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 Ana Carvalho 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 Volunteer RA or PSYCH 264/464 positions available
Students can take 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.
Clinical
(Clinical) Psychological Intervention Research Team
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jonathan Oakman
Graduate students: Alex Milovanov, Katie Finch, Sarena Daljeet, Carla Rumeo
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:
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).
Sarena is investing how common factors (e.g., emotional processing) develop within and between sessions of psychotherapy and subsequently lead to better outcomes.
Carla is examining whether therapists perceive important differences in the development of therapeutic processes (such as the therapeutic alliance and emotional closeness) when comparing their experiences providing online mediated therapy (i.e. video chat platforms) and face to face therapy.
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: 6–8 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)
This involves:
- Approximately 4-5 hours a week
- Preference is given to students majoring in psychology or a closely related field.
- Preference is given to students who can demonstrate academic excellence (min. 80% average in psychology courses),
- Upper-year students are also preferred as having taken additional psychology courses is helpful for understanding coding concepts.
- Preference is given to students who can demonstrate academic excellence (min. 85% average in psychology courses), excellent verbal ability, and good interpersonal skills.
***As of February 2023 , we are specifically recruiting for a project involving correcting computer-generated transcripts of psychotherapy sessions as well as another project involving observational coding of the therapeutic alliance
How to Apply:
If you are interested in this position, please email an updated copy of your C.V., unofficial transcript, and a writing sample (ideally recent and from a psychology course) to pirtlab@gmail.com. If you have applied to the lab before, please send updated versions. While we would like to respond to all applicants, we receive a large volume of applications and it is not always possible. Applicants invited to apply will be asked to submit a brief application. Transcribers will be invited to start immediately or can defer until the next semester.
Cognitive
(Cognitive) Cognition and Natural Behaviour Laboratory
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, effort, metacognition, learning/education/training.
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 â8 hours/week
Qualifications:
- We are looking for smart, reliable, and conscientious students with an interest in cognitive psychology.
- 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:
- Develop research experience in a fun and supportive learning environment.
- Learn about human cognition.
- Opportunity to participate in all aspects of research from research design to dissemination of results.
- Learn critical and transferable 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 Behaviour Laboratory
2. Resume/CV
3. Unofficial transcript
(Cognitive) Decision, Inference, and Cognitive Economics (DICE) Lab
Decision, Inference, and Cognitive Economics (DICE) Lab (https://www.sgbjohnson.com/)
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Sam Johnson
Contact: Dr. Sam Johnson, samuel.johnson@uwaterloo.ca
Research areas:
Our lab works at the intersection of cognitive science, behavioural economics, and philosophy. We study how people explain the world, how those explanations shape our choices, and how those choices influence society. Recent topics of interest include moral psychology, mental models of economic institutions, decision under uncertainty, and how people prioritize tasks. We mainly use experiments but increasingly incorporate other methodsâsuch as qualitative research, computational linguistics, economic modeling, and computer simulationâin our work.
Duties:
We aim for undergraduate research assistants to be involved in many aspects of the research process, potentially including:
- Brainstorming research ideas and designing experiments
- Creating experimental stimuli and programming experiments
- Testing participants and coding behaviour/responses
- Statistical and qualitative data analysis (we can train you in R or SPSS)
- Computer simulations
- Attending weekly lab meetings
Time commitment: 5 hours/week (minimum)
Qualifications:
- We are looking for passionate, reliable, and conscientious students with an interest in cognitive science, economics, or empirical philosophy
- Prior research experience is not necessary; we welcome applicants from any major or year of study
- Basic computer literacy is expected; it is desirable to either have or be willing to learn advanced computer skills (e.g., programming)
- Applicants should have at least an 80% average in their completed psychology courses.
Benefits:
- Learn about and contribute to the cutting edge of cognitive and behavioural science
- Find out what it is like to do graduate school in cognitive psychology
- Collaborate on projects with our team, spanning different fields, universities, and countries
- Try out different aspects of the research process
- Potentially co-author scientific publications (many former undergraduates are co-authors on journal articles or conference presentations)
- Learn critical research skills (e.g., programming, statistical analysis)
- Potential to develop your own research projects
- Highly dignified lab mascot (tinyurl.com/mr3kscxm)
How to apply:
If you're interested in any of these positions, please email the following documents to Dr. Sam Johnson (samuel.johnson@uwaterloo.ca)
1. Brief cover letter describing why you want to work in the DICE Lab
2. Resume/CV
3. Unofficial transcript
(Cognitive) Reasoning and Decision-Making Lab - continuous recruitment
Reasoning and Decision-Making Lab
Faculty Supervisors: Dr. Jonathan Fugelsang and Dr. Derek Koehler
Contact: Kaiden Stewart
Research Area: reasoning, decision-making, judgment, cognitive psychology.
Duties:
- data collection, coding, and management
- managing the scheduling of participants
- online study administration
- helping with study materials and ethics applications
- some statistical analysis (beginner training will be provided)
- assisting the production of study ideas and design
- literature search
- attend weekly lab meetings (optional)
Time commitment: 3-5 hours/week (minimum)
Qualifications:
- we are looking for reliable, and conscientious students with an interest in cognitive psychology, especially decision-making
- basic computer literacy is expected and advanced computer skills (e.g., programming) are desired
- prior research experience is not necessary
- applicants should be able to demonstrate they can work well as part of a team
- applicants should demonstrate desire to get involved with research
Benefits:
- gain experience working in a real psychology laboratory
- learn about the current state of scientific knowledge about human cognition, specifically as it pertains to decision-making
- participate in all aspects of research
- learn critical research skills (e.g., programming, statistical analysis)
- refine your oral and written communication skills
How to Apply:
If you're interested in any of these positions, please send the following to Kaiden Stewart:
1. Cover letter describing why you want to work in the Reasoning and Decision-Making Lab
2. Resume/CV
3. Unofficial transcript
Cognitive Neuroscience
(Cognitive Neuroscience) Face Processing and Social Cognition Lab - at capacity Fall 2023 - continuous recruitment afterwards
(Cognitive Neuroscience) Face processing and social cognition lab
Dr. Roxane Itier
Research Area:
Cognitive and neural correlates of face and object perception and higher social cognitive functions such as empathy, theory of mind and self-relevance processing biases in undergraduate students.
