Introduction: Undergraduate research experiences prepare students for graduate training or employment. Statement of problem: At many teaching-intensive universities, there is a greater demand for research experiences than there are independent study opportunities. Students from typically underrepresented backgrounds may also be unaware of a…

Data collection can be a frustrating experience for student researchers due to difficulty in scheduling appointments with participants. To increase the efficiency of research project data collection, we organized a Research Participation Night in which volunteers were incentivized to participate in as many experiments as time allowed. By offering…

The current investigation tested the effectiveness of an online student research project designed to supplement traditional methods (e.g., lectures, discussions, and assigned readings) of teaching research methods in a large-enrollment Introduction to Psychology course. Over the course of the semester, students completed seven assignments, each…

A collaborative research grant from the National Science Foundation allowed the first two authors to provide students at primarily undergraduate institutions with a multi-faculty, multi-institution team research experience. Teams of undergraduate students at Western Carolina University and Washington and Lee University collaborated with one…

We conducted a national survey of psychology department chairs, and, based on their responses, we concluded that psychology programs differ in the number of students enrolled in various types of classes; the degree of focus on each of the goals recommended by the "American Psychological Association (APA) Guidelines for an Undergraduate…

We tracked a sample of primarily Black psychology baccalaureates' advanced degree enrollments and completions and estimated the association of those outcomes with summer research experience by merging three data sets: (a) summer research program participants, (b) a comparison group of alumni, mostly without summer research, and (c) degree…

This activity offers a way to use the informed consent procedure to help students better understand the responsibilities of research participants. During a class activity, students completed a brief study. The study included presentation of consent forms and questionnaires before a surprise quiz over material from the consent form and a discussion…

Describes and evaluates a method for involving large numbers of introductory psychology students as active researchers via an assigned project involving computer analyzed data. Results indicate students valued research more, understood statistical procedures better, and felt less anxious about statistics and computers. Suggests a viable way to…

Describes techniques for clarifying goals, improving organization, and evaluating students in research courses that are typically unstructured. Includes methods for assisting students in designing experiments, creating evaluation tools, and monitoring student progress throughout the course. These simple methods are appropriate for courses with an…

Describes researching and writing institutional histories and focuses on preparing a history of the psychology department. Provides time requirements for the research; project formats; sources for historical information; and methods for doing historical research. Reports on the benefits students and faculty derived from the projects. (DB)

Describes a collaborative honors project in psychology that allowed two students and two advisors to pursue a broad range of research issues. Discusses advantages and disadvantages of conducting such projects with undergraduates. Includes issues for student and faculty development such as stimulation of other joint research efforts, role models,…

Outlines a laboratory group program for engaging large numbers of undergraduate psychology students in faculty research at small liberal arts colleges with limited research resources. Participating in the group enhances the students' interest in and understanding of research and improves their chances of being accepted into a graduate program.…

Describes an approach to devising realistic laboratory projects to enhance research training for undergraduates. Students replicate all or part of an experiment from a core article that provides the framework for the research project in terms of scope, method, and reporting. Advantages and limitations of the method are discussed. (GEA)

Describes a research course for undergraduate students based on an adversary model system, which involves conflict between the research student and (1) the judgment of other experts in the field and (2) temporal constraints. (JR)

A general laboratory course should include projects that familiarize college students with the variety of methods available to the researcher. Described are four research projects that address questions about human behavior by means of experimental, observational, survey, and archival research methods. (RM)