Research in Psychology

RESEARCH IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

The Department of Psychology has always stressed the importance of scholarly work by its faculty and students. Active research is important not only for its contribution to knowledge about behavior, but also as a vehicle for continued faculty development and for the training of undergraduate and graduate students. Among the graduate departments of psychology in the country that offer only Master's programs, Wake Forest ranks among the top three in terms of faculty and student research productivity. Faculty look forward to hearing from students interested in their research, so students should never hesitate to contact individual faculty members about such opportunities.

GETTING INVOLVED IN RESEARCH

Through their participation on research projects, students develop research and analytic skills, have an opportunity to work directly with faculty, and, sometimes have the opportunity to coauthor research presentations or papers with faculty. In some cases, students assist with ongoing research in a faculty member’s lab; in other cases, students carry out their own study under the supervision of a faculty member. Another possibility is that students do library research and write a paper on a topic under the supervision of a faculty member. Expectations for time commitment and type and amount of work will vary to some extent across different research projects. The student should clarify expectations with a particular faculty member prior to making a commitment to a project. The faculty’s commitment to student research involvement is to supervise the student as necessary in their research. Contact with the faculty typically involves a minimum of one hour per week, either in lab or individual meetings with the student.

The value of research involvement cannot be overemphasized, particularly for students considering graduate school. First-hand experience in research as well as the opportunity for a faculty member to get to know a student well can be extremely helpful with respect to making choices about graduate school as well as having a competitive application

Students become involved in research in several ways:

1. A student might volunteer to work with a faculty member to obtain experience with the research process.

2. A student might take PSY 280 (Directed Study) and obtain course credit for participating in research with a faculty member. Students who wish to register for PSY 280 must have completed either PSY 151 or AP Psych, and obtain the prior approval of a faculty member. Directed Study can be taken for 1, 2, or 3 credit, with an expected time commitment of approximately 3 hours per week per credit (half credits (1.5, 2.5) are also possible). No more than 3 hours of directed study may be counted toward the hours required for the major; a maximum of 5 hours may be counted with more than the minimum hours in the major.

3. Another course option is Neuroscience Research (NEU 391), where students pursuing a Neuroscience Minor can conduct research with a Psychology faculty member.

4. Occasionally, students are hired as research assistants by faculty members in the Psychology Department or at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. These students might get either course credit or pay, but not both.

5. Some students become involved in research by participating in the Psychology Departmental Honors Program.

Students interested in becoming involved in research are encouraged to look at individual faculty member pages on the Psychology Department website, and to contact faculty directly.

WHY DOES THE PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT EMPHASIZE RESEARCH?

New psychology majors are sometimes puzzled by the emphasis that the psychology department places on research: a major requires two semesters of research methods and statistics (311-312) along with an advanced research course (such as PSY 341, 351, 355, 362, or 374), most courses are heavily based on the research literature, students are encouraged to become involved in research, and the faculty maintain ongoing research programs. Many students, particularly those whose interests lie in the "helping" aspects of psychology (such as clinical psychology) often ask why we emphasize research so heavily.

The most obvious reason, of course, is that research is needed to understand behavior. In the 1870s, psychology moved from armchair speculation about why people and animals behave as they do to a research-based science that tests the usefulness of various explanations about the causes of behavior. The material covered in psychology courses is the result of over a century of research by thousands of behavioral scientists around the world. Many psychologists see contributing to our knowledge of behavior as part of their job as teachers, clinicians, or consultants.

A second function for learning about research is that such learning teaches critical thinking. We all use information every day to make decisions relevant to our personal and professional lives. We are bombarded by information from books, articles, internet sources, advertisements, parents, friends, and teachers. By learning how researchers test the validity of ideas and the reliability of findings, we can learn how to evaluate information critically in everyday life. By applying the same critical approach to evaluating information in everyday life that researchers use, students can lower their chances of being led astray by misinformation.

Third, research is educational. An excellent way of becoming an "expert" on some topic is to design and conduct research in the area. That is one reason why universities insist their faculty stay active in the research process. By remaining active as researchers, faculty engage in an ongoing learning process as they stay in touch with their areas of expertise. Research can serve the same purpose for students. Students who get involved in research become immersed in a particular area and often emerge an "expert" on the topic.

Many students have no intention of doing research as part of their careers; indeed, many of our majors do not plan to become psychologists at all (there are many things that you can do with a major in psychology). Even for them, a solid grounding in research can be quite useful. For example, for those who go into clinical or counseling psychology, a background in research allows them to keep up with the latest developments in psychological assessment and treatment. Psychologists and others who provide psychological services are obligated to stay abreast of the research literature that deals with consulting and therapy. Many professionals must be able to read and understand research journals in order to perform effectively in their careers. However, journal articles are virtually incomprehensible unless a person has had some exposure to the research process. Thus, a background in research is important because it allows students to understand research that is relevant to their professions.

A final reason why psychologists emphasize research is because graduate admission committees around the country weigh research quite heavily when admitting students to graduate school. Admissions decisions are usually based on four criteria: scores on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), undergraduate grades, research experience, and letters of recommendation. Thus, for students who plan to go to graduate school, involvement in research may give them an edge over many other students at admissions time.