Gaining Research Experience: Student Perspectives by Jessica Di Monaco and Victoria Newell

 

Jessica Di Monaco and Victoria Newell are two former Psychology undergraduates who worked with Dr Eilidh Cage as research assistants. Here, they tell us about what they learned from this experience. You can read about their published research with Eilidh here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-017-3342-7

In January 2016 we began working with Dr Eilidh Cage as research assistants. We worked on research investigating the impact of autism acceptance on the mental health of autistic adults, along with researching the understanding and attitudes of the general public towards autistic individuals. We both had previous experience working with autistic individuals which had led to a keen interest in autism research. During our time as research assistants, this passion blossomed. Dr Cage introduced us to neurodiversity; the idea that everyone should be celebrated and accepted no matter what differences they may have on a neurological level. Since graduating in July 2016, Victoria noted that this concept, along with Dr Cage’s efforts to make autism research more inclusive of ideas from autistic individuals themselves, particularly resonated with her core values and beliefs, and influenced her decision to pursue an MSc in Clinical Neurodevelopmental Sciences at Kings College London. Jessica graduated in June 2017, and the skills she gained during the research assistant position are still invaluable to this day.

We learned a variety of skills that we would not have otherwise gained from completing a Psychology degree alone. In the research, we helped to identify measures to be used, for example to measure attitudes towards autism. We input these into a programme called Qualtrics, which enabled participants to complete questionnaires online.  We also contacted autism organisations and approached the general public via platforms of social media, to promote the research and encourage individuals to take part. Jessica even visited a high school with Dr Cage to talk to students about Psychology at university and our research. This experience helped to further her communication skills by learning how to develop a professional rapport with organisations and adapt her language to communicate the research in a way that was understandable for a range of audiences.

We were also able to practice and consolidate research methods and statistical analyses beyond those we had used in our degree. We also learnt new analyses  such as content analysis. Doing this analysis gave us insight into the thoughts and feelings of those who completed our questionnaires and enabled their voices to be heard. Victoria found these skills particularly useful when continuing her studies at MSc level, as it gave her the basis she needed to work with and understand more complex research methods and statistics. We also found it interesting to learn about the process of publishing a scientific paper, which was very useful as it is a big part of academic life but was completely new to us.

We thought that being a part of Dr Cage’s team was one of the biggest highlights of our university career. We loved the research process, finding it exciting to carry out a scientific study where you find statistically meaningful results that have important and relevant implications. On top of this, we worked as a wonderful team with Dr Cage, where we always felt supported, comfortable, and motivated; able to draw and grow from each other’s skills, knowledge and wisdom. The experience helped us to develop both academically and personally, and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity.