Sara Eftekhari

Amendment: helping out at a specific stage of the research also helps. I helped out briefly in a project with recruitment, and that was great insight.

The CURE plan should span at least both semesters, if not a year or two. It's the long-term big projects that helped me learn the best and most. Seeing a "real" project from inception to dissemination.

Basically, I'm trying to say that from personal experience, I think it takes multiple projects with varying levels of "guardrails", training in ethics, data management and GDPR, and involvement with "real" research for students to build their confidence in a CURE project worth its salt.

And now my dissertation, where I get more of a guided experience of a long-term project.

That experience helped me get an internship doing a community engagement project (lots of interviews & focus groups), where I was the PI and was doing research in the "wild", without any guardrails like the University provides.

From there, my involvement with a project funded by a Staff & Student Partnership Scheme, where I was encouraged to muck-in with the ethics process, Qualtrics, etc. (the mentorship was invaluable with building my confidence as a novice researcher), was the next step.

Oooh interesting
Reminds me of the Quantitative Report lab run by @bartlettje.bsky.social. We did a replication study as a class. It was an interesting way to look at existing open-access data, and critically examine the methods, and what direction to take. A nice soft launch into "real" research

Mug with white background and bold text in all caps saying, "Have I told you I’m a runner?" The word "runner" is in red. Playful tone.

This is the 2026 version of the mug :D (Yes, I've joined C25K again)
I had to take a break from running, and let me tell you, IT IS SO GOOD TO BE BACK

Hand holding a mug. The mug has a red background with white writing saying "GLASGOW FRONTRUNNERS" in all caps, with a silhouette of iconic Glasgow buildings above it.

The other side of the mug. The mug has a white background, with cursive writing saying, "It's not the journey or the destination. It's who you run with."

This is the 2025 mug the C25K runners got gifted last year, to mark the halfway point in the training programme :)

To clarify, this is an old photo of the Kingfisher, before the graffiti.

They also graffitied over the black and white spongebob next to the Kingfisher :(

There are three murals: one abstract one of smiley faces with zig zag arrows over a nebula-like background of oranges and blues; another of a person in an orange hoodie sitting on some reeds and fishing; and finally some purple thistles drawn smiling. The three murals are painted on three respective concrete walls perpendicular to the road, near a green utility box on an urban street with city buildings in the background.

A mural of a pigeon wearing a thick gold chain. The pigeon has green and purple feathers on its chest. The pigeon gives the vibes of a gangster or rapper in a music video.

There are buildings in an urban area under a cloudy sky. Vivid murals are drawn on the side of a building depicting animals (including a crane and fox which stand out the most) in vibrant colours (blues and pinks), adding contrast to the surrounding stone buildings. There's a neighbouring mural showing a grey-bearded person in a purple-hooded robe, holding a staff.

Mural of a serene half of a face painted on a concrete pillar under a bridge in black and white. Cars and brick buildings are in the background, conveying an urban atmosphere.

Here are some of my other favourite murals that I've managed to take a photo of.

A mural of a blue and orange kingfisher perched on a branch is painted on a brick wall outdoors. The background behind the kingfisher is green.

Here's the Kingfisher in question.

Large mural on building depicts a person with red hair and ornate clothing, holding a candle in one hand and a cocktail in the other hand. The person is wearing lots of large statement-piece jewellery and accessories. The colour palette encompasses lots of reds, blacks, whites, and browns in the mural. A tree partially obscures the artwork, adding texture. The scene feels bold and artistic.

I love stumbling across #murals in #Glasgow. Makes the place feel like a secret adventure. Makes me want to whimsically explore.

I wonder if the city ever fixes some of the murals that have been graffitied over. Happened to the poor old Kingfisher mural by the canals.

Ahaha yeah
Recruitment is an entire beast in itself!
Me and my other fellow comrades (read: also 4th year students) have been trying to help each other out exactly because of this

Thank you also so much!! 😊
Out of curiosity, what is a CURE plan? Google isn't giving me any insight

Thank you!! 🙏

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲:
Level 1 Psychology students at University of Glasgow (to earn 2 Credits on SONA):
glasgow.sona-systems.com/default.aspx...

Everyone else:
uofg.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺: Sara Eftekhari (dissertation student), and @debruine.bsky.social (supervisor).

𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 | 𝟮𝟬–𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 | 𝟮 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀
#psychology #openscience #UofG

How Common Empathy Questionnaires Define and Operationalise Empathy

𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: osf.io/3zyd6/overview

𝗪𝗵𝗼?
• UK‐based university student
• Aged 18 or over
• Native- or bilingual‐level English speaker

I can feel myself unwind; By Chance has such a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere.

Eclectic cafe interior with colorful murals on the ceiling and various items like plants, art, and decor pieces on wooden shelves. Cozy and vibrant atmosphere.

Cozy teashop corner with a wooden table and chairs, colorful cushions on a bench by a large window. Outside, a rainy street with vibrant murals. Warm ambiance.

Me wearing glasses and a mustard sweater smiling in a cozy teashop. The interior features woven chairs, colorful decorations, and warm lighting, creating a welcoming atmosphere.

Two bubble tea cups with scribbled art of people on the labels and red heart-shaped toppers on a wooden table. Wrapped straws, Werther’s Original, and Hi-Chew candies are nearby.

First visit to By Chance! Excited to try out the different flavours 😆
The shop is so pretty!

The process of "what am I supposed to be doing?" -> "gaining confidence as you gain traction in the task" ->"feeling of stifling claustrophobia as you near the deadline" -> "mad MasterChef dash of final touches to the dish" -> "relieved celebration of a job done"

Meme of a dog with a mischievous grin looking upwards, set against a fiery, flame-filled background, creating a humorous and dramatic effect.

Meme of a white and grey cat standing wide-eyed with its mouth open, surrounded by repeated "A" letters in the background, conveying a humorous, internal-screaming expression.

Meme of a black cat sitting facing the corner of a room, creating a humorous and melodramatic tone. Below, the caption reads "[SOBBING]" in brackets.

'Tis a week of major deadlines 🫠 Now would be a good time for a fae entity to kidnap me and keep me as an ambassador for humans.

Meme of Leonardo DiCaprio pointing. Based on a screenshot of the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood; used to express excited recognition.

I read Volpato et al. (2025; doi.org/10.1016/j.ch...) for an assignment, and out of curiosity I looked up the author. Turns out they're from my University, which is a fun coincidence. Then I find my dissertation supervisor (Prof DeBruine) listed as an author too! What a small world 😂

Dappled sunlight filtering through deciduous trees in Sighthill Cemetery, with gravestones dotted around lush grass

Trees, flowering bushes, gravestones and verdant greenery of Sighthill Cemetery under a clear sky

Sighthill Community Campus garden, with benches and dappled sunlight filtering through white-barked trees, with lush ferns and vegetation under the trees

Sighthill Park and Cemetery are so pretty~

Play-dough clay creations made-up of a white rabbit with a carrot, a chocolate cake with a strawberry on top and a brown haired person with blue torso. All made neatly and with great attention to detail.

Play-dough clay creations made-up of a pink pig's head, a strawberry and a green-shelled smiling snail. All made neatly and with great attention to detail.

Shout-out to the kids at GSC Auldhouse Foundation's Hope Camp for their epic clay artistry!

This is what we're doing the community consultation for - for the GSC Community Hub to provide more opportunities like this.

A hill of misty coniferous forest in the background, and a campsite in the foreground with a car park, tents and grassy lawn

Misty coniferous forest and camping site in the background and Sara Eftekhari smiling wearing a red waterproof jacket in the foreground.

🎵Far over the misty mountains cold 🎶
🎵To dungeons deep and caverns old 🎶
🎵We must away, ere break of day 🎶
🎵To seek our pale enchanted gold 🎶

Ahh the Highlands! The land of mist, midges and mountains

"Science is not, and has never been, a neutral endeavour... the notion that researchers can or should cleanse themselves of bias is untenable, potentially intellectually dishonest, and ethically fraught."

New preprint with the (brilliant) Sarahanne Field #Metascience2025

osf.io/preprints/os...

And yes, also strong theories will come with meta-data in the future that researcher can link to. See this paper bsky.app/profile/cjva...

That is a lovely designed badge, but badges have been one of the clearer failures in science reform, so let's please not even joke about making more of them. Instead, let's follow Psychological Science and get rid of them all and replace them with clear meta-data (link to prereg, data, etc).

What derails most researchers:

• Choosing problems too broad or too narrow
• Starting with personal curiosity alone
• Ignoring industry/funding realities
• Forgetting the "So, what?" test
• Stopping at gap identification

Avoid these traps.