• Overview
• Participating courses
• Instructions for Experimenters
• Institute for Biochemical and Psychological Study of Individual Differences
   

Research is fundamental to the discipline of psychology: it is through research that theories are refined and new discoveries are made in advancing knowledge about people and their environments.  As members of a research-oriented department, psychology professors at TU strive to instill in students an appreciation for scientific methods and findings.  This focus on research is obvious in statistics and research methods courses.  It is a driving force in every course, however, as most of what we know about psychology comes from published research findings.  TU Psychology faculty not only rely heavily on research in terms of what they teach, they are also engaged in their own research programs, actively contributing to the growth of psychological knowledge.

As a further reflection of the Department’s commitment to the scientific process, the Psychology Research Education and Participation Program (PREPP) was created to encourage psychology students (i.e., enrolled in TU psychology courses) to learn about research through direct involvement in actual research projects.  Students can get involved in two ways.

Research Participants

First, the Department offers multiple opportunities each term for undergraduates to serve as Research Participants in studies being run by faculty members.  This benefits both students and researchers.  Students get an inside look at how research is undertaken and researchers gain access to people with whom research questions can be answered.  All studies involving human subjects must meet established ethical standards intended to protect the interests of research participants.  Compensation for this type of participation varies from study to study.  Extra credit may be offered in a class in which the student is enrolled (e.g., each hour of research participation may be rewarded with 1% on the course final grade).  Alternatively, at the instructor’s discretion, research participation may be required of students to pass the course.  In all cases, students have the choice to participate in a research study or write a brief review of a selected published research article.  Either way, they are invited to learn more about psychological research and to appreciate its role in psychology as a science.

Undergraduate Lab Assistants

Psychology undergraduates can also serve as Undergraduate Research Lab Assistants for faculty members engaged in research.  Assistantship duties can vary widely from one lab to another and from one study to another, depending on the nature of the research question(s) and corresponding methods.  Again, both parties win with this arrangement.  Students learn how to design and conduct research at potentially all phases of a project, and researchers gain the assistance of eager volunteers.  Although Undergraduate Research Lab Assistantships are unpaid, students may apply the work to Independent Study credit, toward meeting graduation requirements.  Typically, 3 credit hours carries the expectation of 10 hours of lab assistance per week over a single 15-week academic term (150 hours, all told).  Any such arrangements should be made with the faculty researcher early in the student’s involvement in the lab, preferably at or before the start of a given term.

To join one of the research labs in the Department of Psychology, students should explore faculty’s web pages to find a faculty member who is involved in research that might be interesting. The next step is to contact the faculty member for additional information including whether they have current opportunities for undergraduates and to determine their expectations for undergraduates. Researchers reserve the right to offer lab membership to only those individuals judged to possess minimal qualifications in light of expected duties, and are free to choose from among multiple applicants only those judged to best fit the available position (i.e., there is no guarantee that students seeking lab membership will be offered one).

How to Get Involved

To be a Research Participant, simply “sign up” on a sheet posted on the designated bulletin board in the basement of Lorton Hall (where the Psychology Department is located).  Study titles are indicated, along with a brief description of what is required of participants (e.g., completing a personality questionnaire, working with others to complete a task), participation dates and time slots, and a way to contact the researcher or a research assistant.  Current Research Participant opportunities are listed below.  Sign-ups are possible only at the designated bulletin board in the basement of Lorton Hall.  Also listed below are current Psychology courses offering compensation for students’ participation in faculty research. 

Participating Courses

top