Research teams are made up of undergraduate students who conduct their own studies, or participate in some aspect of faculty research or in each other's student research. Many of the undergraduates on these teams go on to graduate school in psychology.
Dr. Nathan Deichert
Dr. Deichert established the Health Psychology Laboratory at Black Hills State University in 2013. Research in his lab focuses on how various psychological and environmental factors, such as social support, influence people’s health and well-being. Currently, undergraduate researchers are assisting on several projects examining how the experience of gratitude relates to health outcomes. Upcoming experimental studies will examine the impact of gratitude induction on people’s physical and psychological responses to stress and failure. Dr. Deichert is always looking for motivated undergraduate students to join his lab. Research assistants in his lab gain valuable experience collecting and analyzing data and may also have opportunities to develop their own research projects as well as submit their work to various regional and national conferences. For more information about lab members and current projects, you can visit Dr. Deichert’s lab website.
Dr. Eric Clapham
Dr. Clapham’s cognition lab is currently exploring a variety of nonconscious processing effects. Of particular interest is how nonconscious visual information affects perception and higher order cognition. To clarify, there is an overwhelming amount of visual information that enters the eyes and visual systems, too much to consciously attend to and process (change blindness is one example of this). If we process and become aware of only a small amount of all the visual information that we encounter the question then becomes, what happens to all the visual information that enters the visual system that we are unaware of? It turns out that the brain does process this information and can, in fact, use that information to influence later perception and decision making. We are currently exploring the boundaries of this type of processing attempting to identify exactly how nonconscious information processing contributes to our daily lives. Brain recordings (EEG) and behavioral data are the primary methodological approach used in the lab to gain a greater understanding of these nonconscious processing affects. Undergraduates are a vital resource in my lab aiding in all aspects of the research project, from design to data collection and analysis. For more information, visit Dr. Clapham's lab website.
Dr. Emilia Flint
Recently, Dr. Flint took her research team of ten students to the Special Olympics World Winter Games in South Korea. While there, these students got to attend the Global Development Summit on Ending the Cycle of Poverty and Exclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities and meet some powerful world leaders. Dr. Flint's research primarily involves gaining a better understanding of identifying and treating performance anxiety in special populations. Dr. Flint hopes to continue her consultation work with NCAA Division I athletes and within the next few years will engage in a private practice seeing clients on an individual basis.
Dr. Alissa Call
Dr. Call established the Students of Law and Psychology (SLAP) research lab in the Spring of 2019. She and her students actively research issues related to the field of psychology and the legal system. Current projects in the lab focus mostly on investigating how jurors make verdict and legal decisions in sexual assault trials. Dr. Call is also interested in mentoring students interested in conducting their own research projects. She has presented her work at numerous national conferences and is excited to collaborate with enthusiastic students in the future. For more information about current projects and SLAP lab research assistants, you can visit the lab website.
How to participate
If you are interested in pursuing a research project or working on a faculty's project under the mentorship of Dr. Flint, Dr. Deichert, Dr. Clapham, or Dr. Call, please stop by their offices for additional information. (Jonas Skywalk 215, 207, 212, or 203)
Below is a list of selected publications by members of the BHSU Psychology Department. Underlined names denote that the author is an undergraduate or graduate student.
2023
Deichert, N. T., & Fekete, E. M. (accepted). Gratitude and Physical Health. In F. M. Sirois (Ed.), Palgrave Handbook of Positive Psychology and Health. Springer Nature.
Locker, L., Williams, J.L., McCutcheon, L.E., Flint, E., Jorgensen, M., Weldon, C., & Huynh, H.P. (2023). Is Celebrity Admiration Related to the Stigmatization of Persons with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?. North American Journal of Psychology, 25(4), pp. 709-724.
2022
Flint, E., Calicchia, J., McCutcheon, L.E., & Huynh, H.P. (2022). Examining how celebrity admiration influences decision making. Journal of Studies in Social Sciences and Humanities, 8(2), pp. 171-181.
2021
2020
Williams, J.L., McCutcheon, L. E., Bassett, J. F., Flint, E., & Vega, L. (2020). When dreaming is believing: Extending the findings to favorite celebrities. International Journal of Dream Research, 13(1), pp. 70-76
2019
Aruguete, M.S., Huynh, H., Browne, B.L., Jurs, B., Flint, E., & McCutcheon, L. (2019). How serious is the “carelessness” problem on mechanical turk? International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 22(5), 441-449.
Aruguete, M.S., Huynh, H., McCutcheon, L., Browne, B.L., Jurs, B., & Flint, E. (2019). Are measures of life satisfaction linked to admiration for celebrities? Mind & Society, 18, pp. 1-11.
2016
Deichert, N. T., Maxwell, S. J., & Klotz, J. (2016). Retention of information taught in introductory psychology courses across different accelerated course formats. Teaching of Psychology, 43(1), 4-9.
Flint, E. (2016). Engaging social constructivist teaching in the diverse teaching environment, perspectives from a first-year faculty member. Higher Education for the Future, 3(1), pp. 38-45.
Flint, E. & Pearson, A. (2016). Examining anxiety and self-confidence for the special olympics athlete. North American Journal of Psychology, 18(13), 1-18.
2014
Clapham, E. S., Karst, A. T., & Wessinger, C. M. (2014). A Standardized Set of 200 Full Color, Real World Pictures for Use in Psychology Research. North American Journal of Psychology, 16(3).
Below is a list of grant funding obtained by members of the BHSU Psychology Department. Underlined names denote that the research investigator is an undergraduate or graduate student.
2024
Special Olympics South Dakota, Strong Minds Clinic, South Dakota Summer Games. Dr. Emilia Flint.
2023
The Effects of Defendant Sex and Race on Views of Stand Your Ground Cases, Seed Grant, Black Hills State University (Funded: $2100). Dr. Alissa Call (PI).
Interactive Effects of Gratitude and COMT Haplotype on Pain Sensitivity and Interference in a Sample of Physical Therapy Patients, Seed Grant, Black Hills State University ($3,119). Dr. Nathan T. Deichert (PI).
2022
Examining Student Intentions to Report Campus Sexual Assault. PSI CHI Faculty Research Grant. Funded: $2000. Dr. Alissa Call (PI)
2021
The effects of gratitude and social support on pain outcomes in an outpatient population, Seed Grant, Black Hills State University ($2,245). Dr. Nathan T. Deichert (PI).
2018
The Effects of Jurors’ Cognitions and Attitudes on Legal Decisions for Sexually-Based Criminal Cases, Seed Grant Black Hills State University (Funded $2,500). Dr. Alissa Call (PI)
Special Olympics South Dakota, Strong Minds Clinic, South Dakota Summer Games. Dr. Emilia Flint.
2014
The Stress Buffering Effects of Gratitude, Seed Grant, Black Hills State University ($4,292). Dr. Nathan T. Deichert (PI).
