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The Experimental Psychology Program offers PhD concentrations in Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Science, and Social Psychology. The goals of the program are to prepare students in the academic skills that will allow them to be researchers, college-level teachers, and program directors. Students are admitted to study in one of the three concentrations to work with a specific faculty member who serves as the the student's research mentor. Each concentration offers a broad background in psychology, in-depth study of research methodology and statistics, and advanced coursework in the concentration. Each concentration offers a weekly brownbag research seminar, guided teaching experience, and a collegial atmosphere in which to study. All students receive funding for at least four years. Research Training The mentor model. The Experimental Psychology program uses a mentor model for research training. All students are matched with a faculty research mentor upon admittance to the program based on their interests and the availability of faculty. Prospective students are encouraged to become familiar with the research areas of the faculty and to make suggestions in their applications as to which faculty they might best match. Students become involved in research with their faculty mentor as soon as they begin graduate study. In most cases, students continue with this mentor throughout their training. Students are encouraged to build a program of research with some depth during their years in graduate school, and working consistently with one mentor assists toward this goal. However, changes can be made for a variety of reasons. In addition to working with a faculty research mentor, students are encouraged to collaborate on research with at least one other faculty member, to add breadth to their research experience. Research coursework. As part of the research training, students must complete Research Methods in Psychology, Advanced Statistics I, Advanced Statistics II, and either Multivariate Statistics, Structural Equations Modeling, or Psychometrics. Students are encouraged to gain as much expertise as possible in statistical methods during their time in graduate school. First-year project. Each first-year student will complete a research project designed by their faculty mentor. This may be a small study or part of a larger study and usually requires the student to collect data. At the end of the year, each of the first-year students presents his/her project to the program faculty and students in a short colloquium-style presentation. Students register for 3-6 Graduate Research hours in connection with the first-year project. Research milestones. The major research milestones in the cognitive program are the master's thesis and the doctoral dissertation. The master's thesis is typically proposed during the first year and completed during the second year. A committee of 3 faculty meets to discuss the proposal and the final project. The dissertation is a major research project that establishes a student's place in the research community. During the third year, students begin to design their dissertation study and meet with their committee of 5 faculty. During the fourth year, students prepare a complete prospectus and formally present it to their committee. The written prospectus and the oral presentation, together, constitute the preliminary examination which students must pass to be admitted into doctoral candidacy. When the dissertation research is completed, students prepare a final report and present it to their committee. Publishing research. In addition to coursework and milestones, students are strongly encouraged to work toward publishing their research. Having a publication record is extremely important in the job market. Students should work collaboratively with their research mentor to write and submit manuscripts for publication. In addition to the students' primary research, it is a good idea to play secondary and minor roles in ongoing research that will be published. Contemporary Issues seminar. Faculty and students in the Experimental Psychology program meet weekly to present and discuss research. This provides an opportunity for faculty and students to learn about each other's research and help each other solve research problems. It also provides students practice in giving research presentations. Professional issues may also be the topic of the weekly seminar (i.e., ethics in research, grant writing, finding a job), and from time to time guest speakers are invited from other departments or universities. Teaching Training The Psychology Department offers many opportunities for graduate students to develop their teaching skills. This is particularly important for Experimental Psychology students, many of whom will be seeking academic positions. The Department has an excellent track record for training students in teaching, as evidenced by students teacher-course evaluations and teaching awards. Teaching Assistants. For many students, teaching experience begins as a teaching assistant. Linked to the student's funding, this involves helping a faculty member with his or her course. This may include proctoring exams, grading, holding office hours, or running in-class activities. Research Laboratory Instructors. Some students serve as instructors in the undergraduate Research Laboratory course and teach 10 - 15 students in a guided practicum context. This is also linked to students' funding. Research Laboratory instructors are responsible for communicating assignments to students, guiding them through projects, and grading their work. These instructors are closely supervised by a faculty member who designs the syllabus and the projects. Teaching of Psychology course (PY695). All experimental students are required to take Teaching of Psychology and to teach a section of Introductory Psychology concurrently. In this course, students receive guidance and feedback in syllabus preparation, lecture preparation and delivery, test construction, and grading during the semester in which they teach their first full course. This is a high-quality experience that greatly helps students develop their teaching skills. Students usually take this course during their third year. Course Instructors. After completing Teaching of Psychology, students are eligible to teach full courses with minimal guidance, as part of their funding. Courses grauate students have taught include Introductory Psychology, Elementary Statistics in Psychology, Social Psychology, Psychology of Gender, Psychology of Aging, and General Experimental Psychology. Teaching-related workshops. The Center for Teaching and Learning offers free workshops for graduate and faculty instructors in many types of teaching technologies including elearning, Tegrity, Turnitin, clicker system, and others. In addition the Center can help with video-editing, podcasting, and other creative teaching tools.
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