Being a participant in psychology research projects can be a way of a) learning something about yourself, b) learning something about psychology or c) getting free or low-cost treatment. You are also helping psychologists build the evidence-base for different psychological concepts and treatments.
I’m not suggesting you sign up for every study you can (some are very time consuming) but if the topic seems relevant to you, it can be a positive experience and is worth consideration.
The Australian Psychological Society (APS) which represents over 20,000 psychologists in Australia, publishes a list of current research projects being run by members.
I took a look to see which projects are currently up and running that might be relevant to students (Note: if you are reading this post long after the 26th February, the specific projects will have changed, but the APS list should still be there).
There were a couple:
This study out of the School of Psychology, Federation University Australia, is looking at the opinions of Australian adults towards accessing mental health services via digital video (e.g. Skype).
It is a 20 minute questionnaire,
“which asks about your background (e.g., age, gender, marital status), your mental health service usage (e.g. whether you have visited a general practitioner, psychologist, or other mental health worker), your opinions and attitudes towards the use of video-based technology to access digital mental health services (e.g. your opinions regarding the effort in using video-based technology, or the expected performance of video-based technology), and some questions regarding your personality, emotional regulation, belongingness, and psychological distress“
Learn more about the study, and whether you want to participate here.
A PhD study out of Monash University is looking for heterosexual women over 26 years of age who have used YouTube dating advice (i.e. YouTube videos featuring a dating coach/expert providing dating advice) to share their experiences in an individual one-hour interview. A $25 gift card is provided as a sign of appreciation.
For more information or to participate, please contact the PhD student researcher: Julia Horn, Master of Psychology (Counselling)/PhD candidate
Ph: (03) 9902 4874 E: julia.horn@monash.edu
Please note that a) I am not endorsing these studies specifically, b) I am not personally involved in these studies and c) your participation in these, or any other studies is entirely voluntary.
I don’t want you to think that I am telling you to take part in these studies. I simply wanted to draw you attention to them, and to the broader issue of getting involved in research projects.
I can’t answer any questions about these specific projects (contact the people involved) but if you have broader questions about taking part in studies, contact me via the methods below.