UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1018
Submission information
Submission Number: 1018
Submission ID: 19686
Submission UUID: ce317183-4219-4d35-87ea-5db6bbdba4d4
Submission URI: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal
Submission Update: /urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=IfZJX39Th_ys6A6GXOp6n5g1yM3okmfiwgGgEFlAHiY
Created: Fri, 06/06/2025 - 02:10 PM
Completed: Fri, 06/06/2025 - 02:10 PM
Changed: Wed, 10/29/2025 - 12:48 PM
Remote IP address: 71.226.164.63
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Webform: UROP Project Proposal Portal
Submitted to: UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal
Research Mentor Information
Danielle Jones
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Graduate Student
Dr. Chris Martin
Arts and Sciences
Psychology
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Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Overall Project Details
Connecting Memory Performance to the Accuracy of Self-Reported Psychopathology
Neuroscience, Psychology, Cognition, Memory
No
2
This position is open to all majors, but it's a great fit for students planning to apply to grad school in psychology, neuroscience, or healthcare fields like medicine, nursing, or PA programs.
On FSU Main Campus
Yes
In-person
10
Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
In psychology, we often ask people to describe their mental health symptoms—how anxious, sad, or irritable they’ve been over the past two weeks. But here’s the catch: memory isn’t perfect, and for people with mental health issues, memory can be even less reliable. This study asks: How much can we trust what people remember about their own mental health?
We’re recruiting 125 participants who will wear EEG caps (which measure brain activity) during lab sessions, complete daily mental health surveys for two weeks, and then give a final summary of how they felt during that time. We’ll compare their daily reports to their “retrospective” summary to see how closely they match—and more importantly, we’ll see which one is more accurate by comparing them to biological markers in the brain.
The brain data (like attention and emotional processing signals) give us something like an anchor or reality check. If the daily reports line up better with the brain responses than the retrospective ones do, that tells us something huge about how we should be measuring mental health in both research and clinical practice.
We’re recruiting 125 participants who will wear EEG caps (which measure brain activity) during lab sessions, complete daily mental health surveys for two weeks, and then give a final summary of how they felt during that time. We’ll compare their daily reports to their “retrospective” summary to see how closely they match—and more importantly, we’ll see which one is more accurate by comparing them to biological markers in the brain.
The brain data (like attention and emotional processing signals) give us something like an anchor or reality check. If the daily reports line up better with the brain responses than the retrospective ones do, that tells us something huge about how we should be measuring mental health in both research and clinical practice.
As a research assistant on this project, you'll be trained to handle every step of the study process. You'll start by learning how to use EEG equipment to record brain activity. This includes prepping the scalp, placing the EEG cap, checking signal quality, and running the recording software. I’ll teach you how to troubleshoot common issues, manage participant comfort, and make sure the data you're collecting is high quality. By the end of your training, you'll be able to set up and run EEG sessions independently.
In addition to EEG, you'll guide participants through the entire study visit. This includes obtaining informed consent, collecting saliva samples, walking them through each task, and monitoring them throughout the session to make sure everything goes smoothly. You’ll also help with setting up the daily survey system (delivered via text), installing a location tracking app, and conducting a short interview where participants describe their daily experiences during the study period. You'll be the main point of contact for participants, so this is a great role if you like interacting with people and want a deeper understanding of how complex studies are run from start to finish.
EEG data processing can be pretty technical, but you’ll start learning the basics as you prepare your poster presentation. If you're interested in programming, you’ll have the chance to work with MATLAB to clean and preprocess EEG data, and use R to run analyses that link brain activity to mental health symptoms. If you’re not into coding, no problem—there are non-programming alternatives. You’ll use Brain Vision Analyzer, a point-and-click program for EEG data processing, and SPSS for statistical analysis. Both options will give you hands-on experience working with real data and learning how to interpret brain responses in the context of psychological research.
