My Lab Experience
My Experience |
About my lab experience...
After a set of brief training sessions during the first week of the semester, I performed a series of tasks for nine hours a week for the remainder of the semester. These tasks served to provide a glimpse into the world of psychological research through a experimental and professional lens...
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Literature Reviews... |
- Two highly detailed literature reviews:
- One surrounding a phenomenon of infidelity known as “mate poaching,” in which someone attempts to steal away or “poach” a partner from an existing relationship
- This literature review was conducted as part of the researching process for a chapter focused on infidelity in a textbook by graduate research assistant Josh Ryan about the evolutionary foundations behind social and cognitive behaviors in and surrounding relationships
- This was mostly an individual effort, with collaboration coming from two of the other undergraduate RAs, who also contributed to research for this chapter, often assisting me in finding scholarly articles that may pertain to this particular topic, as I did for them.
- This literature review was conducted as part of the researching process for a chapter focused on infidelity in a textbook by graduate research assistant Josh Ryan about the evolutionary foundations behind social and cognitive behaviors in and surrounding relationships
- Another surrounding the idea of the effects of loneliness, social isolation, and social exclusion on one’s perceptions and expectations involving relationships.
- It was often found that depriving one of the satisfaction of their need to belong may affect how they perceive the expressiveness of others, and how they may expect others to behave or perceive them in a relationship.
- While this was not conducted for any textbook or future research, as it substituted for study assistance while away from campus during the COVID-19 pandemic, this review is certainly serving to enlighten me in how the loneliness people may feel at such a desperate time may be affecting their social and intimate relationships, and it may provide unique opportunities in looking at how relationships may change during and after this pandemic.
- It was often found that depriving one of the satisfaction of their need to belong may affect how they perceive the expressiveness of others, and how they may expect others to behave or perceive them in a relationship.
- One surrounding a phenomenon of infidelity known as “mate poaching,” in which someone attempts to steal away or “poach” a partner from an existing relationship
Study Assistance...
- Research assistance in graduate student Jessica Fernandez’s study on the positive effects on high self-esteem pursuit.
- Study was conducted in response to previous research suggesting that high self-esteem pursuit may be costly to other life goals, including relationships, health behaviors, etc. This study hypothesized and found evidence that pursuing high self-esteem may have the opposite effect, resulting in greater intentions to succeed in the aforementioned life goals.
- I, in addition to another undergraduate RA, was responsible for running participants through the study, allowing them in, making sure it was thoroughly completed in the proper environment, with any questions from participants being answered so that they received credit for the study via SONA, and so that the integrity of the study is maintained throughout.
- Jessica, Luke, and I also regularly convened after the study’s completion to create an abstract and poster summarizing the study’s findings for Undergraduate PSYC Research Day, in which we presented and discussed our findings with other students, researchers, and professors at UMD.
Lab Meetings...
Biweekly meetings between the undergraduate and graduate RAs and lab leader Dr. Edward Lemay to discuss my research progress, in addition to discussing various scholarly articles concerning relationships psychology.