Research Labs - Wingate University
Source: https://www.wingate.edu/academics/undergraduate/psychology-major/research-labs
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:11
Research Labs - Wingate University
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Research Labs
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Interested in going to graduate school or professional school? Then working in a research lab might be for you. Working as a research assistant exposes students to all aspects of conducting psychological research, from literature review and design creation, to participant collection, data analysis, and presentations and publications. These key skills not only look great on a resume, but also provide you with concrete tools (e.g., data analysis, experiential design, scientific writing and communication, problem solving, teamwork) that you can use in any future work. If you are interested in these opportunities, read more about our research labs below and contact us to see if a position would be right for you! Use the button below to apply to work in the lab:
Interested in working in the lab? CLick here!
Working as a research assistant with the P.U.P.P.Y. Lab was a significant part of my undergraduate experience that I will always cherish. It was an amazing opportunity to learn new skills, conduct field research, and work with a dedicated team. This assistantship gave me a perspective of post-graduate research and led me to recognize several overlaps with other fields that even people not considering graduate school should acknowledge.
Leigha Furr, '24
Performance Understanding and Person Perception in Youth (P.U.P.P.Y.) Lab
Performance and Athlete Well-being (PAW) Lab
Purpose Lab
Cognition, Achievement, and Decision Lab
Personality and Social Situations Lab
Reading Expertise and Difficulties (READ) Lab
Mind and Body Lab
Director:
Candace Lapan, PhD
Description: The Performance Understanding and Person Perception in Youth (P.U.P.P.Y.) Lab focuses on two main lines of research: (1) How children form academic self-perceptions via social comparison. (2) How children form beliefs about other people, including stereotypes and prejudice. In addition to her child development research, Dr. Lapan also conducts research on teaching practices, particularly the impact of Service-Learning on students' learning experiences.
Director:
Patrick Young, PhD
Description: The Performance and Athlete Well-being (PAW) Lab focuses on investigating the psychological variables that can enhance performance across multiple domains (e.g., sport, exercise, business, esports/gaming, performing arts, and academics) as well as examining the well-being of athletes and others in performance domains. Current projects include the use of psychological skills by esport/gaming athletes and examining the mental health of action sport athletes (e.g., skateboarders, snowboarders, rock climbers, skydivers, etc.).
Principal Investigator:
Terese Lund, PhD
Description: Dr. Lund is a Principal Investigator in the Purpose Lab, a joint lab with Dr. Belle Liang at Boston College. Purpose in life, defined as a long-term aspiration to make a difference in the world, is a developmental asset cultivated in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Put simply, our purpose is our
why
that propels us to achieve our goals and lead happier, healthier lives. With colleagues and students at Boston College, Dr. Lund and her students at Wingate pursue three lines of research on purpose in life. First, she examines positive psychosocial outcomes (e.g., academic achievement and improved mental health) that result from possessing a sense of purpose. Second, she investigates factors that foster purpose in life among adolescents and emerging adults. These factors include meaningful relationships and adverse experiences that help us uncover our
why
. Finally, she and her colleagues implement and assess interventions designed to cultivate purpose in young people.
Director:
Matt Davis, PhD
Description: Our research lab seeks to better understand the role of cognitive abilities in decision making and the factors that affect academic achievement. Two main lines of inquiry concern (1) how the way information is presented impacts subsequent decisions and (2) what key factors affect and influence retention at colleges and universities.
Director:
Chris Breeden, PhD
Description: Dr. Breeden is a social psychologist whose research typically investigates human behavior through some combination of trait-based (e.g., Five-Factor Model) and social-cognition-based frameworks (e.g., impression management). Currently, his research centers around three primary interests: (a) the influence of Dark Tetrad personality traits on both antisocial behaviors (e.g., lying to help the self) and prosocial behaviors (e.g., lying to help a friend’s reputation); (b) the social-cognitive and personality trait underpinnings of magical or pseudoscientific belief systems (e.g., belief in astrology; belief in aliens; belief in witchcraft); (c) applying principles of social and personality psychology to the workplace to promote more positive attitudes about work and better organizational communication.
Director:
Megan Deibel, PhD
Description: This lab focuses on understanding the cognitive processes underlying our ability to read. This includes, but is not limited to, understanding how we identify individual words in print, how readers learn new words encountered while reading, and how individual differences in reading ability affect these processes. Current projects include an investigation on how personality traits impact reading habits and our ability to learn newly encountered homophones of existing words while reading.
Director:
Kelly Scherger, PhD
Description: The Mind and Body Lab explores how psychological, behavioral, and social factors influence health and well-being across the lifespan. Dr. Scherger’s work emphasizes the interconnectedness of mental, physical, and relational health, with the goal of generating knowledge that can be applied to real-world challenges in healthcare and daily living. Dr. Scherger is especially interested in the areas of sexual health and wellness, health behavior change, mindfulness, and quality of life improvement.
Working in a research lab was an amazing part of my psychology experience, it allows for some exploration and experimentation with a small group of students and a faculty member. These labs do great things not just for your own knowledge and resume, they also help the campus and community. My particular lab was responsible for planning and organizing many major events on campus such as the SCNURCS conference and TEDx Wingate.
Lauren Finter, '24
Questions?
Dr. Matt Davis
(704) 233-8158
m.davis@wingate.edu
Skip To Main Content
Research Labs
Wellspring symposium
request information
Apply
Interested in going to graduate school or professional school? Then working in a research lab might be for you. Working as a research assistant exposes students to all aspects of conducting psychological research, from literature review and design creation, to participant collection, data analysis, and presentations and publications. These key skills not only look great on a resume, but also provide you with concrete tools (e.g., data analysis, experiential design, scientific writing and communication, problem solving, teamwork) that you can use in any future work. If you are interested in these opportunities, read more about our research labs below and contact us to see if a position would be right for you! Use the button below to apply to work in the lab:
Interested in working in the lab? CLick here!
Working as a research assistant with the P.U.P.P.Y. Lab was a significant part of my undergraduate experience that I will always cherish. It was an amazing opportunity to learn new skills, conduct field research, and work with a dedicated team. This assistantship gave me a perspective of post-graduate research and led me to recognize several overlaps with other fields that even people not considering graduate school should acknowledge.
Leigha Furr, '24
Performance Understanding and Person Perception in Youth (P.U.P.P.Y.) Lab
Performance and Athlete Well-being (PAW) Lab
Purpose Lab
Cognition, Achievement, and Decision Lab
Personality and Social Situations Lab
Reading Expertise and Difficulties (READ) Lab
Mind and Body Lab
Director:
Candace Lapan, PhD
Description: The Performance Understanding and Person Perception in Youth (P.U.P.P.Y.) Lab focuses on two main lines of research: (1) How children form academic self-perceptions via social comparison. (2) How children form beliefs about other people, including stereotypes and prejudice. In addition to her child development research, Dr. Lapan also conducts research on teaching practices, particularly the impact of Service-Learning on students' learning experiences.
Director:
Patrick Young, PhD
Description: The Performance and Athlete Well-being (PAW) Lab focuses on investigating the psychological variables that can enhance performance across multiple domains (e.g., sport, exercise, business, esports/gaming, performing arts, and academics) as well as examining the well-being of athletes and others in performance domains. Current projects include the use of psychological skills by esport/gaming athletes and examining the mental health of action sport athletes (e.g., skateboarders, snowboarders, rock climbers, skydivers, etc.).
Principal Investigator:
Terese Lund, PhD
Description: Dr. Lund is a Principal Investigator in the Purpose Lab, a joint lab with Dr. Belle Liang at Boston College. Purpose in life, defined as a long-term aspiration to make a difference in the world, is a developmental asset cultivated in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Put simply, our purpose is our
why
that propels us to achieve our goals and lead happier, healthier lives. With colleagues and students at Boston College, Dr. Lund and her students at Wingate pursue three lines of research on purpose in life. First, she examines positive psychosocial outcomes (e.g., academic achievement and improved mental health) that result from possessing a sense of purpose. Second, she investigates factors that foster purpose in life among adolescents and emerging adults. These factors include meaningful relationships and adverse experiences that help us uncover our
why
. Finally, she and her colleagues implement and assess interventions designed to cultivate purpose in young people.
Director:
Matt Davis, PhD
Description: Our research lab seeks to better understand the role of cognitive abilities in decision making and the factors that affect academic achievement. Two main lines of inquiry concern (1) how the way information is presented impacts subsequent decisions and (2) what key factors affect and influence retention at colleges and universities.
Director:
Chris Breeden, PhD
Description: Dr. Breeden is a social psychologist whose research typically investigates human behavior through some combination of trait-based (e.g., Five-Factor Model) and social-cognition-based frameworks (e.g., impression management). Currently, his research centers around three primary interests: (a) the influence of Dark Tetrad personality traits on both antisocial behaviors (e.g., lying to help the self) and prosocial behaviors (e.g., lying to help a friend’s reputation); (b) the social-cognitive and personality trait underpinnings of magical or pseudoscientific belief systems (e.g., belief in astrology; belief in aliens; belief in witchcraft); (c) applying principles of social and personality psychology to the workplace to promote more positive attitudes about work and better organizational communication.
Director:
Megan Deibel, PhD
Description: This lab focuses on understanding the cognitive processes underlying our ability to read. This includes, but is not limited to, understanding how we identify individual words in print, how readers learn new words encountered while reading, and how individual differences in reading ability affect these processes. Current projects include an investigation on how personality traits impact reading habits and our ability to learn newly encountered homophones of existing words while reading.
Director:
Kelly Scherger, PhD
Description: The Mind and Body Lab explores how psychological, behavioral, and social factors influence health and well-being across the lifespan. Dr. Scherger’s work emphasizes the interconnectedness of mental, physical, and relational health, with the goal of generating knowledge that can be applied to real-world challenges in healthcare and daily living. Dr. Scherger is especially interested in the areas of sexual health and wellness, health behavior change, mindfulness, and quality of life improvement.
Working in a research lab was an amazing part of my psychology experience, it allows for some exploration and experimentation with a small group of students and a faculty member. These labs do great things not just for your own knowledge and resume, they also help the campus and community. My particular lab was responsible for planning and organizing many major events on campus such as the SCNURCS conference and TEDx Wingate.
Lauren Finter, '24
Questions?
Dr. Matt Davis
(704) 233-8158
m.davis@wingate.edu