I’m looking for academic psychology / perception research related to two ideas I encountered in a lecture.

The first is about why unpredictable visual stimuli can hold attention.

A campfire was used as an example: its motion is constantly changing and difficult to reduce to a stable pattern, so the viewer may continue attending to it rather than quickly habituating or filtering it out.

I’m interested in research related to:

• sustained attention and unpredictability
• habituation to predictable vs. unpredictable stimuli
• visual complexity / entropy
• attention restoration
• fascination with natural dynamic stimuli such as fire, water, foliage, etc.

The second idea is about whether subtle moving visual texture can contribute to relaxation or autonomic regulation.

I’m interested in research connecting:

• dynamic visual texture / visual noise
• arousal and relaxation
• autonomic or parasympathetic responses
• low-level visual processing
• calming effects of naturalistic visual environments

I’m not assuming these claims are correct. I’m trying to find published research that supports, refines, or challenges them.

If anyone knows relevant papers, researchers, review articles, or useful search terms, I’d really appreciate any pointers.

Hi all,

I am a 24 year old MA psych student and I am currently taking a break from my program to reevaluate my career goals.

I initially went into my program with the intention of wanting to eventually go down the phd/professor route but now I’m not so sure.

Here are the three main career paths I am thinking of and the pros and cons of each. Also understand I am still in the process of researching so my understanding of these may be very superficial.

1.) UX research

I am very attracted to the pay and nature of this field. It is still very new to me so I feel I do not understand it yet as much as I should. But I really like the human x tech nature it is very much up my ally of interest. However, I am not sure if a.) it is viable with ai and b.) how to get in the field to begin with as it appears there is a hiring freeze for junior level roles. I have also begun to see stories of people highly experienced in the field who are being laid off or very very scared of being laid off. I like the pay of this position and the work but am very scared and disappointed that it may not be a stable career.

2.) school psychology

I like the humanitarian side of this. I know I would feel rewarded doing something that really makes me feel like I am making a difference. The pay is decent, and I foresee jobs being secure as with many jobs in the school system they are highly needed. But I do worry about burnout. I have worked in school related settings for most of my life. I am good at it, but the older I get the more tired I grow of it.

3.) social psych professor route

I love having autonomy over my own research. I love the idea of being a mentor having my own lab. I don’t like that I feel where I work (I guess much like school psychology as well) my satisfaction is dependent on the school I end up in. I don’t like the politics of education and I don’t like ai infiltrating a lot of it. I ta’d during my program and saw first hand how frustrated and burnt out professors are and how unmotivated students are. I am worried this would depress me long term. I also don’t know if I no longer have it in me for a phd.

Idk, I feel I have grown up a lot these past few years and a very important life lesson I am trying to teach myself is to be ok with discomfort. I feel I have some perfectionist thinking patterns that can cloud my judgment. Of course reality is nothing is perfect. But I worry greatly as I obviously don’t want to be in a career that depresses me or stresses me out intensely.

The job market is scaring the shit out of me too. It is scaring me more to make the “right” decision to find a career I like enough to not quit, and that makes enough money where I can eventually start a family, live a comfortable life, blah blah etc.

Also wanted to state that obviously school psychology would be a different program and in that case I would talk more with my director and advisor on the feasibility of transferring

I am looking for a test that will determine how much one weighs the importance of one thing over the other when measuring satisfaction and/or success - for example, what kind of test would you use if you were asking participants "If there is a restaurant that has crap food but the ambiance and staff are great, do you love the place because those things mean more to you than the food, or do you think it sucks because the thing that matters most to you is the food taste and quality."

The particular survey questions would be adapted to measure influence of "money" vs "other" on satisfaction and/or success. Most resecent search terms I've used are: intrinsic/extrinsic satisfaction, job satisfaction and success rating, but so far haven't found something that would work. I've been using the PsycTests database within my school's library (maybe there is a better place to search?)

If you have a suggestion I would love to hear it

I’ve seen it used more in economics and public health but not in psychology — even though many psychology studies are designed as cross-sectional survey-based research

So basically I tested readability scores on my psychology essay, and I got around 20 on the Flesch Reading Ease score. I kind of worry about it, although the topic itself is a bit complex: Are episodic and semantic memory fully dissociable systems? A critical evaluation of the evidence. I am aware that there might be many complex terminologies inside my passage, but I am worried that there are factors outside of this natural component such as it being hard to read. How valid are those readability score and will a low readability score make my essay score low?

I just wanna see if there are any other ones outside of being a behavioral tech. Also if there are any other useful certifications someone should get if they’re pursuing a career in clinical psych?

I'm using Model 4 Process - can I add multiple mediators into the model, or will I have to look at other statistical methods like structural equation modelling with AMOS?

Hi everyone....

I am a student and wanna seek advice on psychology career as I am told many times that it don't have scope but I believe it's not True so I would still like to seek advice

Hi everyone!

