UROP Project

social psychology, race, harm, electric shock, perceptions, prejudice, stereotypes
Research Mentor: Dr. David March,
Department, College, Affiliation: Psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: march@psy.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): Tara Lesick she/her/hers
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: lesick@psy.fsu.edu
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: psychology, neuroscience, criminology/criminal justice
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 9,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, September 3 at 2:00-2:30pm https://fsu.zoom.us/j/97436793901

Project Description

The ongoing study questions whether the race of the agent (i.e., person doing them harm) impacts the perceptions of harm felt by the victim. This study involves the use of confederates (Black- and White-passing female and males) briefly meeting with participants and engaging in a reaction time “game” where the loser will be shocked presumably by the winner. In reality, the shock is already pre-programmed and standardized across all participants. Participants are asked about their harm perception when they “lose” and what shock intensity they would like to choose for the confederate to receive when they “win”.
In our lab, we consistently find an automatic Black-physical threat association, meaning people tend to associate Black compared to White males with physical threat. Thus, it is possible harm perception may be altered depending on the race (and most likely gender due to gender stereotypes) of the person participants believe are shocking them.


Research Tasks: The research assistant will be responsible for being the confederate, pulling the data once data collection concludes, help analyze and interpret the data, and help brainstorm future ideas based on the results. Research assistants may also conduct other studies performed in the lab and conduct literature review(s).

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Time management
Drive to learn
Effective communication
Background in psychology (i.e., took general psychology)

Mentoring Philosophy

I want my mentees to get the most out of their UROP experience. I try to involve them in most, if not all, of the steps in the research process (i.e., literature review, brainstorming and creating the method, collecting data, analyzing and interpreting data, communicating results). I take a hands-on approach, at least in the beginning on my mentorship, so that my mentees never feel as if they were thrown into something without training. Mentees can expect to train with me on how to conduct themselves as a confederate, the behind-the-scenes of the current project (i.e., the computer programing), how to troubleshoot, how to interpret data, and how to communicate the results effectively via a poster and/or talk presentations. After training, communication will always be open, as our lab communicates via Microsoft Teams. Mentees are expected to ask questions when they do not feel 100% comfortable with the tasks they are responsible for. My goal for my mentees is to learn while doing, but to never feel like they were “thrown to the wolves”. I take pride in mentoring research assistants, as I think diving into the research experience is the best way to learn what you as a student are interested in (and may even not interested in).

Additional Information


Link to Publications


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