{"id":970,"date":"2024-02-07T14:21:59","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T14:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/?p=970"},"modified":"2025-11-11T10:51:31","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T10:51:31","slug":"research-challenges-faced-by-european-psychology-students-in-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/2024\/02\/07\/research-challenges-faced-by-european-psychology-students-in-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Challenges Faced by European Psychology Students in Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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It is acknowledged by both students and professionals alike how challenging it is to do proper and rigorous scientific research. The research journey is inherently related to facing a great amount of external obstacles that may have to do with culture, ethics, politics, economics and other intertwined factors; naturally embedded into the intrepid path of knowledge. Nevertheless, to increase the level of difficulties and barriers, put on top of that <\/span>being a student trying to do research. <\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

All these might look like the layers of an onion, put around the already-existing difficulties of <\/span>being a student trying to learn how to navigate doing research in the field of psychology. With this complex picture already in mind <\/span>do not despair young fellow researchers<\/span>, as the main objective of this interview is not only to shed light upon the issues that students might encounter while conducting their research but also to try and offer solutions to these obstacles. We hope that this series of interviews is both insightful and useful to you!<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For this article, we have interviewed Styliana Apostolou, a masters student, who is a researcher at the <\/span>Center of Applied Neuroscience at the University of Cyprus<\/a>. There she spends most of her time at three different labs; the psychopathology, psychophysiology and social psychology, respectively. Her impressive experience offers a broad perspective on scientific research alongside solutions to the obstacles she has encountered thus far, and most probably will reflect some of your experiences. Talking about relating, she is fascinated by the phenomena named \u201cbrain\u201d, but who is not? On the other hand, what is truly outstanding and unique about our interviewee is the amount of time that she dedicates to research.<\/span><\/p>\n

Such a cool place to work as a researcher! Must be feeling like an ancient Greek philosopher around here \ud83d\ude09<\/span>
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Plus, Styliana mainly works with children\u2026 double trouble! Keep reading for more fun \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>


<\/span><\/p>

Styliana identifies three phases inside every methodology to chronologically classify the stumbling blocks that young researchers can find. Coming first is the <\/span>Preparation for the Experiment;<\/span> whereas funding is already unattainable for certain topics in research due to a lack of political interest, <\/span>the type of experiment conducted will also shape the funding needed<\/span> to face the costs of the bio equipment, the space and reliable questionnaires, and double that taking into consideration that young researchers can\u2019t boast about having an amazing budget. Adding up to the funding difficulties, this phase also encompasses<\/span> the need to create an engaging and dynamic experiment<\/span> to suit infant-juvenile populations whilst reducing the distracting variables, which introduces another layer of complexity regarding the subjects\u2019 attention. Consequently, the researcher\u2019s character has to vary from authority to spontaneity in order to account for human biases. <\/span><\/p>


<\/span><\/p>

For instance, a subject\u2019s personal bias tends to involve non-intentional positive self-image, likewise premature researchers tend to take perspectives which reaffirm their hypothesis, and university bias acknowledges how the prestige of certain institutions can potentially affect the study’s external validity. Therefore, despite how easy it is to look the other way and take advantage of these biases, the next generations of researchers must try to keep neutral between the results of an experiment and their beliefs. Remember, adverse results on a hypothesis do not mean failure and sometimes are the best source of knowledge. Plus, external validity gained by institutional bias does not make any good for research!<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcccIt becomes more obvious that student researchers have to be extremely cautious from the very beginning!<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Phase two is <\/span>Data Collection,<\/span> <\/span>which raises issues regarding the subject\u2019s comfort and reducing bias. There are quite a lot of soft skills needed as a student; trust in research assistants becomes imperative in order to evaluate spontaneous behavior, and challenges like participants lying about their health or feeling uncomfortable during biometric testing add further complexity for an inexperienced student. To put it in a nutshell, <\/span>students have to put extra effort into learning how these tools work<\/span> and which are the adequate and professional procedures. At the end of the day, <\/span>if you want subjects to be comfortable, you have to remain trustworthy.<\/span> Nevertheless, regardless of how trustworthy and prepared you are, there might always be unexpected situations that need to be handled, which requires students to be extremely flexible and resolutive.<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As mentioned in the previous phase, experiments involving questionnaires encompass arising bias challenges, since individuals tend to portrait a more positive self-image. Therefore, if we were to evaluate psychopathic traits with direct questions, such as: <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Do you usually manipulate those around you?<\/i><\/span>\u201d<\/span> we might prefer to rephrase the item to: <\/span>\u201c<\/span>I tell other people what they want to hear so that they will do what I want them to do.<\/i>\u201d<\/span>, <\/span>therefore avoiding negative connotations to prevent personal biases.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


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\u2755 Luckily, phase 3 has much more to do with solutions than it has to do with problems. <\/span>Do not give up yet!<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Data analysis<\/span> also embeds quite a challenge due to the many trust issues that we psychology students feel with statistics subjects in quantitative data analysis, as well as the headaches caused by theoretical constructs in qualitative research and the endless perception gap from one subject to another. Just to picture this out (not the math, chill), it is unlikely that most people share the same definition for \u201cdepression\u201d or \u201chigh anxiety levels\u201d, which is why observational skills are fundamental, and researchers must identify bored subjects and randomly answered questionnaires, in order to <\/span>remove participants who may risk an influenced data analysis. <\/span><\/p>\n


<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout this blog post, the recurring theme has been the pervasive bias in psychology experiments. However, by anticipating and addressing these issues, psychology students can strive for the best outcomes in their research. Remember, resilience and adaptability are key in navigating the intricate path of psychological research.<\/span><\/p>


