In the Development, Risk, and Resilience Lab, our goal is to understand when and under what circumstances developmental trajectories of children begin to diverge from normative trajectories among families who are struggling with substance abuse and related issues (e.g., mental health symptoms; caregiving unpredictability). The Development, Risk, and Resilience Lab is interested in how prenatal and early adversities shape the development of children’s self-regulation; how these associations may be mediated or moderated by parenting quality; and applying this understanding to prevention. We are also working to understand protective factors that promote resilience in children in the face of early adversities. Our research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Rina Eiden is the Lab Director and PI on all projects.
If you are an undergraduate student looking for research experience, the Development, Risk, and Resilience lab may be a good fit if you are interested in learning more about research on parent-child relationships, child developmental trajectories, and families who struggle with substance abuse and related issues. Students should have a preferred 3.5 GPA or better and be able to commit to 3 research credits during the semester, for at least two consecutive semesters (9 hours per week). Students must be highly responsible, reliable, motivated, detail-oriented, and dedicated to conducting accurate and high quality work. Critical thinking and the ability to carefully follow directions (e.g., complicated protocols for data collection) are also important. Finally, it is important to have the capacity to work both independently and under direct supervision while having the judgment to know when to ask for assistance. Students should have a strong foundation in the study of psychology, with prior coursework in developmental psychology and research methods preferable, though not strictly required.
Research assistants assist with behavioral video coding, data cleaning, participant recruitment and contact, social media maintenance and development, literature reviews, and other related tasks.
Work Study or paid opportunities may be available to those who have completed two semesters of lab involvement.
Please fill out the following Google Form to apply. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-CQW_xK1cBDgHtkKyIpwTqEOuVMvwOy1S73uxL-a32e7Brw/viewform?usp=sf_link
Any questions can be directed to the DRR lab manager, Brandon Rickett bjr5733@psu.edu