CHASS

Where the Research Happens

The departments within CHASS host a variety of laboratories that allow faculty and students to explore diverse academic subjects. These labs are a key part of the robust and intellectual community within the College and the University. Learn more about some of our on-campus labs.

Anthropology Research Labs

Labs overseen by the Department of Anthropology.

• Archaeology
  The Archaeology facilities contain equipment for a broad range of procedures including microscopic analysis of artifacts, flotation recovery of plant remains, and artifact photography. Teaching type collections include prehistoric and historic artifacts, and artifact casts, lithic tool reproductions, and botanical reference collections. A photographic darkroom is available for research and equipped for development and enlargement.
• BioAnthropology
  Materials for BioAnthropology teaching and research include equipment to evaluate human fertility, nutrition, and growth; human and non-human osteological collections; and a wide range of fossil replicas representing Miocene through recent hominid evolution.
• Lithic Technology
  The Lithic Technology Laboratory in the Department of Anthropology provides facilities, equipment, and materials for use by faculty, research staff, and students in the study of ancient stone technologies. Its collection of literature includes extensive replicated research collections in many technological areas, voucher collections of tool-stone samples from around the world and from many heat-treatment experiments, comparative collections from critically important archaeological sites of the Near Eastern Neolithic and Paleolithic, heat-treatment kilns, microscopes, photographic and ultraviolet fluorescence equipment, raw materials for stoneworking, and other necessities for the replicative analysis and interpretation of archaeological lithic collections.

Psychology Research Labs

Research labs overseen by the Department of Psychology.

• Audiovisual Speech and Auditory Event Perception
  The Audiovisual Speech and Auditory Event Perception laboratory, located in the
• Cognitive Neuroscience
  Under the direction of Professor of Psychology Christine Chiarello, the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory investigates how the human brain works, including looking at brain structures for language, the right hemisphere’s role in word production and retrieval and semantic processing, sentence processing and noun/verb processing.
• Culture and Personality Lab
  The Culture and Personality Laboratory in the Department of Psychology explores how culture and ethnicity shape our identities and personalities. Research includes inquiry into biculturalism, culture and personality structure and culture and social symbols. The lab is directed by Professor Verónica Benet-Martínez.
• Experimental Social Psychology
  The Experimental Social Psychology Laboratory is independent of faculty laboratories and features 10 computers and laser printer. The lab is equipped for research into speech manipulation, reaction time experiments, motor control and human factors. PsycInfo and PubMed, and dozens of other databases are accessible as well.
• Multicultural Family and Adolescent Study (MFAS)
  The Multicultural Family and Adolescent Study (MFAS) is a four-year, multi-method study into how parenting behavior influences youths in school performance and avoidance of negative outcomes such as depression and delinquency. Associate Professor of Psychology Ruth K. Chao is the principal investigator of the grant.
• Psycholinguistics and Computational Cognition
  The Psycholinguistics and Computational Cognition Laboratory examines language comprehension, including basic word recognition, categorization, syntactic processing and sentence and discourse comprehension. Research domains include psycholinguistics, neuropsychology, computation and cognitive aging. The lab is overseen by Professor of Psychology Curt Burgess.
• Riverside Accuracy Project
  The Riverside Accuracy Project examines the factors that influence the accuracy with which people make personality judgments of themselves and others. The project also addresses topics including the relationship between normal personalities and personality disorders, connections between personality and language use, and the psychological assessment of social situations. It is directed by Professor of Psychology David C. Funder.
• Social Psychology Research (SPYRL)
  Developed in 2002, the Social Psychology Research Laboratory (SPYRL) is made up of 10 video-wired computer-equipped rooms that allow for observation of individuals, dyads, or group interaction, including focus groups. Research conducted at the lab advances the study of self, identity, interaction and interpersonal relationships.
• TalkLab
  The TalkLab is dedicated to the study of spoken language processing and conversational interaction. The lab is run by Assistant Professor Dale J. Barr. Projects include eye tracking in referential communication, multimodal communication, and language use and coordination in communities.

Multi-Disciplinary Research Labs

Labs that are of an multi-disciplinary nature.

• Statistical Consulting Collaboratory
  The Statistical Consulting Collaboratory is a fee-based consulting service that aids academic research, private businesses and individuals in data analysis and serves as a training center for graduate students.