At
the start of the Spring 2019 semester I began a research project investigating
how different design strategies for academic posters affects what people learn
from them. The idea for the project came about after a graduate student in the
Health Behaviors research lab shared her research poster at one of our lab
meetings. The poster was strikingly colorful and instead of relying on large
paragraphs she opted for several eye-catching infographics. It sparked a debate
within the lab about whether traditionally designed posters would be as
effective at communicating information. Since then, I’ve been working on an
experiment designed to assess how people view and learn from academic posters.
In
the months since the project began, I’ve learned how to write a research
proposal for an Institutional Review Board. I also learned how to properly
calibrate and use an eye-tracking headset as well as how to work with the data
in R. Conducting my own experiment through OSCAR’s Undergraduate Research
Scholars Program has been an exciting opportunity that has given me the chance
to learn about applied research. The skills that I’ve developed during the
course of this project will help me further my goal of conducting psychological
research professionally.
In
my experience, every week since I started my research has been different. Early
on there was a significant amount of planning and writing that went into
developing a research proposal. Creating the materials and procedures for my
experiment involved many afternoons spent working in a psychology department
lab space. Over the course of the semester I’ve learned how rewarding it can be
to conduct my own research especially when given the freedom to try new things
and approach problems creatively.
