Working for the SPRQL should not be taken lightly and should be an opportunity presented to the most conscientious, committed, and eager students that apply. All students are allowed to apply to this lab, which is a right for any student looking to be involved in research psychology. The unfortunate downside of this is that not all will be admitted to the lab, simply due to the commitment involved and for the type of personnel that the lab needs to maintain.

Inviting the appropriate candidates to the interview stage is key, which is why a sound screening phase should be taken seriously. Through taking the time to screen applicants on their responses to questions as well as their self-report to GPA will help save time towards the interview phase.

• Candidates aiming to apply to the lab should be initially screened using Liz’s criteria that will be outlined ahead of time; this could be questionnaires, self-reports for major and GPA, and research interests.
• These candidates should then be organized into a “ranked” format, that will allow for quick screening, especially during higher-than-normal volumes of applications being processed.
• Generally, the younger students going into their second or third year of undergraduate studies are ideal, because they have more time to be accustomed to lab procedures, will be more receptive to criticism, and can be moulded by the methods in the lab.
• A few more things to look out for in potentially good candidates are: keen interest and knowledge in Professor Page-Gould’s research papers released recently, upward trajectory in GPA (especially in second year, if things “did not come up roses” in their first year), and a humble attitude towards researching with humans.
• Students that are invited to the interview phase should be adaptive to the schedule of the screener; not necessarily the other way around. When there is a high volume of applicants, the interviewer should provide roughly 2-3 days where applicants can sign up for interviews (see “interviewing”).