Psychology is an empirical science. Therefore it is important for students in psychology courses to have first-hand acquaintance with actual experiments. By seeing how experiments are done, students can fully appreciate the methods, purposes, and results of psychological research. To fulfill this purpose, each student is given the opportunity to spend a few hours participating in research conducted by faculty and graduate students of the Department of Psychology and/or doing library research related to psychological experiments.
 

The requirement is 6 hours, calculated in 1/2 hour units. In other words, each student will have the opportunity to serve as a subject in different types of research projects for a total of 12 half-hour units during the semester. One unit is defined as one session or one appointment in the laboratory that lasts 30 minutes or less; many, if not most sessions, will last somewhat over 30 minutes; sessions that last between 30 and 60 minutes count as 2 units. Some few sessions may last over an hour; for these, you will receive correspondingly more units of credit.

During the semester, there should be enough research projects to provide each student with an opportunity  to participate in all 6 hours. However, this will not be true for students who delay their participation until late in the semester.  Such students may find fewer than 6 hours of participation possible. They must then complete the requirement by writing reports.
 

Sign-up sheets on which you can make appointments will be available on the Psychology Experiments Bulletin Board, located near the elevator on the first floor of Wilson Hall. Sometimes experimenters recruit in the hall outside the classroom before your class meetings. There will be a separate sign-up for each  experiment, describing the number of sessions required for the particular experiment (some experiments require several sessions) and other relevant information. It is your responsibility to conform to the information given on the sign-up sheet, particularly to the stated restrictions as to who can and who cannot serve in the experiment. When you sign up you should take a REMINDER SLIP, indicating where and when your experiment will be conducted. Your sign-up is not complete until you get your REMINDER SLIP. Do not sign up for an experiment unless a REMINDER SLIP is available.

If you find you cannot make an experiment you have signed for, call either the specific experimenter, or 322-2874 (Psychology Department office before 4:30 p.m. each day) and give your excuse a minimum of 24 hours before the appointment is due (except for authorized medical excuses). If you fail to keep an appointment without being excused in advance, you will have one-half hour of laboratory credit subtracted from your total credit for each appointment missed.

ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETELY SERVED IN AN EXPERMENT, YOU MAY NOT SERVE IN THAT SAME EXPERIMENT AGAIN.

When you complete an experiment, the experimenter will give you a credit slip. Please keep these CREDIT SLIPS. While the experimenter will keep a record of your credits and turn them in to the subject pool coordinator, mistakes do happen; you can help us correct them with your credit slips.
 

Three reports on research articles will satisfy the laboratory requirements.

Each report should consist of a two- to three-page (double-spaced, typed) summary of a research article from a standard psychological research journal (see list of examples of appropriate Journals below). Each report should follow the outline below.

I.      Introduction: (One paragraph) What is the basic theoretical question or concern of the research? This might include a statement of a particular theory being examined or a statement of particular theories being compared and a statement of the hypothesis being tested or a statement of expected results.

II.     Method: (One to three paragraphs) What subjects or organisms are being tested? What is the basic form of experimental test being used?

III.    Results and Conclusion: (Summarize briefly) What are the basic findings of the experiment and how do they relate to the theoretical concerns and hypotheses in the introduction?

NOTE: Each of these sections should be brief and the statements should include only the basic and most general points and not many very specific details.
 

American Journal of Psychology, American Journal of Psychiatry, British Journal of Psychology, Child Development, Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science, Journal of,Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Journal of Experimental Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Memory and Language, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, Memory & Cognition, Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Review, Psychological Science, Schizophrenia Bulletin

Reports must be turned in by 4 PM Friday, December 3, 1999. Turn in your reports to the Teaching Assistant or Instructor in your section of the course.
 

One report is equivalent to 2 hours (4 units) of laboratory participation. Any combination of laboratory and reports equaling  6 hours is acceptable.
 

The names of the experiments and the rooms where they are being conducted will be posted on the Psychology Experiments Bulletin Board (located near the elevator on the first floor of Wilson Hall).

Consult this bulletin board from time to time to see that your credit has been posted. Usually one week elapses before the credit is posted.  If you have questions about the posted credits, a contact person and number will be announced shortly.  In any case, be sure to save your CREDIT SLIPS. In the unlikely event that credit for an experiment has not been posted by the end of the semester, you can turn in your credit slips for full credit.

On Tuesday December 7, 1999 the final credit report will be posted. Check this report to see that your records agree. If there is a discrepancy, turn in all of your CREDIT SLIPS to the Department Receptionist, Room 301 Wilson Hall by 4 PM Thursday, December 9, 1999.

If you have any questions, consult your teaching assistant or the Subject Pool Coordinator.

Subject Pool Coordinator. William Smith - Telephone Number 322-0065; email address: Smithwp@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu
 

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