Instructions for students
Approximately 30 students per term, particularly in the Fall and Winter terms, serve as volunteer Research Assistants (RA). These positions typically involve a commitment of 3-5 hours per week. Year 2 is not too early for such a position.
Typically 25 to 30 Psychology Majors per year receive academic credit for being a volunteer research assistant (see PSYCH 264/464). The PSYCH 264/464 positions involve a commitment of 8 hours per week for 13 weeks. Prior to enrolment in PSYCH 264 or 464 (Research Apprenticeship Courses), the course application form must be approved by the course supervisor and the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Psychology Department.
Thirty to 50 students per term (typically 3rd and 4th year students) are paid research assistants.
Most research assistant positions in the department are not advertised so networking is critical for securing such a position!
Speak to individual faculty members about the opportunities that are available in their labs (also ask for referrals).
- contact information and research interests of faculty members in our department
- tips on approaching faculty members for research positions
Also ask graduate students in the department (e.g., your teaching assistants for courses) if they are aware of any research opportunities.
See below for available positions.
Information for faculty members and graduate students
If you are looking for research assistants (volunteer, paid, or Psych 264 or 464 students) for the current or next school term, please submit the details to Tammy Neal as soon as possible for posting on this page.
The PSYCH 264/464 positions (volunteer for academic credit) require a commitment of 8 hours per week for 13 weeks (see the course application form for details). Please include that information in your advertisement for a volunteer.
If a position is available as work placement or work study, this information must be noted in the advertisement.
Current positions available
Volunteer RA or PSYCH 264/464 positions
Students can do these opportunities on a volunteer basis, or apply for these positions to count as course credit. Please note that if you are doing PSYCH 264/464 as a course, there will be normal tuition fees associated with the course.
If you have a large amount of CR/NCR grades, transfer credits, or are a China 2+2 student, please consult with the Psychology advisor to make sure that a PSYCH 264/464 course credit will count towards your degree progress, as per the residency requirements.
Developmental
Developmental Learning Lab
Psychology 264/464 Position – Fall 2017
Developmental Psychology
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Stephanie Denison
Developmental Learning Lab (http://uwaterloo.ca/developmental-learning-lab)
Research areas: Cognitive and social-cognitive development in infancy and early childhood (example topics are: children’s understanding of probability and physical reasoning, and the development of social cognition, including theory of mind and preference attribution).
Contact: Email ONE of the following graduate students – please only email the graduate student that you are interested in working with (descriptions below). When you email that graduate student, you can indicate your second and third choice if you’d like, and they can pass your application on to the other researchers if they have already filled their position.
Samantha Gualtieri (samantha.gualtieri@uwaterloo.ca)
Tiffany Doan (t3doan@uwaterloo.ca)
Elizabeth Attisano (liz.attisano@uwaterloo.ca)
Duties:
All 264/464 students in our lab have the unique opportunity to learn how to collect and code data from young children in psychology experiments. Specific research topics and duties will vary based on which graduate student you are paired with, but all undergraduate research assistants are invited to attend lab meetings and to assist with additional general lab duties.
Samantha Gualtieri: You will be involved in data collection and coding of 3- to 6-year-old children’s responses. These experiments examine how young children use numerical information in their decisions, and how individual differences contribute to their decision-making.
Tiffany Doan: You will be trained on how to conduct research with infants, how to code data for looking-time studies, and how to reliability code completed experiments. These projects examine infants’ understanding of other people’s preferences and their ability to use others’ emotions to predict behaviour.
Elizabeth Attisano: You will code children's behavioural responses (i.e looking time), as well as their verbal responses to questions. These experiments examine how infants and children understand goal-directed action, and how they use this information to guide their expectations.
Benefits: You will learn how to conduct developmental psychology experiments, specifically looking-time with infants and action tasks with young children. You will also gain experience working directly with young children and infants.
