Haley Bock is a MS in Experimental Psychology student at Western. She shares about her experience working on research projects below.

1) When did you start working on research with Dr. Meg Warren and in what capacity?

I saw Dr. Meg Warren (and Dr. Michael Warren and Dr. Samit Bordoloi) speak at the Center for Cross Cultural Research about their research project on allyship and reached out to see if I could be involved. I started working on multiple collaborative projects in spring of 2021.

2) What are the different activities you did on each of the projects?

I have been working on 4 projects: a paper examining observer responses to allyship against pregnancy discrimination, a project exploring how demographic indicators (e.g., income, education) may be associated with allyship attitudes and behaviors, development of the Anti-Racism Allyship Readiness Questionnaire (AR-ARQ) and a qualitative study of barriers to allyship.

In working on these projects, I have done a variety of activities, such as run data analyses, conduct literature reviews, design qualitative coding manuals, and help in manuscript writing.

3) What skills you have developed through your research assistantship?

Throughout my time working on these projects, I have been able to develop several new skills. For example, I have been provided firsthand experience crafting and refining qualitative methodology. Being able to uncover meaning behind an open response is both challenging and rewarding, and I am grateful for the opportunity to gain a better understanding of this process and its utility. I have been introduced to the publication process, a process central to careers in academia. This has provided me with experience I can both use as I cultivate confidence in my own research, and as I continue to collaborate with various researchers. Working with Dr. Warren has also provided me the opportunity to work with large datasets, which can include several exploratory measures that can prompt new research questions we can explore.

4) What are your ambitions for how you want to use this research experience for your future professional goals?

My experience with Dr. Meg Warren has not only been instrumental in development of my credentials as a graduate student, but also as a professional. I have been introduced to other faculty and experts, such as Dr. Michael Warren with whom I am working closely on several projects, and Dr. Tejvir Sekhon and Dr. Samit Bordoloi with whom we are co-authoring papers. As it is my short-term goal to be accepted into a PhD program, it is a long-term goal to make change in my community as a researcher. It is important to have mentors that grant you collaborative experience when you’re trying to improve your qualifications, but it is invaluable to have mentors who also serve as role-models.