THE LAWRENCE
PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT MANUAL
This document
will introduce you to the Lawrence University Psychology Department, its
curriculum, faculty, and the opportunities we provide. This information will help you design your
course schedule and take advantage of the opportunities the Department has to
offer.
Goals for the Psychology Major Program
Our major program attempts
to achieve the following objectives: a) introduce the content and explanatory
power of current knowledge in the discipline through exposure to theory and
research findings in the major subfields of psychology; b) foster critical thinking skills and an understanding of the
interplay between psychological theory and research through critiques of
published research and through empirical projects (conducted in both directed
laboratory replications of research and independent projects); c) develop oral and written
communication skills appropriate to the discipline through library research
papers, laboratory reports, and oral and written critiques and presentations of
research findings; d) promote an
understanding of the values and ethics of psychologists; e) provide an ability to distinguish the proper domain of
scientific psychology from “popular” psychology and to relate psychology to
other liberal arts disciplines; f)
develop specific methodological skills that include statistical reasoning,
computer-based analysis of data, research design, and the ability to
operationalize and measure psychological variables; g) provide opportunities for collaborative research with faculty; h) provide opportunities for hands-on
experience in clinical and non-clinical settings; i) provide a framework for integrating the various subfields within
psychology through a historical approach.
The Psychology Department
views its faculty as intellectual mentors whose scholarship in their respective
areas is directly imported into their teaching. In complementary fashion, we
view our students as active learners who are coached by faculty members. Our
goal is to get students to “do Psychology” by participating in sophisticated
psychological research. Rather than viewing teaching and research as
conflicting activities that faculty engage in, we view these activities as
complementary and mutually enriching. We seek to involve students in faculty
research programs and believe that faculty scholarship both directly and
indirectly enhances their teaching.
The Psychology faculty seek
to promote a student-centered atmosphere that is a friendly and open,
intellectually nurturing environment characterized by close mentoring
relationships between faculty and students. These close relationships forged in
the context of intellectual collaboration are, we believe, the most effective
way to stimulate the intellectual blossoming that characterizes the best of
what Lawrence does for students.
More specifically, we have
structured core courses in our major program to emphasize active engagement
with psychological theory and research. The centerpiece in Research Methods is
an original experimental project that students conceive and conduct with
faculty members as mentors (typically those who are teaching the course). The
Senior Seminar project, which may be empirical or a library-based critical review
of psychological theory and research, is a capstone to the major. All faculty,
not just those teaching the course in a particular iteration, mentor student
projects, enhancing departmental community and involvement, and allowing
students to develop projects in a variety of areas and receive close
supervision by faculty with expertise in those areas.
Although we have always
sought to promote close faculty-student collaborations, our recent explicit
adoption of a mentoring platform has encouraged us to articulate the philosophy
behind this approach and to consider ways in which to enhance and feature
mentoring within the Psychology curriculum and through extra-curricular
activities (e.g., with the Psychology Student Association).
Declaring the major and choosing an advisor
If you are
strongly considering a major in Psychology, we urge you to declare your major
and select an advisor in the Department as soon as possible. Declared majors receive a mailbox on the
third floor of Briggs Hall (near the Psychology Commons/Seminar room, Briggs
317). These boxes are occasionally used
for memos that inform majors about schedule changes, advising information,
current events related to the major, research and internship opportunities,
student activities, etc. Declaring a
major is easy and does not represent a commitment on your part (dropping a
major is just as easy).
Be sure also to
add an advisor in the major because advisors outside of the major may not be
aware of important curricular or scheduling changes that affect your course
selection (you may add a major advisor while retaining your original academic
advisor). The Lawrence Psychology
Department consists of six full-time and two adjunct faculty members in the following
academic areas: Neuroscience, Cognitive
Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Personality/Clinical Psychology, and
Social Psychology. Any one of our
full-time faculty members may serve as your advisor, but you will do best to
choose the person whose interests most closely match your own (see the end of
this manual for a full faculty listing).
What can I do with my life if I major in Psychology?
Many of our
graduates eventually pursue graduate school.
