Searching for researching positions in NYC

[windypoplars]

I'm a masters student in psychology and am looking for cognitive psychology research opportunities in NYC. 

 

I plan to send an email along with my resume to some faculties in universities that are conducting the researches that I am interested in, but I am not sure how receptive they will be in responding to a psychology student from a different school. Does anyone know the lab atmosphere at Columbia or NYU? Are they open to receiving students from other schools for their research labs? 

 

Also when I send an email, should I briefly explain my interest in the field within 1-2 sentences, or should it be a long cover letter?