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PSY 357 Self-Views and Valuation
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

Faculty:
Bill Swann, Ph.D.
Contact:
Michael Buhrmester mbuhrmest@yahoo.com
Description:
The focus of our current research is to understand the mechanisms involved in feelings of ownership and object valuation. The endowment effect, the phenomenon where people who come to own some consumer good tend to value that good more than someone in a non-ownership position, has been a robust finding, but has gone without a good explanation as to why it occurs. In our research, we are looking to discover how people associate objects with themselves in an effort to better explain the endowment effect.
Qualifications:
This research broadly deals with consumer behavior, marketing, issues of self-views and motivation. Students interested in these topics are encouraged to apply. We are looking for students who are enthusiastic, friendly, and organized. You should be comfortable around others and personable. Coursework in areas of social, personality, or cognitive psychology is preferable, but not required. Students should be excited about getting involved with research at the ground level. Students will be required to write a 2-3 page paper about the research they were involved with over the course of the semester in order to receive PSY357 credit. Preference will be given to students who can register for the PSY357 course, but interested volunteers are encouraged to apply!
Duties:
Students will be expected to contribute 6 10 hours per week as a research assistant, and scheduling will be very flexible to accommodate students’ needs. Duties may include data collection (running participants in the lab), data entry and analysis, stimuli gathering and creation. Students should be looking to have fun getting involved in research and be willing to work hard! Please send Michael Buhrmester, mbuhrmest@yahoo.com, an email if you are interested!

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