The Franklin and Marshall study of Ph.D. production (from 1920 to 1980)
among small colleges shows that we have a history of sending many students to
graduate programs in psychology. In
this listing, Lawrence ranked in the top 30 of small colleges in the nation for
number of Ph.D.s produced.
In the past
several years, Lawrence psychology graduates have begun work on Ph.D. degrees
in a number of fields: neuroscience, industrial psychology, clinical
psychology, counseling, experimental, and social. Others have attended medical school and other professional
programs. These students have generally
been successful at getting into good Ph.D. programs (e.g., University of
Chicago, University of Wisconsin-Madison, SUNY-Buffalo, SUNY-Stony Brook,
Northwestern, University of California-Los Angeles, University of
Illinois-Champaign, etc.). Many others
have pursued Masters degrees, particularly in counseling-related areas (e.g.,
Masters of Social Work).
Those who enter
the job market often make direct use of their psychology training by obtaining
employment in counseling or clinical settings (e.g., family violence, disabled
adults, developmentally disabled children).
Admissions work for colleges has also been a frequent career choice, at
least temporarily before going on to graduate work. Teaching at the high school and the elementary level is also
quite popular. Others have entered
management training programs or entered the business world in other capacities
(personnel, retail, etc.).
For those who
are interested in business careers, psychology is a practical major. The abilities developed as a major are
attractive to employers in many occupations.
On a broader level, training in psychology emphasizes the application of
critical thinking skills to problems with complex causality. On a more concrete level, we emphasize
skills of research design that are more and more frequently used in government
and business (the ability to design studies, collect data, analyze data sets
with computer packages, and to interpret and report results).
For more
information, read Is Psychology the Major
for You? published by the American Psychological Association (APA) or Career Paths in Psychology:
Where Your Degree Can Take You, by Robert Sternberg, also published by the APA. Look for these
books at the Career Center or on in the reference section at the Library. Also,
check out information at the APA’s website (www.apa.org).
Curriculum and Major Requirements
Our objectives
for the major program are accomplished primarily through the curricular
structure of the major. The Psychology Major requires 11 courses.
Majors are required to take all five of the
following courses:
à
PSYC 10: Principles of Psychology (AP credit
available, 4+ on the AP exam)
à
MATH 07C: Statistics with the Statistics Laboratory OR
MATH 20 (with lab)
à
PSYC 28-29: Research Methods I and II
à
PSYC 49: Psychology Senior Seminar.
These required
courses help students do the following:
§
think critically about the methods, values, and ethics of
psychological research
§
develop specific methodological skills in psychological research
§
distinguish psychology from other disciplines and integrate the
various psychological approaches
§
learn a historical perspective on the theories and methods used in
psychology
§
develop written and oral communication skills.
The Senior Seminar requires the completion of a Senior
Project (either an empirical project or a library-based thesis).
Majors are required to select 2 courses from each of two
core areas of psychology.
§
PSYC 26A OR 26B:
Developmental (without or with lab)
§
PSYC 27:
Social
§
PSYC 30:
Learning and Conditioning (lab);
§
PSYC 22:
Perception OR PSYC 32: Cognitive (lab)
These courses
are designed to expose students to the breadth of theoretical approaches and
experimental findings of psychology and encourage the critical reading of
original research. The laboratory
requirement ensures that students develop empirical research skills.
NOTES: Laboratory courses
generally should be taken after the
Research Methods sequence. When
scheduling your classes, remember that courses that have a lab component
require considerable extra time. Brain
and Behavior I is an intensive look at the physiology of the brain; previous
work in biology (e.g., Biology 1) is strongly
recommended. For those who want an
overview of brain processes that does not require a biology background,
Psychopharmacology is recommended.
Majors are required to take 1 advanced course
numbered in the 40s or 50s. These seminar
courses offered in each of the major subfields allow students to investigate
special areas of study in depth. These
courses typically require long term papers and presentations on either a
library or empirical research project.
Students who plan to perform an extended Independent Studies project are
encouraged to fulfill the paper requirement in the advanced course of their
choice by working on their project. We strongly recommend that the advanced
course be taken in preparation for the Senior Project to be conducted in Senior
Seminar. This means enrolling in an
advanced course in either the Junior or the first term of the Senior year.
