Hum Dev/Psych 496 - Research Assistanship

Scientific research is exciting and extremely useful. It helps us understand why we do what we do and explain and predict behavior. More importantly, it provides insights into how we can improve our lives, and enhance physical and mental health, and well-being.

Course Objectives:

This course is designed to give students the tools to do robust scientific research, enhance critical thinking skills, and provide hands on experience with every aspect of the research process. Students will be assigned to work on a research project that has been designed by the instructor. This may be a project scheduled to begin in the semester of study, the continuation of a study that has been run before, or the analysis and follow-up of a previous study. Students will be assigned to a project that best suits their learning goals and future plans. Working on a study already designed will enable the student to see how problems from everyday life are used to guide research.

This is a perfect opportunity for a student with no research experience, or one who wants some training and practice before conducting their own study. Training and mentorship is designed to make the student a competitive candidate for graduate school or a wide variety of professional positions.

Eligibility:

Junior standing or higher, completion of Introductory Psychology, GPA of 3.00 or higher.

Requirements:

Weekly meetings with the instructor, completing reading assignments, and all research related responsibilities. These may include literature reviews, library investigations, questionnaire development, recruitment and interviewing of research participants, the collection of data, management of research studies, data entry, and some minor statistical analyses. To guarantee a wide range of experience you will be given the opportunity to work on many different research projects.

Assessment:

Successful and conscientious completion of all assignments and a 8-10 page paper (a literature review or project proposal) are required. Training and feedback will be provided to enable the paper to be a potential candidate for acceptance at a national psychology conference (e.g., American Psychological Association, American Psychological Society, Midwestern Psychological Association). The topic, content, and structure (e.g., literature review or empirical paper) of the paper will vary with the project you are assigned to.

Reading List:

  • Pages 3-11:
    Sansone, C., Morf, C. C., & Painter, A. T. (2004). The research process: Of big pictures, little details, and the social psychological road in between. In C. Sansone, C. C. Morf, & A. T., Painter (Eds.) Handbook of methods in social psychology (pp. 3-16). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  • Read research lab posters and identify research design, IVs, and DVs, in each.

Useful Sites: