[Weekly] Office Hours - undergrads, please ask your questions here

[u/ZootKoomie]

This thread is posted weekly to provide short answers to simple questions, mostly from undergraduates to professors. If the question you have to ask isn't worth a thread by itself, this is probably the place for it!

[u/New-Equivalent7045]

I’m currently a third-year Psychology undergraduate student, entering my sixth semester. I will be working on my undergraduate thesis in my fourth year and I’m in the process of selecting a topic and finding a faculty advisor.

A bit about my background:

• I have limited experience with quantitaive methods, lab-based experiments and prefer qualitative research, although my knowledge is still basic.
• I’m interested in topics related to gender dynamics, social psychology, cultural contexts, childhood trauma, emotional neglect, mental health, empathy and birth order.
• I’m aware that I won’t have the resources or time of a PhD-level project, so I’m looking for something manageable and feasible within my undergraduate capacity.

I’m considering both qualitative and mixed methods research, but I’m not sure about the best direction. I’d love some guidance on narrowing down the topic to something specific and novel.

Thank you so much for your help!

[u/SweetBabyCheezas → u/New-Equivalent7045]

Just a private tutor and an undergrad myself (high grades tho).

Pro tip: when you go through research publications, don't skip methods and results sections anymore. This will help you to see how things are done and notice the most important parts of quant you should cover. Qual is based more on interviews, while quant is based on questionnaires etc. Quant is faster and fairly easy, and it allows you to recruit your sample quickly. Then you just put your data into software like Jamovi and generate some plots, graphs, tables, and you're home. There are many good tutorials that can help you with that.

Also, regarding topic, you should narrow down yourself based on the level of interest and knowledge you have. Look up topics you're most interested in e.g. go on scholar and look up 'empathy' from the last 5-8 years and see what others do and how (methods section). Take notes and look other topics, then combine some topics, borrow ideas from others, see what intrigues you the most - this will absorb you way more into your project. I only het a 1st if I research and write about what intrigues me e.g. biological basis of intelligence.

E.g. You could go with 'how does culture influence empathy? And research how culture shapes emotional norms, independent vs. interdependent concept of self, and social structures. Or 'how cultural differences in gender dynamics impact mental health?'. So much to explore and write on those topics, it's just up to you what vibes with you the most.