Part Time – Parent, Regulation, Engagement, Stress, and Health (PRESH) – Research Assistant

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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Parent, Regulation, Engagement, Stress, and Health (PRESH) project, directed by Dr. Erika Lunkenheimer at The Pennsylvania State University, is accepting applications for two part-time Research Assistant positions (20 hours per week) in our University Park, PA office (Penn State Main Campus). The PRESH project involves studying parents’ experience of being parented in childhood, their mental health, their beliefs about parenting, parenting stress, and parents’ self-regulation. We are interested in how these factors influence parent-child interaction patterns, parents’ disciplinary practices, and child outcomes. This study aims to discover which factors should be prioritized when attempting to better support parents to reduce stress and harsh discipline through intervention.

Job Duties
Major job duties could include:

• Conducting 3-hour data collection sessions with families in the laboratory, including conducting interviews, administering questionnaires, collecting biological data (e.g., applying electrodes to skin, collecting saliva samples), and completing experimental tasks with families and children according to study protocols.
• Coding videotaped observational data of parent and child interactions using an established coding system and observational coding software.
• Entering data, transferring data, and/or managing datasets in Excel, SPSS, and data management software.
• Supporting the study Project Coordinator in supervising undergraduate research assistants as needed.

Hours for data collection duties are on weekdays and/or weekend mornings (e.g., 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) to accommodate participating families’ schedules. Hours for video coding duties are flexible but involve weekly meetings held during workday hours. This opening is located in the Moore Building at Penn State, University Park.

Requirements and Qualifications
Required Qualifications:

• Prior laboratory research experience.
• Familiarity and comfort with computer software (e.g., Microsoft Office, SPSS).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least one year of previous research experience
• Experience working with children and families

Candidates should be prepared to provide the names, titles, and contact information (telephone, email, and mailing address) of three (3) professional references, if requested. 

Employment with the University for this job will require successful completion of the Pennsylvania (PA) Publicly Available Clearances: PA Child Abuse History Clearance, PA State Police Criminal Record Check, and the FBI Criminal History Background Check.    

The expected start date is January 9, 2023 but could be negotiable. The work schedule will be 20 hours per week, 12 months a year. Benefits are not included .

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Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. 

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