Undergraduates are invited to apply for research assistant (RA) positions in the Insomnia and Sleep Health Research Lab.
To apply to work at our lab, please click Here
By working for the lab, you may be eligible to receive UA Psychology Department Credit for your work. In order to receive this credit, you must fill out paper forms that are located in the Psychology Building Room 312. Be sure to fill out all sections of the forms accurately and discuss with Dr. Taylor and his graduate students about what you would like to achieve in the lab well before the deadline for the forms.
The registration fee for Independent Study/Directed Research is calculated at the same rate as other credit courses.
Credit Proposal Forms
In order to receive University of Arizona credit, you must be sure to fill out the forms before the deadline for that semester, so give yourself ample time to meet with Dr. Taylor and the graduate students. Be sure to fill out all aspects of the form well in order to give the psychology department enough information.
You can choose how many credit hours you would like to receive for your work in the lab. For each credit hour, you are asked to work in the lab for 45 hours a semester. Therefore, you will receive 1 credit hour for 45 hours of work, 2 credit hours for 90 hours of work, or 3 credit hours for 135 hours of work. This is the equivalent of working for 3 hours a week for every credit hour earned over the semester. For example, you may work 6 hours a week for the entire duration of the semester in order to receive the required 2 credit hours.
There are two options to receive research credit through the psychology department:
1. Independent study
2. Directed Research
The difference between these two forms is the scope and grading style of your time spent in the lab.
Please see the below instructions in order to receive more information about Independent Study versus Directed Research Credit Options.
The focus and scope of independent study is determined between the student and the faculty member.
At the end of each semester, you will be awarded grades of superior (S), pass (P), fail (E) based on your work in the lab (unless otherwise discussed with Dr. Taylor).
You may receive either honors or regular independent study credit from the 100 level to the 400 level, and that must be discussed with Dr. Taylor. If you have questions about which independent study course level you need to sign up for in order to meet degree requirements, please discuss with your advisor.
In filling out the forms, be sure to discuss what tasks you will be performing in the lab (e.g., running participants, analyzing data, performing a literature search).
In completing Independent Study and receiving a grade of S or P, you will receive a notation of an Engaged Learning experience on your transcript which may be required in some majors and will be beneficial for job/graduate school applications. In order to receive this, you must complete a 2-3 page Engaged Learning reflective report by the end of the semester outlining:
- How this research experience influenced your future plans
- How this research experience could be helpful to your future career
- How this research experience helped you with:
- Collaboration/teamwork
- Problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Management organizations
- Career preparedness
You must fill out the following Sections of the Independent Study Form:
Student Section: Fill out this section with accurate information about yourself.
Registration Information: Accurately fill out class standing, course number (which will vary depending on class standing and desire for honors credit) and number of units.
Independent Study Details:
Title of Project: Work with your direct supervisor and Dr. Taylor to determine which research project you will be working on. If this is a newer project that does not yet have a title, be sure to allow the title to be vague to allow for changes in research study design and roles.
Description of Project: Be sure to describe your role within the project (e.g., running participants, analyzing data), discuss goals for the project (e.g., complete data coding or data entry, run ‘x’ amount of participants by the end of the semester), timelines for completing work, and how you will assist with the project overall as a description.
Signatures: Get the required signature and faculty section number from Dr. Taylor and then turn in the form!
All enrollment issues and questions should be sent to MBB-psycinfo@email.arizona.edu.
All forms for Directed Research are electronic and must be signed and submitted via email.
Acquire the Directed Research Proposal Form: https://psychology.arizona.edu/academics/forms
You must fill out the following Sections of the Directed Research Proposal Form.
Student Section: Fill out this section with accurate information about yourself.
Registration Information: Accurately complete class standing, course number (which will vary depending upon class standing and desire for honors credit), semester, and number of units.
Directed Research Details:
Title of Project: Work with your direct supervisor and Dr. Taylor to determine which research project you will be working on. If this is a newer project that does not yet have a title, be sure to allow the title to be vague to allow for changes in research study design and roles.
Project Summary: Be sure to describe your role within the project (e.g., running participants, analyzing data). Additionally, add a general explanation of the project and its goals in layman’s terms. Discuss your specific tasks within the study.
Description of Final Project: Describe how the final project will be graded. In order to receive a credit of directed research, you must complete a final product, and there are multiple options. Please discuss with Dr. Taylor and the graduate students to determine what sort of final project you would like to complete. Options include a lab presentation, poster presentation, or research paper/manuscript rough draft.
Signatures: Get the required signature and faculty section number from Dr. Taylor and then turn in the form!