Undergraduate Research Assistants – Undergraduate Research in Social Psychology

How did you get involved in your research lab(s)? What did the process look like?

“I took the social psychology course with Professor Shana Cole during the Spring 2022 semester and I realized that social psychology was my favorite branch of psychology. I went to Professor Cole’s office hours and inquired about ways to get involved with social psychology research on campus and that’s when I found out about the RAMP lab!” – Anjali G., RAMP Lab
“I got involved in my research lab by using the Rutgers research labs website that listed all the research labs. I applied to a couple of them one day and then a couple weeks later, I was invited into the RAMP lab. It was a smooth process and helped me to get into the lab quickly.” – Shannan F., RAMP Lab

What have you learned or gained from your time working in a research lab?

“I’m able to learn more about the topics from social psychology that interest me on a more applied, deeper level than would typically happen in a classroom. I’m also able to learn more about the research process and different research methods to use to study these topics in innovative ways. I learned more knowledge about graduate school and careers in psychology with having discussions with the graduate school students in the research lab and having weekly meetings where certain meetings having graduate school or career panels.” – Paula S., RAMP Lab
“I’ve learned to be a more effective communicator and organized. I have to stay on top of my emails and keep track of action items and deadlines. By attending weekly meetings, on time, I’ve become more punctual and disciplined. Critical thinking and reasoning is a big part of the lab as I have to evaluate research designs and limitations of the research that could be resolved. Finally, I have learned that I won’t have all the knowledge in social psychology, but by being a part of the lab, I gain functional knowledge in the field of social psychology that I could utilize in the future.” – Muhammad Razi H., RAMP Lab
“I have learned about how to put together research into a presentation and how to educate and the format of research articles.” – Meghana C., Nicolas Lab

What advice would you give to an undergraduate interested in psychology research?

“I would say just to apply for the labs and really learn about each one before applying so that they are more likely to actually get into the lab. When prospective research assistants show their interest in the labs, they are more likely to not only get into the labs, but also to excel in them.” – Shannan F., RAMP Lab
“I would recommend them to discover their interest by taking different psychology courses (social, developmental, abnormal, forensic, cognitive, and etc.). Ask your professors questions about why certain paper setup their study design in a particular way, what are the limitations, what are the strengths of that paper. Asking these questions would help you develop your thinking and reasoning skills from a psychology research perspective. Understand that it’s okay if you don’t know anything, just ask because the professors are always there to help you and answer your questions. Finally, inquire your psychology professors if they’re recruiting research assistants for their lab or if any other professor is that they might know about. Working as an RA will not only give your research experience but you can get class credit for it too.” – Muhammad Razi H., RAMP Lab
“I would try to get involved as much as possible whether that be reading articles or helping peers out physically in the lab.” – Meghana C., Nicolas Lab

The RAMP Lab