In addition to EEG, you'll guide participants through the entire study visit. This includes obtaining informed consent, collecting saliva samples, walking them through each task, and monitoring them throughout the session to make sure everything goes smoothly. You’ll also help with setting up the daily survey system (delivered via text), installing a location tracking app, and conducting a short interview where participants describe their daily experiences during the study period. You'll be the main point of contact for participants, so this is a great role if you like interacting with people and want a deeper understanding of how complex studies are run from start to finish.
EEG data processing can be pretty technical, but you’ll start learning the basics as you prepare your poster presentation. If you're interested in programming, you’ll have the chance to work with MATLAB to clean and preprocess EEG data, and use R to run analyses that link brain activity to mental health symptoms. If you’re not into coding, no problem—there are non-programming alternatives. You’ll use Brain Vision Analyzer, a point-and-click program for EEG data processing, and SPSS for statistical analysis. Both options will give you hands-on experience working with real data and learning how to interpret brain responses in the context of psychological research.
Required Skills: None – all training will be provided.
Recommended Skills:
- Strong attention to detail
- Comfortable interacting with people
- Reliable and organized
- Interested in mental health or brain research
- Willingness to learn new technology and procedures
- Good communication skills
- Ability to follow protocols and problem-solve in real time
- Professional and respectful
Recommended Skills:
- Strong attention to detail
- Comfortable interacting with people
- Reliable and organized
- Interested in mental health or brain research
- Willingness to learn new technology and procedures
- Good communication skills
- Ability to follow protocols and problem-solve in real time
- Professional and respectful
My mentoring approach is shaped by my own path into research: non-traditional, messy, and built on people taking chances on me. I try to offer that same kind of opportunity by giving students real responsibility, practical skills, and the space to grow into roles they might not have imagined for themselves.
On my project, learning is hands-on. You’ll be trained on EEG setup, running participants, managing study sessions, and working with brain and behavioral data. I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect curiosity, consistency, and a willingness to learn. I won’t chase you down to make you successful, but if you take initiative, you’ll have the chance to do meaningful work.
I also work with students on what comes next. Grad school, med school, and nursing programs are common next steps, and those wins are always exciting! But one of my proudest moments was when a former RA messaged me to say she had taken a job with a circus in New Orleans. She was academically exceptional but felt stuck, planning to apply to grad school just to stay enrolled and continue performing in the FSU circus. After some honest conversations, she realized she didn’t need a degree to justify doing what she loved.
Whether someone is applying to a PhD program or a circus, I help them edit applications, polish resumes, and write recommendation letters. I'm happy to be a professional reference for whatever future they decide is worth chasing.
On my project, learning is hands-on. You’ll be trained on EEG setup, running participants, managing study sessions, and working with brain and behavioral data. I don’t expect perfection, but I do expect curiosity, consistency, and a willingness to learn. I won’t chase you down to make you successful, but if you take initiative, you’ll have the chance to do meaningful work.
I also work with students on what comes next. Grad school, med school, and nursing programs are common next steps, and those wins are always exciting! But one of my proudest moments was when a former RA messaged me to say she had taken a job with a circus in New Orleans. She was academically exceptional but felt stuck, planning to apply to grad school just to stay enrolled and continue performing in the FSU circus. After some honest conversations, she realized she didn’t need a degree to justify doing what she loved.
Whether someone is applying to a PhD program or a circus, I help them edit applications, polish resumes, and write recommendation letters. I'm happy to be a professional reference for whatever future they decide is worth chasing.
https://cranstudies.com/
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Yes
Recording from this year's roundtable: https://fsu.zoom.us/rec/share/OzWwUqd-_i6sditofD4w_2LgZPjP2RWlBiNC4_2GG25Nm1zv2LN7KmE0B7ORyywE.WFqWAz2cOxOFMQky
- Day: Tuesday, September 2
Start Time: 7:00
End Time: 7:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/99232558029 - Day: Wednesday, September 3
Start Time: 4:00
End Time: 4:30
Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97583482306
UROP Program Elements
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2025
https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=IfZJX39Th_ys6A6GXOp6n5g1yM3okmfiwgGgEFlAHiY