Time commitment: Approximately 8 hours per week
Qualifications:
- reliable, detail-oriented, and highly-motivated students with a strong interest in developmental or cognitive psychology
- passionate about working with young children
- preference given to students in the psychology major/honour’s program (prior research experience an asset, but not necessary)
To apply: Please send the following documents to the graduate student that you are interested in working with:
- Resume
- Cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills
- Your class schedule (even if it is still unofficial, with information regarding which class in your timetable you might replace with the 264/464)
Unofficial transcript (copied and pasted from Quest)
Social Development Lab 1
Undergraduate Research Assistant
***Positions for Winter 2019 have been filled***
Developmental Psychology
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Heather Henderson
Social Development Lab (https://uwaterloo.ca/social-development-lab/)
Research areas: Social and emotional development in middle childhood with a focus on the relations between temperamental shyness and attention, information processing, social cognition, and internalizing problems.
Duties: Undergraduate research assistants (RAs) in our lab contribute to our ongoing studies of children’s social development. RAs will be trained in the collection, coding, and analysis of behavioral data from children and will work on a team comprised of both graduate and undergraduate students.
Benefits: You will interact with children and their families from the community and learn how to administer standardized and novel tasks. You will be trained on working with data collection and basic data analysis.
Time commitment: Approximately 8 hours per week.
Qualifications:
- reliable, detail-oriented, and highly-motivated students with a strong interest in developmental psychology
- past experience working with young children
- preference given to students in the psychology major/honour’s program with an average of 80% or above
- prior research experience an asset
To apply: Please email the following documents to Dr. Henderson (hhenderson@uwaterloo.ca)
- Resume
- Cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills
- Unofficial transcript (copied and pasted from Quest)
Clinical
Psychological Intervention Research Team
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jonathan Oakman
Graduate students: Kevin Capobianco, Beth Keleher, Alex Milovanov, Katie Finch
Lab website: https://uwaterloo.ca/psychological-intervention-research-team/
Contact: pirtlab@gmail.com
Our research team studies the change process in psychotherapy, addressing a number of research questions using a range of research methods. We are interested in the relation of
- client characteristics
- therapist characteristics
- features of the therapist-client relationship
- properties of the psychological intervention itself
to both the process of a psychological intervention and its eventual outcome. Through our research we are seeking to improve the efficacy and acceptability of psychological interventions to those seeking help for mental health problems.
Some of the current projects in the lab:
Beth: Ryan and Deci (2008) suggest that when basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness to others) are thwarted, they are often replaced with substitutes (e.g., extrinsic life goals), reducing the drive to satisfy unmet needs. Research has yet to examine the contribution of basic needs satisfaction in psychotherapy to motivation, especially in regards to motivation for proximal homework or therapeutic goals that vary from week to week. This line of research will be continued through PIRT-run studies as I complete my Doctoral dissertation.
Katie is investigating the use of imagery-based techniques to reduce music performance anxiety. She is interested in the ways musicians habitually use imagery, as well as how it might be most effectively employed to alleviate anxiety. Additionally, Katie is investigating the prevalence and impact of musicians' experiences of negative intrusive imagery and how this might be related to music performance anxiety.
Alex is investigating how common therapeutic factors (e.g., therapist’s empathy and perceived expertise) interact with each other and lead to better outcomes in psychotherapy and alternative treatments (e.g., acupuncture, homeopathy).
Kevin is interested in understanding how psychotherapists typically go about conceptualizing their clients’ problems in their daily practice, as well as how therapists should go about doing so in order to improve therapy outcomes.
Qualifications for the volunteering position:
- We are looking for motivated and conscientious students with an interest in clinical psychology
- Prior research experience is not necessary (but is desired)
- Applicants should have at least an 80% average in their completed psychology courses.
Duties:
- Data collection, data coding, behaviour coding, data entry, recruitment and scheduling of participants, management of online studies, and preparation of study materials (e.g., building questionnaires using online survey software).
Optional, depending on students’ interests:
- Review research literature on topic of interest and present findings
- Participate in weekly research meetings/talks
- Develop and share research ideas
- Come up with original research ideas, collect data or use existing data to conduct statistical analyses, and present the findings (e.g., in the form of conference poster presentations, or publications).
Time commitment: 5–10 hours/week, one semester minimum (more than one semester preferable).
