Tag Archives: Advice

Scary Statistics: Resources to Help Reduce Fear and Get on with Your Research

Statistics can seem scary and unapproachable: maybe math was not always your strongest subject or you’re still processing the trauma of by-hand ANOVAs in undergraduate statistics classes. Luckily, this blog is designed to help you make friends with statistics and move forward with your research. Specifically, I’ll focus on resources to help guide you through: 1) deciding which statistical analyses to run for a given question and 2) tools to use to run those statistical analyses.

Part 1: Choosing an appropriate statistical analysis

Step 1: Be familiar with commonly-used statistical analyses.

  • This free online self-paced course covers correlations, probability, confidence intervals, and significance tests.
  • This free online self-paced course covers regression, comparing groups, ANOVA, and non-parametric tests.
  • CenterStat provides free videos on youtube, including Structural Equation Modeling (or sign up for a free live class!)
    • They also offer classes on a wide range of more advanced statistics topics for a fee on their website.
  • If you prefer written information, Professor Peggy Kern created very helpful handouts!

Step 2: Choosing a statistical analysis to address your question.

  • You should consider whether the outcome of your analysis is addressing your research question. For example, if you did a correlation but you don’t know what the r value means for your research question, then you have wasted your time.
  • You also want to make sure that your research design/methods meet the requirements for the statistical test. For example, if you wanted to do an independent samples t-test but only have 1 group, then you are using the wrong test.
    • Decision trees can help visualize how to narrow down which test to use and what aspects to consider when choosing a test.

Source: https://www.peggykern.org/uploads/5/6/6/7/56678211/edu90790_decision_chart.pdf

Part 2: Using Statistical Software

  • Your University may have access to statistical software such as SPSS, SAS, and Matlab. In addition, R is free to download on their website and provides powerful statistical computing and graphics.

In conclusion, statistics are a powerful tool to use in research. With the right support, you too can learn to use it appropriately and effectively. Do not rush into running statistical tests, but first assess whether the test is appropriate. Learning a new statistical software, like R, takes time. Don’t be discouraged if you are learning it slowly, the best way to learn is to try!

Best of luck on your statistical journey!

She Went That Way? A Pathway to Graduate School

This blog post is a part of the series, “So Good,” developed by the APAGS Committee for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. This series will discuss current events and how these events relate to LGBTQ+ graduate students in psychology. If you are interested in contributing to the “So Good” series, please contact Mallaigh McGinley (they/them).

If you are a fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, ball culture, or queer nightlife, then you have probably heard gay men reclaim femmephobic or homonegative slurs, such as playing with pronouns or using the word “girl” as a term of endearment. And if you are wondering whether your invisible psychosocial disability bars you from graduate school, then girl, let me tell you something.

She—meaning me—took the path less traveled.

Of course, the reclamation of effeminacy from a heterosexist environment—spaces where there is one way to be masculine—comes from a place of privilege. Shifting between pronouns is relatively safe for a gay cisgender man. For my transgender or nonbinary peers, a change in pronouns is too often life-threatening. So, my intention is not to make light of pronouns, but to honor the gay male community that nourishes me.

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Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

What Will Internship Sites Say About My Medical Marijuana?

Recently, we received this question in our APAGS inbox:

“As a psychology doctoral student, I am about to apply for internships. I take prescribed medical marijuana for a health condition.  How do I approach the issue of drug testing as part of pre-internship employment screening?” 

What a good question. I reached out to Dr. Jeff Baker, the head of the Association of Psychological Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, for his opinion on the matter. Dr. Baker kindly replied, giving his own personal thoughts on the matter (not those of APPIC’s) as formed by his years as a training director.  He said this issue has come up a few times before, and it’s not as simple as drawing a line around states where it is legal. He writes, “There are many sites in Colorado and California, where THC is legal, that will not allow a positive drug screen for it.  I’m not positive the rationale is universal, but a few programs have stated, ‘Alcohol is legal, but we do not allow trainees to have it in their system.'”

Dr. Baker’s advice continues —

“1. If a site does not allow medical marijuana, hopefully it says that in public materials (especially in states where that is allowed).  The site should have some statement saying it requires THC (drug) screenings so the applicant can decide what sites might be eligible or ineligible.

