Research Laboratories

The UA Little Rock Psychology Department main office is located on the 6th floor of Stabler Hall. Faculty offices are located on the 5th and 6th floors and classrooms are generally located on the 1st and 4th floors of Stabler Hall.

We offer students the opportunity to go beyond classroom learning and actually engage in activities similar to those of professionals in the field with the use of laboratories.

Biobehavioral Laboratory: The Biobehavioral Laboratory houses state-of-the-art equipment for faculty-student collaborations and classroom demonstrations. Using a special machine and sensors, you can learn to control normally involuntary processes such as heart rate and blood pressure that increase under stress. The machine “feeds back” the efforts and eventually you can recognize and control facets of the stress response by yourself. Once viewed with skepticism, the control of “involuntary” responses is now seen to be effective in the treatment of migraine headaches, asthma, and other disorders in certain individuals.

The Biobehavioral Laboratory is sometimes referred to as the Sleep Laboratory as it houses an incredible new Cadwell Dual-purpose Polysomnograph with Synchronous Digital Video and EEG for night and day use. Students and faculty will have the opportunity to investigate questions such as: (a) How much sleep do we need, and what is the minimum amount? (non-clinical basic research), (b) How can we combat driver sleepiness? (applied research) and (c) What are the therapeutic effects of sleep restriction in severe depression (clinical basic research).

Developmental Research Laboratory: The Developmental Research Lab is used for training students to participate in research projects with children. Students who are interested in this type of research can contact Dr. Blevins-Knabe at 501-916-6115 or blblevins@ualr.edu.