The 2023 Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) conference, held in Salt Lake City, was a truly unforgettable experience for the members of the ECL Lab. Join us as each member shares their best memories and experiences during the trip.
Petrina:
I had a fantastic time at SRCD 2023, especially meeting fellow researchers studying similar topics. I learned a lot from the scholars, finding them kind and open to sharing their research. It was wonderful to connect with collaborators and researchers who organized the parental lies symposium, such as Prof Matthew Gingo, Prof Victoria Talwar and her team, and Prof Kang Lee. We discussed our research interests and ongoing projects. I am particularly grateful to connect with Prof Rianne and her students, who shared their exciting projects and engaged in helpful discussions about my research directions.
The poster sessions were my favorite, allowing for in-depth discussions and an engaging look into current developmental psychology directions. These sessions provided detailed and engaging looks into the most current directions in developmental psychology.
I appreciated the sightseeing trip to the zoo and all the cute and entertaining animals. The lab dinners and gatherings were a meaningful part of the trip, as I enjoyed the support shared within the lab. Overall, it was a fulfilling and exciting first experience at SRCD for me, and I look forward to other upcoming experiences with the lab members.
Mioko:
I loved Prof. Matthew Gingo’s talk on children’s perceived legitimacy of parental lies. Gingo’s engaging presentation style and relatable content captivated me, inspiring me to think about how I could convey my research findings effectively. I was surprised that he had thoroughly captivated my attention despite his research topic being out of my expertise, plus the extent I was jetlagged, sleepy, and fatigued during that time. Gingo’s talk also motivated me to think further about how I could convey my research topic and findings in the most exciting and impactful manner.
 Another memorable part of the trip for me was traveling with my labmates. We had challenging experiences: having bad jetlag during the conference or experiencing multiple flight delays and changes on our trip back to Singapore, but we could get through it together.
I found it super lovely when my labmates brought me cheesecake after my symposium talk, showing that small gestures of kindness can be impactful.Â
I also found it funny and sweet that another speaker and I were looking at photos and animations of cute animals to calm ourselves down before our talks. I always thought that one of my biggest weaknesses was getting nervous easily, so it was a relief to know other people can get nervous too.
Meryl:
I appreciated the variety and quality of sessions, with “Stopping the Clock: Evidence Suggests Psychosocial Interventions Attenuate Pediatric Biological Ace Acceleration” and “Social Class in Education: Children’s Beliefs About Who is Smart, Hardworking, and Praiseworthy” as my top choices. I was impressed by the very creative and rigorous methodologies and the speakers’ infectious passions.
I was a little apprehensive at first about this trip since it was my first time in the US. Fortunately, after overcoming my initial fear and culture shock, I started enjoying my time there. I found the local people friendly! I would love to come back to explore more about the US.
One of the funniest moments for me was when the team found out that Yena didn’t like cucumbers and teased her about it for the rest of the trip. I also enjoyed the roommate times with Yena and the zoo tour with the lab.
Yena:
My favorite session was on STEM inequity. I admired how Dr. Allison Master synthesized the presented papers and highlighted their common themes. One prominent theme in the session was the importance of belonging in promoting inclusivity for minoritized groups in the STEM field. This made me think about how classes are set up in many formal educational settings and how these subjects are depicted in media. I also liked the Emotion pre-conference experience, where people could form close and small research groups/communities in such a big conference setting.
I believe that the lab formed the best travel buddy group ever. Despite the long hours of travel and some unforeseen circumstances, everyone was cheerful and cared for one another. As one of the newer members in the lab, I appreciated this opportunity to get to know my lab mates better and spend some quality time with them! During the trip, I also reunited with my friends and mentors from my previous school, whom I hadn’t seen in person for a while due to the pandemic. It was a precious experience to catch up with them and see how everyone is in different career stages now. Relatedly, I was able to imagine how exciting it would be to meet up with ECL lab members at future conferences as well.
One of the funniest things for me was how my roommate, Meryl, and I had synchronous jet-lagged sleep schedules, waking up at the same time every morning (around 4:30 am)!
Ying Qing:
 SRCD 2023 was my first in-person academic conference, which was truly an eye-opening experience for me. My favorite part was seeing the lab’s talks and posters happening live. After many practices and revisions, witnessing our research work reaching out to a wider audience was a source of contentment. I was also grateful to be able to receive feedback from others about the research that I have been working on for a considerable amount of time.
The conference allowed me to engage with current research and learn about recent topics in child development research.Â
Learning and interacting with researchers working on either similar or diverse topics was an enlightening and insightful experience for me.
I found Salt Lake City beautiful, but I appreciated it better with the supportive and great company I had. I was beyond grateful and fortunate for this opportunity and would like to thank Prof Setoh and all lab members for making this trip possible and amazing (despite several unforgettable delayed flights).Â
Sharon:
This was my first SRCD conference as well, and the entire experience was very memorable. It was amazing to see so many researchers come together and share their insights and ideas in a collaborative and constructive environment. My favorite parts of the conference were the insightful exchanges between the presenters and the audience as they built off each others’ ideas! I especially enjoyed the poster sessions as they allowed me to network with other student researchers and learn more about their work. Overall, my experience at the SRCD conference was definitely academically enriching and personally fulfilling!
Minxuan:
I had a marvelous time attending my first SRCD conference. It was an incredible learning opportunity to refresh my psychology research knowledge and explore the latest trends in developmental psychology. I was delighted to meet all the lab members in person, finding them friendly, sweet, and supportive. I enjoyed listening to their talks and posters and felt proud of every one of them. I sincerely thank Prof Setoh and the lab for having me at the conference and welcoming me into the team.Â
My favorite talks were “Novel Insights on the Development of Social Group Stereotypes and How to Change Them,” which focused on children’s biased cognition of gender-related concepts and approaches to reduce stereotypes among future generations, and “Stopping the Clock: Evidence Suggests Psychosocial Interventions Attenuate Pediatric Biological Ace Acceleration,” featuring advanced methodologies and insightful biotechnological and developmental psychological findings.
I was also thrilled to reunite with my undergraduate research mentor during the conference, catching up and seeking advice on how to quickly adapt to Ph.D. life.Â
The ECL Lab’s trip to SRCD 2023 was an excellent learning opportunity for everyone involved. It was an unforgettable and precious bonding experience for the entire team. Each member was able to gain valuable insights, make new connections, and bring back inspiration to continue working on their research projects. The time spent together in Salt Lake City strengthened the team’s relationships and created lasting memories that will be cherished for years to come. As the ECL Lab continues to grow and evolve, the team looks forward to future conferences and the opportunity to contribute to the field of developmental psychology.