Important information for new lab members
Table of contents
Code of Conduct
The lab is a place for all individuals to feel safe and welcome - this is important for all members of our lab as well as our participants.
Please help us ensure that our environment is safe and accepting of all. No discrimination or harassment based on gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, age, physical appearance, etc. will be tolerated.
Please ensure that you are speaking professionally and respectfully (avoid inappropriate language) when in the lab, regardless of whether participants are present or not.
If you are taking any photos or videos in the lab, please ensure that you have the consent of all parties involved. This is especially important if you intend to post any of these pictures online.
Please be respectful of all others working in the lab at the same time as you, as it is a shared space.
This is a safe space for all of us to learn! All opinions and thoughts from volunteers, research students, and assistants are valued.
If you have any concerns about your safety or the safety of others in the lab, please reach out to Dr. Xiao or the Psychology HR department immediately.
A few things to remember…
ASK QUESTIONS!
We want you to understand everything that you are doing and why you are doing it. This way you will be far less likely to make errors you don’t even know you’re making, and you will be far more able to help us modify and improve our procedures. This is to be a valuable research experience. You will both want and need to understand all facets of the lab. Do not be afraid of this lab manual and training! It seems there are at least 8 million things to learn.
The important thing is that you ASK QUESTIONS! Don’t nod and say “Uh-huh” if you truly have no idea what we are explaining to you- we could easily be conveying something in a confusing manner. Do not hesitate to ask if we can go over something for the billionth time. It is always better to ask than to assume, you’ll be thankful later and so will we!
ERRORS WILL OCCUR!
Don’t worry: everyone makes mistakes. If you think you have made an error, please check with us as soon as possible. If you are sure that you have made an error, please call it to our attention as soon as you can. Including flawed data in our studies is very problematic.
THINK!
We will be genuinely thrilled if you can come up with the critical flaw in the research design that we are so proud of! Make sure you understand the rationale behind the individual studies so that you can think of other ways to test the same ideas. The more intellectual involvement you have with the project, the more you will get out of it!
TAKE INITIATIVE!
As you become familiar with lab duties, you’ll realize that many standard tasks are done on a daily basis. Go ahead and do whatever you are comfortable with! You should not need to wait to be told what to do. If you are finished with one task and you know what comes next, go ahead! If you are not sure, also totally fine, ask us what else you can work on- there is always something to do!
COMMUNICATE!
Communication (between lab members, Lab Manager, grad students, postdocs) is essential to the running the lab. In the lab, it is critical that we help each other.
LOVE THE FAMILIES!
The families coming in make our research work. Always be appreciative, welcoming, and kind. Family visits are usually the best part of our days. Nothing is better than taking a step back from the stress of life to see the world through a kid’s eyes. And some parents love to talk- make them feel appreciated and heard, sometimes you’ll get some cool perspectives.
Checklist for new members
- Email Maya for the access card application at mammonm@mcmaster.ca
- Fill out this form to have your bio added to our website. For the uploaded photos, make sure to crop them in 500 * 500 pixels.
- Download the McMaster VPN to access DRDB
- Ensure you are able to gain access to DRDB (you will receive an email invite, email Maya at mammonm@mcmaster.ca if you did not receive an email invite)
- Email Maya to request access to the Lab Google Calendar at mammonm@mcmaster.ca if you will be assisting with recruitment.
- Familiarize yourself with the expectations based on your role in the lab.
- Familiarize yourself will all protocols and procedures for conducting studies
- Review all training materials for recruitment and DRDB