One of the best parts of my job as a professor is the opportunity to work with talented undergraduate students on research projects. When I was an undergraduate student, I was fortunate to become involved in several research projects working with some very talented professors. These experiences helped to convince me that one of the best ways to learn about psychology as an empirical science is to be involved in research. I try to give my students research experiences that help them to grow in their appreciation of the scientific enterprise, to develop their own skills as researchers, and to enhance their understanding of the complexity of human behavior. Research experiences through Independent Study (PSY 287) or Special Projects (PSY 290) are essential for students who plan to pursue graduate work in psychology. Past students who have worked with me in these courses and also Independent Honor Study (PSY 299) courses have gone on to do graduate work in a variety of fields including Social and Personality Psychology, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Clinical and Counseling Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, and a variety of other psychology-related disciplines.

My strategy for involving students in research often entails the assembly of a student research team. In these teams, students sometimes play different roles depending upon their interests, talents, and previous research experiences. One of the lessons to be learned from this experience concerns the value of teamwork. Psychological research often involves several researchers who together orchestrate a complex set of procedures.

My own graduate training was in social psychology. In a classic essay on the history of social psychology, Gordon Allport (1968) defined social psychology as a discipline that uses scientific methods to "understand and explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others." There are at least two notable aspects to this definition. First, social psychologists use the scientific method to study social behavior. The preferred method is the experiment, done in the lab or in an applied setting. This method includes the manipulation of independent variables and control of extraneous variables. Correlational methods employing surveys, systematic observations, and archival data (public records) also make important contributions to the field. A second noteworthy aspect of Allport's definition is that it stresses interdependence. To put it simply, social psychologists are interested in how the individual is influenced by other people.

Identified below are some of my ongoing research interests in which students might become involved:

Sexual Harassment: Sexual harassment is an important social problem. Sexually harassing behavior represents a significant source of stress for people in work, educational, and housing settings. Over the years I have studied many aspects of sexual harassment. Some of my research uses a survey methodology. Other research uses laboratory-based methods. Most of the projects in which students have been involved have been lab-based. One continuing set of questions these lab projects have addressed concerns the potential causes of sexually harassing behaviors--why do people do them? Laboratory experiments are uniquely capable of answering causal questions. Students have helped me to design, conduct, and analyze some very creative experiments in which we have examined the causes of sexually harassing behavior. Many of these projects have resulted in conference presentations in which student collaborators have shared authorship. Here are some recent examples:

Pryor, J. B., Hitlan, R., Olson, M., & Hahn, E. (1999, May). Gender harassment: Some social psychological studies of the antecedents. Invited address at the meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

Hahn, E., Pryor, J. B., Hitlan, R., & Olson, M. (1999, June). Gender harassment conceptualized as a form of hostile outgroup discrimination against women. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Society, Boulder, CO.

Wesselmann, E., Pryor, J. B., & Palmieri, P. (2002). Using a modified Stroop procedure to assess associations between ideas about sex and power. Paper accepted to the 2002 Midwestern Psychological Association Meetings, Chicago, IL.

Stigma: I began studying reactions that people have to persons infected with HIV in the 1980s. This research interest continues today. Some of the lessons we learned from examining the psychological reactions of people to HIV seem to have relevance to understanding their reactions to other types of stigma as well. Currently, students in my lab are examining psychological reactions to a variety of stigmas using a computer program Dr. Glenn Reeder and I have developed. We are also extending this research to examine some aspects of racial prejudice. Finally, in a related realm, I am interested in studying some of the psychological bases for prejudice concerning sexual orientation. Here is a recent convention presentation in which undergraduates and graduate students described some stigma research from our labs.

Yeadon, C. E., Lawrence, M. A., Alton, T. B., Corso, M A., Pryor, J. B., & Reeder, G. D. (2001, May). Immediate and controlled reactions to HIV-related stigma. Paper presented at the meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

If you think that you might be interested in working with me, please contact me by e-mail at pryor@ilstu.edu. You can also call me at 438-5191 or stop by my office (DeGarmo 410).