Screening and Treatment of Anxiety and Depression (STAND) in Community Colleges
- Faculty Sponsor: Kate Wolitzky-Taylor, Michelle Craske, Denise Chavira, and Jocelyn Meza
- Department: Psychology and Psychiatry
- Contact Name: Kate Wolitzky-Taylor
- E-mail: KBTaylor@mednet.ucla.edu
Description of Research Project
Drs. Craske and Wolitzky-Taylor are directing a NIMH funded ALACRITY Center, the overarching goal of which is to optimize the effectivenss, implementation, and sustainability of a system of care for depression and anxiety, which is currently being evaluated in a series of studies at East Los Angeles College. This is a partnership between UCLA researchers, East Los Angeles College, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Mental Health. The Center has multiple research projects that are seeking 196A students. Some examples include a randomized clinical trial comparing symptom severity-driven treatment decision making to decision making based on multivariate predictive algorithms; studies focused on culturally responsive strategies to engage students in care; a study that aims to optimize the ways to deliver peer coaching to students getting digital therapy interventions; and a study that aims to improve upon the suicide risk detection and management in STAND.
Description of Student Responsibilities
Students who apply will be routed to one or more of the studies described above based on their interests and needs of the projects. Primary mentor will depend on study assignment. Student responsibilities will also depend on study assignment, but are likely to include activities such as data management, assisting with clerical tasks, participant outreach, attending project meetings, and preparing materials.
Learning and Mentorship Study
- Faculty Sponsor: Naomi Eisenberger
- Department: Psychology
- Contact Name: Akila Kadambi
- E-mail: akadambi@ucla.edu
Description of Research Project
The study is conducted remotely and is a collaboration effort across research groups (Eisenberger and Bjork Labs). The project involves pairing together adoptive foster youth (ages 9 -16) and undergraduate students at UCLA as part of a larger mentorship intervention. Each participant pair will meet once a week via zoom to discuss pre-determined learning and humanistic education topics, over a longitudinal period (six weeks per participant pair).
Description of Student Responsibilities
The research assistant will assist, and potentially lead, aspects of: general study coordination, participant recruitment, and data collection. Prior experience working in lab settings with human subjects and clinical populations is preferred. The research assistant should ideally be able to commit a large portion of time to the project, have excellent organizational skills, and provide at least a two quarter commitment. An interest in learning, mentorship, prosociality and/or foster youth is a must.
If interested, please email your CV/resume and a brief statement of interest to Akila Kadambi, akadambi@ucla.edu.
Mind Wandering and Reading Comprehension in Upper Elementary Students
- Faculty Sponsor: Alison Bailey
- Department: Education
- Contact Name: Despina Goral
- E-mail: despinap@ucla.edu
Description of Research Project
I am investigating factors that impact children’s reading comprehension. This study examines what 4th and 5th grade students think about while they read, particularly as their minds wander to subjects other than the text. The study will consider whether cognitive and literacy skills are associated with between-child differences in mind wandering while reading. The study will also look at the degree to which mind wandering impacts reading comprehension.
Description of Student Responsibilities
This study will be completed remotely. The research assistant will participate in data collection by administering standardized and experimental measures to 4th and 5th grade students via Zoom. The research assistant should be available to collect data at least 2 afternoons per week. The research assistant will also help with data management and administrative tasks. Potential assistants must be detail-oriented and able to communicate professionally via email and phone. Experience working with children is preferred. There may be opportunities to continue participating in this project in the summer and fall.
Interested students should email their resume/CV and a short statement of interest (less than 250 words) to despinap@ucla.edu. Please be ready to provide a reference, either from prior experience working with children (e.g. from a supervisor, or from a parent of a child you’ve tutored or babysat) or from a UCLA faculty member.
Effect of video games on visual learning
- Faculty Sponsor: Zili Liu
- Department: Psychology
- Contact Name: Maggie Yeh
- E-mail: maggieyeh@g.ucla.edu
- Room Number: 8505 Pritzker
- Phone: 4153738678
Description of Research Project
This research project aims to quantify and evaluate the utility of action video games (first-person shooters) as training for visual skills. Video game players have been generally shown to demonstrate enhanced visual skills, especially relating to attention. However, the question remains: is this benefit due to the video games, or are the players self-selecting by choosing to play games because they are already better at visual skills? This project will compare video games to other methods of visual learning training, and evaluate potential limitations.
Description of Student Responsibilities
Research assistants will assist with data collection. Previous experience with video games not required. The specific tasks involved may vary based on individual student interest. Research assistants will be required to attend a weekly RA meeting.