Benefits:
- Excellent research opportunity for students interested in graduate studies in Clinical Psychology
- Learn about psychotherapy process research (why do people improve in psychotherapy?), as well as about clinical psychology research more generally
- Opportunity to learn critical research skills (e.g., literature review, statistical analysis)
- Potential to develop your own research projects
- Support and guidance available for grad school applications
- Potential reference letters
How to Apply:
If you're interested in this position, please email a copy of your resume/C.V., and your unofficial transcript at pirtlab@gmail.com. Please also fill out the form below where we collect some basic information about you and ask why you would like to join the lab.
https://goo.gl/forms/kDxY8IOc4L5Eee0s2
MENTAL HEALTH SCHOOL-TOWORK TRANSITIONS LAB
Paid Internship
Dr. Maureen Drysdale (St. Jerome's University)
Contact: Maureen Drysdale (mdrysdal@uwaterloo.ca)
Research Area: mental health & wellbeing; educational, developmental, &/or clinical psychology; school-to-school and/or school-to-work transitions
Duties include:
Participant recruitment, literature searching and literature review writing, data entry and management, coding data, preparing materials for studies.
Qualifications:
- Applicants should be interested in psychology and mental health research; be organized, reliable, conscientious, and detail-oriented, with at least an 80% average in completed psychology or AHS courses.
- Experience writing a literature review in health or social sciences is recommended.
- Prior research experience and experience with statistical software packages (such as SPSS) are assets but not required.
Benefits:
- Learn how to conduct complex psychological and health related research, and work directly with faculty.
How to apply:
Please contact Dr. Maureen Drysdale via email mdrysdal@uwaterloo.ca no later than January 15, 2018 with the following materials:
1. Resume/CV
2. Brief cover letter (please specify any research or technical experience)
3. Unofficial transcript (copied/printed from Quest is fine)
4. Attach a 1000-word sample from a literature review that you have written.
For more information about the lab please visit: https://www.sju.ca/mhswtlab
Self-Attitudes Lab
Clinical Psychology Lab Research Coordinator
Principal Investigator: Dr. Allison Kelly
Lab Website: https://uwaterloo.ca/self-attitudes-lab/
Contact: self.attitudes.lab@uwaterloo.ca
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Job Summary The Research Coordinator will be in charge of coordinating studies in Professor Allison Kelly’s Self-Attitudes Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. Our lab studies the way in which our self-attitudes, such as being critical or compassionate towards ourselves, affect how we think, feel, and behave. We are especially interested in how these self-attitudes affect body image and eating behaviour and studying novel interventions that can help with people with body image disturbance and eating disorders, as well as other mental health difficulties. The Research Coordinator will take on daily operations in the lab and is responsible for recruiting and running participants, overseeing data collection and management, and communicating with graduate students and the primary investigator. Other tasks will involve literature reviews, development and organization of study materials, data analyses, and miscellaneous administrative tasks. This position is a great opportunity for a student looking to become immersed in a number of fascinating domains within the area of clinical psychology. The student will learn how to conduct complex psychological research, pick up critical research skills, and work directly with faculty and graduate students in a supportive and dynamic lab environment. |
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Job Responsibilities Duties will involve:
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Required Skills The successful candidate is:
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How to Apply: If you are interested in this position, please contact us via email at self.attitudes.lab@uwaterloo.ca with the following materials:
- Cover letter
- Resume/CV
- Unofficial transcript (from Quest)
Cognitive Development Lab
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Volunteer Research Assistant position (Spring 2019) Contact: Shirley Ong (childres@uwaterloo.ca)
We are looking for a volunteer research assistant to assist with coding audio messages on a study examining the individual characteristics that influence the understanding of sarcasm. This position may also include recruitment of children/parents interested in participating in research, assisting with running studies, and developing stimuli for tasks. An average of 5 to 10 hours per week can be expected. Research areas: preschool/school-age children, communication skills Benefits to you: Gain research experience (i.e., knowledge of research area, methodology, coding techniques). How to apply: Please email Shirley Ong (childres@uwaterloo.ca) to obtain an application form. Return the completed application form with a resume and unofficial transcript (e.g., printout from Quest pasted into a word document). |
Cognitive
Reasoning and Decision Making + Stolz Labs
Faculty Supervisors: Dr. Jennifer Stolz, Dr. Jonathan Fugelsang, Dr. Derek Koehler
Contact: Martin Harry Turpin (Graduate student) at mhturpin@uwaterloo.ca, Ethan Meyers (Graduate student) at emeyers@uwaterloo.ca and Alexander Walker (Graduate student) at a24walke@uwaterloo.ca
Duties
You will join an enthusiastic team of six grad students, one post-doctoral fellow (visiting from Poland!), one visiting professor (visiting from Japan!) and three senior UW professors!
