I'm glad that you brought up such an important point of research -- to be able to sit with oneself in order to process all that one has learned, giving one time to ponder over these new ideas and connect new thoughts that may prove to be insightful. I am glad that you were able to allow yourself to do this; it's highly important! I am excited to see where your research takes you, and the new discoveries that you make -- not only within the topic you are researching, but also within yourself. 

Priyanka, it sounds wonderful that you have your partners in lab that excite your curiosity and foster an environment for you to learn more. I understand the struggles of developing a protocol, but with time, it will all begin to come more naturally and make more sense. I am excited for your next step of collecting data, and I can't wait to see where this project takes you! Good luck with everything! 

• What new ideas, challenges, or other issues have you encountered with regard to your project (this might include data collection, information that contradicts your assumptions or the assertions of others, materials that have enriched your understanding of the topic or led you to change your project, etc.)? How have these ideas or challenges shaped the bigger picture of your research? Has the scope or focus of your topic changed since you began this project? If so, how?

We had encountered various different obstacles when designing the experiment, and shortly before finalizing the experimental design prior to recruiting participants. The most primary concern for us was to ensure that the sound decibels for the noise cues were at a safe and comfortable volume decibel. We also had to ensure that the same was true for the Gaussian White Noise, while still masking the natural sound playing underneath it. What we learned, after much trial and error, was that it was Psychopy itself (and not the sound files) that was increasing the volume level. While we tried many different methods to reduce sound volume levels, we learned it was simply a matter of changing the settings in the application. My biggest takeaway from this experience was that, sometimes, the problem seems larger than it is, and the solution is simpler than expected. 

• What research resources have proven particularly useful to you as you continue your research?

Having support, patience, and kindness from the lab itself has been incredibly useful for me as I continue to learn more. The workshops we did on how to find research papers (such as on CLIO, and how to use Zotero, etc.) has also proven to be helpful as I continue reading more papers on topics related to this research project. 

Hanna, your research project sounds incredibly fascinating and equally as important in its consequences. I am also in a similar phase of my research project with the Living Lab, where, rather than conducting interviews, we collect data on VMI and perception. I find interview assessments fascinating, and would love to learn more about the approach. I hope that the roundtable becomes a memorable learning experience for you, and I am excited to hear more about your project (and findings) during the research symposium in the fall. Good luck with everything! 

• While all Laidlaw Scholars will be presenting their research at the Columbia Undergraduate Research Symposium in the fall, what are the more immediate expectations that you have for your research? Are you writing a paper? Will your research be part of a larger scientific study? Do you hope to produce an annotated bibliography that you reflect on down the line? Is your research now the first phase of a project you’ll continue to work on throughout the year, and/or next summer? Now that we are nearing the one month mark of the program, please write about your expectations for your research.

Some immediate expectations I have for my research project is to begin data collection. We have completed setting up the experiment, and are now ready to recruit participants and begin collecting data. Our research is a part of a larger scientific study on human cognition, specifically in areas of perception, attention, visual mental imagery, and imagination. I do plan on working on the research project throughout the year, with the expectation of finishing data collection by the end of August, and then data analysis and concluding the project by November. I plan to stay in the Living Lab for all of next year, and will either join a different project for the next summer, or conduct my own independent project. 

• Why does your research matter? Explain the significance of the question you are investigating, and why you are interested in it.

The overarching question for our research project is "can we know what you know?" Essentially, are we able to understand the subjective experiences of a person? This research question aims to answer many fruitful questions, whether on a smaller scale or on a larger scale. In terms of a smaller scale, we will determine if the iSDT (introspective signal detection theory) model holds validity, and if it can surpass the current SDT (signal detection theory) model. Validating the iSDT model can help bridge the gap across studies of consciousness, metacognition, and visual mental imagery. On a larger scale, understanding subjective experiences can be immensely helpful for the scientific community, as well as in various settings, such as the for physical or mental health care -- where, for example, a doctor is able to better understand the subjective experience of pain that the patient self-reports. In other words, it may be able to provide a measure of verifying introspective subjective measures. 

• What are some of the ethical issues that you are grappling with in your research? What are some of the ways in which you are responding to these questions?

In using audio cues for both perceptual and VMI trials in our experiment, and in working with human subjects, various ethical issues come up. In terms of the audio, we have taken measures to ensure that the sound decibel is in a safe range, as well as coded in an audio calibration trial which allows each participant to adjust the volume levels to what is most comfortable for them. In terms of working with human subjects, we have consent forms which provide informed consent, demographic forms, as well as a debriefing form after the experiment is completed. 

• As you continue your research, have you considered alternative viewpoints in your investigation? If so, how have these alternative viewpoints enriched or changed your project?

We have had to consider various viewpoints, especially when coding within Psychopy. Sometimes, the code may not work in the way we had expected, and we need to make alterations constantly to both the code and the experiment. Overall, being flexible and understanding different viewpoints to solve a problem in the experiment has allowed me to learn a lot and develop my problem-solving skills. 

Erica, I can imagine the difficulty in producing a good image within astrophotography. It's great that you are looking at multiple viewpoints through different softwares and cameras to gain a more holistic perspective. Good luck with your project! 

Gersely, I completely agree that an individual's interests are not one-sided but are instead multi-faceted and multidimensional. I think our interests as individuals vary across different fields, and this is entirely natural, so I am glad you brought attention to it. I am very excited to hear more about your research on immigration as this topic aligns with my identity as a first-generation immigrant. I am glad that the various interdisciplinary fields of philosophy, journalism, and urban planing have both helped to expand and deepen your understanding of immigration of certain populations to New York, while also helping to narrow down your focus. I am excited to hear more!