UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1103

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Kai Ou
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: Dr. Ou
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): kou@fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): Social Sciences and Public Policy
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: Department of Political Science
Headshot (optional): https://cre.fsu.edu/system/files/webform/urop_project_proposal_portal/20111/Kai-Ou-2023-4x4-web.jpg

Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable): {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}

Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: When Gains Feel Like Losses: Theory, Experiments, and Observational Evidence
Project Keywords: Immigrant, Zero-Sum Thinking, Behavioral Game Theory, Collective Decision-Making
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: No
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 3
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Open to all majors

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: {Empty}
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 5-10 hours
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: During business hours
Overall Research Project Description:
Public debates over immigration policy often reveal an underlying cognitive shortcut: when people lack clear, reliable information about the consequences of a policy, they may default to zero-sum thinking—the belief that one group’s gain necessarily comes at another’s loss. This tendency is not limited to immigration, but the politics of immigration provides particularly vivid examples. For instance, uncertainty about how immigrant labor affects wages or public resources has led some citizens to oppose pro-immigration reforms even in regions where empirical evidence shows net economic gains. Similarly, during debates over pandemic relief or housing assistance, narratives framing resources as finite and threatened by “outsiders” gained traction despite studies showing broader benefits of inclusionary policies. In such contexts, asymmetric information—where individuals have incomplete or uneven access to credible information—creates fertile ground for zero-sum intuitions, which in turn can steer collective decision-making toward policies that are not only suboptimal, but sometimes counterproductive to the very constituencies that support them. This project examines how informational uncertainty interacts with zero-sum thinking in shaping public opinion and policy preferences, with immigration as a central empirical case.

Research Tasks:
The UROP research assistants will engage in various research-related tasks, including literature reviews, data collection, data entry, conducting laboratory experiments, reaching out to individuals for interviews, and other pertinent assignments. These tasks will be structured as weekly assignments. Mentees will receive email notifications detailing their assignments at the start of each week, typically on Sunday or Monday, with the expectation that the work will be completed by Friday afternoon. Approximately 30% of tasks can be executed remotely, and 70% of tasks should be performed in person. Regular research meetings between the mentor and mentee will be held every 2 weeks. Mentees are anticipated to possess the necessary skills for their assigned tasks, although they may be encouraged to acquire new skills as needed to effectively complete their assignments. Most work will be conducted and submitted electronically. Therefore, it is expected that mentees have proficiency in using software such as MS Office, Adobe, and any other relevant applications.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Required skills vary depending on each mentee’s assigned tasks. The only universal requirement is the ability to conduct literature reviews without using large language model tools (e.g., ChatGPT), which, while useful, can produce false information or cite non-existent sources. Priority will be given to individuals with experience in conducting interviews, running lab experiments with human subjects, or developing websites.

Mentoring Philosophy:
I view mentoring as creative work that keeps mentees’ curiosity alive and turns them from passive receptors to active learners. My primary goal in mentoring is to help mentees develop a systematic approach to analyzing their questions. I always aim to let mentees acquire something more important: the passion for understanding politics, the ability to examine conventional wisdom, and the creativity to solve puzzles.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: https://cosspp.fsu.edu/polisci/faculty/kai-ou/
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
September 5, 3:30-4:00pm, https://fsu.zoom.us/my/kaiou




Roundtable Info:
- Day: Friday, September 5
  Start Time: 3:30
  End Time: 4:00
  Zoom Link: https://fsu.zoom.us/my/kaiou

UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

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Year: 2025
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?token=vh_ByR1lpvUK09MLqgGm7-14UOMQw-GLqsqBFiNpv04