Max Guyll
Assistant Professor of
Psychology
W112
Lagomarcino Hall
Department
of Psychology
(515)
294-8006
Research interests and
Current projects
My research interests fall within the field
of Health Psychology, and I apply them to a number of content areas. To
illustrate, there are several projects currently underway in our lab. These
include a study being conducted jointly with Dr.
Stephanie Madon that focuses on the role
played by stress and physiologic activity (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate) in
criminal interrogations and confessions. In particular, we are exploring to
what degree does experiencing stress and physiologic
reactivity contribute to deciding to make a confession – and whether
they might increase the likelihood of false confessions.
In another project we are cooperating with a
clinical research trial being led by Dr. Nathaniel Wade which compares the
effectiveness of different kinds of group therapy for treating community
members who have experienced an interpersonal hurt. In our lab we assess the
participants’ cardiovascular activity, including how it is affected by speaking
about the hurt they have experienced. We plan to compare individuals in the
different groups, and also how their responses change after they have
participated in therapy.
In addition, with Dr. Carolyn Cutrona I
am engaged in examining the association between relationship quality and health
by analyzing longitudinal survey data of couples in long-term relationships. These
data indicate that whereas warm and supportive relationships are not strongly
related to health outcomes in nonhostile partners,
such positive relationships are especially helpful to hostile partners’ health.
Undergraduate research
laboratory experiences
My lab operates jointly with that of Dr.
Stephanie Madon, meaning that we formulate and
conduct many studies together, thereby providing both our graduate and
undergraduate students with a range of experiences and opportunities in a very
active research environment. We often have approximately 10-15 undergraduates
who are mature, responsible, and enthusiastic – qualities that help create a
fun and positive experience in a busy lab.
Graduate student
experiences and expectations
Graduate students in my laboratory will be most
likely to value their experiences to the degree that they seek the kind of
training that will prepare them for research-focused positions, including those
that conform to the research-practicioner model. By contrast, there will be a poor fit between
activities and goals for those students who are less interested in research,
and are primarily pursuing an advanced degree in order to do therapy,
counseling, or clinical work.
Naturally, graduate students must demonstrate a
number of characteristics, including being ambitious, responsible,
detail-focused, organized, persistent and highly available throughout the entire
year. Graduate students will be required
to organize and conduct all phases of research studies, including scheduling,
training, management, and oversight of undergraduate teams. The most successful
graduate students will view their high level of activity and involvement in
research projects as opportunities to improve their academic record. In return,
the student will receive high-quality training and experience in conducting health
psychology research, and will be offered the chance to contribute to manuscript
preparation in sufficient degree to warrant authorship credit. Graduate students
will also be encouraged to take a lead role in publication efforts, as
appropriate. Ultimately, our goal is to position graduate students for research
focused-academic careers such as those of tenure-track faculty, and to have
them successfully attain such positions.