Majors are required to take 1 other course credit as
an elective. The elective may
be any course offered in the
department, including Independent Studies (IS), Tutorial, or Practicum credits.
If a full credit has been accrued through partial credits in IS, tutorial, or
practicum courses taken over more than one term, this may fulfill the elective
credit.
At least one course in the major (in addition to the
required Research Methods sequence) must have a laboratory component. Most
students fulfill the lab requirement with courses from Groups I and II
(Developmental, Cognitive, Learning & Conditioning), but the lab requirement
can also be fulfilled by Brain and Behavior II.
Historical Origins and Contemporary Viewpoints of
Psychology (offered alternate years) is strongly recommended as an elective
for those who wish to pursue graduate school in Psychology. The course is an excellent preparation for
the GRE Psychology test and for graduate work in the field. It is also required for teaching certification in psychology.
Independent
studies and tutorials (optional) provide opportunities for students to work
closely with faculty on psychological issues.
These courses may result in honors projects and collaborative research
with faculty.
Practica offer
opportunities for applied work within Psychology. Psychology 38 (Applied
Psychology: Peer Education) is a course that prepares students for subsequent
practica credit in peer education, a type of community psychology in which
students prepare educational materials and give presentations to students on
(and sometimes off) campus regarding important issues related to applied
psychology (e.g., mental health, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual assault).
Psychology 38 is cross-listed in the Education Department and may be of
particular interest to students who seek certification as teachers. Another
regularly offered practicum involves language assessment of preschool children.
Suggestions for scheduling required courses
Course numbers
serve as rough guides to the level of the course (10 = freshman year, 20s =
sophomore year, etc.).
First year:
Most majors take only 1 or 2 psychology courses in their freshman
year. First-year majors should take Principles of Psychology (usually
offered each term). All subsequent
courses in psychology require Principles or sophomore status. If you take Principles early in the year,
consider taking one or two 20-level courses.
You may want to especially consider Group I courses (Psychopathology,
Developmental, Social). Freshman year
is also a good time to explore other fields and to complete GER courses.
Sophomore year:
We strongly recommend taking
the methods sequence (Statistics with
Psychology Lab, Research Methods I & II) during the sophomore
year. Beginning in academic year
2000-01, it will be offered during Terms I (MATH 07C), II (PSYC 28), and III
(PSYC 29). You should plan off-campus
program participation with this in mind.
This sequence provides basic skills that will enhance your performance
in almost all of your subsequent psychology classes—especially any laboratory
courses (e.g., Cognitive Psychology).
Sophomore year
is also a good time to take courses in Group
I of the core courses for the major (Psychopathology, Developmental,
Social). It is better to delay
laboratory courses such as Cognitive or Learning and Conditioning until after the methods sequence is completed
(i.e., junior year). Most of the Group
I courses are offered early in the year so that you can start taking 30-level
courses from the advanced group for which Group I courses are prerequisites
(e.g., Adolescence). Topics courses,
however, are better left until the junior and senior years (or Term III of your
sophomore year at the earliest). Think
seriously at this point about getting involved in independent research—consider
this when planning course selections for your junior year.
Junior year:
By the end of your junior year, you should have completed, or nearly
completed, the Group I and II core
requirements. You should also begin to
explore advanced course work in areas that particularly interest you. Junior year is a perfect time to get
involved in more extensive research projects, particularly if you want to do an
honors project—these courses require papers that can be research proposals or
literature reviews on a topic that you research. You should begin to
prepare for your Senior Project during the junior year! To do so, take an advanced course
(40-level) in the area in which you will pursue your project. After completing the advanced course,
consider taking Independent Study credit Term III of junior year to continue
the project. You can then continue the
research project in your senior year and use that project for your senior
project in Senior Seminar.
Remember, you
will have a number of pressing concerns during senior year—writing a resume,
taking the GRE and applying to graduate schools, applying for jobs. Do
not underestimate the time that you will have to devote to these other
activities—so don’t leave too many requirements until senior year and, if you
are serious about research, don’t presume that you’ll get started senior year.
Senior year:
Obviously, you want to complete all the major requirements you have
left. Hopefully, you have followed our
previous advice and have few courses you must take. If you have arranged things well, you will
be able to focus on completing the Senior Seminar and your Senior Project. Senior year should offer you the flexibility
to pursue other fields as well as to take ISs to complete a research project,
perhaps for honors.
