Research
In our psychology department, there are two ways you can get involved in research.
First, you can serve as a research participant. Being a research participant gives you an opportunity to see firsthand what it is like to be in a research study. Our faculty and students conduct many diverse experiments and surveys that you can try out. Research participants should visit our SONA page to see what studies are currently being offered.
Second, students who are interested in graduate school are highly encouraged to join a research team. In these teams, students get an opportunity to help faculty design studies, run participants, analyze data, and present findings.
Sona Systems Instructions for Student Research Participants
In order to help keep researchers and participants coordinated, and to keep which studies you participate in confidential from your instructors, we use a service called Sona Systems. After the drop/add deadline, your instructor sends your class list to the Sona Systems administrator. Once this list is uploaded, you will receive an email with your username and password (remember to check your junk mail). Using this username and password, you can visit the Sona System website to see what studies are available. We have provided a number of helpful resources below; if you have additional questions, contact the Sona administrator (his or her email address is at the bottom of the Sona System website).
- Sona System Website
- Sona System Participant Video Tutorial
- Sona System Participant Instructions
- Sona System Frequently Asked Questions
Working as a research assistant helps you develop your skills beyond what you learned in Statistics and Research Methods. You may be asked to find and summarize research articles, develop experimental materials, run research participants, enter data, and present your results to your research team or at a conference. These experiences are essential for students interested in attending graduate programs. To learn more about research at Minnesota State University, Mankato in general, you should visit the Undergraduate Research Center.
In addition to the skills you gain as a research assistant, you will also work closely with a faculty mentor in the psychology department. This mentor can help guide you in selecting graduate schools and preparing materials. They also can potentially provide you with a strong letter of recommendation if you do well on your research.
Because there are more interested students than slots on a research team, most faculty have requirements or applications for their research teams. To increase your chances of being selected for a research team, follow the advice offered in this document, Tips for Joining a Research Team.
Undergraduate Research Travel Grant Application
Interested in joining a research team? Fill in our psychology research team application