Duties:
- Recruiting and scheduling participants
- Running EEG experiments with undergraduates
- EEG data collection, pre-processing and management
- EEG/ERP data analyses
- General laboratory maintenance
Time commitment: Approximately 8-10 hours per week for PSYCH 264/464 courses.
Qualifications:
- Applicants must be motivated, reliable, organized, and proactive learners
- Must be interested in learning about EEG/ERP technique
- Must be comfortable working in a team environment
- Must have a current average of minimum 80% in Psychology courses
- For PSYCH 464, must have prior programming knowledge and experience with matlab or strong interest in learning matlab.
Benefits: You will gain a great deal of hands-on experience using Excel, Word, Power Point, SPSS, PsychoPy and matlab 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 Dr. Roxane Itier (ritier@uwaterloo.ca) stating why you would like this position. Attached to this email should be your resumé/CV, class schedule/plan for the term you are applying, and a copy of your unofficial academic transcript from Quest.
(Cognitive Neuroscience) Memory and learning, dual-tasking, Aging - continuous recruitment
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 â 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 80% 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.
Developmental
(Developmental) Infant Child Studies Group - continuous recruitment
(Developmental) Infant Child Studies Group
Research Assistants – Fall 2023
Developmental Psychology
Faculty Supervisors: Stephanie Denison
Web: https://uwaterloo.ca/developmental-learning-lab/
Research areas: Cognitive development from early infancy to early childhood (0-8 years old).
Contact: Email our lab coordinator, at babylab@uwaterloo.ca
Duties: We are looking for research assistants who are eager to help out with a variety of lab tasks that may include recruiting participants from the community, assisting with in-lab studies, attending lab meetings, and assisting with additional general lab duties.
Benefits: You will gain experience working and collaborating with local child-oriented groups in the community, in addition to working directly with infants and young children in the labs.
Time commitment: Approximately 8 hours per week. Ideal applicants will have consistent blocks of time available each week from 9am to 5pm.
Qualifications:
- Reliable, detail-oriented, and highly-motivated students with a strong interest in developmental psychology, cognitive psychology
- Passionate about working with young children
- Preference given to students in the psychology major/honours program (prior research experience an asset, but not necessary)
To apply: Please send the following documents to our lab coordinator (babylab@uwaterloo.ca) and indicate the term you are applying for (e.g., Fall 2023):
- Resume
- Cover letter explaining your interest in this position and relevant skills
- Your class schedule (even if it is still unofficial)
- Unofficial transcript
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) Diversity and Intergroup Relations Lab - continuous recruitment
Volunteer RA or Psych 264/464
Dr. Hilary Bergsieker
Contact: digrlab@uwaterloo.ca
Research Areas: Intergroup trust and conflict; reducing bias based on race, gender, religion, sexual identity, or disability; field experiments on diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. We ask: What conditions help our conversations, collaborations, and friendships with people from different backgrounds succeed? What steps can individuals (and institutions) take to overcome prejudice and repair trust in intergroup interactions?
Researcher assistants gain experience with both standard and advanced social psychological research methods. Professor Bergsieker works directly with undergraduate research assistants, engaging them in the research process and providing personalized mentorship.
The time commitment is ideally 6-8 hours per week on average, with a minimum of 5 hours per week.
To apply, please complete the online application linked below. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but if possible, please apply before the second week of the term when you hope to join our lab. Individuals from underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
https://uwaterloo.ca/diversity-intergroup-relations-lab/joining-lab/undergraduate-ras
Industrial/Organizational
(I/O Psychology) Culture at Work Lab
Volunteer RA Position - Fall 2022
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Wendi Adair
Contact: Amrit Kaler
The Culture at Work Lab is recruiting volunteer research assistants to aid in creating study materials for a research project investigating codeswitching in the job interview. In order to apply for this position, you must be White or South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) and comfortable with being filmed. For this task, you will be provided a script and recorded answering questions as a fictional job candidate. There is potential to continue working for the lab beyond this assignment. Lab tasks may include running participants, data entry, conducting literature reviews, and preparing study materials for various ongoing projects. The time commitment for this position is approximately 5-10 hours per week. If you are interested, please email Amrit (a6kaler@uwaterloo.ca) your CV/resume and a copy of your unofficial transcript from Quest.
Paid RA Positions
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Group
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Group
Paid RA Position – Fall 2023
Faculty Supervisor – Dr. Megan McCarthy
Contact: Dr. Megan McCarthy (megan.mccarthy@uwaterloo.ca)
Our interdisciplinary group of researchers is recruiting paid research assistants to aid in classroom behavioural observations and coding for a project exploring student responses to active learning. To apply for this position, you should be an upper year undergraduate student (3rd or 4th year) with previous experience in behavioural observation and coding. Only students with previous experience will be considered. Tasks will include participating in training sessions, attending undergraduate lectures in the Faculty of Science to observe and code student behaviour, and helping with study and coding materials. Time commitment will vary from 2-10 hours per week