Psychology Faculty Research Interests
Our mission is to promote research in psychology among undergraduate students through faculty mentoring, which prepares psychology students to become scholars, scientists, and leaders of tomorrow. Through undergraduate research, students acquire knowledge and understanding of the scientific method, including issues and methodologies specific to psychology.
Definition of Research: An attempt by careful enquiry, experimentation, study, observation, analysis and recording to:
- discover new facts, knowledge and information,
- develop new interpretations of facts, knowledge or information, or
- discover new means of applying existing knowledge.
Definition of Scholarship: For its definition of scholarship, the Department of Psychology uses Boyer’s (1990) model that describes scholarship as discovery, integration, service, application, and teaching. Scholarship involves a lifelong commitment to thinking, questioning, and pursuing answers.
Scholarship of Discovery: The scholarship of discovery takes the form of primary empirical research, historical research, theory development and testing, methodological studies, and philosophical inquiry and analysis.
Scholarship of Practice (Application): The scholarship of practice answers a question to improve the application of psychological principles in order to benefit individuals and groups. It encompasses all aspects of psychology where evidence of direct impact is presented including questioning of certain methods and looking for possible improvements.
Scholarship of Integration: The scholarship of integration associates research with reality and clarifies the meaning of results. The scholarship of integration emphasizes the interconnection of ideas, and brings new insight to bear on original concepts and research. Critical analysis and interpretation are two common methodologies, but interdisciplinary work may take place through any medium for scholarship such as those described as discovery, teaching, or practice (Boyer, 1990).
Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities for the professoriate. Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The SUU Psychology Department's Student Research Handbook is available to help students as they conduct research studies. We also have a guide for students participating in Research Studies.
Professional Associations:
- American Psychological Association
- Association for Psychological Science
- Rocky Mountain Psychological Association
Funding Opportunities for Psychology Undergraduates:
Publication Opportunities for Psychology Undergraduates
The psychology undergraduate research liaison encourages and supports undergraduate research and scholarship within the department.
Please contact Dr. Lynn White for questions or suggestions about undergraduate research and scholarship in the department of psychology.
Email: white_l@suu.edu
Office: GC 308G
Phone: 435-586-7913
Faculty Mentors and Expertise
Expertise: Clinical, Assessment, Stigma Reduction
Research interests: clinical assessment, pedagogical assessment, program assessment, PTSD, performance enhancement and wellness.
Research Interests include working with youth and adults with mental health and substance use disorders along with rural populations experiencing mental health and substance use disorders. Her goals are to increase the understanding of substance use and mental health disorders through teaching and interacting with students for those planning on careers working directly with people in the helping professions. Primary areas of interest include experiential learning in field placements for students in mental health and substance use disorder programs, and developing substance use disorder curriculum to enhance student learning.
Expertise: Motivation, Emotion, and Personality
Research Interests: cognitive consequences of mood and emotion, personality factors affecting the experience of emotion, and motivation, emotion, and personality in the workplace.
Research Interests: Dr. Darling's primary research focuses on the intersection of financial psychology and couple dynamics, particularly examining how financial factors influence relationship satisfaction in blended families and stepfamily structures. Additional research interests include military and veteran psychology, with emphasis on financial well-being and romantic relationships in these populations.
Student Involvement: Dr. Darling welcomes opportunities to mentor undergraduate and graduate students in research projects related to financial therapy, relationships, and veteran/military populations. She has experience guiding students through all phases of the quantitative research process, from literature review to presentation/publication. Feel free to contact her directly to discuss current research opportunities and how you might get involved!
Research Interests: Dr. Graham's primary line of research is at the intersection of ageism and professional training, specifically related to promoting geropsychology (and other geriatric-focused healthcare) in order to address the service gap and improve care for older adults. Other research interests include positive psychology (meaning making, volunteerism in older adulthood), especially as it relates to cognitive processes (repetitive thought/rumination, reminiscence). Dr. Graham is also passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration, community-based research projects, and program development and evaluation.
Student Involvement: Dr. Graham enjoys mentoring students on both individual and group research projects. Past students have created posters accepted to national conferences and contributed to manuscripts to be submitted for publication. No prior research experience is needed, and students are welcome to participate in projects to varying degrees based on interest and availability. Feel free to reach out directly to learn more about current research opportunities!
Research Interests: disruptive behavior, sibling conflict, pediatric sleep disorders.
Expertise: Counseling, Clinical and Positive Psychology
Research Interests: Positive Psychology, marital satisfaction, sexual addiction, and predictors of suicidal ideation.
