These past few weeks have gone by so quick it’s hard to believe I’ve half way through this trip. After struggling to work through finding my around town to technical issues in the lab, I’ve started to get into the groove of things. Having troubles in the lab is both frustrating and rewarding at the same time. After experiencing various technical errors in the lab like an E-prime script not working or something as simple as forgetting to change the batteries that power everything, I’ve learned how to troubleshoot a variety of problems. I’ve definitely gained more confidence when it comes to running an EEG experiment by myself! There’s so many little tasks that go into running an experiment like making sure you don’t put too much gel in an electrode when capping a participant or making sure they are properly prepared for the experiment by emailing them the day before. Thankfully, many of the participants I’ve had here are familiar with EEG studies since it’s required for Psychology majors to attend 24 hours of studies during their first year. That’s right 24 hours. From what I remember, my intro to psychology course only required 6 hours of participating in research experiments. These almost experienced participants made administering my tasks a lot let stressful considering I’m still in the process of learning. With only a few weeks left to go, I’m excited to see if I can get at least 15 more participants to sign up. Sign up have been a little slow, so I’m trying find ways to get more people to come in within the next few weeks. I’ve started working on flyers to advertise my study, and I plan on handing out slips in front of the dining commons soon. Hopefully, I can get enough people in time!
