A Microcomputer Laboratory for Facilitating Undergraduate Psychology Students' Research Skills

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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.