Faculty:

Jamie Pennebaker, Ph.D.

Contact:

Rich Slatcher
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’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 social psychology, language and/or close relationships. Students will be expected to think critically and independently, engage the material, and contribute to the research effort. 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: