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Participate in a Study

Studies Accepting Participants:

The SMILE lab is often running studies in need of undergraduate participants. The following studies are currently recruiting. If you're a Marshall Psychology student interested in participating in exchange for course credit, please click one of the options below to see available timeslots.

There are currently no open studies. Please check back later or follow the lab on X or Instagram for updates:        

  • X
  • Instagram

Join the Lab

Thank you for your interest in joining the SMILE lab! We are always looking for students who are excited to do research and we encourage individuals of all backgrounds (e.g. race, sexuality, gender, religion) and levels of prior research experience to apply.

Marshall University students who would like to volunteer and/or complete a research course in the lab are welcome to fill out this application form. Below is some useful information to go over first about what you can expect from working in the lab and what you'll need to complete the form.





 

What can you expect from working in the lab?

Students in the SMILE lab are encouraged to be involved in all aspects of research, including literature reviews, experimental design, study pre-registration, programming, data analysis, writing, and presentations. We have casual weekly lab meetings where everyone gives updates on their progress and we can collaborate and share ideas, and a couple times a semester we set aside time to discuss whatever students would like to talk about (e.g. professional development, graduate school applications, CV writing, inclusivity in research, etc). Students also attend individualized training sessions and project group meetings with Dr. McCrackin to learn the skills they need to advance their projects (e.g. experimental design, programming, data analysis).

 

Depending on the level of contribution a student is able bring to a study, they may earn authorship on corresponding papers and/or conference presentations, attend conferences to present their work, or be thanked in the acknowledgements section of a paper. Students who contribute long term to the lab can also request a reference letter for graduate school/other opportunities from Dr. McCrackin.

What are we looking for from potential students?

  • Commitment to maintaining a lab culture free of prejudice and bias.
     
  • Being open and respectful of diverse backgrounds and identities.
     
  • Being curious! Research is a lot of fun and we love students who genuinely have a passion for learning and asking novel questions.
     
  • Enjoyment of working with others. Research takes a village and we want people who share knowledge, enjoy working with others, communicate well, and build each other up.
     
  • Being a self-motivated learner. For example, being able to look up how to complete a type of analysis or modify some code, or being able to learn from previous examples.
     
  • Integrity and Ethical Conduct. This includes a commitment to writing without the use of generative ai, and maintaining a high standard of honesty and accountability when handling data.
     
  • Good critical thinking skills. Evaluating evidence critically, questioning underlying assumptions, and generating alternate theories.
     
  • Hard work and resiliency to overcome setbacks.
     
  • Good time management and ability to stay on a fixed project timeline.
     
  • Careful attention to detail when collecting data, programming studies, running data analyses, or creating documentation.

Things to think about & gather before opening the application form:

Things to think about:
 
  • Why do you want to do research in the SMILE lab as opposed to other labs?
  • What aspects of our work and/or research themes interest you?
  • How much time can you commit to the lab?
  • Do you want to volunteer or complete a specific research based course?
  • What are you hoping to get out of your lab experience?
  • What skills do you bring to the table or are excited to learn?
  • What are your long term education and career goals?

Things to gather:
 
  • Your unofficial transcript
  • Your curriculum vitae (here is a helpful link if you are working on making one)
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