Individual Differences in Development (Deater-Deckard Lab)

Our competitive Research Intensives program places high-achieving high school students in professional working labs alongside distinguished faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

Data Science of the Developing Brain (DSDB) and Nervous System (Deater-Deckard Lab)

In DSDB, scholars will learn how to use and apply basic and advanced statistical tools, for conducting research on human brain and nervous system development across childhood and in adulthood. The focus is on "individual differences" -- how each of us has a unique combination of neurobiological factors that interact with our unique environments and experiences, to cause a huge range of adaptive and maladaptive developmental changes in brain and nervous system functioning. Scholars will carry out a guided independent data-driven project as part of this research intensive experience.

The Deater-Deckard Lab can host up to 5 students. Learn more.
 

Program Overview

During this program, high school students will attend remote lab and project meetings as they learn about research methodologies and contribute to ongoing research studies. Each student will create and present a research poster to faculty, fellow students, friends and family at a virtual poster presentation at the end of the program.

Students will come away with an introduction to the field of psychology, firsthand experience with university-level research, and an understanding of opportunities that exist for undergraduate students at a major R1 university such as UMass Amherst.
 

Schedule 

Live Zoom sessions will take place approximately 8 hours/week. Final schedule will be determined based on accepted students’ availability. Students should generally expect these hours to fall between 9am and 5pm (EDT) on weekdays. Interested students: please indicate your availability in your application.