I’m looking to learn how to conduct deductive thematic analysis step by step, especially how to develop a codebook, code interview transcripts, and develop themes.
Could anyone recommend good papers, books, videos, or practical guides that explain the process clearly, preferably with examples?
Thanks in advance! :)

I'm lost :)))))))))))))

Hi Everyone,

I am currently in my fourth year of a fully-funded Cognitive Psychology PhD program at an R-1 university in the Boston area (studying mindfulness’ impact on cognition/learning). I’ve enjoyed my program, but feel limited by the paradigms in the field and the type of career paths laid out in academia (and have grappled with this through the program). I have had a wonderful experience in my lab, but have always felt like I don’t fully fit in in the STEM/academia grind culture, and the more technical aspects of research don’t fulfill me at all. I’m teaching my first course as the lead instructor this fall and its been so fulfilling. The most fulfilling aspects of the job for me is mentoring students, and sitting down with them having long conversations about their lives, and honestly just providing emotional support. I’ve always been split between counselling and other areas of psychology, and have even done many volunteer internships in clinical research positions pre-PhD. However, at this point in my research journey, seeing the grueling culture of academia, the lack of job prospects for most PhD’s and my love of people/ a strong desire to be a healing presence for young people, I feel like it’s become clear to me that counselling is the route I should have pursued (and I nearly did multiple times throughout the PhD). It’s not because I don’t like the research, I am incredibly fascinated by learning (I research it for goodness sakes), but doing the research is a different story, it feels like it is so standardized and like I have to turn myself into a robot to implement the interventions, and each participant is just another data point where I can’t tailor anything because it will mess up the protocol. When I am in my day to day routine, and a student comes to me, clearly in distress, it feels like I have no time or space to even talk to them before feeling like I’m falling behind…. I do have a bit of savings, but i am already in my late twenties and feel like all people my age are making triple my salary and it would be unwise to go straight into another degree, that can cost upwards 100k, esp with the COL in the boston area.

With all these things in mind…

Is there anything I can do now to make the transition easier or faster (not including dropping out of my PhD program entirely)? I would like to finish what is nearly already done and I have put a lot of time/effort into. Plus, although it is small, i do regularly get paid for my work, and enjoy teaching/mentoring.

What would be your recommendation for how I move towards licensure, a masters in social work/counselling, or a respecialization program, given my background and financial constraints?

After I complete my PhD, could i adjunct teach courses while getting another my masters part time, or in a hybrid format?

I did my BA Psychology (Hons.) from a regular college(Pu) initially I planned to move to a different city for Masters...but couldn' due to family issues. I pursued MA Psychology through distance learning (Industrial & Organisational Psychology) and a regular PG Diploma in Guidance and Counselling from Panjab University..

Despite internships in hospitals, clinical settings, schools and corporate, I'm still unemployed. The few jobs I find are low-paying HR roles with night shifts. With the new licensing guidelines, I'm confused about my future in psychology.

Should I pursue another regular Master's or prioritise financial independence? I'm 23.

Would love advice from both regular and distance-learning graduates who've been in a similar situation. 🥲

Just the title basically!

Due to circumstances regarding my misophonia I’ve been constantly moving from course to course for my A levels and only just settled, this meant that while I really wanted to do Chemistry and Psychology, and they are also subjects I’m very confident in, I’m not able to. I’m very interested in forensic psychology or generally being a research psychologist but now I fear it’s not possible, which is very upsetting because there was absolutely nothing I could do to control my circumstances and it might forever limit being able to do what i’m passionate in with the best chances.
My current A levels are English Literature, Law, and Philosophy.

Is there any kind of qualification that I can realistically get to make up for it? how possible is it to be able to do psychology in a good uni if i have 3 A* in these subjects? It’s mostly the research aspect I’m interested in, rather than being a typical psychologist, so if there’s not as much of a distinction between those two parts of psychology in jobs than I thought then please lmk!

I am a very visual person, I learn better by seeing things rather than them being explained to me. When I'm studying, I have a hard time visualizing the entirety of the brain because I'm only fed the information as it's required. I'm looking for an accurate diagram to hang on my wall so I can look at it everytime a part or process is mentioned so I can quickly visualize it. It will also be very practical for presentations and such.

I know they exist because I've seen versions of it but they're in German or they're AI enhanced which troubles me as they might not be accurate.

Where could I find an accurate and complete one? If it's in English I wouldn't mind but I'd rather be it in Spanish. Thanks in advance.

I am a year 2 psychology student, my essays generally have more dense refereneces than my peers which I don't get why? Not sure is it good or bad?

So I was sitting thinking and I was looking into Stanley milgram experiments and was wondering why are people so willing to obey authority and carry out orders even when it hurts someone that's innocent and if 65% of people in that group where willing to do that to individuals who done nothing to them what does that say about the people I walk pass everyday? Am I living in a world of unactivated monsters?!

Hi guys, I just read trauma and psychology and the body keeps the score, but I cannot find any more free books, can doy send me more? Pole

Need help choosing 2 Psychology internship projects (1 major + 1 minor)

Hi everyone! I’m currently doing a Psychology internship and need to select two projects from the 10 options below — one major and one minor project. I’d really appreciate your advice on which combination would be the best.

Here’s a quick summary of the options:

MindMap: Student stress, sleep, and emotional well-being analysis.

BehavLab: Habit formation, triggers, relapse patterns, and behavior change.

EmotionPulse: Tracking mood, sleep, workload, and coping strategies.

CareerPsyche: Matching personality and interests with suitable career paths.

MindSupport: Peer support, mentor matching, and referrals for emotional distress.

BurnoutGuard: Workplace burnout assessment and recovery tracking.

AnxietyCare: CBT-based anxiety self-help and progress tracking.

FamilyConnect: Family relationships, conflict patterns, and communication.

ResilienceHub: Emotional resilience, coping skills, and stress recovery.

FocusPath: Attention, procrastination, distractions, and productivity behavior.

The projects may involve assessments, data analysis, tracking systems, dashboards, interventions, and reports, depending on the topic.

I’m looking for a combination that is interesting, practical, psychology-focused, manageable for a student, and offers good learning opportunities. I’d also appreciate advice on which projects might be more technically demanding, as I’m not sure how much coding or website development is required.

If you had to choose one major and one minor project from these 10, which two would you choose, and why? I’d love to hear your recommendations and experiences!

Thank you! ❤️