By: Zaina Sarfaraz and Aafreen Siddiqui
Major: Psychology
Year: 4th Year
Hometown: Surrey
Preferred pronouns: he/him
Fun Fact: In my first year of university, I was living abroad playing ice hockey in Sweden
Research Topic: Analyzing the Relationship Between Childhood Adversity and Social Communication Ability
Questions about the start of their research
Could you tell us what your research question and hypothesis were/are?
My project explores the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and people’s social communication ability. My research questions are: (a) is childhood adversity correlated with social impairment, and (b) are different types of ACEs (e.g., physical abuse vs sexual abuse) associated with different levels of social responsiveness? I will attempt to answer these questions by investigating possible correlations between participants’ scores on the Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) ACEs module and their scores on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2). I will also be discussing the psychometric properties of each measure. I hypothesize that individuals who have endured higher levels of childhood adversity will experience greater social skills deficits. I anticipate this will be the case because past research has demonstrated that ACEs elicit distorted patterns of social information processing (SIP). Impaired social cognition, such as the tendency to appraise ambiguous social situations as threatening, may explain any potential links that I may find between ACEs and social communication ability.
I’m working in two labs at UBC right now: the Memory and Imagination Lab, which is led by Dr. Daniela Palombo, and the Anxiety, Stress and Autism Program, which is run by Dr. Connor Kerns. Collaborative research being conducted by members of both labs has looked at whether the presence of social information might affect emotional memory performance (as part of the SCHEMA project). My research ties into this larger body of work because I will be analyzing self-report data collected for the SCHEMA project by the aforementioned psychological measures of childhood adversity and sociability.
What sparked your interest in your research topic?
A number of things. One thing that definitely sparked my interest was Dr. Palombo’s PSYC 309 (cognitive processes) course, which really introduced me to the social cognition literature (along with PSYC 308, social psychology with Dr. Andrew Rivers). I was also excited about this project because it aligns with my primary clinical research interests in mental health and childhood adversity. Working on the SCHEMA project as a research assistant allowed me to become more familiar with some of the measures being used in my study. After reviewing their psychometric properties, I realized that I wanted to learn more about them and thus decided to incorporate them into my research project.
How did you build your hypothesis?
I looked at research that has been going on inside my labs, as well as previous literature that has laid the foundation for studies of ACEs. Based on insights gathered from these two sources, I found it understandable that people who have experienced childhood adversity would also suffer social inhibitions. There is also a clear link between the two measures when it comes to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, as those on the spectrum score higher on both the BRFSS and the SRS-2. Dr. Kerns herself has published articles that discuss how ACEs are risk factors for mental and physical illness and more likely to occur for children with ASD. Therefore, it seemed intuitive that there may be a link between the ACEs and social communication ability, perhaps even without ASD symptoms acting as the bridge. And, once again, prior research has shown that people with ACEs have social information processing deficits. Therefore, I predicted that impairments to social cognition caused by childhood adversity would translate to worse overall sociability, as well.
What made you feel like this was an important topic to research?
The reason I chose this avenue of research for my directed studies project is because ACEs can really affect a person in many different ways for the rest of their life. This includes the development of internalizing behaviors, like depression and anxiety, brought on by the tendency to ruminate about past trauma. And, since human beings are such social creatures, I wanted to explore the relationship between childhood adversity and interpersonal communicative ability, as well as look at the nuanced nature of this association. In the future, perhaps we can look into helping people who have dealt with ACEs build resilience to combat ant ensuing social impairment.
Did you have to make any adjustments to your project due to COVID? Did the transition from in-person studies to online studies disrupt your research findings? How did you and your team overcome it?
I’ve just recently got involved. At the end of summer, I was told that the SCHEMA study had to move entirely online because of COVID and it was planned sometime in 2020, it was supposed to be a normal, in-person study. And because of COVID, it had to get moved online and so there were a number of challenges associated with that. However, my current work includes cleaning and analyzing the data, which can be done virtually through zoom meetings, so it hasn’t been too challenging.
What was your favourite part of the process?
My favourite part, and the most time-intensive part, so far has been getting familiar with the literature, because I have an interest in both the clinical aspects and the social cognition aspects of the project. I’m learning a lot of new stuff every time I read a new article and I am incorporating it into my literature review. It’s something that is familiar but also very interesting and there are a lot of questions that are brewing in my head that I’m always asking my supervisors. I am trying to understand new concepts and why certain things work the way they do, and my supervisors help me by sending me article links to check out. I am learning a lot and I think that’s kind of been the fun part of the process right now.
Is there anything you can share with us about the results that you found? What trends/conclusions did you observe?
I’m still in the preliminary stages of putting the project together as of right now, so nothing yet. But stay tuned, and I hope to have something interesting to share by the time I’m done writing up my report.
What will you be doing with your data and conclusion now? How do you plan on presenting it?
It depends on the results that I find. I’m still in the early stages of putting this project together right now, but depending on what I find and the significance of it, I’d love to share my work either at UBC’s undergraduate research conference or something like a seminar where they look at different cognitive research. But, like I said, I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed and see what I find in the data first. Then, if my supervisors give me the green light, I would definitely like to share my work with my peers and with other scholars who are interested in this field of research.
Future questions
How do you see the results of your study being applied in the real world?
I hope that it will be very informative. Perhaps it will allow for a better understanding of how childhood adversity factors into social cognition. We know from past studies that attachment styles manifest in childhood and affect people into adulthood. We know that ACEs have an effect on interpersonal relationships, but I don’t think that there’s enough research on the specific forms of psychosocial dysfunction caused by childhood adversity. So, I think my work will tap into a new vein by exploring the relationship between different childhood experiences and social cognitions and interpersonal skills.