We are looking for highly capable, dedicated students seeking hands-on experience in cognitive research. This will be a volunteer position with the possibility of transitioning to a paid position in the future.
You will be in charge of conducting studies in-lab as well as being involved in every stage of the research process from idea generation to manuscript preparation based on perceived interest and gumption.
Time Commitment: 5-10 hours/week (5 hours minimum).
Benefits:
- A rare opportunity to get involved in labs specialising in higher-order cognition (R&D lab) and evolutionary psychology (Stolz lab).
- You’ll get a first hand look at how research is conducted by attending weekly lab meetings where members will propose new ideas, present completed research, and seek
feedback on every step of the research process. - Opportunity to develop skills in Python and R based on individual interest.
- Opportunity to get involved in independent projects based on individual interest and performance.
Our Interests:
Upon joining, you’ll find yourself on a team of researchers with diverse interests, below you’ll find a list of topics our team members are interested in that might also be interesting to you! Keep in mind, our lab is a highly collaborative environment, and as such there is much overlap in interest in these topics.
Yoshi: Epistemologically suspect beliefs.
Michal: Moral reasoning, Foreign language effects, Dual Process theories, Delay discounting.
Ethan: Belief revision, Heuristics and biases, Debiasing.
Alex: Irrational beliefs, Doublespeak/Deception, Bounded Rationality.
Martin: Meaning, Emotion and decision making, Sacred values.
Qualifications
Applicants should be conscientious students with at least a 80% average in their completed Psychology courses. We will give preference to individuals who are interested in applying to graduate studies in Psychology. Enthusiasm about research is a must!
How to apply
Please send an email to Martin Turpin (mhturpin@uwaterloo.ca) and cc Ethan Meyers (emeyers@uwaterloo.ca) and Alexander Walker (a24walke@uwaterloo.ca) explaining why you'd like the position and attach a copy of your unofficial transcript (from Quest) and schedule.
Cognition and Natural Behaviour Laboratory
Cognition and Natural Behavior Laboratory (https://uwaterloo.ca/cognition-and-natural-behaviour-laboratory/)
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Evan Risko
Contact: Dr. Evan Risko, efrisko@uwaterloo.ca
Research Area: cognitive psychology, embodied and embedded cognition, social cognition, natural behaviour, mind wandering, attention
Duties:
- Data collection, coding, recruitment and scheduling of participants, management of online studies
- Behaviour coding, data entry, and preparation of study materials
- Statistical analysis (training provided in SPSS, R)
- Attend weekly laboratory meetings
Time commitment: minimum 6 –8 hours/week
Qualifications:
- We are looking for smart, reliable, and conscientious students with an interest in cognitive psychology, social cognition, or applied cognition
- Basic computer literacy is expected and advanced computer skills (e.g., programming) are desired
- Prior research experience is not necessary (but is desired)
- Applicants should have at least an 80% average in their completed psychology courses.
Benefits:
- Fun
- Learn about human cognition, social cognition, and applied cognition
- Opportunity to participate in all aspects of research from research design to dissemination of results
- Learn critical research skills (e.g., programming, statistical analysis)
- Potential to develop your own research projects
How to Apply:
If you're interested in any of these positions, please email the following documents to Dr. Evan Risko (efrisko@uwaterloo.ca).