Scheduling off-campus programs
The most
convenient time to spend time off-campus will be during your junior year. Sophomore year should (ideally) be dedicated
to the Statistics and Research Methods sequence. Talk to your Psychology
advisor before making any commitments to ensure that there are no imminent
changes in the scheduling of required courses.
Help with course work in Psychology
Tutors for
students in most Psychology courses can be obtained through College Place or
through the Psychology Student Association (see below).
Minor in Psychology
Particularly if
you are not interested in pursuing graduate studies in psychology, a minor in psychology may be a way to
provide an appropriate secondary focus for your liberal arts degree. Psychology could provide a good minor
program for students majoring in a variety of disciplines: e.g., foreign languages, English, other
social sciences, biology, art, or music.
Courses in the minor give a background in a variety of the methods and
approaches to psychology. However, the
minor offers more latitude in choosing psychology courses that are specific to
your interests.
There are 2 required courses for the minor
in psychology:
à
PSYC 10: Principles of Psychology
à
MATH 07C with
Psychology Statistics Lab OR MATH 20 (with Lab).
These courses give an
overview of the many subfields in psychology and the quantitative methods used
in psychological research.
Students choose:
§
1 course from Group I:
PSYC 24, 25, 26A or 26B, 27
§
1 course from Group II:
PSYC 21, 22, 30, 31, 32.
§
1 course from Group III:
PSYC 41, 43, 45, 46, 47
§
1 course as a psychology
elective.
One of the
courses taken must have a lab (Developmental with a lab, Cognitive, Learning
and Conditioning, Brain and Behavior II, or Research Methods I and II). You may not take both PSYC 24 and 25 to
fulfill the minor.
Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors related to Psychology
Interdisciplinary
areas bring together students and faculty from related disciplines to focus on
a set of issues that cross disciplinary lines.
Some interdisciplinary areas may be pursued as a major (Linguistics or
Gender Studies) or on an elective basis as a minor. Many psychology majors choose to participate in the following
areas: a) Neuroscience—relating the chemistry, biology, and pharmacology
of the brain to psychological functioning and behavior, b) Cognitive Science—the nature and representation of knowledge,
artificial intelligence, mind and brain, c)
Linguistics—the nature and use of language, or d) Gender Studies—how gender identity and gender roles affect us.
The Department’s
course offerings also contribute to each of these programs: a)
Neuroscience—Brain and Behavior I and II, Psychopharmacology and Behavior,
Perception, Learning and Conditioning, Topics in Neuroscience (shared with
Biology and Chemistry); b) Cognitive
Science—Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Psycholinguistics,
Topics in Cognitive Psychology, Perception, Brain and Behavior I; c) Linguistics—Cognitive Psychology,
Psycholinguistics; d) Gender Studies—Psychology
of Gender, Developmental Psychology, Adolescent Psychology, Social Psychology,
Psychology of Oppression, Topics in Social Psychology, Topics in Developmental
Psychology, Psycholinguistics.
Clinical sequence and experience in clinical settings
Students who are
seriously interested in pursuing careers in the mental health field are
encouraged to take the department’s clinical
sequence: Psychopathology (Term
I), Clinical Psychology (Term II),
and Clinical Field Experience (Term
III). Another course of particular
interest is Topics in Personality/Clinical.
Students in this area are strongly encouraged to pursue empirical
research projects (which is a major admissions criterion for graduate programs
in clinical psychology). Clinical Field
Experience (Psychology 90) provides an opportunity to gain valuable first-hand
experience in treatment settings. You
may choose placement at sites ranging from group homes and crisis centers (such
as a domestic abuse shelter) to large mental health centers. Students spend 10 hours per week at the
arranged placement; they also receive close supervision and discuss readings at
weekly meetings with the instructor. In
addition to readings, students complete an academic paper to earn course
credit. For more information contact
Professor Metalsky (x6705).
Student organizations
Psychology majors
are strongly urged to join the Psychology
Student Association (PSA).
