Equipment to Establish a Microcomputer-Interfaced Laboratory for Teaching Psychology to Undergraduates

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The aim of this project is to establish a microcomputer laboratory in psychology in order to improve undergraduate students' research experiences. Due to the large number of students and the relatively small number of faculty members it has not been possible to give undergraduate students at Southeastern Louisiana University research experiences that they require if they are to gain an accurate appreciation of how research is conducted in psychology. There are two aspects to this project -- one for students in lower level psychology courses and one for students at the upper level. In the lower level courses, commercially available software packages allow students to conduct replications of some of the classic experiments in this discipline. In the upper level courses, microcomputers are being used in original research projects involving precise measurement and control. Many of the projects involve interfacing the microcomputer with experimental equipment already existing in the department. Students are introduced in the intermediate program to the process of delimiting questions, posing falsifiable hypotheses and designing tests of their validity. More advanced students are able to conduct individual research studies or to participate in faculty projects.