“Now I have the confidence to approach new challenges”: Devising Coding Schemes and Reviewing Manuscripts

(Photo provided by Mallory Murphy)

“It’s been incredibly eye-opening to see all of the behind the scenes and inner workings of different research projects.” ~Mallory Murphy

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*In the following article, TS refers to The Synapse, and MM refers to Mallory Murphy;

TS: Could you briefly introduce yourself, your research position, when your work term was, and the faculty you work with?

MM: I’m Mallory Murphy. I’m completing Honours in psychology, and am a Research Assistant for the Psychology departments at UNB and Crandall University.

I began working with Dr. Elaine Perunovic, alongside her graduate student Varick Young, as a basic research student in winter 2022. We decided to continue working on my basic research project throughout the summer 2022 semester, and will also continue working on it throughout the 2022-2023 academic year. We hope to eventually prepare a manuscript for publication.

I’ve also done some editing and review work for Dr. Perunovic, and Dr. Perunovic also introduced me to her PhD candidate at Crandall University, Jordan Schriver, to do some work on his meta-analysis. This RA work began in S22 and will continue into the F22 semester.

TS: What is your day in the life working this position? What is the overarching goal of the research project you are contributing to?

MM: All of my research experience has been remote, so being organized and being a self-starter is key.

For my paid work, I begin and end by tracking my hours in a log sheet. My paid work is independent but still requires clear communication with my supervisors regarding expectations and deliverables, any questions, or deadlines. I will eventually be editing a manuscript to be published, though I am not sure of the topic yet.

My work for Jordan has primarily been helping him calculate effect sizes for his meta-analysis on Eastern versus Western bilinguals. We both worked separately to review about 25 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. We recorded and discussed relevant data from the studies - like task categorization or manipulation, within or between group experiments, and sample size - and employed statistical methods to calculate the effect sizes. I have also begun updating his PhD thesis from APA 6 to APA 7 format.

My volunteer work with Dr. Perunovic and Varick is much more collaborative. Our project involves examining the content of American sympathy cards; we believe they are important to analyze as they both reflect and influence culture-specific values, thought processes, and social behaviour. Our research method for this project is called ‘content analysis’, which involves identifying cultural ‘artifacts’ relevant to social communication. Specifically, our ‘coding scheme’ for organizing these artifacts includes categories such as social orientation (e.g. independent vs interdependent communities) and regulatory focus (e.g. communities that have preventative approaches vs promotional approaches to goal pursuits). Each individual line in the cards’ messages is parsed and coded into these categories. We applied the coding scheme to our data, and then began recruiting coders who are blind to the context of the study and could thus apply the scheme with maximum objectivity. We introduced the coders to each category sequentially, and asked them to code ‘practice messages’ that were not part of the actual data. We worked in a shared Excel file and discussed and resolved any misunderstandings. Several rounds of coding later, the coders reached 95% agreement with our research team in their application of the scheme. Thus, the coders will soon begin coding actual data.

TS: What do you find most interesting about working this position?

MM: It’s been interesting to witness and be a part of all the tiny yet important details that take place throughout the entire research process. Some tasks can be so tedious, or you might spend several meetings discussing and working through one concept or problem. It’s been incredibly eye-opening to see all of the behind the scenes and inner workings of different research projects.

TS: Is there anything you learned about yourself while working this position?

MM: First and foremost, I learned how much I love research! It can be intimidating at first, but stepping outside of your comfort zone is so rewarding. I’ve learned so much about various research methods and conceptual processes that were all very new to me at first. Pushing myself to work hard through challenges gave way to new learning outcomes - now I have the confidence to approach new challenges in current and future projects.

TS: How did you obtain this position?

MM: Varick, Dr. Perunovic, and I collectively decided to build upon my basic research project.

For the editing work, Dr. Perunovic approached me and asked if I was interested. Dr. Perunovic also approached me and asked if I was interested in working for Jordan, who has since offered me additional work.

TS: What would you recommend to students who are interested in working research positions but are unsure how to get involved?

MM: I would recommend that students check out faculty member profiles to better understand potential research areas they could be involved in, and decide which interests them most. From there, they could email the professor and ask them if they’re looking for research assistants in their lab. I would encourage students to take any work, paid or unpaid, as the experience alone is invaluable! Ψ

Created for The Synapse by Incé Husain.