A Microcomputer Laboratory for Facilitating Undergraduate Psychology Students' Research Skills

促进本科生心理学学生研究技能的微机实验室

• 批准号: 9650167
• 负责人: Thomas Green
• 金额: $ 2.8万
• 依托单位: Elon University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-07-01 至 1998-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9650167&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Microcomputer; Laboratory; Facilitating; Undergraduate; Psychology

The Psychology Department is currently in the second year of implementation of a new 4-hour curriculum aimed at facilitating student understanding of the research-based, scientific nature of psychology through the inclusion of an experiential laboratory component in all psychology courses. Although the students are currently able to learn basic research design and methodology, they are not being provided the opportunity to learn computer-assisted methodologies, which are central to the areas of learning, memory, perception, and cognition. Consequently, this project provides equipment and software for a microcomputer laboratory that can be used by students to design and conduct original and replication research in these, as well as other areas. The project provides for 21 personal computers installed with a variety of software and connected to a laser printer, the college's mainframe computer, and its Novell network. In conducting research projects, students use the equipment to access the mainframe computer for literature searches (campus holdings and Internet sources), design and conduct experiments (using MEL and Conduit software), perform statistical analyses (using SPSSX on the mainframe computer), and write research reports (using Microsoft Word on the Novell network). In conjunction with these traditionally sound methods utilizing on-campus research participants, the students can use the equipment to involve other college students in active research participation and exchange of ideas over the World Wide Web (WWW), as well as involving local high school students by on-site participation. Evaluation of project benefits involve comparisons of students' scores on the ETS Major Field Achievement Test and the number of student presentations and publications before and after project implementation. Empirical results of this project can be communicated by undergraduate student presentation and publication of their research findings, as well as through electronic dissemination over the WWW. Pedagogical results can be communicated through faculty publications and presentations and departmentally sponsored yearly workshops in which area college and high school faculty participate.

目前，心理学系正在实施一项新的4小时课程，旨在通过在所有心理学课程中加入经验实验室的内容，促进学生对心理学以研究为基础的科学性质的理解。虽然学生目前能够学习基本的研究设计和方法，但他们没有机会学习计算机辅助方法，这些方法是学习、记忆、感知和认知领域的核心。因此，该项目为微型计算机实验室提供了设备和软件，学生可以使用这些设备和软件来设计和进行这些领域以及其他领域的原创和复制研究。该项目提供了21台个人计算机，安装了各种软件，并连接到一台激光打印机、学院的大型计算机及其Novell网络。在进行研究项目时，学生使用设备访问大型计算机进行文献搜索(校园馆藏和互联网来源)，设计和进行实验(使用MEL和Conduit软件)，执行统计分析(使用大型计算机上的SPSSX)，并撰写研究报告(使用Novell网络上的Microsoft Word)。与这些利用校园研究参与者的传统健全方法相结合，学生可以使用这些设备让其他大学生积极参与研究和通过万维网(WWW)交流思想，以及通过现场参与让当地高中生参与。对项目效益的评估包括比较学生在ETS专业领域成就测试中的成绩，以及项目实施前后学生演讲和出版物的数量。这个项目的实验结果可以通过本科生的陈述和发表他们的研究成果，以及通过WWW上的电子传播来传达。教学成果可以通过教员出版物和演示文稿以及部门赞助的大学和高中教职员工参加的年度研讨会进行交流。