Research
Research Themes
Self-regulation of Attention
Electronic devices, telecommuting, and increases in self-directed work present today’s workforce with enormous challenges of deciding what to pay attention to while at work. And yet, research from the TALENT Lab shows that the experience of mental disengagement at work is frequent, and can harm performance, motivation, emotions, and well-being. Thus, our research in this area helps answer important questions for organizations such as how to motivate employees to stay on task in the face of distraction, how to structure the workday and workspace to encourage present-moment focus, and how to facilitate self-regulated learning.
Learning & Development
As noted above, motivation, ability, and attention regulation influence how we learn. However, the way we learn has changed, with formal, instructor-led training being replaced more and more by informal, self-directed learning, sometimes on-the-go. The emphasis of our research on learning and development is to improve learning in these non-traditional settings.
Through experimental, quasi-experimental, survey, and interview-based research with business and non-profit partners from the NY Office for People with Developmental Disabilities to the MD Anderson Cancer Center Leadership Institute, the TALENT Lab has identified learning design principles, delivery methods, and individual and team strategies that promote effective learning and development in formal, guided or informal, self-directed learning environments.
Personnel Selection & Evaluation
The TALENT Lab's work on employee selection and testing complements our other research by addressing how other HR systems, including employment testing and the decisions made based on test scores, may be compromised when self-regulatory strategies to suppress stereotypes fail. Our research in this space demonstrates that job-irrelevant factors like personal appearance, non-native accent, and test preparation can influence test and interview scores. Our goal is to support employee evaluation and testing procedures that are more effective and less biased.
Research Approach
Methods
In order to investigate issues of attention regulation, training, and personnel selection we utilize various research methods in a number of different settings including high- and low-stakes field work, laboratory research, meta-analysis, experience-sampling, and online experiments. We primarily draw field-based samples of working adults in the community and online. Additionally, we implement various assessment methods including self-report and performance-based tests, simulators and games, online training protocols, and big data from online user information.
Collaborations
We strongly believe in the benefits of collaborating with other individuals and organizations to capitalize on shared interests, needs, and varied expertise. Thus, we are currently working with faculty at other universities (e.g., UAlbany, Texas Tech, Rice, UT-Arlington), research institutions (e.g., Educational Testing Services, MD Anderson Cancer Center Leadership Institute), state agencies and non-profits (e.g., NY Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, NY Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation), and private companies (e.g., Filtered).
Practical Applications
As an I-O Psychologist trained in the Scientist-Practitioner Model, I strongly believe that the science and practice of I-O psychology are symbiotic. Therefore, we aim to conduct research that is relevant to the modern workforce and strongly desire to see the results of our work applied in organizational settings and policies. This is evidenced in our topics of interest, our field-based research, partner collaborations, and the conclusions we draw to help individuals and organizations facilitate learning, assessment, engagement, performance, and overall well-being.
Research Funding
Grant and Contract Funding
“Promoting Informal Self-Regulated Learning: A Multi-Level Approach”
Grant funded by the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI). Principal Investigator: Jason G. Randall, Co-Principal Investigator: Stephanie A. Zajac
$181,896 awarded, July 2019 – July 2023
“Privacy-Preserving Mobile Data Collection for Social and Behavioral Research”
Grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Sub-award Principal Investigator: Jason G. Randall.
$112,546 awarded, July 2022 – July 2023
"Improving Contact Tracing in Minority Communities by Combating Misinformation and Distrust"
Grant funded by the New York State COVID-19 Minority Health Disparities Award to the University at Albany, SUNY.
Principal Investigator: Jason G. Randall, Co-Principal Investigator: Dev K. Dalal
$4,274 awarded September 2020 – December 2020
“Using Principles of Personnel Psychology to Rapidly Select COVID-19 Contact Tracers”
Contract funded by the Workforce Development Institute (WDI).
Principal Investigator: Dev K. Dalal, Co-principal Investigator: Jason G. Randall
$25,826 awarded, August 2020 – November 2020
Past Funding
Individual Development Awards Program Grant, New York State/UUP, February 7, 2017
$300 awarded to fund participation in MBSR training program
Social Sciences Research Institute Dissertation Improvement Grant, May 19, 2014
$5,000 awarded to fund dissertation data collection
Social Sciences Research Institute Pre-Dissertation Grant, December 10, 2013
$620 awarded to fund pilot dissertation research
Maurin Fund Grant, November 6, 2012
$800 awarded to fund research on mind wandering
Unfunded Proposals
“Improving Team-Based Informal Learning”
Grant submitted to the NASA Human Research Program, April 2023
Principal Investigator: J. Louie, US NAVY, Co-Principal Investigator: Jason G. Randall
“Mindfulness-based Diversity Training: Teaching Students Skills to Combat Stereotyping.”
Diversity Transformation Grant submitted to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, University at Albany, SUNY May 7, 2019
Principal Investigator: Ho Kwan Cheung, Co-Principal Investigator: Jason G. Randall
“Dynamic Team Performance Dashboard”
RFI Submitted to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO). October 6, 2016
Principal Investigator: Tomek Strzalkowski.