Sylvia Niehuis, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 303
806-834-7382
sylvia.niehuis@ttu.edu
Faculty webpage

Research Interests: My program of research focuses on the development of premarital relationships within various ecological contexts, such as family, peer groups, and culture. I explore whether and how couples' courtship experiences bear upon their subsequent marital relationship, using dyadic, longitudinal data. For example, I have examined how various premarital events (such as pregnancy) and courtship experiences (such as cohabitation) influence the likelihood and timing of marital disruption. I have also studied interpersonal psychological processes that move couples toward marriage and, in particular, the interplay between those dyadic processes and long-term marital outcomes. For instance, I have looked at how individuals build up overly favorable perceptions of their partners' qualities and how disillusionment may later emerge as perceivers' lofty impressions of their partners succumb to the more realistic, less glamorous daily experiences of ongoing relationships.

Alan Reifman, Ph.D.

Professor
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 509
806-834-5174
alan.reifman@ttu.edu
Faculty webpage

Research Interests: Adolescent and young adult drinking; emerging adulthood; social networks; peer/parent influences; structural equation modeling; meta-analysis.

Dana Weiser, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 507J
806- 834-4912
dana.weiser@ttu.edu
Faculty webpage

Research Interests: How prior family experiences relate to individuals' romantic relationship outcomes and qualities (e.g., intergenerational patterns of infidelity behavior; communication and forgiveness following infidelity); self-efficacy development, and sexual health policies.

Molly Ireland, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Dept. of Psychology
Psychology Building 452F
806-834-8218
molly.ireland@ttu.edu
Faculty webpage

Research Interests: How natural language relates to health, personality, and social behavior in three broad contexts: conversations, individual language use, literature; computerized text analysis, typically Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC).

Rebecca Oldham, M.S.

SMITTEN Lab Project Manager
Graduate Part-time Instructor
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 302 & 303
806-834-6489
rebecca.oldham@ttu.edu
Rebecca's HDFS Graduate Student Profile

Research Interests: gender and sexuality; marriage partner selection; courtship predictors of marital happiness; dyadic analysis.

Mohsen Fouladi, M.S.

Graduate Research Assistant
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 302
mohsen.fouladi@ttu.edu
Mohsen's HDFS Graduate Student Profile

Research Interests: existential crisis in emerging adulthood, learned helplessness, system theory in family studies, cohabitation, domestic violence

Kareem Al-Khalil

Graduate Student Affiliate Researcher
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 302
kareem.al-khalil@ttu.edu

Research Interests: The relationship between brain connectivity and higher cognitive functioning. Of particular interests are populations with notably greater and less connectivity than average children which, respectively, underlies precocious intellectual abilities (math-giftedness) and cognitive deficits (Autism Spectrum Disorders).

Caitlyn Morgan

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Psychology
melaine.morgan@ttu.edu

Maya Takano

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Nutritional Science, Pre-professional Health
maya.takano@ttu.edu

Lorena Posadas

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Community, Family, and Addiction Services
lorena.posadas@ttu.edu

Shu Yuan, M.S.

Doctoral Candidate
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 302
shu.yuan@ttu.edu
Shu's HDFS Graduate Student Profile

Research Interests: attachment, family violence, intergenerational transmission of divorce.

Jennifer Lindsey, B.A., B.S.

Graduate Research Assistant
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
Human Sciences 302 & 303
806-742-3000
jennifer.l.lindsey@ttu.edu

Research Interests: romantic relationship dissolution, emerging adulthood, attachment.

Samantha Yianitsas, B.S.

Law Student, University of Kansas
samantha.yianitsas@ttu.edu

Research Interests: sexuality and gender.

Hannah Baird, M.S.

Doctoral Student
Graduate Assistant
Graduate Part-time Instructor
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
806-834-8913
h.baird@ttu.edu

Research Interests: romantic partner support in health and nutritional practices.

Tim Oblad, M.S.

Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University – Kingsville
tim.oblad@ttu.edu

Research Interests: cyber bullying.

Andrea Swenson, M.S.

Assistant Professor
Dept. of Human Development & Family Studies
University of Wisconsin – Stout

Research Interests: how couples who work together manage work and family boundaries.

Kyunghee Lee, Ph.D.

Former SMITTEN Lab Project Manager
Research Associate/Project Manager at Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence
Purdue University

Kayla Barron

Current Occupation: Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate student, Cameron University
kayla.barron@ttu.edu

Research Interests: Addiction in the context of romantic couples and culture.

Alyssa Bergman

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Human Development & Family Studies
alyssa.bergman@ttu.edu

Orlando Parrales

Current Occupation: Social Work Graduate Student, Columbia University
Major: Social Work
orlando.parrales@ttu.edu

Claire Eggleston

Current Occupation: Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Student, Texas Tech University
Major: Human Development and Family Studies
claire.eggleston@ttu.edu

Sarah Schubert

Current Occupation: Student in Nursing, Texas Tech University
Major: Human Development & Family Studies
sarah.schubert@ttu.edu

Cree Clay

Current Occupation: Medical Student, University of Texas Medical Branch
Major: Psychology
cree.clay@ttu.edu

Kristen Ginste

Current Occupation: Crisis Outreach Specialist, Starcare Specialty Health System
Major: Psychology
kristen.ginste@ttu.edu

Research Interests: sexuality, intimate relationships.

Alara Ozpolat

Current Occupation: Clinical Psychology Graduate Student, Columbia University
Major: Psychology
alara.ozpolat@ttu.edu

Research Interests: adolescents, intimate relationships, self-harm.

John Dehn

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Major: Psychology
john.dehn@ttu.edu

Wendy Wood, B.S.

Major: Human Development & Family Studies
Research Interests: romantic partners' personality perception.

Jared Sorbello, B.S.

Current Occupation: Nabors Drilling
Major: Human Development & Family Studies

Kevin Strickland, B.S.

Current Occupation: Audiology Graduate Student, Texas Tech University
TTU Pre-professional Health Careers