The Knouse Lab (KNAB), located in the Department of Psychology at the University of Richmond, is directed by Laura E. Knouse, Ph.D.

Meet ABCT’s Featured Lab

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The Knouse Lab (KNAB), located in the Department of Psychology at the University of Richmond, is directed by Laura E. Knouse, Ph.D.

 

 

Trainee Lab Members

 

We asked each of the KNAB’s members:

1. What is your primary research interest?
2. If the student is or has ever been a member of ABCT:

• How has ABCT been helpful to you?
• If a student were thinking about joining ABCT, what activities would you recommend they get involved in?

 

Hoor Ul Ain

(Major: Psychology; Minor: Economics)

 

I am interested in exploring behavioral treatments in children and young adults struggling with different conditions related to mental health!

 

Being an ABCT member provided me the platform to share the research that I had been working on throughout my college career. I was also able to connect with other aspiring researchers and learn about their work, which was very inspiring.

 

I would highly recommend joining an ABCT Special Interest Group (SIG) because this is a great opportunity for students to present their work and connect with peers who have similar interests.. There are so many groups you could choose. I was a part of the CPLAC, or Clinical Psychology at Liberal Arts Colleges, and just listening to other presentations from other students during the poster sessions motivated me in my own research.

 

Yueyi Fan

(Major: Psychology; Rhetoric & Communication Studies; Minor: Data Science & Statistics)

 

I am passionate about working on research projects in the mental health field that inform practices that improve people’s well-being. My primary interests include how self-compassion impacts aspects of well-being and what roles emotional awareness and clarity play in the relationships.

 

Sampson Valdez

(Major (intended): Biology Concentration in Neuroscience; Minors (intended): Spanish; Psychology)

 

My research interests include clinical psychology, neuroscience, biology and the medical field.

 

Aditya Narayanan

(Majors (intended): Psychology with Concentration in Neuroscience and  Biology; Minor (intended): Theater)

 

I hope to work in the fields of Psychology and Biology, and am interested in working on research in those fields; specifically the areas of neuroscience and clinical psychology.

 

Ilana Lavine

(Majors: Leadership Studies; Psychology)

 

My primary interest revolves around anything within industrial organizational psychology research; however, I enjoy exploring various other aspects within the clinical realm of psychology.

 

Laura E. Knouse, Ph.D.

Dr. Laura Knouse is a clinical psychologist whose research and clinical expertise focus on the nature, assessment, and treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults, specializing in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for adult ADHD. Her recent research aims to better understand the cognitive and behavioral processes that contribute to self-regulation and motivation difficulties in college students with ADHD in order to develop effective interventions. Her cross-disciplinary collaborative work focuses on how leaders can most effectively cope with personal crisis and how growth mindsets are related to mental health and coping.

In the KNAB, Dr. Knouse partners with undergraduate student researchers to investigate self-regulation problems in people with and without ADHD with a focus on better understanding the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes that contribute to effective and ineffective self-regulation and motivation. We integrate research methods from clinical, cognitive, and social psychology. Our recent work uses Ecological Momentary Assessment—where participants complete multiple short questionnaires each day on their cell phones—to understand how avoidant automatic thoughts contribute to self-regulation difficulties.

How long have you been a member of ABCT?

Since my graduate school days, pre-2008!

 

How often and why do you attend the ABCT convention?

I attend the convention annually to keep abreast of research findings in my field and to socialize with long-time friends from other institutions. I’m deeply involved with the ADHD Special Interest Group and our Preconference Research and Practice Exchange (PRECON) is my favorite event each year. I’m also engaged with the Clinical Psychology at Liberal Art Colleges SIG and enjoy bringing students to the conference and introducing them to the field of clinical psychology. They’re inspired to be in a place where people “nerd out” about research as much as they do and where they can see the researchers whose work they read in “real life.”

 

How do you stay current with developments in the field (research and/or practice and/or policy)?

Google Scholar updates and alerts are quite helpful along with completing my continuing education units via ABCT’s recorded conference sessions. The ABCT forum and ADHD SIG list serve are also helpful, as are the sessions I attend at the conference each year.

 

How has ABCT helped you/your lab professionally?

ABCT has been a wonderful place for my students to share their research, learn more about pathways to becoming a scientist-practitioner, and begin their professional journeys as undergraduates by networking with prospective mentors. For me, as one of only two clinical psychologists in my department, ABCT is an invaluable place for me to network with people in my specific area of research. I’ve developed numerous collaborative scholarly relationships through these interactions.

 

Does your lab have any traditions? Does your lab do anything together for fun?

Our official lab tee shirt is adorned with a B.F. Skinner quotation that embodies the spirit of the KNAB: “When you run into something interesting, drop everything and study it.” Our lab strongly believes in the power of reinforcers to motivate our work together so “fun activities” such as lab dinners are a frequent occurrence. In addition, primary reinforcers are freely available to lab members in our KNAB Snack Bar.

 

What advice would you give prospective trainees?

For undergraduates interested in clinical psychology and related disciplines, I strongly encourage you to get involved in research and, if possible, work with a mentor for multiple semesters so that you can get a rich experience. If possible, consider completing an independent project once you get some experience under your belt and definitely consider attending professional conferences to get a taste of the field. Finally, I very strongly encourage undergraduates pursuing graduate work to consider a post-bacc research experience to refine their interests, gain experience, and learn more about what graduate level work will be like.