2. If this information isn’t public, I would check with the site’s Human Resources department, hopefully anonymously and discreetly, prior to submitting an application.  Some will have a policy, and some will not. This is not to be sneaky, but it is to remove any possibility that they would track your application.  PS: Don’t call from your cellphone with caller ID.  I don’t think most sites would go to this trouble to find out who called, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

3. When checking with anyone at the program, I would advise applicants to be very clear about having a medical condition (do not give the name and disclose only what is necessary); that they have been prescribed THC; and that THC has been helpful for them to manage their medical condition which has been approved by a licensed health care provider.

4. I would advise them to apply to those sites that say it is not a problem but carefully read their public materials about drug screens.

5. I would advise them to be cautious about those that do not know their policy or clearly state that medical THC would be counted as a positive drug screen and is not allowed at this site. If they do NOT review the public/HR policy about prescribed THC and match to a site, then they find out that medical marijuana is not allowed, they have wasted a lot of time.

6. I do NOT advise applicants to consult with the program or training director directly about the issue.  I fear that will likely increase the chances that site will decline to interview that person. They will be taking a chance by disclosing it. This is NOT true for the vast majority of training directors but there is no need to disclose identifying information prior to submitting an application.”

With any luck, prospective sites will see you, dear reader, as an asset all around. Thank you for being so responsible and proactive with treatment and contacting APAGS with your question.

Navigating Faculty Dynamics in Graduate School

This blog post is a part of the series, “CARED Perspectives,” developed by the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CARED). This series will discuss current events and issues in psychology and how these relate to graduate students. If you are interested in contributing to the CARED Perspectives series, please contact Aleesha Young, Chair of APAGS-CARED.

By Lydia HaRim Ahn, MS, Ed

It was my sophomore year of college, and I was eating Korean seaweed soup in my room as quickly as possible before my roommate came home from class. I did not want her to see me eating it and asking about it. This was what it was like for the first few years at a predominately White campus – I felt ashamed of my identity and wanted to fit in to be “like everyone else.”

Things changed drastically when I joined my first research lab with people who had similar experiences, and I was working with a faculty of color. He gave me various types of work responsibilities but also would personally check in with me. I remember before my GRE, we sat down at a coffee shop and he taught me basic math skills that I had not used inImage result for mentorship over ten years. We talked about our experiences of racism and discrimination on campus. For the first time in a while, I felt like I could truly be myself. I did not need to be “on” all the time. This led me to apply to graduate school, where I have been extremely lucky to also have a supportive advisor who has made an enormous impact in both my professional and personal life. I have been fortunate to have advisors and mentors who believe in me and my capabilities. This led me to my decision of wanting to continue in academia and mentoring students.

Research has shown that for Counseling Psychology graduate students, advisor support reduces burnout and predicts career choice satisfaction (Clark, Murdock, & Koetting, 2009). However, not all graduate students are fortunate to have such supportive advisors.  Advisees who are unsatisfied with their advisors mention infrequent meetings with their advisors, lack of research guidance, limited encouragement to attend conferences, and often do not feel comfortable discussing professional issues (Schlosser et al., 2003). Working with faculty can be especially difficult when faculty take advantage of the power differential,  leaving students vulnerable to feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. Without support and advocacy from faculty advisors, students are often left feeling isolated and alone. Students of color may be even more at risk when faculty recreate power structures that are happening outside of the classroom.

So how do we as students navigate faculty dynamics in graduate school? Faculty have mentioned that communication problems (Knox, Schlosser, Pruitt, & Hill, 2006) create difficulties in the advisor-advisee relationship. As communication is the key to any relationship, routinely communicating with faculty members about our needs may be beneficial. However, it may be that some professors do not take into account your concerns and stressors in graduate school. Irrespective of the reasons, I suggest finding your support system, your “tribe.” Navigating graduate school and faculty dynamics can be challenging  and thus it is important to find people we trust to share our experiences. If it is difficult to find this relationship on campus, try and connect with a mentor elsewhere. For example, Division 45 offers a mentoring program here and APAGS lists other resources for mentorship. Search, email, and reach out to faculty members you are interested in working with. Lastly, if possible, find a trusted therapist who you can open up to and share your experiences. The most important  piece of advice I received upon entering graduate school was to find a therapist, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity for personal growth and development during this challenging stage of life. 

Graduate school can be a difficult experience, and the relationship with faculty members is a unique one, given the close working relationship and the inevitable power dynamics at play. APAGS supports and believes that every future psychologist deserves a quality, transformative mentoring relationship but recognize that this is not always the case. My hope is that everyone can find a mentor who helps them be proud of their work, proud of who they are, and never feels ashamed to be eating seaweed soup. But if this isn’t the case, remember that you are not alone.

