Bio:

My name is Van Walker and I am a Junior at the University of Texas. I am currently pursuing a BA in psychology and a BS in communication studies focusing on human relations. I am the recently-elected head captain of University cheerleading squad as well as a member of the fraternity Kappa Sigma. In addition, I have coached cheerleading for nearly four years now, having worked at Southwest Cheer Academy Storm in Houston, Capital Cheer in Austin, the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Southwest Texas region, and (currently) Austin Cheer Elite. I play the guitar, dabble in the drums, and can sing like nobody's business.

Well, not really.

Past Research:

Since the fall of 2005 I have worked under Dr. Michael Telch in the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders. Under the guidance of Kate Wolitzky, a doctoral candidate in the Telch Lab, I have assessed and diagnosed individuals with a variety of clinical psychopathologies, ranging from eating disorders to phobias, although the majority of individuals I see lay claim to anxiety and mood disorders. Past projects include assisting research for the Academic Worry Study, Kate's doctoral dissertation. We have just recently run the last of our 100 participants and, assuming that participant attrition is held to a minimum and compliance is held to a maximum,  we will conclude the study this semester, the spring of 2007.

Beginning with my experimental psychology class individual research project in Spring 2006, I embarked on a year-long investigation of the etiological factors contributing to the cognitive state of depression, focusing particularly on attribution research and the perception of control. I completed my pilot study last spring and concluded the final study (nicknamed "Cold Penguin") last fall. Running the project on my own served to be a valubale, yet resource-consuming experience that has led to considerable personal insight as to the factors that contribute to and maintain a depressive outlook on life. I am currently in the process of publishing my findings.

Current Research:

Now that my attribution research has come to a close, I turn to the subject of my honors project: claustrophobia. Working in the Telch Lab has allowed me to gain valuable knowledge of the kinds of challenges facing psychology researcher both in the field and in the lab. With Dr. Telch as my honors advisor, I am about to embark on a hypothesis that supplements the dissertation of Jon Horowitz, another graduate student in the lab. Working with the Austin Radiological Clinic, Jon hopes to investigate several cognitive-behavioral methods of anxiety reduction for individuals who experience claustrophobia surrounding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. I plan on investigating certain personality variables that should predict how well a patient responds to which treatment as well as who will be most likely to participate in such a therapy, should it one day be available to the general public. I propose that MRI patients who score high on the "openness to experience" and low on the "neurotic" scales of the Big Five Personality measure will be most likely to participate and maximize their benefits from inclusion in the study. A separate score on a courage scale and desire for controllability scale should provide some insight, as well, as to what kinds of people will respond best to which treatment.