The Honesty & Ethics on Everyday Schooling (HEROES) Project, based in the University of California, San Diego, focuses on advancing knowledge about academic integrity and social influences, providing high school students from diverse backgrounds with research opportunities, and using our findings to support students and improve academic integrity.

We plan to achieve these goals through two studies:

In the first study, high school interns will first observe their classes and report back on mentions of cheating and academic integrity and interns will later interview classmates and teachers about hypothetical cheating events and record their responses and reactions. This study will take place throughout the 2022-2023 school year.

In the second study, we will build on the findings from the first year's study to design an experimental investigation of how social messages may shape people's judgments and decisions about cheating. This study will start at least one year after the first study.

Together, these studies will address the following research questions:

(1) What are teachers’ and peers’ messages about cheating?

(2) Do teachers’ and peers’ messages predict evaluations of cheating?

(3) Do evaluations of cheating predict decisions?

To read more about the details of the studies, you can look at a poster we recently presented at the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (SIPS) Conference. 

Where can I find more information about the project and the lab?

To learn more about the project, check out our FAQs in the Contact Us page. For more background and information about academic integrity research, visit the Resources page.

Throughout the academic year, interns will meet with Dr. Waltzer and a Research Coordinator from the team (About Our Team). They will also meet with fellow interns, undergraduate students, and other affiliates of Dr. Heyman's Social and Cognitive Development Lab.

Interns will participate in a one-year research experience giving them insight into real university research in psychology. As part of this experience, they will engage in a variety of tasks that are essential to conducting the study. The project will be held in-person, with day-to-day tasks taking place at the intern's own school. In addition, there will be occasional opportunities to meet with the team on the UC San Diego campus for professional development events (e.g., research presentation workshops).

The internship will involve an average commitment of 2-3 hours per week.

Some of the intern tasks include:

• Taking notes and reflecting on your academic experiences in school

• Weekly in-person or online meetings with a Research Coordinator to discuss research and questions

• Prompting peers or teachers to share their thoughts in brief informal conversations

• Organizing and managing data collected throughout the year

• Preparing a research presentation to share with team-mates

Our goal for the HEROES project is to provide a valuable internship experience to high school students in San Diego County while also advancing our knowledge in psychology and education. Interns can expect to learn about data collection, theoretical debates in psychology, data analysis, observational methods, literature review, and research dissemination.

The application due date has now passed. This website will be updated if more opportunities open up in the future. 

Previous applications included the following:

Please be prepared to provide the names of references (e.g., a teacher or supervisor) and submit a copy of your transcript. 

You will be asked to answer short essay questions such as: 

• How do you plan to balance this commitment with your other activities? 

• Why does the HEROES project appeal to you? Why do you want to be an intern? 

• What is your favorite class in school? What about this class do you enjoy? 

• What do you know about cheating and its place on your campus? Is cheating widespread at your school? Why do you think cheating is treated this way at your school? 

• Describe a time you faced a barrier in your education and how you overcame this challenge.