- Annual Research Funding – over $4.3 million
- The Department of Psychology at UK is ranked first nationally in percent growth in external research funding bringing in $4.5 million
- There are over 30 faculty members in the department and currently 16 are either principal investigators or co-investigators different grants.
- Faculty research programs are supported by a wide variety of external national agencies, including NIH, NIMH, NIAAA, NIDA, NICHD, NIA, and U.S. Department of Education.
- The Department of Psychology is strongly committed to interdisciplinary scholarship and research, and has a long history of effective collaboration with other UK colleges and departments.
Psychology Labs:
The Bardo Laboratory, headed by Michael T. Bardo, Ph.D., is primarily interested in understanding the basic brain mechanisms that underlie drug abuse behavior. A major focus of our work is aimed at determining the impact of social processes during development on the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse, with particular emphasis on stimulants such as cocaine and opioids such as fentanyl. An additional research interest is the development of novel medications for the treatment of substance use disorders.
The Behavioral Interventions that Reduce Disparities due to Smoking (BIRDS) Lab is led by Jessica Burris, Ph.D. Dr. Burris is a clinical psychologist and cancer prevention to control investigator whose research falls under the specialty area of “psychosocial/behavioral oncology”. Based on national data, Kentucky has one of the highest rates of smoking, persistent poverty, and cancer (both incidence and mortality), so the BIRDS Lab is well positioned to investigate the interplay among smoking cessation (or the lack thereof), social determinants of health, and cancer survivorship. Additionally, the BIRDS Lab focuses on underserved cancer survivors in Kentucky, often found in the rural and Appalachian parts of our state. The BIRDS Lab aims to understand the naturalistic process of smoking cessation after cancer diagnosis and use this knowledge to design clinical interventions that help cancer survivors make quit attempts and maintain abstinence.
Broaching Race in Interpersonal, Dyadic, and Group Exchanges (BRIDGE) Lab, directed by Christopher K. Marshburn, Ph.D.. Our research examines the inter- and intra-personal factors that influence how people think about, understand, perpetuate, and cope with racism. Specifically, we investigate the dynamics of talking about racism in same- (Black/Black) and cross-race (Black/non-Black) contexts and the consequent positive and negative outcomes for Black people's well-being. Additionally, we explore how White people cope when anticipating talking to Black people about racism, and how White people’s perceptions of racism are influenced by their motivations."
The Developing Minds Lab is led by Matthew Kim, Ph.D. Our team of award-winning graduate and undergraduate students are engaged in cutting-edge laboratory, online, and school-based research on the development of academic motivation and self-regulation skills. Through our scholarly and outreach efforts, we aim to promote school and life success for K-12 and postsecondary learners in the Commonwealth and beyond. Our work is supported in part by the National Science Foundation, which is currently funding our lab’s multi-year project to investigate how academic advising shapes motivational beliefs such as growth mindset, learning behaviors, and achievement outcomes in undergraduate students pursuing STEM fields. We are grateful for our partnerships with schools and community organizations in Lexington, and our research has been presented at venues such as the Society for Research in Child Development, American Psychological Association, American Educational Research Association, and the Cognitive Development Society.
How we respond to life’s daily challenges can have lasting impacts on our health and well-being. The Emotion, Stress, and Health Lab, led by Kate Leger, Ph.D., examines how people’s emotional responses to daily stressors shape their long-term physical health across the adult life span. We look at potential biological (e.g. cardiovascular) and behavioral (e.g. sleep) pathways that link emotional responses to stress and health. We use a multi-method approach, emphasizing both naturalistic longitudinal designs and lab-based studies to assess physical health as a life-long process that is influenced by a culmination of emotional experiences to daily events.