1. Cover letter describing why you want to work in the Cognition and Natural Behavior Laboratory
2. Resume/CV
3. Unofficial transcript
Memory, Attention and Cognition Lab - (MACL)
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Colin MacLeod
Contact: David McLean (david.mclean@uwaterloo.ca)
Research Areas
Our lab examines human attention, learning, and memory. Our particular emphasis is on the fundamental processes that underlie associative learning as well as memory encoding and retrieval.
Duties
- Carrying out a variety of usually computer-based experiments, primarily investigating human attention, learning, and memory
- Data collection, coding, recruitment and scheduling of participants, management of online studies
- Behaviour coding, data entry, and preparation of study materials
- Some statistical analysis (training provided in Excel, SPSS, R)
- Other responsibilities dependent on your interests
Time commitment: minimum 6 –8 hours/week
Qualifications
- We are looking for reliable, conscientious students with an interest in cognitive psychology, basic processes, and psychology of attention, learning, and memory
- Basic computer literacy is expected and advanced computer skills (e.g., programming) are desired
- Prior research experience is not necessary (but is desired)
- Applicants should enjoy working with others
- Applicants should have at least an 80% average in their completed psychology courses
- Applicants should be enthusiastic about research!
Benefits
- Develop skills and experience in working within a psychology lab
- Learn about research in human memory and cognition
- Opportunity to participate in all aspects of research from research design to dissemination of results
- Learn critical research skills (e.g., programming, statistical analysis)
How to apply
If you're interested in volunteering within our lab, please email the following documents to David McLean (david.mclean@uwaterloo.ca):
1. Cover letter describing why you are interested in joining the Memory, Attention, and Cognition Lab
2. Resume/CV
3. Unofficial transcript
Industrial/Organizational
(I/O Psychology) Culture at Work Lab
Volunteer RA Position or PSYCH 264/464 - currently seeking Volunteer RAs for Fall 2018
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Wendi Adair
Contact Name and Email: Lab Manager - cawl@uwaterloo.ca.
For more details, visit: https://uwaterloo.ca/culture-at-work-lab/join-lab#RA.
Who we are:
Our lab investigates issues arising in multicultural workplaces and international ventures where people from different national cultures face interdependent challenges including negotiation, conflict management, teamwork, effective communication, and decision making. We conduct both lab and field studies in both academic, practitioner journals, and organizational settings.
Who we are looking for:
The Culture at Work lab is looking for motivated, detail-oriented, and hard-working undergraduates to join our lab. As a research assistant, you will help design and conduct studies, design web-study materials, recruit participants, and input and analyze data. Primary duties vary, but we aim to give research assistants experience in all aspects of the research process. Once you have some experience working for our lab, you may receive an opportunity to develop your own research projects through courses like directed studies or the honours thesis courses.
Previous experience:
Any academic and research experience would be an excellent asset to your application (please indicate below), however, the Culture at Work lab also welcomes applications from anyone who is interested in getting involved with psychology and those who have only limited, if any, previous experience. Enthusiasm and commitment are the most valuable assets, as we conduct publishable research and expect research assistants to respect and value the process.
Application form: https://psychologyuwaterloo.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8kw1yxGthiOL7V3
(I/O psychology) Work Motivation Research
Volunteer RA
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. James Beck
Contact: Midori Nishioka (mnishiok@uwaterloo.ca)
Research topics: Our lab investigates a variety of issues at work, such as job performance, unethical behaviors, safety and shortcut behaviors, taking breaks, quitting, planning, and emotions during goal-pursuit. We investigate these issues primarily using the self-regulation framework and look at how people's motivational processes lead them to feel or behave in various ways at work. Our goal is to build a rich understanding of these issues so that workers can perform well, be ethical, be healthy and be safe.
Duties may include:
- Managing participant recruitment and scheduling
- Conducting laboratory experiments and/or online surveys
- Building questionnaires using online survey software
- Coding written data
Optional depending on students’ interests:
- Review literature and present findings
- Participate in weekly research meetings/talks
- Develop and share research ideas
Time commitment: 5 – 10 hours/week
This position is a volunteer RA position
PSYCH 264 or 464 is also an option (commitment of 8 hours per week for 13 weeks).
