.

....UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF
PSYCHOLOGY

COLLEGE OF
LIBERAL ARTS

UT AUSTIN


SPRING 2003
RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES

SPRING 2003
COURSE
DESCRIPTIONS

COURSE
SCHEDULES

COURSE
INSTRUCTOR
SURVEYS

EMAIL

.

PSY 357
Electronic Communication and
Romantic Relationships
40350
Undergraduate Research Project

Faculty: James Pennebaker, Ph.D. 
Contact: Rich Slatcher
Email: slatcher@mail.utexas.edu, SEA 3.426C
Description:

The primary goal of this project is to explore the language that dating couples use when they instant message (IM) with one another and to explore the psychological benefits of writing about one&Mac226;s romantic relationship. We are interested in the answers to several questions: Do couples in which one person has more power than the other use language differently when they IM each other? Does writing about one's romantic relationship change the way one thinks about that relationship? Does writing about one's romantic relationship change the words one uses when one IM's with their romantic partner? How do these linguistic patterns and writing sessions relate to future relationship satisfaction? A sophisticated linguistic analysis program called LIWC will be used to analyze our data.

Qualifications: Students are expected to have a strong interest in the study of language and/or close relationships. Students will be expected to think critically and independently, engage the material, and contribute to the research effort. Students should have a GPA of at least 3.0 and have a 3.0 average or better in any upper-division psychology courses. Prefer students who have taken PSY 418 (or are currently enrolled).

Duties:

Research assistant duties will include performing literature searches, helping to administer psychological measures, coding and entering data.

Other Information: Please e-mail me at slatcher@mail.utexas.edu with your name, phone number, e-mail, and brief description of your interest and background.

Spring 2003 Research Opportunities


Department of Psychology • College of Liberal Arts
University of Texas at Austin

Updated 16 December 2002