<\/span><\/p>

About the author:<\/span><\/p>

Hello dear students! My name is \u00c1lvaro Rovira and I am the JEPS responsible for the Bulletin project with RP. I am very glad to share this blog post and I hope that you gobble it up as fast as you drink your coffee when you are late for uni in the morning \ud83d\ude01<\/span><\/font>
<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is acknowledged by both students and professionals alike how challenging it is to do proper and rigorous scientific research. The research journey is inherently related to facing a great amount of external obstacles that may have to do with culture, ethics, politics, economics and other intertwined factors; naturally embedded into the intrepid path of knowledge. Nevertheless, to increase the level of difficulties and barriers, put on top of that being a student trying to do research.  All these might look like the layers of an onion, put around the already-existing difficulties of being a student trying to learn how to navigate doing research in the field of psychology. With this complex picture already in mind do not despair young fellow researchers, as the main objective of this interview is not only to shed light upon the issues that students might encounter while conducting their research but also to try and offer solutions to these obstacles. We hope that this series of interviews is both insightful and useful to you! For this article, we have interviewed Styliana Apostolou, a masters student, who is a researcher at the Center of Applied Neuroscience at the University of Cyprus. There she spends most of her time at three different labs; the psychopathology, psychophysiology and social psychology, respectively. Her impressive experience offers a broad perspective on scientific research alongside solutions to the obstacles she has encountered thus far, and most probably will reflect some of your experiences. Talking about relating, she is fascinated by the phenomena named \u201cbrain\u201d, but who is not? On the other hand, what is truly outstanding and unique about our interviewee is the amount of time that she dedicates to research. Such a cool place to work as a researcher! Must be feeling like an ancient Greek philosopher around here \ud83d\ude09 Plus, Styliana mainly works with children\u2026 double trouble! Keep reading for more fun \ud83d\ude42 Styliana identifies three phases inside every methodology to chronologically classify the stumbling blocks that young researchers can find. Coming first is the Preparation for the Experiment; whereas funding is already unattainable for certain topics in research due to a lack of political interest, the type of experiment conducted will also shape the funding needed to face the costs of the bio equipment, the space and reliable questionnaires, and double that taking into consideration that young researchers can\u2019t boast about having an amazing budget. Adding up to the funding difficulties, this phase also encompasses the need to create an engaging and dynamic experiment to suit infant-juvenile populations whilst reducing the distracting variables, which introduces another layer of complexity regarding the subjects\u2019 attention. Consequently, the researcher\u2019s character has to vary from authority to spontaneity in order to account for human biases. For instance, a subject\u2019s personal bias tends to involve non-intentional positive self-image, likewise premature researchers tend to take perspectives which reaffirm their hypothesis, and university bias acknowledges how the prestige of certain institutions can potentially affect the study’s external validity. Therefore, despite how easy it is to look the other way and take advantage of these biases, the next generations of researchers must try to keep neutral between the results of an experiment and their beliefs. Remember, adverse results on a hypothesis do not mean failure and sometimes are the best source of knowledge. Plus, external validity gained by institutional bias does not make any good for research! 📌It becomes more obvious that student researchers have to be extremely cautious from the very beginning! Phase two is Data Collection, which raises issues regarding the subject\u2019s comfort and reducing bias. There are quite a lot of soft skills needed as a student; trust in research assistants becomes imperative in order to evaluate spontaneous behavior, and challenges like participants lying about their health or feeling uncomfortable during biometric testing add further complexity for an inexperienced student. To put it in a nutshell, students have to put extra effort into learning how these tools work and which are the adequate and professional procedures. At the end of the day, if you want subjects to be comfortable, you have to remain trustworthy. Nevertheless, regardless of how trustworthy and prepared you are, there might always be unexpected situations that need to be handled, which requires students to be extremely flexible and resolutive. As mentioned in the previous phase, experiments involving questionnaires encompass arising bias challenges, since individuals tend to portrait a more positive self-image. Therefore, if we were to evaluate psychopathic traits with direct questions, such as: \u201cDo you usually manipulate those around you?\u201d we might prefer to rephrase the item to: \u201cI tell other people what they want to hear so that they will do what I want them to do.\u201d, therefore avoiding negative connotations to prevent personal biases. ❕ Luckily, phase 3 has much more to do with solutions than it has to do with problems. Do not give up yet! Data analysis also embeds quite a challenge due to the many trust issues that we psychology students feel with statistics subjects in quantitative data analysis, as well as the headaches caused by theoretical constructs in qualitative research and the endless perception gap from one subject to another. Just to picture this out (not the math, chill), it is unlikely that most people share the same definition for \u201cdepression\u201d or \u201chigh anxiety levels\u201d, which is why observational skills are fundamental, and researchers must identify bored subjects and randomly answered questionnaires, in order to remove participants who may risk an influenced data analysis.  Throughout this blog post, the recurring theme has been the pervasive bias in psychology experiments. However, by anticipating and addressing these issues, psychology students can strive for the best outcomes in their research. Remember, resilience and adaptability are key in navigating the intricate path of psychological research. About the author: Hello dear students! My name is \u00c1lvaro Rovira and I am the JEPS responsible for the Bulletin project with RP. I am very glad to share this blog post and I hope that you gobble it up as fast as you drink your coffee when you are late for uni in the morning 😁<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11730,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[76],"tags":[77],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11730"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=970"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":976,"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970\/revisions\/976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}