Qualifications:
- We are looking for a reliable student who has a strong interest in research
- Preferences will be given to students enrolled in the psychology major program
- Prior research experience is not necessary but is an asset
Benefits may include:
- Hands-on research experience
- Learn transferable skills (e.g., project coordination, data analysis, presentation)
- References for graduate school application
To apply: If you're interested in this position, please send the following documents to Midori Nishioka (mnishiok@uwaterloo.ca) in PDF.
1. Your availability for the current semester and the next semester (to the best of your knowledge).
2. Unofficial transcript.
3. All your available times for the next week, to schedule an interview.
You will hear from Midori if you are selected for an interview.
(I/O psychology) Entrepreneurship Research
Volunteer RA
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. John (Jay) Michela
(https://uwaterloo.ca/psychology/people-profiles/john-michela)
Contact: Erica Naccarato (enaccarato@uwaterloo.ca)
Research areas: Cognitive and social factors in the performance of innovators/ entrepreneurs, particularly mental models and knowledge representations of the entrepreneur’s business strategy and how they relate to entrepreneurial outcomes.
Duties: The undergraduate research assistant (RA) appointed to our lab will contribute to an ongoing study of entrepreneurial cognition. The RA will be trained in the transcription and coding of entrepreneurial cognitive data and will work closely with the lead graduate student on the project, with direct involvement of the faculty supervisor.
Benefits:
- Training on transcription of entrepreneurial interviews and coding of cognitive maps.
- Training in an established qualitative research method--cognitive mapping.
- Direct involvement in designing the coding scheme for the cognitive maps.
- References for graduate school and/or employment applications
Time commitment:
Approximately 5-10 hours per week until the end of the Winter term.
Qualifications:
- Reliable, detail-oriented, and highly-motivated students with a strong interest in Industrial/Organizational psychology, either in the study of entrepreneurship or in the related areas of team performance or managerial/professional cognition
- Preference given to students in the psychology major/honours program with an average of 80% or above
To apply:
Please email the following documents to Dr. Michela (jmichela@uwaterloo.ca) and Erica Naccarato (enaccarato@uwaterloo.ca)
- Resume
- Cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills
- Unofficial transcript (copied and pasted from Quest is o.k.)
Cognitive Neuroscience
(Cognitive Neuroscience) Vision and Attention
Vision and Attention Lab
Dr. Daniel Smilek
Research Area:
Beahvioural and Cognitive correlates of Performance Anticipation and Mind Wandering in undergraduate students.
Duties:
- Attendance at laboratory meetings and trainings
- Recruiting and scheduling participants
- Running experiments with undergraduates
- Data collection, entry, coding, and management
- Literature search
- General laboratory maintenance
Time commitment: Approximately 8-10 hours per week for PSYCH 264/464 course or 3 - 4 hours/week for volunteer position.
Qualifications:
- Applicants must be hard-working, reliable, organized, and proactive learners, enthusiastic about learning cognitive neuroscience research practices
- Must be comfortable working in a team environment
- Must have a current average of minimum 80% in Psychology courses
Benefits: You will gain a great deal of hands-on experience using Excel, Word, Power Point, SPSS as well as E-Prime, and Python programming. This position will also refine your communication and interaction skills. This position is good preparation for an Honours thesis or future career in academic research or industry research and development
How to apply: Please send an email to Emilie Caron (eecaron@uwaterloo.ca) stating why you would like this position. Attached to this email should be your resumé/CV, a Fall class schedule/plan, and a copy of your unofficial academic transcript from Quest.