References

Kovach Clark, H., Murdock, N. L., & Koetting, K. (2009). Predicting burnout and career choice satisfaction in counseling psychology graduate students. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(4), 580-606.

Knox, S., Schlosser, L. Z., Pruitt, N. T., & Hill, C. E. (2006). A qualitative examination of graduate advising relationships: The advisor perspective. The Counseling Psychologist, 34(4), 489-518.

Kovach Clark, H., Murdock, N. L., & Koetting, K. (2009). Predicting burnout and career choice satisfaction in counseling psychology graduate students. The Counseling Psychologist, 37(4), 580-606.

Additional Resources

https://www.apa.org/apags/governance/subcommittees/student-resources

Degrees of Separation: Managing Isolation for Doctoral Students of Color

This blog post is a part of the series, “CARED Perspectives,” developed by the APAGS Committee for the Advancement of Racial and Ethnic Diversity (CARED). This series will discuss current events and issues in psychology and how these relate to graduate students. If you are interested in contributing to the CARED Perspectives series, please contact Aleesha Young, Chair of APAGS-CARED.

By Mary O. Odafe, M.A.

CARED PICAs we matriculate through higher education, the journey for racial and ethnic minority doctoral students is often marked by feelings of isolation in both personal and professional networks.

Recent studies show that members of certain racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to obtain degrees from competitive four-year institutions than their White counterparts. The “race gap” in higher education begins at the undergraduate level and only becomes more pronounced at the graduate level. Simply put, the more advanced the degree program, the less likely people of color are numerically represented.

The journey to a doctorate degree in psychology is equal parts complex and challenging. While friends, family, and significant others are an invaluable source of support along the journey, there are times they may not truly grasp the amount of mental energy, stress, discipline, and hard work that goes into achieving each required milestone. They may underestimate the weight of passing qualifying exams, waiting for internship Match Day results, dissertation data collection, developing and teaching a course, or applying for jobs in academia. They may not understand the unique working relationship with advisors and supervisors, or track what we are doing each year in the ever-complex lifestyle of being a student, teacher, researcher, and clinician – simultaneously!

Likewise, if you are one of the only students of color in your department, you may experience an additional sense of isolation while navigating unique challenges of feeling marginalized, overlooked, stereotyped, or microaggressed in professional arenas. Although our colleagues can serve as critical allies and advocates for diversity and inclusion, there is unspoken value in sharing such challenging experiences with someone who also knows, first-hand, what it feels like to be marginalized on the basis of one’s skin color. At times, our colleagues may confuse our desire to seek out relationships with others who look like us as being unfriendly, segregated, or unwilling to be “part of the group.” When we do engage with our majority-culture colleagues, many students of color naturally default to “code-switching” as a safer alternative to revealing our true identity in professional settings – but for the record, being two people in one is exhausting. Adding an extra layer of stress and isolation to the training experience, students of color are more likely to be first-generation college students than our White counterparts, and are disproportionately affected by the financial burden associated with pursuing higher education (due to persistent disparities in income and wealth distribution in the United States).

Researchers cite active forms of coping, including social support seeking, as more effective in dealing with distress in comparison to passive or avoidant forms of coping. The problem arises when these social support groups are fragmented, insufficient, or even non-existent. Through conversation with wise and trusted mentors, I have learned the importance of diversifying one’s social support network. While we may not obtain all the support we need from any one group individually, we can maximize support benefits by seeking different types of support from different groups. Perhaps your family and friends cannot always offer direct support or advice in navigating specific challenges within your program, but they can attest to the person you are outside of your identity as a graduate student. In times of need, those who truly know your character can remind you of your tenacity to take on any challenge (like that time you tried out for the talent show in 6th grade – and made it!). Likewise, many of your colleagues may not relate to being the first person in the family to obtain a bachelor’s and/or graduate degree, but they will certainly be there with you to take on plenty of “firsts” throughout your training – if you let them.

Part of maximizing sources of support means being vulnerable, transparent, and effectively communicating our needs. Letting people into our struggles and triumphs helps them understand how best to support us. So let’s keep our family and friends updated on our program milestones and challenges, even if they think we’ve just been “studying” these past 4-7 years. Let’s allow our colleagues to become supportive allies and genuine friends, especially when they’ve demonstrated a sincere willingness to listen. Finally, let’s lean into each other and share our own experiences, in hopes of validating and encouraging other doctoral students of color. As we begin to open up and maximize support, we may find that journey is not so lonely after all.

Additional Resources

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