UROP Project

psycholinguistics, cognitive science, time perception, pause dynamics, psychology, cognitive psychology
Research Mentor: Ms. Anuja Mariyam Thomas,
Department, College, Affiliation: Department of psychology, Arts and Sciences
Contact Email: na@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Linguistics, Psychology, Communication Science and Disorders
Project Location: On FSU Main Campus
Research Assistant Transportation Required:
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Topic: Anuja Mariyam Thomas' Zoom Meeting
Time: Tuesday, Sep 3, 2024 02:00 PM - 2:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95389908695

Topic: Anuja Mariyam Thomas' Zoom Meeting
Time: Wednesday Sep 4, 2024 03:00 PM - 3:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://fsu.zoom.us/j/96166415113

Topic: Anuja Mariyam Thomas' Zoom Meeting
Time: Monday, Sep 9, 2024 02:00 PM - 2:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://fsu.zoom.us/j/96628986345

Project Description

This project is mainly centered around the perception of time in conversations. Specifically, what are the factors that affect how the lengths of silences are perceived during conversation. For example, the literature shows that anxiety in general affects the perception of short time windows (one second and under). This is the same window of time that is typically found in inter-turn silences (i.e., silences that occur between speech turns in conversation). So, do people with anxiety perceive silent windows in conversation differently than those without anxiety? On a similar note, do those with anxiety perceive longer than expected silences differently than their healthy peers?

Research Tasks: Research assistants will be expected to run studies with participants. This includes tasks such as setting up the study, getting consent from participants, administering survey questionnaires, and entering data. Research assistants will be trained to handle all the specifics associated with these responsibilities. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to take part in audio and or video recordings of short skits for experimental tasks. However, this is entirely voluntary and not an expectation from those interested in working on this project.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Research assistants will be required to learn how to use the following software tools for research tasks: Audacity, and PRAAT. However, they are not expected to come in with this knowledge. Other DIS students as well as the researcher in charge will be able and willing to show students how to use these tools. Additionally, students are required to have a decent level of computer literacy and familiarity with Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Microsoft Excel. If they are interested in learning how to use R for data analysis, they will have to opportunity to do so, but this is not a required skill.

Mentoring Philosophy

My mentoring philosophy is guided by my own personal experiences as a budding researcher. First and foremost, I want to develop good interpersonal rapport with my mentees and build the trust that is required to navigate the growing pains associated with learning to be a researcher. I also believe in the concept of scaffolded training. That is, at first, I expect to be quite hands on, and help my mentees learn how to do things and as they develop their footing in the lab, I would expect them to be more independent in the work that is expected of them. This slow process of guided independence should allow them to build confidence in their skills and decision-making abilities without feeling overburdened or unsupported.

Additional Information


Link to Publications


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