The UCLA Center for Research, Education, and Strategic Communication on Minority Health Disparities

Summer Research Program Students 2005

Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR)
SPUR offers undergraduate juniors with outstanding academic potential the opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors on research projects. The eight-week program is designed for students who plan to pursue the PhD degree and enter academic careers. The summer students from the SPUR program were funded by CRETSCMHD. Students were placed with the following faculty mentors:

Name: Amber Jynell Belcher
Major: Psychology
Home Campus: California State University, Northridge
Mentor: Shelly Gable, PhD
Research: The Association Between Approach and Avoidance Sexual Motivation: A Preliminary Analysis

The Association Between Approach and Avoidance Sexual Motivation: A Preliminary Analysis
An approach-avoidance model, which contains key motivational dimensions thought to underlie human behavior, was used to identify three broad domains of sexual motivations and to understand risky sexual behaviors. Such motives can be focused on a rewarding, desired end-state (approach); or a punishing, undesired end-state (avoidant). Data from college student samples were used to demonstrate the psychometric adequacy of Approach and Avoidance measures with the aim of showing that: 1) various reasons for engaging in sexual acts predicts distinctive patterns of risky sexual practices; 2) sexual restrictiveness, and lack thereof, should reflect the enactment of different mating strategies and tactics within each gender; and 3) use of contraception and birth control methods may be differentially executed depending upon one’s motivational strategy.

Name: Amelia Victoria Gonzalez

Major: Psychology

Home Campus: California State University, Los Angeles

Mentor: Dr. Julio Licinio

Research: Behavioral Anakysis of Leptin Replacement

This project aims specifically at analyzing the behavioral changes in three leptin deficient patients when leptin replacement was administered. Studies in the past have focused on analysis of physiological and physical changes in these same three individuals, this study differs in that it looks at the way that behavior may be effected by the physiological changes that occur.

Name: Charniece Dolores Tisdale
Major: Psychology
Home Campus: DePaul University, Chicago IL
Mentor: Dr. Sandra Graham, Ph.D
Research: The effect relational victimization has on the psychological adjustment of African American and Latina early adolescent girls in urban communities

The purpose of this study is to quantitatively analyze relational victimization among African American and Latina girls, in order to determine its relationship to their psychological adjustment. Psychological adjustment is operationally defined as depression, loneliness and self-worth. Once the results are found on the individual populations, they will be compared to one another. Work is still in progress, additional variables may be added in the future.

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