Membership in the organization and attendance at the group’s meetings
will help ensure that you get the most out of your major in Psychology. Announcements about opportunities in
research, field experience, internships, and work-study opportunities (e.g., as
laboratory assistants in the Department) are made first at PSA meetings. Involvement in the PSA is a route to active
involvement in the Psychology Department.
The PSA is strongly supported by the faculty in the Department and is
encouraged to participate in important departmental activities. For instance, students in the organization
have participated in faculty hiring (interviewing job candidates and
influencing the decision about whom to hire) and curricular change. Membership in the group will not only offer
you the chance to get to know others in the major, but to have a personal
impact on activities related to Psychology at Lawrence.
In addition to
the PSA, whose membership is open to all (majors and non-majors alike), Psi Chi is a chapter of a national
honor society of psychology majors and minors for which students qualify by
meeting stringent GPA and course requirements.
Psi Chi and the Psychology Student Association are complementary groups
(in fact, all Psi Chi members are required to belong to the PSA). These groups jointly sponsor a variety of
events and activities, such as talks on careers in psychology or recent advances
in research.
Research and Career Talks in Psychology
The Psychology
Department, in conjunction with the student organizations, occasionally
sponsors research and career in psychology talks. Such talks may involve faculty, students, alumni, or professional
guests presenting recent research or information about careers in psychology or
related fields.
Research opportunities within the Psychology Department
Engaging in
independent research in close collaboration with a faculty member is the single
most important opportunity that you can take advantage of as a Psychology
major. Psychology is a
research-oriented field—to truly understand what the field is about, you must
do research yourself. Such experiences
are offered within required courses in the major; however, projects completed
within a 10-week course do not offer the same kind of learning experience that
can be gained through extended research done in Independent Studies.
In addition to
the learning experience that independent research provides, the experience is
extremely valuable whatever your future career plans might be. If you are considering graduate work in
Psychology or related fields, it is important to be aware that research
experience is viewed as a strong asset and the lack of it can seriously hurt
your application. Although one might
suppose that this is less true in applied areas of Psychology, such as clinical
and counseling psychology, this isn’t so.
In fact, because of the competitiveness of such programs (particularly
Ph.D. programs in clinical), research experience is often a crucial ingredient
to a successful application and can be more important than volunteer work or
experience in clinical settings. For those who seek careers in business or
government, research experience provides and demonstrates some of the most
directly applicable skills that will make you an attractive candidate for
employment. In business, for example,
market research is based upon research paradigms derived from psychology. Experience in designing and conducting
research projects and, especially, analyzing data, interpreting and reporting
results will give you a competitive edge in pursuing employment. Also, close collaboration on a research
project is the best way for a faculty member to get to know you and your
abilities. Successful completion of a
project will enable the faculty member to write a detailed and convincing
letter of recommendation for you.
The curriculum for the major has been structured to
encourage independent student projects by allowing students in advanced required
courses (the 40-level courses and the Senior Seminar) to fulfill the large
paper and presentation requirements in these courses by submitting papers and
presentations on continuing Independent Studies projects.
There are myriad
opportunities for research in collaboration with faculty members. There are no minimum GPA requirements or
other formal restrictions; rather, ISs are arranged by mutual agreement with
the faculty sponsor. To take advantage of these opportunities
you must actively pursue them. If
you are interested in research in a particular area (even if your ideas about
it are vague) or if you are interested in the work that is currently being
conducted by faculty members, we strongly encourage you to seek out the
appropriate faculty member(s). The
research interests of the faculty members are listed below:
Faculty research interests
Altogether, the
department’s six full-time faculty members have published over 100 scholarly
articles. And articles produced at
Lawrence often have students listed as co-authors. The paragraphs that follow
describe selected aspects of the research programs of each of our faculty
members:
Why do people
sometimes smile or even laugh when they are scared or under stress? Matt
Ansfield researches these seemingly paradoxical emotional expressions in an
attempt to understand the functions such paradoxical expressions serve. For
example, are these expressions self-presentational (an attempt to influence
others’ perceptions of your own emotional state) or do they help to regulate
your own emotional state (e.g., laughing away your fear)?
