The Psychology Inclusive Excellence Student Fund is paving the way to a more equitable future in psychological research.
Peter King (he/him), a fifth-year honours psychology student at UBC, discovered his passion for research through the Early Research Award (ERA) funded by the department’s Psychology Inclusive Excellence (PIE) Fund.
After an unconventional path into psychology—transitioning from two years of chemistry study and a reflective gap year—Peter now conducts research with Dr. Kristin Laurin, where he explores politics, social class, power, and religion. Peter is also completing his Honours thesis on interoception with Dr. Joan Ongchoco.
In this Q&A, Peter discusses how the PIE Fund advanced his research and ensures equity and diversity in the field. Peter also shares his advice for equitable hiring, creating inclusive lab environments, and finding research positions in labs.
How has the receiving the Early Research Award impacted or advanced your research career?
The sad truth is that the vast majority of research assistantships in psychology at UBC are volunteer positions. Many students, including myself, are not in a financial position to work unpaid over the summer to acquire sufficient research experience for a competitive graduate school application. In my case, my late start in psychology (transferring after my 2nd year) meant that I didn’t have much research experience to show despite my varied interests. The Early Research Award provided me the crucial opportunity to spend the summer focusing on building my research skills without having to worry about working a second job to cover my expenses. This award opened opportunities for mentorship from my inspiring supervisor Dr. Kristin Laurin while working on survey research studying the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) stereotypes on trust behaviour. This opportunity was not only crucial to serve as proof of experience for future positions, but also provided me the chance to explore my research interests and discover a love for research.
“This opportunity was not only crucial to serve as proof of experience for future positions, but also provided me the chance to explore my research interests and discover a love for research.”
What are your research interests and what led you to pursue this research?
My research interests are quite broad. This summer I worked in the MAGIC Lab studying social class, such as how SES stereotypes affect who we trust. This research introduced me to the nuance of social class, for example, socioeconomic status is complex as it may remain largely unchanged (e.g. high/low childhood class and high/low current class) or could shift in our lifetimes (low to high, termed upward mobility; high to low, termed downward mobility). A lot of the MAGIC lab’s research has involved examining how people perceive these differences, helping us to recognize our explicit and implicit biases. I have also worked on research studying political perspective-taking. Our world can be so divided, so I wanted to see if people approve of perspective-taking across political groups in the media, research that is ongoing.
My interests in dance and meditation have led me to now study interoception (your ability to sense what is inside your body and bodily functions), how it relates to attention, and how it is connected to symptoms of various disorders—work I am completing with Dr. Joan Ongchoco from the Perception and Cognition lab. A general theme of my research is understanding the various aspects that inform who we are as people. I think scholars like Kimberlé Crenshaw capture this well with the idea of intersectionality, and we need to include identities that may not immediately come to mind (neurotypical/neurodiverse, social class, and more) when thinking about who we are and how that shapes our personal journey.
How do these awards like the Psychology Inclusive Excellence Fund help increase diversity and inclusion in the field of psychology?
I believe inclusivity leads to diverse perspectives, which are essential for us to counteract our biases and produce higher quality research. The Psychology Inclusive Excellence Fund is key to creating more opportunities for these diverse perspectives which may be overlooked.
For example, many researchers continue to ask harmful or outdated questions because of a lack of lived experiences, such as when surveys ask about participant demographics. Despite scholarship and freely accessible information such as the American Psychology Association Bias-Free Language Guide and UBC guidelines for asking about gender, I have still seen many studies that confuse sex (i.e. Female, Intersex, Male) with gender (Non-binary, Man, Woman, Two-spirit, and other self-descriptions). At best these are biologically inaccurate (e.g. neglecting intersex as a biological sex) and at worst they are harmful and stigmatizing towards participants. As a queer man I have some degree of lived experience and am part of communities that have exposed me to more nuanced conceptualizations of these constructs, which informs my research. The demographic example is only one of many potential examples of how internalized bias and lack of awareness can hinder the research process, and we need programs like the ERA to promote the diversity necessary to address these problems in research.
