Department of Psychology

Dr. Alex Nagurney
Human Participants
Committee Chair
Fall 2007 - Summer 2008

Purposes of the Requirement
Educational. Psychology is a scientific discipline. The laws of behavior you are studying are based on research findings. Thus, an awareness of the research process is essential to an understanding of the basis of psychology. The best way to learn about research is to participate in research directly or to review published research findings. If you choose to participate in one of the approved studies, you will see the process from the inside and can ask questions about the research. If you choose to review a published study, you can discover how researchers translate theoretical questions into testable hypotheses while adding new results to the field. Both options are available to you, although most students choose to participate in the studies. Either experience will give you insight into the research process.
 
Scientific. Psychology is a rapidly growing science, expanding on many fronts. There are many questions to be answered, hypotheses to be tested, and problems to be solved. Most of the professors in the Psychology Department are active researchers, and results from these and other studies shape current and future developments in psychology. By participating in this research, you contribute directly to the development of the science you are studying. By reviewing a published article, you see the finished product of research.

Please see your course instructor for details on the current requirements for research participation.

Read the previous "Guidelines for the Research Participation Requirement" from Spring 2007, currently under review and revision.