Are you interested in contributing to research on healthy aging? The Psychology Department’s aging lab is looking for participants, aged 60 – 80, to take part in paid, on-campus research on a variety of psychological issues such as memory, attention, and decision making.
Our research lab was created three years ago with the goal of investigating normal, age-related changes in thinking and behavior. Given the demographic changes in our country due to increases in longevity, studies on the cognitive abilities of older adults are becoming a vital part of psychological research. Our primary goals in researching cognitive changes in older adulthood is to help shape public policy, dispel stereotypes, and identify ways to make our “golden years” the very best they can be.
Besides contributing to the larger scientific research community, we also focus on training the next generation of student researchers. Our undergraduate student researchers collaborate closely with faculty to address unanswered questions in the field. Our students have presented their findings at local conferences, and some have already gone on to work in the field after graduation. Students frequently say that meeting with participants is one of the most enjoyable experiences of their time on campus!
To produce quality research and positive learning experiences for our undergraduates we need people who are interested in contributing their time and effort to a worthwhile cause. Most of our experiments take less than an hour to complete. You are paid for your time, and parking on campus is free to our participants. The results of your participation are always kept in strict confidence, and we have detailed procedures for ethical and responsible conduct in experimental research. Before you agree to participate in any individual study, we make sure to inform you of the nature of the tasks you would be doing, and any potential benefits or risks to participating. You are always free to cease participating at any time.
If you, or anyone else you know, is interested in finding out more information, please contact Dr. Ben Denkinger at denkinge@augsburg.edu, 612/330-1172, or our lab e-mail at augsburgaginglab@gmail.com. We will respond with answers to any of your questions, as well as details about how to get signed up for experiments starting this fall.
