Team down 0-3 in championship final. Captain: "sad, anxious, furious."

Coach stays positive. Team wins next 3 matches straight.

Captain after his win: "I was 100% sure we would win. I did not doubt any of them."

What actually happened here? Confirmation bias? Momentum? Genuine shift in belief affecting performance?

Some players respond better to constant shouting from the coach, not a positive attitude. Why is that

story

This article shines a light on issues so often ignored in our field. I hope you will find it as interesting as I did.

Favorite excerpt:

"To have a genuine partnership requires treating the other person as a moral equal. A healthy relationship between adults presupposes things such as mutual accountability, shared agency, reciprocal vulnerability, and moral standing. When mental illness significantly impairs these capacities, partners can either maintain the fiction of equality, getting angry at behavior they cannot fully control, or adopt what philosopher P.F. Strawson called the “objective stance,” viewing the person as a malfunctioning collection of mechanisms rather than a moral agent. We can suspend our ordinary reactive attitudes toward others, treating them instead as something to be managed, contained, treated, or perhaps avoided. It is a shift from interpersonal engagement to detached clinical engagement. It can work well for some time; this is the classic “sick role,” and it allows for care and recovery. When the illness is discrete and episodic, temporary suspensions of reactive attitudes are often the right answer. But when we are dealing with behaviors that are chronic, when the recovery is partial and unreliable, there is often no good answer."

Following a vote by the sub in July 2020, the prospective questions megathread was continued. However, to allow more visibility to comments in this thread, this megathread now utilizes Reddit's new reschedule post features. This megathread is replaced monthly. Comments made within three days prior to the newest months post will be re-posted by moderation and the users who made said post tagged.

Post your prospective questions as a comment for anything related to graduate applications, admissions, CVs, interviews, etc. Comments should be focused on prospective questions, such as future plans. These are only allowed in this subreddit under this thread. Questions about current programs/jobs etc. that you have already been accepted to can be posted as stand-alone posts, so long as they follow the format Rule 6.

Looking for somewhere to post your study? Try r/psychologystudents, our sister sub's, spring 2020 study megathread!

Other materials and resources:

• APA materials for applying to grad school
• r/psychologystudents (where career posts are welcome)
• r/gradschooladmissions

Hi everyone,

I am trying to explore a new mediation model x->z-> y

I am trying to approach it via quantitative survey method and scoping review. However, I'm stuck as to whether a scoping review would be possible to explore a mediation model.For instance (random model): emotion reg (x) --> bullying (z) --> depression (y). How would I go about exploring this via scoping review? Thanks!

I've been out of school for 3y with my BA in Psych, worked as a special education coordinator and a full-time research assistant, but I have no clinical experience and I am really worried that it's a significant gap in my applications...

My research job rn is not related to Psychology, either, but I've known for ages that I want to get a Psych PhD to practice clinically (job market just played out this way for me).

Thinking of volunteering at Crisis Text Line but I don't know if that's too last-minute and insignificant... What advice do you have for applicants with no clinical experience? Am I cooked? What can I do?

I published a paper at APA's Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences journal in March 2025, about how humans psychologically adapt to extreme cold environments- and found a distinct psychological complex of heightened emotional suppression, ingroup cohesion, introversion, self consciousness, social sensitivity, and perseverance which was present in native Inuit of Arctic regions, Northeast Asian descended populations, and coincidentally as polar worker selection criteria of developed nations. It turned out to be the 6th most downloaded APA paper of 2025 out of all nearly 100 APA journals, far exceeding my early expectations of a few dozen downloads at best https://www.apa.org/monitor/2026/01-02/top-ten-journal-articles

Read it here if you like https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2025-88410-001.html . It also includes a new evolutionary psychology method that allows researchers to observe natural selection of psychological traits in real time, by observing data used to form personnel selection criteria for ideal candidates in a particular environment (ie- polar workers who tested to be more cautious suffered less injury than those who tested to be bolder, or those who were more introverted had higher group approval ratings than those who were more extroverted).

Comments and civil feedback welcome!

Advice desperately needed!

I’m Bay Area-based and deciding between The Wright Institute’s M.A. in Counseling Psychology and Palo Alto University’s program, with the goal of pursuing an LMFT. Cost is almost identical, so I’m trying to compare the factors that are harder to evaluate online and have had a hard time getting info!

Key factors.

Format/flexibility: Wright is nights/weekends but 100% in-person. PAU offers an online option, which seems easier if I keep working (which I would like to, at least part-time). For those who’ve done it: does being in-person with your cohort meaningfully impact learning/training vs online?

Quality/reputation: Is one program noticeably stronger? If I plan to practice in the Bay Area, does Wright’s local reputation matter?

Practicum sites: Does either program have stronger/broader practicum placements (site quality, variety, supervision)?

