Dr. Anthony Nelson
Principal Investigator
I began the Online Students of Psychology Lab in 2016 in an effort to provide research experience opportunities to World Campus students. In the lab, students work on various research studies related to their research interests.
Research Assistants
The OSP Laboratory experience is specifically geared toward preparing students for research in graduate school. Learn more about the OSP Lab team.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Join the Lab
Currently Accepting Applications
Accepting Applications: The Online Students of Psychology Laboratory is seeking students interested in gaining research experience to serve as research assistants.
How We Work
Weekly Meetings
The OSP Lab meets weekly on Wednesdays to discuss ongoing research, present findings, review literature, and collaborate on new projects.
Psychology Research
Research Assistants work on a wide variety of psychology research topics virtually, with the ability to hone in on projects of personal interest.
Students in the lab are encouraged to pursue their own research projects (or group research projects) under the guidance of Dr. Nelson. Students should be prepared to participate in multiple aspects of the research process (e.g., literature review, statistical analysis) across multiple semesters. Some unique opportunities include learning a statistical program/language such as SPSS and R/R Studio.
Credits
Students may enroll in PSYCH 494 for 3 credits, counting towards a 400-level PSYCH course. Continued participation is possible as a volunteer or through additional course enrollments, which will count towards general education credits. A weekly commitment of 9 hours is expected.
How We Meet
Meetings
The lab gets together once per week via Teams for an hour long meeting where various topics related to research and psychology in general are discussed. Lab meeting attendance is mandatory, with various ways to participate.
Study hall is optional, but provides lab members an opportunity for direct access to team leads and the leadership team regarding questions pertaining to research, coursework, or life! It’s a great way to connect with the lab mates outsdie of the regularly scheduled meetings.
The OSP Lab also hosts Social Hours where all members are welcome to participate in non-research related conversation!
24/7 Teams Channels
The OSP Lab provides access to a private Teams group where RA’s discuss topics such as statistics, data analysis, peer-reviewed articles, and more.
Wednesday Morning + Evening
To try to accommodate for the various geographical locations, lifestyles, and circumstances of World Campus students the lab meeting times alternate every week with one taking place in the morning and the other in the afternoon. For students who cannot attend meetings, they are recorded and posted to the comment section in Teams.
Remote
All weekly lab meetings are held via Teams and are recorded so all RA’s can attend asynchronously.
Weekly Lab Meetings
Research Areas
OSP Lab Research Topics
OSP Lab RA’s work on many different research projects either individually or in groups. Some of the projects that OSP Lab RA’s are currently researching include social psychology, heterosexual dating, religious trauma, childhood screen-time and empathy, therapeutic benefits of AI, flow, face mask attraction and expression studies, and many more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What projects do OSP Lab RA's work on?
- Instead of assisting on an existing project, students are encouraged to pursue their own research projects (or group research projects) under the guidance of Dr. Nelson.
How does the OSP Lab work?
- The lab is asynchronous, meaning that there are currently no set meeting times.
- The lab uses Canvas and Microsoft Teams for all lab correspondence. If a live meeting is desired with Dr. Nelson, this can be scheduled.
- Students are expected to participate in weekly discussions where one member of the lab will provide a research article to be read and discussed.
- Each member of the lab will be expected to complete the weekly reading at least once each semester.
- To get the most out of the OSP Lab experience, students should be prepared to participate across multiple semesters.
What are the lab duties for RA's in the OSP Lab?
- In the first semester, students will be expected to conduct a comprehensive literature review on a topic of their choice to develop an understanding of the existing literature in the field.
- Students are expected to learn a new statistical program (JASP, SPSS, or R) during time in the lab.
- After the first semester, students are encouraged to develop their own studies once they have demonstrated that they have enough background knowledge in their topic of choice to develop a novel hypothesis.
Who should apply for the RA position at the OSP Lab?
- World Campus students who are interested in pursuing graduate education in psychology, especially Ph.D. programs, where research will be a major component of the program.
- Generally, students should have already taken (or are currently taking) PSYCH 301W, however, this is not a strict requirement. Students with PSYCH 301 experience will be given priority if there are more applicants than there are available positions.
Are any other skills or experiences needed to apply?
- Students who apply to the lab must be self-motivated.
- This is NOT a typical course where students will be graded on frequent assignment submissions.
- Students must take the initiative to do the work, and to reach out to Dr. Nelson when they need guidance.
- Dr. Nelson will be checking in occasionally and offering feedback, but the students are ultimately responsible for their own progress.
- Students who have the most success in this lab are not afraid to reach out to Dr. Nelson frequently.
Can I use this experience for course credit or as a reference?
- Students are expected to sign up for 3 credits of PSYCH 494, which consists of 9 hours of work per week. Exceptions will be made for lower amounts of credits on a case-by-case basis. Students may also volunteer for this experience.
- In addition to earning credits and learning valuable research skills, students can request a letter of recommendation from Dr. Nelson. Getting letters of recommendation from faculty members you have worked on research with outside of a classroom is essential for getting into research-oriented graduate programs.
Questions?
- Please feel free to email Dr. Nelson with any questions at ajn157@psu.edu.
Get In Touch!
Please feel free to contact us via email to learn more about the OSP Lab. Tell us about yourself – why the OSP Lab interests you and what your research interests are.