CBT for Youth with Autism and Emotional/Behavioral Needs in Community Care Settings (CYAN)
- Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Jeffrey Wood
- Department: Education, Division of Human Development and Psychology
- Contact Name: Ingrid Tien, UCLA Wood Lab Study Coordinator
- E-mail: istien@g.ucla.edu
Description of Research Project
Our team in the Wood Lab at UCLA in the Department of Education within the Human Development and Psychology Division, have been studying cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBT) that have been adapted for children on the autism spectrum and we have identified a number of effective practices in our published research (Wood et al., 2009; 2015; 2019; 2020).
Our primary goal in this random assignment study of CBT is to understand how to best support school-aged youth, ages 6 - 14, on the autism spectrum who are experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges within community care settings (e.g., regional centers, private practice, school-based settings). We are collaborating with practitioners (e.g., therapists, counselors, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, and behavior analysts) from the California Regional Centers, and the California public schools to try these practices in their work with school-aged children on the autism spectrum. We hope this will help refine our free autism intervention training program, and can help disseminate expertise in working with children on the autism spectrum within the community.
Description of Student Responsibilities
Being a community partnered research study where we are working with many practitioners and families in California, we are looking for 1 - 2 undergraduate research assistants fluent in Spanish Language to support with two important tasks. First, our recruitment, assessment, and intervention materials need to be translated into Spanish to better support the families we are recruiting (e.g., recruitment forms, assessments, phone screenings, recruitment flyers). We are also looking for someone to support recruited families to maintain retention and support of both the child and family as they receive the intervention.
Digital Science Communication Intern
- Faculty Sponsor: Andrew Fuligni
- Department: Psychology & Psychiatry
- Contact Name: Kevin Irizarry
- E-mail: kevinirizarry@ucla.edu
- Website: https://developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/
Description of Research Project
The mission of the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent is to improve adolescent health, education, and well-being through developmental science. We build bridges between research, programs, and policy to achieve these critical long-term outcomes:
● Stronger public respect for adolescents and recognition that adolescence is a period of rapid learning and positive opportunities to shape the rest of our lives
● Greater knowledge of how interventions and practices can most effectively promote positive adolescent development, especially for those farthest from opportunity
● Improved policies and funding to advance equity in adolescent growth and development
We champion adolescence as an important developmental window of great vulnerabilities and opportunities, with lifelong impacts on health, education, well-being, and social as well as economic success.
We are looking for a passionate and experienced young leader interested in assisting our digital communications work and social media presence while learning about the developmental science of adolescence.
Qualifications
● Experience leading social media accounts and content, preferably for an initiative or organization
● Ability to research and compile relevant and on-trend news clips
● Excellent verbal and written communication skills
● Knowledge of and interest in adolescent or child development
● Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Benefits
● Academic credit
● Friendly and open environment dedicated to mentorship and youth empowerment
● Opportunity to learn about the developmental science of adolescence and work alongside leading experts in the field
● Work as a valued and equal member of a small team of passionate individuals
● Valuable digital communications and social media experience
To Apply
Please send a resume and statement of interest, no longer than 300 words, outlining your relevant experience, reasons for applying, and one or more ideas or projects you’d like to initiate while in this role to kevinirizarry@g.ucla.edu with “Digital Communications Intern” in the subject line. Please include your personal or organizational social media handles for examples of your work.
Description of Student Responsibilities
Responsibilities
● Compile daily news clips related to the Center and its subject focus and prepare weekly news briefing for staff
● Working with Communications Director and Digital Media Specialist, post approved social media messages to social media accounts
● Provide input and ideas from the college-student perspective to increase and expand engagement based on the science and work of the Center and its partners
● Contribute blog posts for the website
● Contribute social media copy
● Attend at least two weekly comms staff meetings
● Complete additional communications and social media tasks as assigned
School Mental Health Project/Center for Mental Health in Schools
- Faculty Sponsor: Adelman, Howard
- Department: Psychology
- Contact Name: Howard Adelman
- E-mail: adelman@psych.ucla.edu
- Room Number: 825-1225
- Website: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu
Description of Research Project
The project pursues theory, research, practice and training related to addressing mental health and psychosocial concerns through school-based interventions. To these ends, the Center works closely with school districts, state agencies, and organizations and colleagues across the country, providing support, materials and technical assistance.
Description of Student Responsibilities
Students will assist in Center operations, working on a variety of activities including: library research, materials preparation, and data management. No prior research experience is needed, just a willingness to learn. 6 hour/week minimum commitment.
