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On this page you will find information for students interested in joining the ASCL (and how to apply), what is expected of new research assistants in the ASCL, and other resources for current ASCL research assistants and others interested in attending graduate school in psychology.
Interested in joining the ASCL??
First and foremost, we view working in the lab as a kind of traineeship. We invest a lot of time in the students who work with us, and we do not have an unlimited amount of time and energy for this part of our work. Therefore we choose students for the lab very carefully and only accept a handful of undergraduate research assistants each semester. During their first semester as members of the ASCL, students’ volunteer their time spent in the laboratory. After at least one semester in the lab, students may have the opportunity to earn course credits for their research hours.
New research assistants are required to volunteer 5-7 hours per week in the ASCL. Upon joining the lab, new research assistants will receive an orientation into lab activities and the requirements of being an ASCL lab member (see below for information on requirements of new ASCL research assistants). During the first semester, research assistants will primarily work on data collection for ongoing ASCL studies; however, as research assistants gain more knowledge and experience their opportunities will increase. Many advanced research assistants have the opportunity to assist with data analyses, conference presentations, manuscript preparation, and project development. Advanced research assistants may also have the opportunity to develop an undergraduate honor’s thesis.
As we have a limited number of research assistant opportunities, competition is typically strong. Acceptance of new students into the ASCL is based upon availability, degree progress, and academic merit. Here are some of the criteria we apply:
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It is best if beginning lab members have 3 long semesters left before graduation, so they can receive some training and have time to develop their own project. However, there is room for people with less time until graduation and who do not necessarily want to develop their own project.
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Undergrads in the lab must have a GPA of at least 3.0 (3.5 or better is desirable). The workload can become fairly heavy at times, because projects have their own pace and the people need to keep up. In order to get the background information required and also participate in the research, lab members have to do well in conventional student tasks. While we prefer accepting students with at least a 3.0 GPA (for the above stated reasons), students with a GPA below the 3.0 cutoff will be considered on a case‐by‐case basis.
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Some students may apply to join the lab prior to having taken STA 2122, STA 3123, & PSY 3213. However, if you have taken these courses we prefer beginning lab members that have at least a “B” in these courses, and preferably an “A” in all such courses. Applicants with statistics and research methods grades below “B” will be considered on a case‐by‐case basis.
If you would like more information about the ASCL and/or research opportunities, feel free to contact Dr. Ross @ (305) 919-5964 or via e-mail. Students interested in joining the ASCL must complete an application and return it to Dr. Ross either by dropping it by his office (ACI 323) or attaching it to an e-mail. Following a review of the application, students will be contacted to arrange a time for an interview.
Welcome to the ASCL….Now what?
Information for New ASCL Research Assistants
1. Lab Requirements
All information regarding the lab requirements for new RA's can be found in the lab syllabus. Briefly, an RA’s duties in the lab may include but are not limited to:
· attend training sessions / lab meetings
· stimulus creation
· data entry
· running experimental sessions
· interacting with participants
· coding data
While the number of hours worked is somewhat negotiable and may vary throughout the semester depending upon such things as the number of projects we have running or the number of participants signing up, we expect the following:
Volunteer: 5-7 hours per week
Credit: 8-10 hours per week
Volunteers are expected to perform the same duties as those taking credits and have the same responsibilities, including lab duties, attendance policy, and lab meeting.
2. Human Participants Training
Individuals conducting research with human participants are required to undergo training to ensure the safety of the research participants. All members of the ASCL are required to complete the National Institutes for Health (NIH) Office of Extramural Research on-line tutorial titled Protecting Human Research Participants (http://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php) This tutorial must be completed within the first week of joining the lab. Once completed, you must provide Dr. Ross with a photocopy of Certificate of Completion to keep on file in the lab. More information on the federal regulations and PHRP training is available at the FIU Office of Research Integrity website (http://ori.fiu.edu/IRB.html).
3. Getting Familiarized with Our Research
We have developed a list of readings related to research in the areas of eyewitness psychology and juror decision-making. This list and the accompanying readings will be provided to new RAs via e-mail and on a CD entitled “Starting out in the ASCL”. These readings provide background knowledge about our areas of research and all new RAs are expected to familiarize themselves with these articles within the first couple weeks they are a members of the lab.
I want to go to grad school….What do I need to do??
Information on Prepping for Grad School and Other Undergraduate Resources
Preparing for Graduate School
Most students who join the ASCL are interested in pursuing graduate education in psychology or a related field. Typically, students that are interested in pursuing graduate training should begin preparing for graduate school during their Sophomore year of undergraduate education, and no later than the beginning of their Junior year, as preparing for graduate school requires a lot of time and effort. FIU's Psychology Major's Handbook provides a useful timeline for assisting students with knowing when specific graduate school preparations should be completed. You can download a copy of this timeline here. In addition, the American Psychological Association (APA) offers A Guide to Getting Into Graduate School on their website. This guide provides useful information on preparing for graduate school and references to other informative resources. Additionally, the BBC Psychology Faculty recently offered a Careers & Research Series for BBC Psychology Majors which consisted of a 6 seminars on various aspects related to careers in psychology and preparing for graduate school. Videos of some of these seminars will be posted on FIU's Psychology Department website. The .ppt corresponding to Dr. Ross' seminar on What you need to do as an undergraduate to get into graduate school is available here.
Below is a list of additional resources that will assist you with preparing for graduate school as an undergraduate here @ FIU.
Psych Web's Graduate School Options for Psychology Majors
Rider University's Graduate School & Careers in Psychology
University of Northern Iowa's Pursuing Psychology Graduate School
University of Southern Indiana Psychology Club's Graduate School
Ranking of U.S. Psychology Ph.D. Programs by Area
American Psychological Association (APA) - 2007 Salaries
Relevant Professional Organizations
Below is a listing of the web sites of professional associations, arranged alphabetically. These links provide you with information about these organizations' functions including annual conferences, student sections and membership guidelines.
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Psychological Association – Student Division
American Psychology-Law Society (APLS)
American Psychology-Law Society – Student Division
Association for Psychological Science (APS)
Association for Psychological Science – Student Caucus
Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP)
Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition (SARMAC)