“I think a big part of an undergraduate degree is discovering your passions and who you are, and I encourage everyone to think about what they are really curious about and try to get involved with those opportunities. The ERA creates this opportunity for individuals who may not otherwise get to engage in this exploration.”
Further, awards like the ERA create opportunities for students to discover and explore their interests, which is crucial for helping them to find a career path in psychology. I think a big part of an undergraduate degree is discovering your passions and who you are, and I encourage everyone to think about what they are really curious about and try to get involved with those opportunities. The ERA creates this opportunity for individuals who may not otherwise get to engage in this exploration.
Speaking from my own experience, the ERA helps students who may be considered “too late to the party” to join research. The ERA creates an opportunity for all those needing a doorway into research to get involved. I think this award is also important because it makes a statement about the values of our institution. For those applying to UBC, seeing that there is a dedicated group of faculty that are “in your corner” and value the perspectives you bring is meaningful.
What challenges might students from diverse backgrounds face while applying for research positions?
Many labs weigh previous research experience heavily when recruiting research assistants. This means that students with prior experience are preferred over those who did not have access to early opportunities, including individuals who may have faced systemic barriers to research involvement (e.g. not being able to afford volunteering for an RAship, only having work experience because they didn’t receive advice to get involved early, etc.). For this reason, it is important to evaluate applicants based on qualities needed for a position and not based on past opportunities.
These challenges need to be addressed by people holding positions of power. For example, in my current work as the lab manager for the MAGIC lab, I have done my best to research and implement an equitable hiring process—a process that is continually in development. Learning about equitable hiring can be time-intensive, but it is well worth the effort to find the right applicants and hidden gems in an applicant pool. For those that don’t know where to start, recruiting using a diverse panel of interviewers can greatly help to counteract individual biases and help interviewees feel at ease. I also recommend including a brief statement that the lab values diversity and invites applicants of all identities, including those from marginalized backgrounds, to apply for the position. Lastly, try your best to give rejected applicants feedback on their applications; this ensures that even if they did not receive a position, they have an opportunity to learn and grow from the application. For a great place to start, I recommend UBC’s Guide to Equitable Hiring Practices, and you can also find many resources online.
How can we ensure that everyone has equitable access to the same resources, training and mentorship opportunities in a research environment?
I think a key part of making a change is becoming aware of the fantastic work that is already ongoing within the department. Programs like the Diversity Mentorship Program can help students from marginalized backgrounds get the mentorship they might otherwise not have access to. PSYC 240 is also a great program, as it allows for students to get course credit while completing lab work, an important start to making research experiences more accessible. The Psychology Inclusive Excellence Fund has even helped to provide funds that can cover the tuition cost for PSYC 240, a great help to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Programs like the Diversity Mentorship Program can help students from marginalized backgrounds get the mentorship they might otherwise not have access to. PSYC 240 is also a great program, as it allows for students to get course credit while completing lab work, an important start to making research experiences more accessible.”
Another important aspect is having an attitude of inclusion. If you never give opportunities for people to develop themselves and surprise you, then they won’t develop and surprise you. This could mean involving RAs in meetings you might ordinarily not or giving a more challenging task to someone willing to take it on. In the short term there may be minor inconveniences, but in the long run, you will build up the skill of your team and develop future leaders in the field. It is also important to recognize the value of peer mentorship and learning. We can learn so much from the people around us; if you have a friend in a lab, ask them what it is like and what they learned. If they can teach you something, even better! To quote learning coach Jim Kwik, “When you teach something you get to learn it twice.”
Lastly, building on the principles of open science, I think there is much work to be done to distribute open-source resources for training across labs. This would both help improve training approaches and would open up resources to those that are interested in learning, potentially leading to applications from more skilled students down the line.
