Malena

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
Shortly before joining the Life-Span Development Lab I took a class on Positive Psychology. In this class I was introduced to a large field of psychology largely unexplored. While there is endless research on what can go “wrong” with the mind, there is much less out there on the effects of human flourishing. One of the researchers that we learned about was Barbara Fredrickson, whose work on positivity resonance as the foundation of love truly stood out to me. When I started working on the EIF study at LDL, I saw the potential to explore this phenomenon of positivity resonance on a demographic that had been largely ignored, friendships in young adults.

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
This summer I worked as an administrator and experimenter for our Emotion in Friendships study, where we looked at the role of emotions in dyadic interactions. Pairs of friends participated in a conversation of areas of disagreement and one of areas of agreement, and were asked to fill out a series of questionnaires related to their emotions, well-being, and social experiences. I also spent the summer training as a technician for our Caregiver-Youth Interaction Study, which looks at how emotional interactions between youths experiencing symptoms of thought disorder and their parent/caregiver. This study aims to elucidate how these interactions may influence wellbeing for both participants.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
In high school I participated in a Psychology summer program at Columbia where one of our assignments was to design a fake study. We were able to “test” this study on our classmates, and then presented our “findings” as a final project. In conceptualizing, designing, and conducting this study and then analyzing our findings I found a love for research. The idea of being able to test different areas of interest I had within the field of Psychology quantitatively and determine existing relationships in the real world seemed fascinating. A few years later when I was applying to colleges, I saw all the research opportunities Northwestern offers and knew I absolutely had to go for it.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
The trickiest aspect of research I have experienced so far is the long-term nature of a research project. The life-span of a research study is long, and sometimes goals that you thought would wrap up quickly can end up taking longer than anticipated. Being involved in a research study from recruitment, through data cleaning and analysis truly makes you realize that research is much more than analyzing data. In my time at the Life-Span Development Lab, I have learning to set achievable goals and manage longer timelines, keeping motivated to follow through on a longterm project.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Before getting involved in research I at a loss on how to get involved. Research at such a notorious research institution seemed larger than life, and I was so nervous to reach out. Now that I have had a chance to work in research at Northwestern, I realize just how much support there is to get involved. The Office of Undergraduate Research has endless opportunities and many people working to help you get involved in research, all you have to do is reach out!

Favorite breakfast food?
Chocolate Chips Pancakes!

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned/read about/listened to this week?
In my Advanced Statistics and Experimental Design we are learning about the perils of underpowered and overpowered studies. I found this super interesting considering how relevant it is to research but also how little it is emphasized.