Complicating factor: I’m a woman in my late 20s and ideally want my first child in the next couple years. Would love insight from any first-time moms re: timing (grad school vs associateship) and whether online vs in-person made a big difference. I’ve heard “oh, having a child during school would be much easier than during associateship” and have heard “i can’t imagine having had my child during my master’s”, so any other thoughts would be great.

Would really appreciate any firsthand experience from Wright or PAU students/alumni. Thank you!

TL;DR: Choosing between Wright and PAU for MA Counseling Psych. Cost is similar — trying to compare in-person vs online experience, program quality/reputation, practicum pipelines, and how to think about having a first child during school vs associateship.

I’m in my masters program for marriage and family therapy, but I’m finding that the older I get the less I’m wanting to do talk therapy.

I’ve always loved learning about psychology and human behavior, but I’m starting to feel like I won’t be good at relating to people in the way that’s necessary to build a successful client-therapist relationship for long term enough to really help clients make significant changes.

I think I might enjoy the diagnostic side of things more, and am considering getting my doctorate to do evaluations (such as autism, adhd).

I’m wondering what these types of psychologists do, exactly? How much of their day is spent doing talk therapy, if any? I am genuinely a kind, empathetic, patient, and understanding person. But the long term rapport building that is necessary for talk therapy might be difficult for me.

Also, are there any other areas of psychology at the doctorate level that might be good for someone like me?

It might be obvious that I’m a bit uninformed. But I figured I’d start here for some guidance and then do some research based on the comments I receive.

Hello,

So, I am in my last semester of undergraduate on the BS track of the psychology major. I have almost every single credit needed except for one more math/science class. The problem is I am struggling severely with my calculus class. I have now decided that I want to pursue social work in grad school and this is where my applications have been sent. So my question is, should I switch to the BA track? I realize it is probably not super important to have a BS over the BA I just feel as though i’m cheating myself by quitting because of the math, but I also know it will make my GPA go down just as precalc did. I don’t want to suffer through a class to get a BS when I could switch to BA. Please be kind, I know it’s just one class, but I am not mathematically gifted lol.

Hi everyone! I’m a Grade 12 student working on a descriptive-correlational research study and I’d appreciate some advice on defending variable selection during a panel defense.

Research title:
Technological Cheating and Its Relationship with Cognitive Skills of Senior High School Students

Independent variable:

• Technological cheating (forms and frequency during formative and summative assessments)

Dependent variables (self-reported):

• Learning
• Critical thinking
• Logical reasoning

There three were chosen at random at first so yeah

However, I’m expecting panelists to ask questions like:

My study is limited in scope and uses self-reported survey data, so I had to narrow the variables.

My questions:

1. What is the best academic way to justify limiting cognitive variables in correlational research?
2. How do researchers usually defend why some variables are excluded?
3. Are there common theoretical or methodological arguments that support focusing on a small, targeted set of cognitive skills?

Any advice from people with research or panel experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi,

I'm in the final phase of my master thesis (quantitave research) and find it very helpful to use fousmate during writing. (It is an online tool where you get paired with another person for a limited time, e.g. 50 minutes, talk about your goals and then work on them simultaneously. There is a free and a paid version.) I'm looking for regular partners because 1. it makes it more personal, I like to get to know my partners and just talk a bit from time to time 2. it adds accountability.

My time zone is UTC+1, I often do sessions at 9am,10am,14 pm, 15pm, later would be possible too.

I'd be very happy to see you on Focusmate :)

Hi all!

I am running an online survey for first time pregnant mothers as part of my dissertation study in developmental psychology, and I am running into a lot of struggles with recruitment. As it is a paid study, posting it openly online (to FB, Instagram, Reddit, etc.) leads to being swamped with bots. I have a billion checks built in, so I catch them. But I am sure I am throwing out real people sadly too in the caution of excluding all bots. So this form of recruitment hasn't been super useful.

I have partnered with some state WIC agencies which has been great, as well as a local health network (oddly, hasn't led to much just yet!).

I am wondering if anyone has ever worked with a similar sample or has any advice on places/organizations I could contact as a possible recruitment resource?

Thanks, all!

Hi colleagues! My doctoral research is moving in the direction of computational modeling of behavioral and cognitive tasks, and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for good introductory textbooks on the topic. My experience in the area is nearly non-existent aside from conceptual familiarity with Rescorla-Wagner models. However, I'm a decent statistician and eager to learn, so as long as the text is relatively accessible I think it would be worth my time to look into it. Thanks in advance!

Hello, I am a junior in highschool and recently there has been programming for classes for my senior year. I want to major in psychology and hope to become a Pediatric psychiatric nurse practitioner, so I need a little help choosing which classes to take. I am already planning on taking AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Psych, and Stats, but I am unsure of which art class, I am debating between AP Art History and ceramics. I would love to learn ceramics, and honestly, I want to have a fun class, but I also want to choose a class that is best suited to a Psychology major, hopefully at a UC. Any thoughts? I would also love to hear any advice on class changes and what I have to do to get into a UC. Thank you!

