, I hope to gain a better understanding of when engaging in deception (and perceiving deception) is particularly harmful to both members in a romantic dyad. Further, I have a long-standing interest in relationship-contingent self-esteem (RCSE), which is the degree to which one's self is hooked on relationship events. Specifically, I am interested in the ways that natural and induced relationship comparisons affect an individual's thoughts, emotions, and behavior and how these processes are related to the centrality of relationships to the self.

However, not all of my research has to do with responding to maladaptive intrapersonal or interpersonal events. I am also interested in the between-person and within-person personal and situational factors that promote happy, healthy, and motivated endurance athletes. Further, I have done some work with my research team on the factors that facilitate graduate student well-being. Finally, my research on social support centers around perceived intentions for receiving support and how such perceptions relate to individual and relational well-being. I have examined the roles of perceived appropriateness of social support and acceptance of social support in how patients and close others cope with chronic illness.

Research is my passion and I believe that I will always greatly appreciate good theory and will welcome challenges in the quantitative analysis and design realm.

On a personal note, I really enjoy teaching (I teach introductory psychology and social psychology), traveling, and going to the dentist (yes, it's true)! I like to fill my “spare time” with cooking, (half) marathoning, and spending time with my husband and 2 miniature schnauzers. I'm also an avid college basketball and NHL fan! Whohoo!

Background:
A transplanted Californian, I am now a long-time Houstonian. I received my B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Communication from the University of Houston in 2004. After flirting with the idea of working in the media, I decided instead to study social psychology in graduate school and received my M.A. in social psychology from the University of Houston in 2007.

Research Interests:
My research interests are many and varied. My general themes of interest include romantic relationships, online identity and networking, dysfunction in relationships, and media effects. My current research projects include a study on the experience of being single, as well as collaborative projects on defensive pessimism in relationships and predictors of self-concealment. In the future, I hope to continue probing the under-studied realm of long-distance relationships, based on previous research I conducted as an undergraduate.

On The Lighter Side:
Here is a brief list of what I would be doing if I were not completely consumed by the responsibilities of being a graduate student: sleeping, cooking, volunteering, webmastering, Photoshopping, non-linear editing, and surfing the web. There was once a time when I also read and wrote for fun -- my favorite topics included humor, dystopian societies, foreign languages, transcendentalism, the Holocaust, and etymology. My ultimate dreams are to write a bestselling banned book and to live in Germany. With enough perseverance, I may manage both simultaneously!

One More Thing:
One of my trademarks is wearing t-shirts with slogans. If you are also a slogan-tee-wearing individual, I must inform you that this role is already filled.

A Little Bit of Background:
I grew up in the small recreational town of Bend, Oregon. In 2005 I received my B.S in Psychology from Oregon State University and immediately went on to pursue an advanced degree in social psychology. I received my M.A. in social psychology from the University of Houston in 2008 and am currently working towards a PhD. Along the way I have developed a strong passion for teaching and truly enjoy working with undergraduate students.

My Research Interests:
Many things about social psychology stimulates my curiosity, however of particular interest to me is the research surrounding interpersonal relationships and impression formation. One of the areas I am interested in is nonverbal behavior and person perception. More specifically, how people understand and form judgments by perceiving the cues and behaviors they observe from those around them. Recently I have looked at how implicit theories of relationships influence first impressions and the evaluations that are made with minimal information. My current research seeks to study first impressions as a predictor of relationship development and success. Additionally, I have become fascinated with health issues and lifestyle behaviors, specifically looking at body image and satisfaction. In the near future I plan on looking at how implicit theories of body image influence behaviors and attitudes about exercise, eating disorders, plastic surgery, tanning, smoking, and alcohol.

