PSY Research Spotlight with Brianna Petersen

February 21, 2025 - Shelly DeJong, Emily Johnson

Meet Brianna Petersen, a 3rd year psychology student with a minor in cognitive science who plans on graduating this spring. Brianna was a recent Provost’s Undergraduate Research Initiative (PURI) Award winner which allows her to do undergraduate research with the Timing, Attention, and Perception Lab (Tap Lab) with Dr. Devon McAuley.  

Brianna met with us to talk about her research on people who stutter, how she ended up studying cognitive psychology, and how she stays organized with all of her extracurricular activities (including the Spartan Marching Band)! 

 

How did you end up studying psychology and cognitive science?  

Going into high school, I was dead set on becoming a marine biologist. However, when I took my first environmental science class through my community college, I realized it wasn’t for me. At that point the only open course was Intro to Psychology, so I enrolled. I fell in love with both the instructor and the material. I took an abnormal psychology class, and I really enjoyed exploring how differences can lead to the external behaviors that we see. That's when I fell in love with cognitive psychology. 

 

What research are you currently doing thanks to your PURI award?  

I’m currently working on a project, which is a collaboration between MSU and the University of Michigan. The project focuses on children and adults with stutters, specifically how their difficulty with rhythm generation affects their perception of rhythm, their internal sense of rhythm, and their ability to produce rhythm. My job is to organize and synthesize that data in a way that makes it easier for us to analyze and interpret. As part of my requirements for the PURI award, I’ll be presenting at UURAF on this topic.

 

How else are you involved on campus? 

I have a very big love for music. I'm part of the Spartan Marching Band here on campus—we perform at both pregame and halftime at all MSU football games. It is one of my most favorite experiences that I've had here at college. This year I marched the Rutgers flag. The band members are incredibly welcoming, and the group is made up of a diverse range of people since you don’t need to be a music major to join the Spartan Marching Band. I was also in the Spartan Brass for several years as well. 

I am also a tour guide on campus, work as a librarian at the Main Library and am part of an intramural soccer team. 

 

How do you manage all your extracurricular activities? 

To me, a calendar is so important. I have a whiteboard calendar in my room, and I also use the Google calendar on my computer. What has helped me manage my time the most is using my personal calendar on my phone. Once I get dates, I put them into a cohesive document, which makes it easy to not double book. 

 

Want to give a shoutout to anyone? 

Yes! During my first year at MSU, I took a Sensation and Perception course with Mark Becker, which really set the tone for what to expect from the program. I also had the chance to work with Susan Ravizza, who is incredibly kind and sweet. Plus, she’s doing exactly what I want to do after graduation.  

Bailey Rann, a graduate student I work with in the TAP Lab, along with Devon McAuley, has been such a huge help in navigating all the challenges of the lab and also supported me with my grad application!