Application for Professor Lawson's Research Lab
Thank you for your interest in joining my lab! Below are some questions designed to help us both gauge fit between your interests and experience and what my research lab has to offer. Students whose responses on this form convey strong interest and appropriate experience will be asked to submit their unofficial Rhodes College transcript and interview with me, after which a subset of applicants will invited to join the lab based on overall fit. 

For Fall 2024, I plan to admit one additional RA to join my team.

My lab mission statement is as follows: As a lab, we strive to conduct methodologically rigorous, open, and inclusive research on personality and psychological adjustment. In doing so, we aim to foster well-being and promote the functioning of our participants, lab members, academic community, and society. Please see my full lab manual for details about how I run my lab and my priorities in the research process.

I am looking for the following qualities in research assistants:
  • Strong background in research methods and statistics (e.g., demonstrated by completion of and strong performance in PSYC 200 and 211)
  • Intellectual curiosity and specific interest in the research topics we study in our lab, including personality development, psychological adjustment (e.g., mental health, educational outcomes), measurement, and improving research methods in psychology
  • Time to dedicate appropriate attention to lab tasks without sacrificing other responsibilities or obligations (e.g., without jeopardizing coursework, undermining other responsibilities, or sacrificing your general well-being)
  • Punctuality, responsibility, and industriousness to facilitate the on-time and high-quality completion of lab-related tasks
  • A willingness to ask questions when you don't know the answer and the initiative to seek out answers to questions in novel and creative ways
  • Acknowledgement of positionality in the research process and appreciation of diversity and inclusivity
  • Desire for longer term commitment to the lab (i.e., ability and desire to work as a research assistant across multiple semesters)
Some responsibilities of research assistants in my lab (subject to change as projects progress):
  • Attend weekly 1.5-hour lab meetings throughout the semester - for Fall 2024 these meetings will take place on Wednesdays from 1:10-2:40pm
  • Find, read, and summarize relevant studies from the published literature
  • Help run statistical analyses and write up APA-style results
  • Constructively critique research ideas and written manuscript drafts
  • Generate novel research questions and work to disseminate findings through conference presentations (both at Rhodes and in national/international academic societies)
Full name (first and last) *
Rhodes College email address *
Year in college *
Major(s) and minor(s) - specify whether intended or declared *
Have you taken PSYC 200 (Research Methods) and/or PSYC 211 (Statistical Methods) at Rhodes? If yes, what grades did you receive (or do you expect to receive if currently enrolled) in these courses? *
Please take a few minutes to read through my lab manual and pick one topic/component/section that stands out to you. It could be a topic that you find interesting, important, surprising/new, or confusing. Why did this particular section draw your attention? How do you hope to engage with this topic as a research assistant? *
Are you currently working in another research lab on or off campus, either inside a psychology department or outside of it? If so, which one and how long have you been a part of it? *
My lab is officially titled the "Personality & Adjustment Lab" but our research spans many different areas of psychology, including personality, developmental, clinical, social, and quantitative areas. Check out the work that I have published and am currently working on here under Publications. Pick one paper and read the freely accessible PDF. What are 1-2 aspects of this work that you find interesting? *
Research in our lab involves a substantial amount of complex statistical analyses, much of which are conducted using R (an open-source coding language commonly used for statistics). Would you be open to learning R to use for research projects? Prior experience in R is not expected or required! *
With the understanding that plans, desires, and motivations change across the lifespan (and especially during emerging adulthood!), what are you currently hoping to do after graduating from Rhodes? Do you think that experience in this lab could help facilitate those plans? *
What major obligations do you have for the Fall 2024 semester (e.g., particularly heavy course load, sports team, other extracurricular activities)? Do you foresee any challenges balancing lab responsibilities with these other things on your plate? *
How many hours a week do you think you could dedicate to lab tasks for the Fall 2024 semester? Please note that it is more important to me that the estimate you provide is accurate rather than high. *
Do you plan to study abroad or be off-campus during the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic year? Being off-campus does not disqualify you from research, but will be necessary to consider when forming a cohesive group of research assistants. *
Thanks so much for your interest in joining my lab and for taking the time to fill out this form. I will be in contact with students in July 2024 with updates about the next stage of the application process. As part of the next stage of the process, I plan to ask students for their Rhodes College transcript and set up interviews with a handful of applicants. Please feel free to email me (lawsonk@rhodes.edu) with any questions!
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