haverford psychology

This page is intended for Haverford College psychology majors interested in doing a senior thesis with Ben. Until further information is available, here are the answers to questions that I anticipate students might ask (although technically they are not 'Frequently Asked Questions'  because no one has asked them yet!).....
 

FAQs:

What type of senior projects are you intersted in supervising?

My training is in the field of social psychology, and my research interests are in the area of close relationships. Specifically, projects involving the following general topics and/or constructs are the most central to my interests: commitment (and the antecedents and consequences of commitment), social networks, self-expansion, emotion in relationships, attachment, relational cognition, relationship maintenance and/or termination, long-distance relationships, relationships and the internet, health and social support, and relationships and college quality of life. Basically, most any project involving close, "romantic" relationships and friendships will be up my alley.

Currently I am most excited about projects on the following topics (i.e., it's likely a project would be compatable with the following ideas):

1. The Experience of Interpersonal Separation (i.e., "missing" someone).
Surprisingly, there is very little (if any) research on the experience of missing. Our initial work has looked at a few correlates of reports of missing (e.g., attachment style, self-expansion motivation), as well as gathered qualitative data regarding individuals’ thoughts about and experiences with geographic separation. In addition, a recent senior thesis group developed a measure of romantic missing. I'd like to continue this work examining the process of missing as an emotion, and the role of missing in relationship maintenance.

2. Self-Expansion and Cognitive Interdependence 
Self-expansion theory and cognitive interdependence describe the cognitive changes that accompany relationship progression. In a sense, it could be said that individuals incorporate one’s partner in the self; that they cognitively “merge”. Specifically, the projects I’m interested in include (a) the loss of a sense of “self” that could occur during the expansion process and (b) self-expansion relative to non-romantic partners, especially the “college community.”

3. Social Networks
Maybe not its own line of research, but can be folded into the above—I’m interested in the intersection between relationships and social networks (e.g., peers, parents). How do social networks impact one’s experience of separation? Can you “expand” with networks, and if so, what are the dyadic implications of partners having shared or individual networks? How do networks impact your evaluations of your current relationship (e.g., commitment, satisfaction etc.)?
 

I definitely am not interested in supervising (nor am I qualified to supervise) projects on the following topics at this time (although I'd gladly be a second reader on projects on these topics):

• Clinical/counseling approaches to close relationships; relationship therapy
• Psychopathology (e.g., antisocial behavior, depression, etc.)
• Any project that requires the use of children as participants (e.g., the consequences of divorce on school-aged children, etc.)

Do I need to have taken PSY 325 (Psychology of Close Relationships) to work on a senior project with you?

Ideally you would have taken my Psychology of Close Relationships course prior to doing a senior project with me. However, I realize that you may not have the opportunity to take this course yet. If you have not taken my close relationships class yet, you may want to take it concurrently with your senior project (Spring 2004).

Advice to juniors who may want to do a senior project with Ben-- Take PSY325 during the Spring sememster of your junior year!
 

Do I need to have had a social psychology course to work on a senior project with you?

Although it is preferred that you have previous course work in social psychology beyond the social module in the Introductory Psychology sequence, I realize that you might not have had an opportunity to take classes with me prior to working with me on a senior project. I would recommend concurrent enrollment in PSY224 (Social Psychology), but understand that this may not be possible for many students. PSY224 is typically taught in the fall.