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PSY 357 Leaders, Followers, and Testosterone
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT
Faculty:
Bob Josephs, Ph.D.
Contact:
Pranj Mehta, pmehta@mail.utexas.edu
Description:
Across a series of studies, we are trying to understand how an individual’s levels of testosterone influence his or her social behavior. Previous research in animals has found that testosterone influences dominance and aggression, but is this necessarily the case in humans? We suspect that high testosterone individuals (both men and women) seek high status positions, such as being the leader of a group. We are currently working on two studies addressing the following research questions:
(1) Do high testosterone individuals seek leadership positions, even to the point of stealing away leadership from someone else?
(2) Do high testosterone individuals perform better in leadership positions than low testosterone individuals?
(3) How do high testosterone individuals behave when they are forced into a low status position (the follower) instead of a high status position (the leader)? Do these individuals become more aggressive, for instance?
Qualifications:
We require responsible, hard-working, mature, and conscientious individuals who can devote at least 8-12 hours/week of their time over the course of the semester. You should enjoy interacting with others and be highly organized.
Duties:
You will independently run experiments with introductory psychology students, schedule participants for these experiments, and possibly analyze videos from existing experiments for aggressive and dominant behaviors.
Other Information:
If you would like to go on to graduate school in psychology or a related field, research experience is a must. This will be an excellent opportunity for you to gain hands-on research experience.
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