Other research-related questions
What course(s) do you think were most helpful in gaining background knowledge about your research topic?
PSYC 309 for sure, cognitive processes with Dr. Palombo was really the key course that kind of sent me on this path. But I’d also say courses like PSYC 401 (clinical psychology) and PSYC 300 (abnormal psychology). Another course that’s relevant is PSYC 333, which also covers social cognition. I think many of those courses are relevant to this line of research and some really inspired me to go down this route with my directed studies project. I’d even say something like forensic psychology (PSYC 331) is relevant because it touches on how a major risk factor for juvenile offending is actually childhood adversity.
How has managing your project helped you grow, both personally and professionally?
I’m picking up a lot of new skills as I’m working on this project through the help of my supervisors and fellow research assistants. For instance, I have been learning how to code in R and that is a really important tool that you need to have in your toolkit as a researcher to get to the next level- to get to graduate school. I have also been gaining more experience in programming and, more recently, I have been learning how to clean and analyze data. It’s been a really great experience for me in terms of personal growth, as I have been balancing my coursework with multiple research assistantships and now a directed studies project. I have been learning a lot about time management and also taking on more responsibility. I think that when you take on more responsibility, you see what you’re truly capable of. So, I am glad that this opportunity has allowed me to develop my abilities as a student-researcher, as well as provided me with such valuable life lessons.
Personal Questions
Tell us about how you stay organized and manage your time while doing an honours/DS project. How do you prioritize and motivate yourself?
Truth be told, it is not easy. I have a big calendar, an actual physical calendar, that I write down on with dry-erase markers. I know it’s a little old school, but it just helps me keep on track. I write down all of my big due dates, like midterm exam dates and project deadlines. I think that a calendar or something like that helps you stay organized, but it is also important to set mini goals for yourself. Literature reviews are always very time-intensive, so it is a good idea to break it down into chunks, say, by reading a certain number of articles per week. I think organizing your schedule and keeping your task load manageable is important, but obviously it’s a tough thing to do in practice. Just as important as writing down what you have to do is making a plan for how you will get it done.
In terms of staying motivated, my biggest motivation is to get to the next stage of my academic journey, which is graduate school in clinical psychology. That’s kind of been my number one motivator. But anytime you get involved in a study from the ground up, you become really invested in it, as you want to see what different effects you can observe, and you want the hard work that you have invested into the project to pay off in some form or fashion.
What was the most challenging part about doing an honours/DS project, and what did you learn from the challenge that you can apply to future research/life?
There are a number of challenges. One of the rules that I’ve learned along the way is that you have to be prepared for anything that can go wrong to go wrong. That is why it is so important to think critically, pay close attention to the finer details, and always ask questions when you are unsure. I think the toughest thing has been dealing with the unforeseen circumstances, and obviously, in light of something like COVID that has kind of been the common theme for everyone. Even working online can present issues, as it often takes a long time to get even the smallest of tasks done, because you’re communicating through email with your entire team and trying to set up zoom meetings that fit each individual’s schedule. Things can drag out a little bit more, since we’re not meeting in person regularly.
What was the most rewarding and what did you like the most during the process?
Meeting a bunch of new people like my lab members and getting acquainted with them has personally been my favorite part of this whole thing. You are able to meet a bunch of like-minded people who are all on slightly different paths, but still on a similar journey as you. Since everyone has their own niche, it’s really interesting and exciting to learn more about what your labmates are working on. I think the most rewarding part has been making those connections with my labmates and my supervisors as well, as I feel like it makes things more fun. It deepens your engagement and you genuinely look forward to your next team meeting.
What are your other interests outside of Psychology? Are you a part of any clubs or teams?
Outside of psychology, a lot of my interests are in law and the forensic world. I’m doing a law minor at UBC and I do a lot of volunteer work in the community with organizations like the Fraser Health crisis line, the circles of support and accountability (CoSA), and also with Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. For CoSA, I work with ex offenders and help them abide by their parole conditions by meeting with them weekly to discuss and address their criminogenic risk factors. My team’s goal is to ensure that they are reintegrating into society as best they can and staying away from things that may jeopardize their freedom. With this kind of work, you really feel like you’re making a difference not only in those people’s lives, but also in protecting everyone else in your community.
What are your professional goals and plans for the future? What do you see yourself doing in 5 years’ time? 10 years’ time?
In five years I’ll still be in school, working on my PhD. My goal has always been to pursue graduate studies in clinical psychology, to earn my MA and PhD. Then I hope to become a practicing clinician. I also want to keep my ties with the research world and look at how clinical and forensic psychology intersect. In addition to being an applied researcher, I am interested in consulting with law enforcement agencies and working with the justice system.
Is there anything important you’d like to say that I haven’t asked you about?
One thing that I want to touch on that I didn’t mention is how it might seem now that I have all these different things going on now but last year, I did not have much of anything. I wasn’t working in any labs, now I’m in three different labs at UBC. I didn’t even know you needed research experience to get into graduate school until Dr. Anita DeLongis, my former health psychology professor, told me back in my third year. I always knew that I wanted to study psychology but I never knew how to get to where I needed to be, because I’m a first generation post secondary and beyond student in my family, so I didn’t really have a path laid out for me. I had to do a lot of pathfinding for myself. It’s crazy, looking back at how far I’ve come. I didn’t really have a plan from day one, I just learned as I went and I eventually got to where I needed to be.