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Wicia F

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Cornell University

Expertise

social psychology, person perception, inequality, socioeconomic status, social network analysis, text analysis, mental health, well-being,

Bio

My research interest lies in social psychology, and using it to addressing real-world problems. I am especially interested in how individuals connect with each other, with the goal of increasing social support regardless of identities. I enjoy helping others understand statistical analysis as well as diving into various analytical methods myself. Outside of work, I often paint with watercolor or acrylic paint. Weather permitting, I also make time to go hiking at a local waterfall trail. I also like watching documentaries about crime and popular culture, especially with friends; I find it fascinating how the world is changing and the vast information we receive every single day. Every once in a while, I also make pizza from scratch!

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

How social interactions and social networks increase subjective well-being

In this project, we test for underlying mechanisms that galvanize the benefits of social interaction. Across our studies, we ask participants to report how they feel before and after every single social interaction they had over the course of a week. We also ask them to report why they feel the way they did after the interaction. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis, we find evidence that helps understand the benefits to social interactions and can inform interventions in future studies.

Coding skills

R

Languages I know

Chinese (intermediate)

Teaching experience

I have mentored individuals from study design, to data collection and analysis, to research dissemination. I have also mentored individuals in terms of professional development, guiding them throughout the process of applying to undergraduate and graduate institutions.

Credentials

Work experience

Stanford University (2019 - 2021)
Research Assistant
UC Berkeley (2017 - 2018)
fMRI Research Assistant
UC Berkeley (2017 - 2019)
Independent Honors Thesis Researcher
UC Berkeley (2018 - 2019)
Lead Administrator

Education

University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
BA Bachelor of Arts (2019)
Economics and Cognitive Science (double)
Cornell University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Psychology

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