REU Site: Scientific Study of Interpersonal Relationships Across the Lifespan

该项目由社会，行为和经济科学理事会（SBE）本科生研究经验（REU）站点计划资助。对一生中人际关系的科学研究对于我们更广泛地理解人类经历是很重要的。这些关系从我们最早的互动开始，一直持续到后来的生活，通过它们，我们学会了如何与他人沟通，如何支持他人，以及如何处理冲突和消极情绪。这些关系也通过各种学科进行研究，包括心理学、家庭科学和人际交往。然而，这些重要的日常互动的科学通常被本科生忽视，因为1)是一门科学，2)是未来学习和职业目标的可行选择。传播学、人类发展与家庭科学和心理科学专业的本科生通常对人际关系感兴趣，而那些继续研究生学习的本科生大多会在这些研究领域中应用更多的领域（即大众传播、婚姻与家庭治疗、临床/咨询心理学）。这个REU网站旨在教育学生在整个生命周期中科学研究人际关系的意义。这个为期9周的校园暑期项目（每暑期8名学生）以跨学科、生命发展和亲密关系科学研究的多样性为中心。这个REU网站将利用密苏里大学家庭和关系研究网络（FARR-net）培育的协作和互动研究环境。每位本科生将由一名来自传播系、人类发展与家庭科学系或心理科学系的farr -net附属教员指导，从发展信息的角度设计一个与一个或多个主要亲密关系（即亲子、兄弟姐妹、朋友、浪漫/婚姻伴侣）相关的项目。参与者还将接受专业发展培训，以申请研究生课程和竞争性奖学金，并有机会通过校园和专业研究会议参与科学传播和研究传播。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). The scientific study of interpersonal relationships over the lifespan is important to our broader understanding of the human experience. These relationships begin with our earliest interactions and continue into later life, and through them we learn how to communicate with, and support others, as well as handle conflicts and negativity. These relationships are also studied through a variety of disciplines, including psychology, family sciences, and interpersonal communication. However, the science of these important, everyday interactions is typically overlooked by undergraduates as 1) being a science, and 2) being a viable option for future study and professional goals. While undergraduates in the fields of Communication, Human Development and Family Sciences, and Psychological Sciences are often interested in relationships, the majority of those undergraduate majors who go on to graduate study largely apply to more applied areas within these fields of study (i.e., mass communication, marriage and family therapy, clinical/counseling psychology). This REU Site aims to educate students on what it means to scientifically study interpersonal relationships across the lifespan. This 9 week on-campus summer program (8 students per summer) is centered on the interdisciplinary, lifespan developmental, and diverse nature of the scientific study of close relationships. This REU site will take advantage of the collaborative and interactive research environment fostered by the Family and Relationships Research Network of Missouri (FARR-net) at MU. Each undergraduate will be mentored by a primary FARR-net-affiliated faculty member from the departments of Communication, Human Development & Family Sciences, or Psychological Sciences, to design a project related to one or more primary close relationships (i.e., parent-child, sibling, friends, romantic/marital partners) from a developmentally-informed perspective. Participants will also receive professional development training in applying to graduate programs and competitive fellowships, as well as opportunities to engage in science communication and research dissemination through on-campus and professional research conferences.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.