Megan Robbins, Ph.D.
Lab Director
Dr. Robbins is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. She received her doctorate in Psychology from the University of Arizona, and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Her research focuses on understanding how people’s (usually romantic couples’) daily social interactions are related to health and well-being. She particularly focuses on the role of expressive behaviors (e.g., word use, sighing, laughing) in the coping process using a naturalistic observation method called the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR; Mehl et al., 2001; Mehl, Robbins, & Deters, 2012). The EAR periodically records snippets of sound in people’s momentary environments, which allows Professor Robbins to examine how participants’ observed daily behavior relates to relationship and coping outcomes. Another line of her research uses findings from these observational studies to inform the development of coping and well-being interventions. Her ultimate goal is to understand the implications of mundane interactions and expressive behaviors to elucidate effective strategies and interventions people can naturally incorporate into their daily lives. Megan_Robbins_CV
Current Graduate Students
Dylan Jong is a doctoral student in the Social/Personality Psychology Program at UC Riverside. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Cognitive Science from UC Merced. Dylan’s research interests focus on how real-time social interactions and networks influence romantic relationships, especially within the context of same-sex couples compared to their different-sex counterparts.
M. Anais Martinez, M.A. is a doctoral candidate in the Social/Personality Psychology program at UC Riverside. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and her Master’s degree in Psychology at California State University, Long Beach. Anais is interested in exploring communication styles of romantic partners, specific strengths or vulnerabilities in sexual and ethnic minority couples, and what communication and social practices may predict better relationship quality and well-being.
Graduated Students
- Alexander Karan, Ph.D. was a postdoc in the Psychology Department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is now a Research Analyst at Chabot College.
- Robert Wright, Ph.D. was a postdoc in the School of Medicine at Stanford University, and is now a Psychometrician/Social Scientist at the FDA.
- Pavani Jonnalagadda, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Professor at Norco College and Moreno Valley College, and incoming Assistant Professor at San Diego Mesa College.
- Chandler Spahr, Ph.D. is working as an independent research consultant and is currently pursuing industry positions in behavioral science and data science.