For Students:
Opportunities for research
The PRIME Lab has been established to enhance the education of both undergraduate and graduate students through involvement in research. Students in the lab begin by working as part of a team on planned research projects and are encouraged to advance to the stage of formulating relevant research questions driven by their own interests in the cognitive and emotional processing of media. Planned projects can include studies generated from the research agendas of Journalism School faculty or partnerships with industry professionals. Students are involved in all phases of the research process, from design to presentation of research results. Students are regularly included as co-authors of papers, which are submitted for both publication at leading peer-reviewed journals and presentation at leading academic conferences. Involvement in the PRIME Lab provides students with hands-on learning experience, unavailable in a traditional classroom setting, that helps develop critical thinking skills.
Undergraduates
If you are interested in getting involved with the PRIME Lab or participating in a research study, send us an email at primelab@missouri.edu.
Graduate Students
If you are interested in being a part of the PRIME Lab, or if you are not yet a graduate student and interested in pursuing a graduate degree (MA/PhD) at the Missouri School of Journalism, send us an email at primelab@missouri.edu.
Student testimonials
Rebecca Norris—Graduate student
I joined the PRIME Lab as a sophomore and immediately began assisting with experiments. My senior year I designed and conducted my own research study in the lab through the MU Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. Being a member in the lab has not only taught me a lot about quantitative research, but it also led to my decision to attend grad school where I've continued conducting experiments in the lab. What I really like about the lab is the environment—it's a place where you can learn a whole lot about research while still joking around with professors and other students.
Ryan Meyer—Undergraduate student
Paul and Kevin have made the PRIME Lab a fun way for undergraduates to get their feet with in another side of advertising.
Arun Venkataraman—Research Analyst, Godbe Research and Analysis
When I first came to Mizzou, all I knew was that I was interested in research and advertising and wanted to make a career out of it. Taking the various research courses available to master's students at the J-School certainly helped, but ultimately, the practical experience that I gained in my two years at the PRIME lab meant I was practicing the principles that I learnt in class. Not only did I learn about data analysis, it also taught me about the amount of detail and planning that goes into each study. Paul, Kevin and Glenn always encouraged us to come up with new ideas to research. Two such ideas of mine came to fruition, one of them developing into my thesis. Before studying at the School of Journalism, I had only heard about the research capabilities of our school; my two years at the lab confirmed it. I wish everyone at the PRIME lab lots of glory in the future.
Rachel Bailey—Graduate student
The co-directors of the PRIME Lab have geared their lab environment toward allowing undergraduates to be as involved as they choose, which makes for a fruitful experience for the directors as well as the students. I was pleasantly surprised at how open the directors were to undergraduate help as my experiences working in other research laboratories on campus had not been so open. Working in the PRIME Lab has been invaluable in shaping my decisions about graduate school and even choosing a career.
Kimberlee Pepple—Research Specialist, Fleishman Hillard
I'm in PR research. My current job has everything to do with conducting focus groups and handing out surveys, and nothing to do with psychophysiology. So how was my experience in the PRIME Lab valuable, you ask? Well, for one thing, saying I worked in a psychophysiology lab makes me sound really smart in front of my colleagues at work. On a more serious note, the lessons I learned in the PRIME Lab go beyond the actual topics of our research. I not only had the opportunity to explore an area I would not be exposed to under normal circumstances, I stretched and honed my skills as an analyst, a researcher, and a critical thinker—skills that I think make me a more valuable asset to my agency. I found myself humbled by the brilliance of Kevin, Paul, Glenn, and my peers; and, I surprised myself at how much I'd learned and grown. Working in the lab, I forged lifelong friendships with people who are as nerdy as I am. And most importantly, I have a kick-ass t-shirt that proves it all!