(Cognitive Neuroscience) Memory and learning, dual-tasking, Aging
Memory & Cognitive Neuroscience Lab
Duties: Preparing materials and stimuli for experiments examining memory abilities and function in undergraduate students, senior citizens, individuals with compromised cognitive ability; recruiting and scheduling participants, running experiments with undergraduates, possibility of assessing cognitive function in senior citizens, data collection, data coding, data entry and management, creation of graphs, drafting ethics applications, literature searches, general lab maintenance duties, attendance at lab meetings
Time commitment: Approximately 8 – 10 hours per week for PSYCH 264/464 course or 3-4 hours/week for volunteer position
Qualifications:
- applicants must be reliable, organized, enthusiastic and hardworking
- must be comfortable working with people of all ages, and in a team environment
- must have a current average greater than 78% in Psychology courses
Benefits: You will gain a great deal of hands-on experience using Excel, Word, Power Point, SPSS and E-Prime, as well as refine your Oral and Written communication skills; good preparation for a future career in academic research or industry research & development. You will have the opportunity to attend our lab meetings and learn about current research projects and approaches in our memory lab.
How to apply: Please send an email to Dr. Myra Fernandes (mafernan@uwaterloo.ca) stating why you would like this position. Attached to this email should be your resume/cv, a Fall and/or Winter class schedule/plan, and a copy of your unofficial academic transcript from Quest.
Social
(Social) Wisdom and Culture Lab
Volunteer RA
Social Psychology
Dr. Igor Grossmann (https://uwaterloo.ca/wisdom-and-culture-lab/)
Contact: Wisdom and Culture Lab at (wcl@uwaterloo.ca)
Research Areas: UW Wisdom and Culture lab examines factors that enable people to think and act wisely: How can individuals and groups adaptively resolve social conflicts? What factors foster wise reasoning? How are mental processes situated within a larger cultural context?
Duties: The RA’s will be responsible for data collection and data analysis, participant recruitment running experiments, coding data, and preparing materials for studies,
Benefits: Learn about all phases of Wisdom and Culture psychological research, and belong to a lab group dedicated to working within the field of social psychology
Time commitment: Roughly 6-10 hours a week
Qualifications: Applicants should be enthusiastic, organized, conscientious, and comfortable interacting with participants, with at least a 75% average in completed psychology courses. Prior research experience, particularly with running social psychology experiments, and using physiological measurement equipment (heartrate and respiration devices) would be an asset.
To Apply: Please email the lab at wcl@uwaterloo.ca with your resume, unofficial transcript, Spring term schedule, and please specify any relevant research or technical experience.
(Social) Experimental Science of Human Motivations and Relations Lab
Volunteer RA or Psych 264/464
Dr. Ian McGregor, Experimental Science of Human Motivations and Relations
Contact: Abdo Elnakouri, Graduate Student (abdo.elnakouri@uwaterloo.ca)
Research Areas: Motivation, Meaning, Self-Regulation
Duties: Online study programing, literature reviews, data entry, data collection, coding, participant recruitment and scheduling. Duties are subject to change. Although prior experience is preferred, training will be provided.
Benefits: Valuable laboratory work experience and skill development. For especially dedicated students, possible opportunities for further research and references are available.
Qualifications: We are interested in students who are motivated, dedication, conscientiousness, and passionate about research. Computer skills are a must and programming experience is an asset. Strong ability/desire to read and comprehend scientific literature.
Applying: Please go to this survey and fill out the required information: https://psychologyuwaterloo.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1NdDS7hl58e1GKh
(Social) Diversity and Intergroup Relations Lab
Volunteer RA or Psych 264/464 - Winter 2019
Dr. Hilary Bergsieker
Contact: digrlab@uwaterloo.ca
Researcher assistants gain experience with both standard and advanced social psychological and social networking methods. Professor Bergsieker works directly with undergraduate research assistants, engaging them in the research process and providing personalized mentorship.
The time commitment is ideally 8 hours per week on average, with a minimum of 6 hours per week.
Research Areas: Interracial trust and conflict; intergroup friendships and close relationships
To apply, please complete this online application before December 17th, 2018. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
For responsibilities, requirements, and application procedures, please visit:
https://uwaterloo.ca/diversity-intergroup-relations-lab/joining-lab/undergraduate-ras
(Social) Self-Regulation and Motivation Lab
Volunteer RA or Psych 264/464 - Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018
Dr. Abigail Scholer, Self-Regulation and Motivation Lab
Contacts: Emily Britton (e2britto@uwaterloo.ca), Kassandra Cortes (kcortes@uwaterloo.ca), Abdo Elnakouri (abdo.elnakouri@uwaterloo.ca), Candice Hubley (cmhubley@uwaterloo.ca), Erik Jansen (e2jansen@uwaterloo.ca), Jane Klinger (jklinger@uwaterloo.ca), or Jessica Ross (jrross@uwaterloo.ca).
