I am honoured to have received the School of Psychology’s Anderson Prize for the highest performing student in MRes and the John Shepherd Prize for the joint outstanding MRes thesis in the 2025-26 academic year.
Having completed my undergraduate degree at Aberdeen, I wanted to continue the research I had started in my final year with my supervisor, Dr. Agnieszka Konopka, while developing my understanding of the research process and becoming a more confident and independent researcher. The MRes was very hands-on course, with small-group teaching throughout the year, which gave me plenty of opportunities to engage with staff and with my peers.
Throughout the year, I worked closely with my primary supervisor, Dr. Agnieszka Konopka, to develop and carry out my research project investigating the role of prediction errors during novel vocabulary learning. This research project gave me the opportunity to explore new research ideas and put them into practice, while still having guidance and support whenever I needed it. Completing my thesis, “Do errors help you learn? The role of prediction errors in novel vocabulary learning”, was a challenging experience, particularly the writing. However, after spending the year developing the project, collecting data, and bringing everything together, finding out that my efforts had been recognised in this way was incredibly emotional, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I would like to thank both my supervisors, Dr. Agnieszka Konopka and Dr. Brian Mathias, for their support throughout the project, as well as PhD student Thomas Alexander for their guidance throughout the MRes.
Studying for the MRes at the University of Aberdeen has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I am grateful to have spent the year working alongside such supportive and inspiring people. My experience at Aberdeen has encouraged me to continue developing my research, and I am excited to be taking the next step by starting an EastBio-funded PhD this coming month.
Caroline is now studying a PhD at the School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen
