I came across a Ted talk about stress that I found quite interesting and helpful. We all will undoubtedly come across stress, whether while studying for GREs, making graduate school deadlines, or juggling school, work, and life.  The talk with Kelly McGonigal discussions studies which have found that in changing your perceptions about the psychological onset of stress on your body can change and negative health effects of stress into positive ones of courage and resistance. Examples provided include thinking about stress as a positive and exciting challenge and your body’s reaction of an increased heart rate and sweating are there to help “pump you up” and get you ready to meet the challenge, instead of there to negatively affect your performance.

Last Friday was the first time I ran a session. We had run a mock session over the prior weekend. This included going through what to say and do in the session step by step; including turning on and logging into each of the computers we could potentially use in a session. Running the mock session was very helpful come the day of the session.

I think the session was less intimidating than I anticipated it to be. This may be because of the practice at the mock session. Or do to having a small handful of participants over two sessions. I suspect I would have been more nervous if I opened the door to let the participant in and found a large group of students.

After the session the other RA and I closed everything up and posted our notes on the studies online forum. However, we forgot to send it out to the rest of the lab. Next time it will be easier to remember all the little steps.

I am also trying to work on a poster for a conference in a few weeks. It is taking me longer than normal. Because, I feeling I am still orienting myself to the project and second guess if I am I properly representing the research.

Two days ago, I got my first real taste as a researcher when I ran my first study. While my lab-mates Katherine, Aisha, and I are waiting to recruit participants for Dr. Artistico’s clinical intervention study on motivation and exercise, we are currently helping our lab manager, Sara, run her study in the meantime. Sara’s study relates to how people perceive themselves in relation to others and how these perceptions affect their self-efficacy, or their belief in their own capability to achieve a goal.

When 6:30pm came and it was time to start the study, only two our of the four participants ended up showing up. Believe it or not, although there were only two participants, I was still so nervous! As other students discussed earlier that day in our graduate prep class, several people mentioned how it was a strange feeling being on the “opposite side,” not as a participant, but as a researcher. After running my first study, I can totally relate to this feeling! I think it will take some time to get comfortable with this new role as an authority figure, and also fulfilling my new duties of setting up the lab, instructing and debriefing the participants, and carefully obtaining the data.

Looking back, I laugh and wonder if those two participants noticed my sweaty palms or quivering voice! To prepare for conducting future studies (my next one is on Monday) and to alleviate my anxiety, I plan to practice reading the scripts out loud, and remembering to stress certain parts of the directions more than others. I will tell myself to just breathe and remember that everything will turn out fine.

Did anyone else run their first study or do something totally new and out of their comfort zone this week in their lab?

(Contributed by Daphne Palasi)