The Graduate Stricto Sensu Program in Psychology currently has six laboratories, two for each of the research lines already installed. Every year there are more investments in equipment, with research grants funded by CNPq and FAPESP, as well as the number of students in laboratories, enabling the activities of the research lines are developed with more quality. Below is more details on each of the laboratories:
Psychological and Educational Assessment Laboratory (LabAPE)
Established under the research theme of Construction, Validation, and Standardization of Measurement and Assessment Instruments in Educational Psychology, the Psychological and Educational Assessment Laboratory (LabAPE) benefits from institutional support and funding from USF, FAPESP (Young Researcher and regular grants), CNPq (Universal Call, Humanities, and Productivity), and CAPES/INEP (Education Observatory). Coordinated by Professor Ricardo Primi, the lab includes Professors Evandro Morais Peixoto, Lucas de Francisco Carvalho, Felipe Valentini, Vithor Rosa Franco, and Nelson Hauck-Filho. LabAPE also engages in international collaborations with Ghent University (Belgium) and the University of California-Berkeley (USA). Our research focuses on psychometric models and item response theory, response biases, integrating artificial intelligence in assessment, and constructing tools to evaluate various psychological and educational constructs, including intelligence, personality, socio-emotional skills, and academic performance.
The Mental Health Psychological Assessment Laboratory (LAPSaM) is part of the research line for Psychological Assessment in Mental Health Contexts. Thanks to ongoing support from funding agencies, we've been able to expand our facilities, significantly enhancing our research capacity and output. Our team includes Professors Anna Elisa de Villemor-Amaral, Nelson Hauck Filho, Giselle Pianowski, Ariela Raíssa Lima Costa, and Lucas de Francisco Carvalho. The laboratory not only supports individual research efforts but also fosters a collaborative environment among students from various supervisory backgrounds, enhancing communication on both qualitative and quantitative projects. This collaborative approach has led to more frequent and integrated studies across different aspects of mental health assessment.
The Educational Psychology Laboratory (LAPE) focuses on researching themes pertinent to both basic and higher education settings. Our main interest lies in exploring constructs that can significantly enhance positive educational outcomes. Our research encompasses socio-emotional competencies, positive traits and states, neuropsychological assessments, and parenting. The team comprises Professors Ana Paula Porto Noronha, Felipe Valentini, Vithor Rosa Franco, Karina da Silva Oliveira, Ariela Raíssa Lima Costa, Ligia de Santis, and collaborator Ricardo Franco de Lima. Our projects are dedicated to constructing and validating assessment instruments within this educational context, featuring quantitative studies that include item writing, item quality analysis, validity evidence search, precision estimates, theoretical model development, and group analyses.