Ohio University
Department of Psychology
PSY 3940: Undergraduate Research
Recommendations for Maximizing your Experience
Jennifer Segula1 & Lindsay Orchowski2
PSI CHI1 & Graduate School Advising Program2
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PSY 3940, Research in Psychology, integrates undergraduate research assistants into faculty and
graduate student research teams. This course is not a requirement of the degree, and is graded by
credit/non-credit only. Students are expected to complete three hours of work for each hour of credit.
Arrangements for the course can be made through individual faculty members and research
laboratories within the Department of Psychology. This review provides an insider’s view into the
benefits and challenges of research collaboration, so that undergraduate students can maximize their
experience as a research assistant.
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As research assistants, undergraduate students
have the opportunity to gain hands-on learning
experience in the design and maintenance of
psychological research. As Dewar and Sharp
(2006) suggest, such collaborative learning
environments, where undergraduate students
work with graduate students and faculty, offer a
valuable alternate learning experience from the
classroom.
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credentials for graduate study. Since learning
what you don’t like to do is just as important as
knowing what you do like to do, laboratory
research can help students to rule out potential
career choices. For example, exposure to data
collection may help students to distinguish
whether they would like to pursue a degree in
psychology
which
emphasizes
research,
compared to practice.
What’s in it for me? Benefits of PSY 3940
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Reason #1: Hand’s on Learning and Skill
Development. For many undergraduate students,
Since research experiences provide fundamental
skills in the methods of psychological science,
research assistants who apply to graduate school
are often at an advantage compared to applicants
less skilled in laboratory research. Not only do
research assistants gain a broader awareness of
their own professional interests, faculty mentors
may also help research assistants in locating
potential summer internship opportunities,
developing and refining one’s curriculum vitae,
and providing letters of recommendation.
volunteering in a research laboratory may be the
first time they are able to gather a “behind-thescenes” view of the methodology, man-power,
and procedures that produce scientific studies.
Although demystifying the nuts-and-bolts of
psychological science can be less than
glamorous—as it introduces students to the often
tedious reality of data collection—engaging in
research collaboration also provides a hands-on
learning experience rarely found in the standard
college classroom. Thus, research collaboration is
a unique way in which undergraduate students
can develop a range of academic skills.
Reason #2: Developing Career Interests and
Credentials for Graduate School. For students
considering careers in professional psychology,
volunteering as a research assistant can assist in
refining vocational interests and building
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How do I choose a laboratory?
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Get the facts. The roles of research assistants can
vary
considerably.
Even
undergraduate
researchers in the same laboratory may engage
in different tasks, so it is important that potential
research assistants find out what role they will
take, and how they will contribute to the
research team. Instead of trusting the advice of
fellow undergraduate psychology majors, we
suggest that undergraduate students ask faculty
Ohio University
Department of Psychology
and graduate student mentors about the specific
time commitment and tasks involved in a
research assistantship.
Is it a good match? Individual’s who are
personally engaged in their work are generally
happier
and
more
productive.
Thus,
undergraduates should consider how the area of
research pursued by a given laboratory matches
their own interests and career goals.
Undergraduates who join laboratories which
research unfamiliar topics may also be pleasantly
surprised when they develop new and
broadened interests. If a laboratory turns out not
to be a good-fit, undergraduate students may
also be able to join a different laboratory in the
future. For some students, working in several
different laboratories is an excellent way to
discover potential career interests, and narrow
interests for future graduate study.
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I’ve joined a laboratory. How can I thrive?
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Expect Delayed Gratification. Because many
large-scale research projects take years to move
from conceptualization to development, data
collection to data analysis, and finally from
manuscript preparation to publication, it is
common for undergraduate research assistants to
feel as if they never reap the benefits of
witnessing the end result of a research project
they contribute to. From the perspective of one
research assistant at Ohio University, one way to
cope with such delayed gratification is to gather
more information about how your role in the
research laboratory contributes to the “grandscheme” of the project. Although a role may
seem small, with respect to the larger goal of the
research, undergraduate contributions to
research projects are essential to allowing
research programs to get “off the ground”.
Once students are aware of the types of
laboratory tasks that they will be responsible for,
students should consider how comfortable they
are with the role. For example, individuals who
are highly anxious when making phone calls
may not be well-matched for recruiting
participants for a study. Similarly, individuals
with a fear of public speaking may not feel
comfortable as the confederate for an
experiment. Likewise, data-entry is not likely to
be a good-fit for a student who has difficulty
paying attention to detail. With this in mind,
students are encouraged to find a position that
matches not only their career interests, but also
the skill set they have or would like to develop.