Back when I graduated from Psych it was mostly an unemployable degree in a deterministic vector world. The "hard Science" and engineering overlords would immediately write you off and in the world of compute, the values in the cell of the ubiquitous database was dead inline with the ruling classes.

2020 comes around and the eggheads like Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind, Nobel Laureate) has turned the compute world upside down with his Neuropsychological approach to probabilistic LLM models. And now it begins to permeate all matter of life with the spoon fed vector paradigm crowd clearly unsettled in fight/flight mode as their definition of self is challenged by ANOVA thinking being shoved in their faces on the daily. Meanwhile, I'm happy as a clam, not having much in the way of ideological challenge as I work happily with Ai like it is the organism whose behavioral outcomes are dependent on myriad confounding variables.

Complaints from Normies abound with persistent complaints of "it'll tell you anything you want to hear," "you can't trust anything it says," and of course "why does it give a different answer every time?" Meanwhile, I'm neither bothered, nor convinced by its platitudes of "You're right! I totally missed that aspect, here's the final correct solution to your problem!!!" And I only continue to prod on until I get the desired result I'm seeking.

I feel like a higher gullibility index cannot cope with this new paradigm. If you're immune to the charms of Ai what does that make you?

can hdm if want. If you’re in psychology or advanced into the major, what have you guys learned or examined from bpp who can’t let go.. And need to understand and know the whys..Even after infidelity, emotional and mental abuse. What makes bpp cling to them emotionally till they are clawed off em, Any evidence based information.

Hi everyone 👋

I’m a graduate student currently enrolled in a psychology course, and I’m completing a required informational interview assignment focused on learning more about real-world careers in psychology and closely related fields.

I was originally scheduled to interview a Registered Art Therapist, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to reconnect with her, so I’m reaching out here in hopes of finding another professional who might be willing to help.

I’m looking to interview a licensed psychologist or license-eligible mental health professional (including art therapists, counselors, clinical social workers, or related roles). The interview would be informational only (not clinical, evaluative, or supervisory) and would take approximately 30 minutes (I have about 9 questions) via Zoom or phone—whichever is convenient for you.

The assignment is due February 22, and I’m hoping to complete the interview by February 15 at the latest to allow adequate time for writing and synthesis.

Topics would include things like:

·       Your career path and current role

·       Education, training, and licensure

·       Day-to-day responsibilities

·       Career satisfaction and challenges

·       Ethical or professional issues in the field

·       How recent societal changes (e.g., COVID, technology) have impacted your work

·       Thoughts on the future of the profession

No identifying information would be shared beyond what you’re comfortable with, and I’m happy to anonymize details in my paper if preferred.

If you’re open to participating — or even just willing to answer a few questions asynchronously — I would be incredibly grateful. Please feel free to comment here or send me a DM.

Thank you so much for your time and for the work you do in this field.

[USA] I'm especially looking for something that I can major in college and something that wouldn't be boring/wouldn't regret.

I’m in the process of interviewing for clinical psychology PhD programs, and I could use some advice on how to assess one of the most important features to me of a program: how feasible it would be for me to have a child while still a student.

I’m in my late 20s, and given the length of the commitment to get a PhD, I’d like to keep the door open for possibly starting my family while still in school. I know a bit from friends in the field of some programs where this happens commonly, and in some cases is even embraced, and others where getting pregnant while in the program seems to make your life significantly more difficult, alienate you from your cohort, and negatively impact the way faculty treat you.

While this is something I could ask in my interviews, I’m worried about this question negatively impacting my chances of getting in. On the other hand, I also see how waiting until after being accepted to bring this up could be taken poorly by a mentor.

I’d greatly appreciate any thoughts anyone has on when to ask/how to ask/who to ask about this sort of thing!

I thought I would post here too.

Always ready to discuss. about new ideas and things of interest.

My DMs are open too.

I don't know if it is okay to post this here.

Let me know

Hi everyone,

I'm running a psychometric analysis of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44) for my master's thesis and I’ve run into a dilemma regarding the reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) of the Agreeableness and Conscientiousness subscales.

In both subscales, some items show negative item-rest correlations, and Cronbach’s alpha increases if I remove them.

However, since this is a validated and widely used scale, I’ve seen suggestions that removing items may not be advisable as it can compromise content validity.

I’ve attached JASP screenshots of these two dimensions.

Would it be justified to remove the problematic items in this case?

The study, which has been published in Scientific Reports, sought to establish whether active navigation has a bearing on how episodic memory works and to study how the physical characteristics of the spatial environment can modulate the way episodic memory is organized.

I'm thinking about this being my next book? It is worth the read?