Lab Scheduling

Author: Trinity Walker | Majors: Psychology and Spanish

Trinity Walker is an honors college student in the Fulbright College studying Psychology and Spanish. She and her research team have collected data using an in person experimental method during the fall semester of 2021.

During the fall semester of 2021, I conducted research in the Language Lab under my advisor, Dr. Levine. The overall goal of this research is to replicate results of a previous study concerning the impact of reading literary fiction on theory of mind abilities. It has been previously suggested that reading literary fiction is associated with higher theory of mind abilities- or the ability to understand and interpret others’ emotions. We hypothesize that reading literary fiction will not have a significant association with theory of mind abilities. Our doubts come from failure to replicate these results in other studies that we have read. However, it is important to replicate this study ourselves using similar methodology and add to the conversation in the research world of literary fiction.

For the duration of one year, prior to starting this research, Dr. Levine and I read over 30 research papers in this area of field.  We gathered different methodologies and then pieced together our own version that matched the original study as close as possible. Kidd and Castano, the original authors of the research we are replicating, shared with us their exact Qualtrics survey that they used. We added a few small details to their survey and had finalized it by mid-September. We added additional measures to the study but did not remove any significant tasks or methods from the original research.

This semester, we were able to run about fifty participants in the lab. Participants came into one of two rooms and then followed instructions on the screen. Each participant came in twice for about 45 minutes each session. We were able to find any errors within the first week of data collection and corrected them in a timely manner. Also, while participants were in the study, I would schedule lab hours, contact missing participants, manage data on Sona, and work on revising my thesis writing.

Next semester, we will be sampling from the Northwest Arkansas community in addition to undergraduate students and paying them with cash. We plan to start this as soon as the Spring semester commences. We plan to analyze our data by late February or early March. Data may still be collected after this timeline, but for the purpose of defending my thesis by May, my thesis will contain the analysis of data from a smaller time frame. We are also actively looking for publication and conference opportunities to share our research.

Through my Honors College Research Grant, I have been able to conduct research over a topic I am passionate about. I have been able to recruit participants and buy software needed to create our study. I also have been able to gain the skills necessary in the lab to apply to graduate school programs. I believe the use of my Honors College Research Grant will allow me to obtain all the skills necessary to further my research career in a professional matter.