Time management. Different laboratory tasks
How is the laboratory structured? The level of
Although working on larger projects—such as
facilitating a peer-based intervention or assisting
on a poster/paper presentation—may be more
fast-paced than assisting with data collection or
data-entry, taking a larger role in a laboratory
can also be time consuming. Training to
facilitate an intervention, or to serve as a
confederate for an experiment may require
undergraduate students to engage in “laboratorywork” outside of the laboratory. To manage
these “hidden” time commitments proactively,
supervision and mentoring provided in a
laboratory will vary. Some laboratories have a
very “hands-on” approach to training and
mentoring undergraduate students, whereas
other laboratories provide less structure. With
this in mind, potential research assistants are
encouraged to consider the type of environment
they typically perform best in, and how the
supervision style of the prospective laboratory
will influence their experience.
will require varying time commitments. For
some undergraduate students, the time
commitment may be stable, whereas for others
undergraduate students, the times during which
they facilitating a study may vary week to week.
When time-commitments vary from week to
week, skills in time management and
organization will help students to balance
laboratory research collaboration with existing
academic, athletic, and social responsibilities.
Students assisting with data collection and
survey administration may have down-time
between experiments that can be utilized to
complete homework assignments and readings.
Ohio University
Department of Psychology
students are advised to talk with their research
mentor prior to commencing their research
experience; so that they are aware of where the
training will take place and how long it will
take.
Keeping cool, calm, collected—and motivated.
Although students may be excited to contribute
to a research team, many of the behind-thescenes tasks (that are vital to making a research
project run smoothly) can be tedious. Many
undergraduate researchers, for example, assist
with data entry—which is monotonous, yet
requires a great deal of accuracy/attention to
detail. Undergraduate research assistants may
also feel overwhelmed by the experience. Since
students often contribute to a specific portion of
a multifaceted project, they feel “in the dark”
about how their contribution plays a role in the
“grand scheme of things”.
References: Dewar, B., & Sharp, C. (2006). Using evidence:
How action learning can support individual and
organizational learning through action research. Educational
Action Research, 14, 219-237
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Common Skills Developed as a Result of Engaging in Research Collaboration:
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Life Skills
1. Time management skills
2. Independent work ethic
3. Attention to detail
4. Patience
5. Problem-solving and critical thinking
6. Organization
7. Leadership skills
Academic Skills
1. Scientific writing skills
2. Computer proficiency
3. Public speaking skills
4. Appreciation for the relationship between
research and practice
5. Statistical analysis skills
6. Awareness of research methodologies
7. Development of skills in design and
maintenance of data sets
8. Fostering of personal research interests
9. Increased expertise in a specific subject
area
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Common Roles for Undergraduate Students in Research Laboratories
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1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
Data entry, processing, and collection
Survey administration
Serving as ‘confederates’ in experiments
Helping to pilot study procedures prior to commencement of the study
Compile a literature review
Qualitative data entry
Assisting with the development of conference presentations
Developing an honor thesis
Organizing project materials
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Ohio University
Department of Psychology
Tips for Undergraduate Students: How to Maximize your Laboratory Experience
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Stay organized. Take notes when meeting with graduate student and faculty supervisors.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Laboratory work is very detail oriented! Your supervisors will
appreciate your attention to detail.
Carry contact information: If your work is not directly supervised, be sure to keep contact information
for your graduate student supervisor or faculty mentor close by so that you can ask questions
as they arise.
Stay on-top of your schedule: It may be possible to schedule laboratory work during breaks between
classes. Discuss potential conflicts with research commitments in advance with your
supervisor. It may be possible to reschedule your laboratory work.
Get to know the team: A benefit to engaging in laboratory work is developing relationships with
graduate student researchers, faculty mentors, and other undergraduate psychology majors.
Inquire if it is possible to schedule your laboratory at times when other members of the
research team will be present.
Get more information! Ask for extra readings to develop knowledge of the research topic. Inquire how
the project developed in order to gain a broader awareness of how you are contributing to
psychological science.
Utilize graduate students as resources. Having recently navigated the process of graduate school
application, they can help you to develop career interests.
Step up! As you enhance your knowledge of the research process, inquire about how you can learn
new skills, and contribute to presentations or publications.
Shop around: The research you engage in will help you to see if graduate school is right for you, and
develop areas for future study. Thus, prior to joining a research laboratory, research available
opportunities in order to locate a laboratory whose research topic matches your interests.
Document your work! To build your curriculum vitae, collect details on the projects you are working
on and record them as soon as possible.