Psychology 697

PSYC 697: Applied Training in Psychological Research

Prerequisites: Graduate Standing in Psychology

Credit Hours: Variable credit, (1-6)

Graduate students will receive hands-on research training while being mentored as part of faculty research projects.


Detailed Description of Course

Content: Graduate students will receive hands-on research experience while being mentored as part of faculty research projects. The content will vary depending on the research topic, including, but not limited to, traditional laboratory-based research, quasi-experimental studies, and applied research conducted in the community.


Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Research experiences will vary depending on the topic and faculty member by whom students are mentored, but the primary instructional strategy will be for students to gain research experience in the laboratory or in the field.  Prior to registration, a mentor and student will develop a syllabus that describes the course’s objectives, content, expectations and assessment outcomes.  This syllabus will be placed in the student’s department file after signatures are received from both the mentor and student.  


Goals and Objectives of this Course

The goal of the course is to provide graduate students with an opportunity to develop valuable research skills earlier in their graduate careers. Depending on the research topic and the faculty member by whom students are mentored, students may learn a variety of skills including, but not limited to, animal care and use, histology, psychophysiological techniques, data collection and management, program evaluation, therapeutic intervention, qualitative and quantitative analysis of data, the development and application of ethical research designs in human and/or animal research, grant writing, preparing and giving conference presentations, and manuscript writing.


Assessment Measures

Students will receive a letter grade based on reliability, participation, and the quality of a tangible product.  The final product may include but is not limited to an annotated bibliography, literature review, meta-analysis, pilot study with brief report, development of initial items for survey research, practical exam on laboratory skills or use of equipment, or a presentation.  


Other Course Information

No more than 4 credits may apply to the program of study.