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Research Projects |
Lee Edward Travis Research Institute |
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Research in the School of Psychology takes place within the context of Travis Research Institute (TRI) named after Dr. Lee Edward Travis, the school’s founding Dean, brilliant pioneering experimental physiological psychologists, speech pathologists and clinical psychologists. TRI is the embodiment of Travis’ legacy of empirical research and scholarship in psychology today.
TRI is committed to fostering interdisciplinary research into the relationships between social systems, environmental situations, personality, mental and affective states, cognitive processes, neurobiological functions, and spiritual and religious states and practices. An important role of TRI is the establishment and maintenance of a research infrastructure that encourages large-scale collaborative research and facilitates obtaining research funding for the various projects. The institute is organized into several Research Centers, constituting the major foci of large-scale collaborative ongoing work. Centers involve both empirical and theoretical scholarship.
The Center for Biopsychosocial Research seeks to understand the interactions between neural and biologic systems and the social, psychological, and spiritual/religious functioning of persons. Major areas of study have involved the cognitive disabilities associated with congenital brain abnormalities, the role of interactions between the two cerebral hemispheres in higher human mental processes, autonomic/affective responses in depression and panic disorder, and health and illness prevention. Co-Directors: Drs. Warren S. Brown, Alexis Abernethy Faculty (in alphabetical order): Drs. Alexis Abernethy, Warren S. Brown, Sarah DeBoard Marion, Archibald Hart, and Lynn K. Paul The Center for the Study of Stress, Trauma, and Adjustment (CSTA) is committed to innovative research in the areas of acute, chronic, and post-traumatic stress. The center’s purpose is to expand the understanding of these variables and to facilitate the application of this knowledge to the development of better methods of identification and treatment of individuals, families, and communities that have been affected by an environment of chronic stress and trauma. One particular area of focus is the research and clinical service directed to the needs of international ministry and humanitarian aid workers. This work is supported by a generous endowment from the Headington family of Dallas, Texas. Director: Dr. Cynthia Eriksson Faculty (in alphabetical order): Drs. Alexis Abernethy, Jeff Bjorck, Cynthia Eriksson, David Foy, Sofia Herrera Maldonado, Katharine Meese Putman and Lisseth Rojas-Flores The Center for Research in Child and Adolescent Development (CRCAD) has the purpose to further the knowledge of positive development in childhood and adolescence. A specific focus of this research program is the identification of ecological factors that are associated with the promotion of well-being and the prevention of risk among children and youth. Special attention is given to the unique role of community resources and religion in shaping these positive developmental outcomes. An additional focus of the Center includes furthering an understanding of the associations between child outcomes and marital and parent-child relations. Co-Directors: Drs. Linda Mans Wagener and James Furrow Faculty (in alphabetical order): Drs. Mari Clements, James Furrow, Pamela Ebstyne King, Lisseth Rojas-Flores, and Linda Mans Wagener The Center for Research in Psychotherapy and Religion (CPR) is committed to the empirical and theoretical study of psychotherapy and religion and their interaction. The goal is to improve the quality of treatments, the training of therapists, and the mental health delivery system through research and scholarship. CPR focuses on the relationship of psychotherapy process and outcome; the appropriate role of religion in psychotherapy; and the impact of public policy on mental health reform. The center is committed to high caliber clinical outcome and process research that addresses practical issues facing therapists on the front-line of treatment delivery, and CPR aims to be a national resource for information on religiously sensitive therapy and a venue fir training graduate students and post-doctoral clinicians. Moreover, the center promotes scholarly research that encourages public policy that is supportive of and sensitive to matters of religion and spirituality. Faculty (in alphabetical order): Drs. David Atkins, Al Dueck, Winston Gooden, John Martin, and Siang-Yang Tan |
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In 1965, Lee Travis became the Founding Dean of the Fuller Graduate School of Psychology. In 1998, the Travis Research Institute (TRI) committed itself to his vision of fostering interdisciplinary research. Travis was a brilliant, pioneering experimental physiological psychologist, speech pathologist, and clinical psychologist, with distinguished careers at the University of Iowa (1924-1938) and University of Southern California (1938-1965) prior to his deanship at Fuller (1965-1975). His best known research was in the area of stuttering. He was also among the first researchers in the USA to use electrophysiological measures for studying the brain.