The Golding Psychology & Law Lab supervised by Jonathan M. Golding, Ph.D., investigates legal decision making in cases involving various types of victimization (adult rape, child sexual assault, stalking, domestic violence, harassment, and elder abuse). Typically, we study how individual jurors and juries make decisions involving various cases, examining how the context (including victim and defendant characteristics) and procedural aspects of a case affect decision making. We also investigate other aspects of how evidence is presented in court cases that may impact how jurors make decisions (e.g., jailhouse informants). Finally, we examine how individuals think about decisions that have been made by the legal system that do not involve juries, such as plea bargains. The goal of the Psychology & Law lab is to (a) better understand social judgment and decision-making processes, and (b) hopefully have impact on making our legal system fair for all. The lab involves graduate and undergraduate students working on all aspects of research. This includes designing experiments creating measures and materials, collecting data, analyzing data, summarizing results, and even helping to write manuscripts for publication.
The Family and Child Development Lab, led by Peggy Keller, Ph.D., examines relationships focusing on family, peer, and romantic relationships, and their impact on child development including emotional and behavioral problems. Specific topics of interest include but are not limited to sleep, personality, emotion regulation, problem drinking, and substance use. Our team is led by Dr. Peggy Keller and is comprised of graduate and undergraduate student researchers. Ultimately the lab seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms that contribute to child development and familial factors that can mitigate or exacerbate risks.
The Personality Disorder Research Lab, headed by Thomas A. Widiger, Ph.D., is devoted to understanding personality disorders (e.g., psychopathy, narcissism, and borderline) from the perspective of dimensional trait models. The success is this lab is evident in the latest edition of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases which has formally shifted its presentation of personality disorders to a dimensional trait model. Dr. Widiger has received the Joseph Zubin Award, Society for Research in Psychopathology (2013), the Senior Investigator Award, North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (2013), and the Distinguished Scientist Award, Society for the Science of Clinical Psychology (2010).
The Prendergast Lab, led by Mark Prendergast, Ph.D. focuses on examining biochemical mechanisms involved with the development of alcohol and drug dependence. In addition, we study novel drug targets, such as stress hormone receptors systems, that might be targeted in the treatment of dependence. In studying these topics, our laboratory employs a broad range of neurochemical and behavioral techniques, including cell culture of brain tissue, in vivo rodent studies, ELISA, Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry.
The RISK Laboratory, headed by Michelle Martel, Ph.D., studies risk-taking behavior in young adults using a multiple-level-of-analysis perspective, spanning from genes to behavior and the social environment. We are particularly interested in examining integrative pathways to the outcomes of ADHD, conduct problems, and drug abuse. We also have a particular focus on better understanding sex differences in these pathways.
Social Cognition and Intergroup Processes Lab, headed by Jessica Bray, Ph.D., focuses research on person perception within intergroup contexts. We investigate how social group memberships (e.g. race, gender) influence how impressions form, update, and impact interactions we have with others. With our work we tackle questions like "How do prejudices influence implicit and explicit impressions we make of others and how we behave toward them?", "Do people recognize when they or close others (e.g. friends, family) have prejudices?", and "How can communication style improve intergroup relationships?".
The Theories and Answers for Prejudice, Angst, Threat, Identity, and Otherness (TAPATIO) lab, led by Angel Armenta, Ph.D., current interests revolve around the changing dynamics at the societal level. Around the world, agents of change (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, social movements, etc.) continue to introduce new ideas, beliefs, and values to cities, states, and countries through increased social interaction. Changing demographics have made majority groups increasingly anxious about the possibility of becoming a minority group in the U.S. These timely issues have important implications for research on intergroup relationships. Thus, the TAPATIO lab investigates reactions (e.g., violent radicalization) toward societal shifts and the enactors of those shifts, individual difference variables that exacerbate or reduce negative reactions toward societal shifts, and solutions for reducing intergroup strife caused by societal change.
TIPS Lab. Despite the existence of effective treatments for many common mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder), only a fraction of patients receive research-supported care. The overarching goal of the Treatment Innovation for Psychological Services (TIPS) program, led by Shannon Sauer-Zavala, PhD., is to improve psychological interventions so that they stand a better chance of getting into the hands of the individuals that need them. This looks like developing treatments that are more parsimonious, potent, and personalizable. Our team includes research faculty, graduate students, UK undergraduates, and high school interns. Our work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Templeton Foundation, and the Canadian Institute for Health Research.