Major: Political Science
Minor: Criminal Justice
Hometown: Maryville, Missouri
Some students may take their time deciding their area of study when attending university. Others may feel like they have known what their focus will be for as long as they can remember. It was the latter for Mercedes, a junior Political Science major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
"I have loved politics since I was very young, so I have always known this is what I wanted to study. I also enjoy Criminal Justice classes, so it made sense to tack that on there," Mercedes said.
This spring, Mercedes is delving into experiential learning as a research assistant at the Political Attitudes and Cognition Lab.
The PAC Lab studies political attitudes and beliefs, decision making, and behavior and how a variety of social and contextual factors, including emotion and social identity, influence them. The focus is primarily on political psychology and political neuroscience in the context of American Politics or International Relations.
"We focus on how people think about politics, what leads them there, and how people interact," Mercedes said. "Specifically, this semester, we're looking at how people talk about politics and agree/disagree."
Affiliated with the Department of Political Science and the Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, the PAC Lab offers undergraduate research assistants the opportunity to gain experience with literature reviews, research design and methodology, data collection and analysis, and data presentation.
Mercedes is looking forward to gaining invaluable first-hand experience as the research project progresses.
"So far, we have just been doing behind-the-scenes prep work to hit the ground running soon. This project is going to be super insightful not only in showing how research is conducted but will help me analyze what aspects of research and politics I like and where my niche is. Dr. Ekstrom has been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable throughout the whole process," she said.
Mercedes is participating in the MRI Safety Training Project, which provides specific instruction on administering the research protocols, as well as CITI Human Subjects Training. Her research assistant responsibilities include reviewing and helping to revise study materials, scheduling participants, and running studies.
"Currently, I am looking towards a graduate degree, so this research is incredibly important to narrowing down what I want to study post-graduation and giving me the tools to be ready, Mercedes said. “I am super happy to be part of the PAC Lab and am excited for what's to come!"
