UROP Project
How Does Posttraumatic Stress Affect Our Ability To Remember Information
PTSD, eyetracking, memory
Research Mentor: Dr. Brad Schmidt, Ph.D., He/Him/His
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: garcia@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Mr. Jaime Garcia Quiles He/Him/His
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: garcia@psy.fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: garcia@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Mr. Jaime Garcia Quiles He/Him/His
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: garcia@psy.fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Yes
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Preference for psychology and neuroscience students, but open to all majors!
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Preference for psychology and neuroscience students, but open to all majors!
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 5-10, Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link:
- Day: Thursday, September 4
Start Time: 3:30
End Time: 4:00
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/4758652269
Project Description
Research has demonstrated that individuals with PTSD tend to display memory deficits when presented with external stimuli after their traumatic event. When these individuals do tend to remember information, this tends to be biased towards negatively-valenced and threatening images (e.g., people looking angry, firearms, etc.). However, research has yet to examine these memory performances in neural/ambigious circumstances that often resemble everyday situations. Furthermore, the exact cause and maintaining factors for these memory deficits is not completely understood. Using clinical interviewing along with a memory game that is attached to an eyetracker, we aim to answer these questions and determine how individuals with PTSD perceive and recall information in ambiguous circumstances.Research Tasks: Students should expect to gain experience in participant recruitment, clinical interviewing, literature review, data collection, and developing their own research projects. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and develop their own ideas for how this project may grow and relate to their own interests.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required: Strong writing skills, open mind, clear communication skills
Recommended: Strong interest in psychology/neuroscience research
Training for specific tasks will be provided.
Mentoring Philosophy
My goal as a mentor is to cultivate my students’ interests and equip them with the tools and knowledge that will best prepare them to engage in rigorous scientific research. I wish for my students to think critically about our project and identify where research should go next. I ascribe to a step up, step back approach where I hope to equip my students with the skills they need to succeed, and then step back to further develop their skills through the roles and experiences given while being around should issues/questions arise.Additional Information
Recording of our UROP roundtable can be found here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TFZb3FGYZWmvzREbggG8X5C26ULc9el8/view?usp=sharing