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UCLA Undergraduate Research Interns 2005-2006
Katherine Cowley-Crawford (Psychology, Anthropology minor)
Faculty Research Advisor: Rena Repetti

As a RA for a study on adolescent girls and their friendships, I have learned a great deal about the many steps involved in scientific research. For the first few weeks I transcribed interviews of subjects and became familiar with specific topics of interest proposed before the study began as well as various findings that emerged once the data were organized. Recently I have been working on coding certain aspects of friendships such as the mean and nasty things girls do to one another, why those actions are so hurtful, common displays of affection between best friends, and whether those displays are important to a best friendship.
Tuan Dao (Psychology)
Faculty Research Advisor: Rena Repetti

The study we're working on deals primarily with adolescent girls and their best friendships. While transcribing the interviews and coding the responses, I've learned a lot about how best friendships are formed and maintained. In addition, I got a first-hand look at how qualitative research is done and how its data is analyzed.
Ariella Diamond (Psychology, Education minor)
Faculty Research Advisor: Jeffrey Wood

As the assessment supervisor in the Child Behavioral Studies lab, I have gotten the opportunity to work with children at University Elementary School as well as other undergraduate students who assist in the study. I have gained valuable knowledge about Dr. Wood's treatment program to help alleviate children with anxiety, and have been fortunate to be able to conduct assessments for both typically developing and anxious children. I have also gained leadership experience as I now oversee 10 other research assistants in assessments, as well as scheduling interviews and conducting meetings. I am excited to see how the study has grown, and I look forward to reading the results in the future as this program could make a big difference in children's lives.
Randi Garcia (Psychology and Women's Studies with a specialization in computing)
Faculty Research Advisor: Vickie Mays

I am currently interested in the psychology of gender and am working on three projects examining various aspects in this field. I am working with Dr. Vickie Mays on the California Quality of Life survey data analyzing the moderating effects of social support types on the relationship between mothers' marital status and their psychological distress. In addition, I am working on an honors thesis with Dr. Paul Davies on stereotype threat in men; in particular, how masculine stereotypes in the media effect decisions to participate in discussions where there is the potential for men to be judged based on negative male stereotypes. I have also been working in Dr. Shelly Gable's close relationships lab on various projects looking at social support and attachment styles. Currently I am working with Natalya Maisel, M.A. on the couple daily diary study.
Tamar Kozanian (Psychology)
Faculty Research Advisor: Shelley Taylor

As an honors theses student, I am studying close relationships and their effects on stress and coping. Specifically, I am looking at how often people mention their close family and friends and how this correlates with their stress levels and coping styles. Using a group of existing transcripts asking about a stressful event, I have used a 14-point coping scale to code for coping styles as well as mention of friends and family and how helpful they were. Soon, I will perform different cross analyses to see which aspects of stress, coping and relationships have affected each other. My specific hypotheses include the different effects of family and friends on Asian-Americans when compared to European-Americans and males when compared to females.
Bertha Lee (Psychology, Education minor)
Faculty Research Advisor: Andrew Christensen

I have been working on coding and cleaning couple interactions. I wrote a three-page manual entitled: "Coding and Cleaning Instructions," which was used by the other research assistants as a set of guidelines in which to establish an initial measure of reliability. Furthermore, I also helped Brian Baucom write the "Turns and Interruptions Manuel," which also lists a set of guidelines that define interruptions, turns, and backchannels according to the lab's operational definitions. I also learned how to separate the voices of partner A and partner B using a computer program so that Brian can analyze the pitch and jitter patterns for the lab's physiological measure.
Grace Lee (Psychology)
Faculty Research Advisor: Sandra Graham

I am an RA for a study on the transition to high school. The study follows approximately 2,000 early adolescents in the greater Los Angeles area. I am involved in all aspects of the research project. Initially, I began by preparing materials for data collection and completing data entry. Currently I am also going to the sites for data collection, subject recruitment, and retention.
Yushiu Lin (Biochemistry, French minor)
Faculty Research Advisor: Jeffrey Wood

As a part of the Kids Adjusting to Elementary School (KATES) study, I have helped in understanding how school children view friendships and their relationships with their parents. I have transcribed assessment interviews with the subjects and learned about the unique ways young school children form the idea of friendship. In addition, I have collected behavioral data by coding subjects on the playground. Soon after, I began training and supervising research assistants in coding. One other area I focus on is the entering and preparing of behavioral data for analysis. Throughout, I was able to study recurring trends in subject behavior, how anxiety plays into the subjects' social interactions and how ongoing therapy can alleviate certain anxieties.
Gitanjalie Misra (Psychology and Sociology)

I am interested in looking at the nature of same sex and opposite sex friendship formation among adolescents. I am also interested in looking at how single sex schools market themselves. I was able to gather some marketing data and documents that show how the institution plays a role in students' development of friendships with men and women. Based on what I have learned from my literature search, I will help the research team identify research questions looking at the friendship variable. I am most interested in looking at the nature of how these single sex frienships influence students' academic achievement and success in college. I will also help code data from 30,000 students in the spring that looks at how many students are enrolled in single sex schools today.
Melissa Naranjo (Political Science, Chicano/a Studies, Education minor)
Faculty Research Advisor: Marjorie Orellana

The research that I have been conducting involved supporting bilingual teachers in urban schools as they develop and implement curriculum that builds on bilingual youths' experiences as translators/interpreters. This project builds from prior work that Dr. Orellana has done examining all that is involved when immigrant youth translate language and culture for their families. The aim of this new project was to develop direct applications for classroom work, and to study what happens as teachers implement these projects in their classrooms.
Danielle Roubinov (Psychology)
Faculty Research Advisor: Chris Dunkel-Schetter

As an RA for a study exploring the lives of minority groups in the Los Angeles area, I have had the opportunity to learn about the diverse populations that live together. By studying the stressors, coping mechanisms, parenting styles, etc. of minority communities, I learned about the different ways that daily stresses and obstacles are affected by culture and life experiences. As an IRSP intern, I also learned a great deal about conducting sound, useful research. I know I will use this valuable information as a professional in the field of psychology.
Talita Wells (Psychology, Education minor)
Faculty Research Advisor: Chris Dunkel-Schetter

Our study, Community Culture Study, seeks to explore the way in which people in the greater Los Angeles area describe and identify with the various communities that they live in. Further, we are interested in what, if any, this identification or lack thereof has on their overall health. Utilizing a semi-formal interview presents participants with an opportunity to share their concerns and views about community behavior and values, sources of stress, coping behavior, coping mechanisms, racism and discrimination, and spirituality. This study serves as a precursor to a larger, national study interested in identifying the physical and mental health concerns of people raising children in disadvantaged areas.
Andrea Yocum (Communication Studies)
Faculty Research Advisor: Martie Haselton

I appreciate the opportunity to work in Dr. Haselton's Evolutionary Psychology lab because it exposes me to the biological influences on social relationships. Specifically, we examine the influences that women's menstrual cycles have on their interactions with, and perspectives of, existing or potential mates. For example, we have found that women prioritize different attributes in mates during different points in their menstrual cycle. Further, this effect changes depending on the subject's relationship status. Additionally, we found, in lab results, that women who are in the most fertile phase of their menstrual cycle adorn themselves with clothing and makeup that is significantly more attractive than when they are in less-fertile stages of the menstrual cycle. I am excited to continue working with Dr. Haselton next quarter to see what additional effects the menstrual cycle might have on women.