Research opportunities in psychology

Each semester it is my privilege to teach courses that give students valuable experience conducting research. This experience will significantly (p < .05) improve several key skills needed in both graduate school and in the workplace, such as finding solid research sources; understanding statistical jargon; producing original research; solving problems; working in teams; networking at conferences; and writing technical reports.

The American Psychological Association has identified conducting research with a faculty mentor as one of the most important, high-impact practices for undergraduate students in our field.  I strongly advise that you consider taking one or more of our research-focused courses.

If you would like to know more, please send me an email or drop by my office!

PSYC 216
APplied Research Methods and Statistics

Following PSYC 215 (Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics), this course is designed to give you additional exposure to research methods and advanced statistical concepts that will help prepare you to do research in psychology.  

In this course, you will learn by doing.  You (and maybe 1-2 other students) will design and conduct your own research study; learn new statistical analyses (e.g., ANOVA, regression); analyze and present your findings at Lee’s Ollie J. Lee Symposium; and prepare a research proposal that mirrors a manuscript being prepared for publication.  

The 3-credit-hour course is unbelievably practical, informative, and enjoyable.  (Also, it’s only taught during Spring semesters, so be sure to sign up early!)

PSYC 415 - Independent Research
PSYC 416 - Advanced Independent Research

This course is designed to give you experience conducting research while working closely with a faculty mentor and a team of other motivated students.  Typically, you will meet with the research team on a weekly basis, discussing research and planning an original experiment to conduct near the end of a semester.  Within a few weeks your team will begin conducting the study, collecting data from participants and managing the study without excessive supervision from the faculty mentor.  Near the end of the semester, you will begin to analyze your data and prepare it for dissemination–whether through a poster presentation, a symposium, or even a manuscript for publication.

You can take this course twice:  first as PSYC 415 and again as PSYC 416.  The two courses are completely identical.  In addition, you can choose to take either course for 1, 2, or 3 credit hours, to help fit the class into your busy schedule.  To sign up for the course, you’ll need to drop by my office to collect a Change of Schedule form, since Portico will not let you sign up on your own.

Feel free to email me if you want to know more.  You should also check out the info below to see more specifically what this class may entail.

 

Typical responsibilities and experiences with Dr. Poole in PSYC 415/416

 

Often
(All students experience this multiple times per semester)

Sometimes (Most students experience this each semester or year)

Rarely/Optional (Students may engage in these experiences, but it is not typical)

Never
(Students will never engage in this experience)

Writing literature reviews

 

X

 

 

IRB proposal preparation

X

 

 

 

Weekly lab meetings

X

 

 

 

Article discussions

X

 

 

 

 Equipment training

 

X

 

 

Study development

X

 

 

 

Study preparation

X

 

 

 

Conduct research with human participants

X

 

 

 

Have direct contact with human participants

X

 

 

 

Participant recruitment

 

X

 

 

Data collection

X

 

 

 

Data entry
(SPSS or JASP)

X

 

 

 

Data cleaning (SPSS or JASP)

 

X

 

 

Data analysis
(SPSS or JASP)

 

X

 

 

Conference attendance

 

X

 

 

Grant-writing

 

 

X

 

Manuscript preparation

 

 

X