Cooperation Lab and Language Learning Lab:
Research Development Opportunity for High School Scholars

The Psychology Department at Boston College is excited to offer paid research assistantships to high school scholars interested in learning about and developing research skills in developmental psychology.

Internship Highlights

  • Hands-on experience working in a developmental psychology lab at Boston College
  • Working with a diverse team of undergraduate students, research staff, and professors
  • Opportunities to directly contribute to ongoing studies through study design and participant recruitment and management
  • Research in various setting, including public parks and museums
  • Professional development workshops

Internship details

  • The program will last 8 weeks, beginning on July 3 (exact start date up for negotiation).
  • The position is full-time (up to a 40 hour work week).
  • A total of 1 spot is available.
  • The labs are located on the main campus of Boston College.

Eligibility

  • Students should be current high schoolers (Note: Graduating seniors and incoming freshmen are not eligible).
  • Students should have a minimum 2.6 (B-) GPA
  • Students with lower GPAs must provide 5-7 sentences as to why we should overlook their GPA when reviewing their applications. Only compelling reasons will be considered.

The four open positions are split between the Language Learning Lab and the Cooperation Lab. Descriptions of the two labs are listed below. Although interns will be assigned to one of these labs, students will gain exposure to both labs.

The Language Learning Lab at Boston College (L3@BC)

L3@BC’s research sits at the intersection between linguistics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and psychology. Only humans can learn language. It is beyond the abilities of event the smartest animals or the fastest computers. We study what gives humans this extraordinary ability. We use a variety of methods, including in-person studies with children, online viral quizzes, and computational models. We also coordinate citizen science projects, in which volunteer, amateur researchers help analyze linguistic phenomena.

The Cooperation Lab at Boston College

CL@BC’s primary research interest lies in understanding the development of cooperative abilities in children with a particular focus on how children develop a sense of fairness. We ask questions like 1) how do children use information about others' behaviors to guide their own actions and make predictions about other children’s behaviors? 2) Are children willing to make sacrifices to promote equality in unfair situations? 3) Are children able to make strategic choices about how to divide resources between themselves and a partner? If you're interested in learning more about the lab and research, email Gorana Gonzalez.

How to Apply

To apply, please:

Review of applications will begin immediately, and positions will be filled on a rolling basis until February 15, 2018.