“This experience exceeded my initial expectations! The lab meetings are by far my favorite part of directed research. We get to collaborate together, discuss future studies, and at least every other week we have a presenter in class. It has grown my thinking in the field of social psychology. There are so many avenues to explore.”

Supervising Faculty:
Dr. Edward Orehek
 
Contact: 
Edward Orehek
orehek@pitt.edu
 
Area of Research: Social Psychology
 
Description of Research:
Our Social Life and Motivation Lab has ongoing projects investigating how people serve as means to one another’s goals. Specific research questions being pursued include: (1) How does goal pursuit influences interpersonal relationships? (2) How does one’s social life influence goal pursuit? (3) How can a people-as-means approach help us understand psychological well-being? Additional information can be found here: https://edwardorehek.wordpress.com/slam-lab/
 
Duties of Students:
Students will be involved in various phases of the research, including recruiting research participants, running participants in the lab, and managing data. 
 
Additional Requirements:
• 3.0 or higher GPA
• Strong motivation to learn about psychological research
• Responsibility, dependability, and ability to work independently
• Relatively flexible schedule
• Two semester commitment is preferred but not required
 
Terms offered: fall, spring and summer
 
Number of Students: 10