Research Areas: Motivation, Goals and Self-Regulation, Communication, and Lay Beliefs;
Duties:
Basic:
- Manage participant recruitment and study schedules
- Conduct online surveys, field studies and behavioral experiments
- Perform qualitative analysis (e.g., picture coding and linguistic analysis)
Optional depending on students’ interests:
- Attend research training workshops (e.g. literature management, Qualtrics, SPSS)
- Review literature
- Develop your own research ideas and design studies
- Participate in biweekly research meetings/talks
Time commitment: Ideally 8 - 10 hours per week
Qualifications:
- We need passionate and persistent students
- Other qualities: responsible, eager to learn, able to work in team and is organized
- Preferences will be given to students in psychology major program, who can make a long term commitment in the lab and have a future plan to apply for graduate school
Benefits:
- Working closely with psychology researchers and gaining hands-on research experience
- Job and graduate school application references
- Opportunity to develop your own research projects and present at academic conferences
To apply:
Please go to the below link and fill out your information:
https://psychologyuwaterloo.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7ORhdEY3Ho8GsMR
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a casual information interview shortly. If you do not receive our reply in a few weeks, probably it is because the vacancies for RAs are filled (we set a quota to ensure the quality of training). And if so, the application will be considered for your subsequent available semester.
(Social) Close relationships, personality, and emotion regulation
Volunteer RA or Psychology 264/464 Position
Social Psychology
Dr. Joanne Wood
Contact: MacKenzie Burnett (mmburnet@uwaterloo.ca).
Research Areas: Close relationships, personality, emotion regulation
Duties: Participant recruitment, running experiments, data entry and management, coding data, preparing materials for studies, managing online studies
Benefits: Learn about all phases of social psychological research, and belong to a lab group dedicated to discovering more about relationships
Time commitment: 5-10 hours a week depending on the position and task
Qualifications: Applicants should be enthusiastic, organized, reliable, conscientious, and comfortable working with people, with at least a 75% average in completed psychology courses. Prior research experience, particularly with running social psychology experiments, would be an asset.
To Apply: Please email (mmburnet@uwaterloo.ca) with your resume, unofficial transcript, Fall term schedule, and cover letter (please specify any relevant research or technical experience).
Paid RA positions
Self-Attitudes Lab
S19 Paid Research Assistant
Principal Investigator: Dr. Allison Kelly
Lab Website: https://uwaterloo.ca/self-attitudes-lab/
Contact: self.attitudes.lab@uwaterloo.ca
Research Area: self-compassion; eating disorders; clinical psychology; body image.
Duties: Participant recruitment and scheduling for study participation, running participants, data entry, data collection and organization, using online survey software (i.e., Qualtrics), organizing participant remuneration
Qualifications:
- We are looking for highly motivated students with excellent work ethic, strong organizational and communication skills, who are interested in clinical psychology.
- Applicant should have at least an 80% average in their completed psychology courses.
- Preference given to students in the psychology major/honour’s program
- Prior research experience is an asset but not required.
Benefits:
- Excellent research opportunity for students interested in graduate studies in Clinical Psychology
- Opportunity to learn critical research skills (e.g., data collection and management).
- Support and guidance available for grad school applications.
- Potential reference letters
Time commitment: Approximately 24 hours per week.
How to Apply: If you are interested in this position, please contact us via email at self.attitudes.lab@uwaterloo.ca with the following materials:
- Brief cover letter (please specify why you are interested in being a RA in the Self-Attitudes lab, any relevant research or community experience).
- Resume/CV
- Unofficial transcript (from Quest)
- Class schedule
last updated: March 25, 2019
