Opportunities to Work in the Lab
Highly motivated students are considered integral members of our research team. The tasks performed by research assistants may include coding behavior for psychological processes, serving as an experimenter, entering data, coordinating participant recruitment, serving as an experimental confederate, and so on. The particular tasks assigned depends on the current research being conducted.
Serving as a research assistant requires a great deal of motivation and willingness to help the research process in whatever ways are necessary. We are looking for individuals who are organized, dependable, honest, and playful, have a sense of integrity, and most of all, are intrinsically interested in psychological research.
The benefits of serving as a research assistant can be considerable. Most notably, research assistants will learn about psychological research, with a particular emphasis on social anxiety, character strengths (e.g., curiosity, gratitude), and emotions. Research assistants will have opportunities to be involved in the entire scientific process from learning and synthesizing prior work, formulating and testing new ideas, and disseminating findings. One of the greatest pleasures in this process is the exquisite sensation of discovering something new after completing a research study. To be the first vessel to hold an idea the world has yet to see or hear…and eventually sharing these ideas to better understand some component of human functioning, improve the treatment of psychological problems, or enhance well-being.
Being a research assistant can help you decide whether you want to pursue a graduate degree in psychology and substantially increase your market value for any postgraduate work. Additionally, those students who demonstrate superb ability and motivation will earn supportive letters of recommendation. If you are interested in learning more about doing research for undergraduate course credit at George Mason University, read about Psychology 460.
IMPORTANT. This is a volunteer position. Please do not apply if you are looking for a paid position.
There is a minimum GPA Requirement of 3.20. We expect lab assistants to commit to an average of 9 hours a week on lab activities (a bit less if you are not registered for course credit) and at least 2 semesters. If you are interested, download an application: Research Assistant Application. Send your completed application to: tkashdan@gmu.edu