Dr. Miller’s research explores the treatment of disruptive behavior disorders, pediatric sleep problems, feeding difficulties, and pediatric anxiety disorders. With specific interest in infancy and childhood developmental periods, Dr. Miller’s primary objective is to discover effective methods for increasing access to preventative behavioral health care in rural and underserved areas of the state. Current methods of interest include telehealth as a treatment modality, integrated primary care, and widespread dissemination of caregiver psychoeducation. She is also involved in projects focused on caregiver treatment integrity within Parent Child Interaction Therapy and parent management training.
A school psychologist by training, Dr. Miller has experience exploring classroom-based interventions, group therapy in schools, and teacher training. She has written and published papers on methods for improving on-task behavior among students displaying oppositional behavior in the classroom. Dr. Miller enjoys mentoring applied research across school and clinical contexts, and she is fluent in the use of small-N methodology to examine within- and across-participant change.
Expertise: Social and Evolutionary Psychology. Research Interests: moral psychology, romantic and sexual interests, emotions, evolutionary psychology, statistics, research practices, suicidality.
Research Interests: moral psychology, romantic and sexual interests, emotions, evolutionary psychology, statistics, research practices, suicidality.
Availability: Dr. Koenig is currently open to mentoring individual student projects, and he is open to students joining his current project on suicidality among students at SUU.
I earned a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Utah in 2013. Throughout my doctoral training, I have worked in a variety of settings including private practice, county funded substance abuse assessment, skilled nursing facilities, and college counseling centers. I have experience conducting assessments and providing individual, couples, and group therapy. I completed my Pre-Doctoral Internship at Southern Utah University Counseling & Psychological Services, which turned into a full-time position as a Staff Psychologist for three additional years. I have been teaching full-time in the Psychology Department at SUU since 2015.
Expertise: Applied Experimental Psychology.
Research Interests: Soundscapes; Natural and Virtual Environments.
Dr. Mace currently has research assistant positions available in the area of place attachment, with a focus on special places. There are also opportunities to continue a research project examining olfactory perception and personality. Collaborative research with Dr. Lynn White’s EEG lab may also be possible with an environmental physiological emphasis.
Expertise: Cultural, Developmental, and Eco-psychology.
Research Interests: Humans and the natural environment; Emerging Adulthood in different cultural contexts; Civic engagement and purpose in life
Expertise: Social and Cultural Psychology
Research Interests: Attitudes towards stigmatized groups, morality, political ideology, biculturalism, social norms, pedagogy, and cognition
Expertise: Social Psychology, Psychophysiological methods, Relationships
Research Interests: Newly dating couples; Physiological reactivity to stress; Attitudes toward LGBTQ members; Minority Health Disparities
Research Interests: Dr. Way's research focuses on sexual health and behavioral addictions. Her work examines topics including problematic pornography use, compulsive sexual behavior, gambling disorder, and the development and validation of psychological assessment measures. She is also interested in psychotherapy process and outcomes, particularly cognitive behavioral approaches, as well as the translation of research into evidence-based clinical practice. Dr. Way values interdisciplinary collaboration and is passionate about conducting research that has meaningful implications for clinicians, educators, and the broader community.
Student Involvement: Dr. Way enjoys mentoring students at all stages of the research process, from developing research questions and conducting literature reviews to data analysis, conference presentations, and manuscript preparation. Students are encouraged to participate in projects based on their interests, experience, and availability. Whether students are exploring research for the first time or preparing for graduate school, Dr. Way strives to create a collaborative, supportive environment where students can develop research skills and contribute to meaningful scholarship.
Expertise: Physiological and neural psychology - human and animal; Health psychology
Research Interests: In broad terms, my research interests focus on the reciprocal interactions between the brain, behavior, and the environment, both in humans and in non-human animals. More specifically, I maintain a human and an animal behavioral neuroscience lab where we are investigating the effect of different types of sound; live vs recorded digital (e.g. mp3), vs recorded analog (e.g., cassette tapes recorded exclusively from analog sources) on human EEG activity, heart rate, heart rate variability, skin conductance, respiratory sinus arrythmia, mood, and a growing list of other dependent variables. We are also investigating the effect of sound on mice using physiological and behavioral paradigms. Students wishing to help in either of these labs apply using the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab Assistant Application.
In addition to sound research, I love working with students on topics such as microbiomes, artificial sweeteners, food cues, stress, and pain, particularly when assessed through both physiological and psychological measures. Last but certainly not least, I am interested in many pressing social concerns: discrimination against immigrants legally in the U.S., transgender rights, climate change, gun violence, and the perceived severity of many forms of discrimination at regional through national levels.