REU Site: Summer Research Institute in Experimental Psychology

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This award provides funds to the Department of Psychology at The University of South Carolina to support ten undergraduate students in a program called Summer Research Institute in Experimental Psychology. The program provides a forum for educating undergraduate students about he field of experimental psychology. The current appeal of applied psychology is drawing far more applicants to those programs, particularly among minority students. The Institute focuses student interest and enthusiasm on the basic science areas of psychology. The eight week USC Summer Research Institute will permit well qualified minority and non-minority undergraduate students majoring in behavioral science, an experience in graduate level research including an opportunity to formulate and conduct an experiment with individual guidance from energetic and supportive research faculty. The student will experience major phases of experimental research including literature review, hypothesis generation, data collection, data organization, statistical analysis, and writing a report in the style of the American Psychological Association. Student experience will be enriched by weekly research seminars where assigned readings are discussed, and by-weekly sessions on problems of research design and statistics in experimental psychology. Students receive gratis course credit for their work. This program emphasis is much needed, as the U.S. is perceived as the leader in the field of experimental psychology, but our universities must be able to motivate and train the best students for future careers in the vital areas of behavioral science. This Summer Institute provides one vehicle to enhance these goals.