Karen Mooney

Research Interests

  • Quality of peer relationships (friendships and romantic relationships) in emerging adulthood, and how this is associated with adjustment outcomes (e.g., academics, self-esteem, problem behaviors).
  • Variable-oriented (comparing the values of variables to the values of other variables) and person-oriented (differentiating subgroups of individuals on the basis of distinctive patterns) approaches, taking advantage of their complimentary nature.

Student Involvement

  • Research assistants are responsible for the following tasks:
    • Reading relevant research articles
    • Assisting with designing studies
    • Collecting, entering, and cleaning data
    • Analyzing data and interpreting results
    • Composing poster presentations for conferences
  • Students will have the opportunity to test their own hypotheses with our data or even initiate their own project on a related topic.

Recruitment Opportunities

  • Dr. Mooney will be recruiting 1-2 students for Fall 2026.
  • The application will be available from March 2, 2026 to April 27, 2026.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications

  • Sophomore or junior standing.
  • Multiple semester commitment.
  • Conscientiousness, curiosity, reliability, and strong interpersonal skills.
  • Students should have completed and done well in both PSYC 250 and PSYC 251.