Behavioral Parent Training and Social Skills Training for Children
- Faculty Sponsor: Baweja, Shilpa
- Department: Child Psychiatry
- Contact Name: Baweja, Shilpa
- E-mail: SBaweja@mednet.ucla.edu
- Room Number: Semel Institute
- Phone: 310-825-0142
- Website: http://www.semel.ucla.edu/socialskills
Description of Research Project
Our clinic has two major programs. The first project focuses on assessing effectiveness of parent assisted social skills training with children (ages 7-12) who have established deficits in making and/or keeping friends (including children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or ADHD). Each week we instruct them on important elements of socialization (i.e., conversational skills; peer entry and exiting strategies; handling teasing, bullying, and rejection; changing bad reputations; choosing peers wisely; handling arguments and disagreements; and having appropriate get-togethers with peers). Separate parent and child sessions are conducted concurrently for each week. Parents are taught how to assist their children in making and keeping friends by providing performance feedback through coaching during weekly in vivo socialization homework assignments. Kids are taught important social skills through didactic instruction, role-plays, and behavioral rehearsal during real play activities.
The second project focuses on assessing effectiveness of the behavioral parent training programs for parents of children (ages 2-12) and teenagers (ages 12-15) with behavioral difficulties for parents of children with behavioral difficulties at home, school, or both (including children with ADHD, ODD, or Autism Spectrum Disorders). Each week, groups provide instruction on essential elements of effective behavior management (i.e., establishing structured routines, management emotional dysregulation, enhanced communication). Parents are given weekly homework assignments to practice implementation of key skills.
Description of Student Responsibilities
The RA is needed to assist with our program sessions that run every day of the week besides Fridays in the afternoon and/or evenings. Research assistants will assist with preparing materials for intervention, assisting with behavior rehearsals, data entry, and supporting clinicians during Zoom sessions. In addition, during the week the RA will assist with in-office tasks, such as scoring assessments and keeping an up-to-date research database. We require a 6-hour per week, 3 quarter commitment. Must be available a couple of afternoons and/or evenings during the week.
Designing Workplaces, Schools, and Standardized Tests to Reduce Social Disparities
- Faculty Sponsor: Brannon, Tiffany
- Department: Psychology
- Contact Name: Tiffany Brannon
- E-mail: tbrannon@ucla.edu
- Room Number: 4528D
- Website: https://www.psych.ucla.edu/faculty/page/tbrannon
Description of Research Project
The goal of this research is to understand the processes that allow culturally inclusive efforts to become successful interventions that improve a variety of social outcomes. Specifically, this research examines the prediction that culturally inclusive efforts— those that aim to reduce prejudice and recognize pride associated with negatively stereotyped identities— can enhance academic outcomes (e.g., achievement, persistence, identification) and intergroup outcomes (e.g., implicit attitudes, multicultural interests). This research examines this predication in the context of workplace and school settings (including standardized testing).
Description of Student Responsibilities
Students will have the opportunity to actively participate in various tasks with the goal of learning and cultivating the development of research skills related to conducting literature reviews, helping to design study stimuli, serving as a study experimenter, entering data and coding data.
Memory and Aging
- Faculty Sponsor: Castel, Alan
- Department: Psychology
- Contact Name: Kara Hoover
- E-mail: karahoover@ucla.edu
- Website: http://castel.psych.ucla.edu
Description of Research Project
The purpose of this research is to better understand how well both younger and older adults can direct attention to information that they want to later remember, and how motivation (in various forms) influences what people attend to and later remember. Prior research shows that overall memory declines as people age, but the ability to remember information that is deemed valuable or important is largely preserved with age. Factors such as motivation and attention can influence memory in both younger and older adults, and this has implications ranging from educational settings (e.g., college students trying to remember information for classes) to everyday memory issues (e.g., remembering the name of someone you recently met). This research also involves examining predictions and judgments about memory, strategies people may use to try to improve memory, and other metacognitive factors that may influence or correlate with memory performance.
Description of Student Responsibilities
Students may assist with a variety of tasks in the lab, including participant contact and scheduling, data collection (e.g., running tasks with participants), designing experiments, and managing databases. Students should be professional, organized, and personable. No prior experience is required, but students should have some interest in the topic and willingness to learn. Knowledge or experience with coding languages is a plus, but not required. Please submit a brief paragraph stating your interest and a resume/CV to Kara Hoover (graduate student) at karahoover@ucla.edu.