Life Outside of School:
I try to maintain a nice balance between school, work, and play. Once a week I make it a goal to do something out of the ordinary and/or something new. I love being spontaneous and definitely have an adventurous side. Physical activity is very important to my lifestyle and you can always catch me working out at the rec. center or running laps in Memorial Park. I have completed two marathons and plan on running many more in the future. When I travel back to Oregon I always enjoy the outdoors, whether it be mountain biking, kayaking, and hiking during the summer or cross-country skiing during the winter. Now that I live in a big city I am constantly trying new foods and restaurants, hitting up a variety of sporting events, and going to an occasional concert. I also enjoy going to the movies. Life is what you make of it, so enjoy!

Background:
I originally hail from the east coast with my time split between Columbia, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. I attended University of Georgia for my undergraduate career, settling on social psychology after a merry-go-round of potential majors; I remain a loyal dawg fan, despite the absurd spelling. I made the jump from undergraduate directly to graduate school at the University of Houston, where I am currently in my first year.

Research Interests:
My research interests are as varied as the topics of social psychology itself and I haven't quite settled into what I want to DO with my career. However, I am most interested in romantic relationships, specifically the processes that allow them to be formed, maintained despite the horrible things that people do in relationships, and most importantly with what causes them to break down. My current “flavor of the month” topic involves the service industry and the mental stressors that are placed upon workers who must remain subservient in their jobs. Also, I also have a passion for statistics, further proof that mathletes never perish.

True Life: Bennett Porter
I am a lover of food, and enjoy trying new and exciting dishes: if someone else has eaten it, then I too want a bite. At home, I try to pretend that I am a chef and attempt a variety of dishes that are far beyond my current skill level. As one of my more eccentric passions, I love children's movies and am amassing Disney's video library, despite their frequent vaulting of movie. I also love the outdoors. There is no place I would rather be than hiking or climbing in the wilderness, or diving on a reef. I have spent the last two summers working in Glacier National Park and am currently thinking up devious ways to go back.

I received my B.S. in Psychology from the University of Florida in 2008, and am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Psychology at the University of Houston.

My primary research interests fall within the realm of romantic relationships, under the general umbrella of discriminating between healthy, satisfying relationships and unhealthy, undesirable (yet fully committed) ones. Currently, my research examines the ways through which partner perception is affected by one's (and one's partner's) authenticity, relationship autonomy, relationship-contingent self-esteem, and a host of other personality variables. I am also pursuing a line of research regarding communication with former romantic partners, including how the interplay of individual variables and relationships fosters communication following relationship dissolution and the implications following communication for current relationship well-being outcomes. I hope to soon examine conflict in relationships and, separately, self-monitoring in close relationships. Self-monitoring is a psychological construct that differentiates among individuals whose social behavior is particularly responsive to situational and interpersonal cues (high self-monitors) and individuals whose actions typically reflect underlying attitudes, dispositions, and other personal attributes (low self-monitors).

Other than academic endeavors, I spend a lot of time with my fiancé and three animals (two cats and a dog). I absolutely love to take photographs, travel and try new places. I have been known to travel to other states for the fun of a spontaneous getaway, or for a good concert. Being from Florida, I love warm weather and being outside, especially around beaches and lakes. I enjoy swimming and running to fund my ridiculously large baking habit.

Background:
Hailing from Turkey, I am the intercontinental student in the lab. I got my BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and MS degree in Social Psychology at Middle East Technical University (located in Ankara, Turkey). I earned a scholarship from Turkish Higher Education Council for my PhD study and joined Dr. Knee's lab in the spring of 2006.

Research Interests:
My broad interests lie in between self and interpersonal relations however I am more focused on self. Basically I am interested in strategic behaviors endorsed either to protect self or influence others. Self handicapping, being one such strategy, forms the current theme of my research. Currently I am investigating the role of self – control (ego depletion) on self – handicapping. Secondly, I am also interested in the idea of defensive self – esteem and how it relates to strategic behaviors.

Personal Info:
I am planning to take over of the lab from Chip. You can see me standing in the middle of the lab photo with my students (err… friends).