Fall 2013 MAPR Faculty Mentor List

The following CSULB Psychology Department faculty have agreed to consider serving as faculty mentors and taking MA-Psychological Research (MAPR) students into their research labs, as space availability allows for Fall 2013. This list should be used to complete Part D of the MAPR application (see back for research interest areas).

This applies to MAPR applicants only.

Fall 2013 Faculty Research Interest Areas for MAPR Faculty Mentor List

James Amirkhan
Stress and coping, health psychology, attribution theory.  Interested in individual differences in the above domains — e.g., the person-related variables that lead one person to confront a stressor and another to avoid it.  Currently, I am working on validating a new stress questionnaire, and finishing up a 4-year project that examines possible reasons for the high levels of distress among recent Korean immigrants.

Young-Hee Cho
I am broadly interested in factors influencing psychological well-being among elders.  Interested in understanding factors that have impact on elders’ subjective estimation of their life expectancy and the consequence of these estimations on psychological well-being.

Chi-Ah Chun
My broad area of research interest is in minority mental health.  Currently, I have two active research programs.  The first one examines the role of cultural values and attribution in the stress and coping process in Korean immigrants.  The second study investigates how cultural beliefs influence coping with symptoms of PTSD in Cambodian refugees.

Martin Fiebert
Interracial dating and interracial relationships; men as victims of domestic violence; transpersonal psychology and meditation.

May Ling Halim
In my primary line of research I study how, across different cultural groups, children’s gender identities develop from preschool to early elementary school. I am interested in both adherence to gender norms (i.e., girls wearing pink from head to toe) and deviation from gender norms (i.e., tomboys). I also investigate what factors lead to differences in gender identities (e.g., cognition), as well as what consequences are associated with them (e.g., intergroup gender attitudes, interest in STEM-related fields, psychological adjustment).  In my secondary line of research I study how forms of group-based discrimination (ethnic, gender, language) interact with one’s identity in affecting one’s personal health and the health of one’s child.

William Pedersen
My research is primarily focused on factors that impact aggressive behavior and violence.  I am interested in a variety of personality factors including trait rumination, narcissism, impulsivity, attachment style, and religiosity.  I have also investigated a variety of situational factors that impact aggression including rumination, social support, power restoration, alcohol priming, and drug use.  A related line of research investigates the impact of trait displaced aggression on romantic relationships, life satisfaction, and both mental and physical health.  Finally, I have smaller research programs in the areas of both intergroup relations and evolutionary psychology (specifically gender differences in mating strategies).

Sherry Span
My research to date has focused on the relation among the following: 1. Risk factors associated with alcohol/substance abuse; 2. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); 3. Clinical Neuropsychology.

Dustin Thoman
My research focuses on how individuals develop and maintain motivation (particularly for long-term pursuits), and how this motivation is influenced by the individual’s social context.  More specifically, I aim to understand the social nature of intrinsic motivation, the development of interests and integration of interests into identity, and how stereotypes and discrimination influence interest, motivation, and choices.  This program of research relates to several topics, including: intrinsic motivation, development of interest, stereotypes and social stigmas, self-regulation, development of self and identity, attributions, and evaluation.  Although much of my research occurs in the lab, I am passionate about the applied aspect of this research, as well as how these processes function across cultures.  My training is grounded in social psychology, but my research interests also strongly overlap with developmental and educational psychology.

Guido Urizar
My research in the area of Clinical & Health Psychology has focused on examining psychosocial, behavioral, and physiological factors associated with mental and physical health outcomes.  The primary objective of this research is to identify groups that are at-risk for chronic health problems and to develop and test community-based interventions that are designed to promote chronic disease prevention and management in low-income, ethnic minority, and other medically underserved populations.  Specific areas of my research include examining the impact of stress and its biomarkers (e.g., cortisol) on health, identifying risk factors for adverse maternal and infant health outcomes, and evaluating the efficacy of health behavior programs (e.g., exercise, nutrition, stress management) on preventing stress-related disorders. For more information about my PRO-Health research group, please refer to the following web site: http://www.csulb.edu/~gurizar

Arturo Zavala
Areas of interests include animal models of drug addiction and developmental neuropsychopharmacology.  Specifically, my research investigates the short- and long-term neurochemical and behavioral effects of exposure to psychostimulant drugs across development (neonatal, adolescence, and adulthood), as well as determine the impact that early exposure to drugs may have on the susceptibility to abuse drugs later in life.