Imagine that you
are trying to get lukewarm water by mixing water from an extremely hot water
tap and a slightly cold water tap. Now imagine the problem of creating 5 units
of 60˚ water by mixing different proportions of 110˚ and 40˚
water. Most people intuitively grasp
the former problem, but have difficulty with the latter, despite their
conceptual similarity. Beth Haines researches how children
develop intuitive and formal problem-solving abilities. She is particularly interested in teaching
children to apply their intuitive strategies to aid comprehension of the more
formal problems they learn in school.
We all know that
alcohol and other drugs affect the brain, but exactly how do they do so? Bruce Hetzler explores the effects of
alcohol and other psychoactive agents on the functioning of the nervous
system. Using laboratory animals,
Hetzler and his students have paid particular attention to the influence of
these drugs on the electrical activity of the visual system, behavior, and body
temperature. A wide variety of drugs have been studied, including central
nervous system depressants (such as pentobarbital), dissociative anesthetics
(such as ketamine), and newer compounds that work on
specific
neurotransmitter receptors (e.g., naltrexone, THIP, MK-801).
What are the
origins of sexism? What makes sexism
different from other forms of prejudice?
Peter Glick has developed the
Ambivalent Sexism Inventory to examine both the hostile and “benevolent” (e.g.,
protective attitudes toward women) aspects of sexist beliefs. He and his students are continuing to
explore how ambivalent sexism relates to stereotypes about and discrimination
against women.
Because of its
frequency, depression has been called the “common cold” of
psychopathology. Why do people become
depressed? How can depression be
prevented and treated? Gerald Metalsky and his colleagues have
proposed an integrative theory of depression that not only identifies risk
factors for depression, but specifies how depressive episodes are actually
triggered, and how people can avoid getting depressed.
The stream of
speech is a continuous jumble of sounds, yet we perceive it as separate,
meaningful words. Terry Rew-Gottfried studies speech perception,
particularly with people learning a second language. He has been studying how people learn to recognize unfamiliar
speech sounds, including French vowels and Mandarin Chinese tones. He has also been investigating the relation
between musical ear training and speech sound learning. Students have access to equipment that
performs real-time acoustical analysis of speech (and musical sounds) and
automated presentation of speech for conducting research.
Applied research
often focuses on solving social problems and increasing human potential. Hazel
Spears is interested in the applied areas of education and health. The
quality of our lives are strongly influenced by the decisions we make and by
our daily habits. Professor Spears’ research examines ways of enhancing
academic motivation, skill, and achievement. She is also interested in
investigating the link between alcohol consumption and casual sex, and seeks to
increase safer sex practices. Professor Spears is on leave from 2000 through
2002.
Departmental facilities
The Department
offers facilities for research in neuroscience, animal learning, speech
perception and acoustical analysis, personality and psychopathology, and lab
rooms suitable for studies in personality, clinical, social, and
development. These facilities are
primarily located on the third floor of Briggs Hall near the Psychology faculty
offices (animal labs are in Youngchild, accessible via the tunnel). Our child development labs are spacious
enough for observation of large groups of children engaging in social
interaction through one-way observation windows. There are also extensive facilities for work in personality and
clinical psychology—including rooms set up for the observation of clinical
sessions or for training students in interview techniques. The social psychology labs include
sophisticated video equipment that can be used for creating experimental and
instructional materials. A grant
obtained from the National Science Foundation has funded a sound spectrograph
for acoustical analysis (housed in a specially sound-attenuated room). The department’s computer network is used
for running experiment simulations in a number of classes and may be employed
for independent student research projects.
In addition to
the laboratory facilities, there is a Psychology Commons and Seminar room
(Briggs 317) that is left open continuously for use by students. When not serving as a classroom, the
Commons room is a gathering place for students (and is furnished with couches
and comfortable chairs to encourage its use as a lounge). A bulletin board in Briggs 317 contains
postings about PSA and Psi Chi, internship and graduate school opportunities,
etc. In addition, file cabinets in 317
contain information on graduate programs in psychology.
Students are
encouraged to use the laboratory facilities as well as the Commons room. Some of the social psychology labs remain
open when not in use for research and may be used by students as study or
meeting places. Other laboratories can
be signed out for students’ independent research projects. For more information about scheduling rooms
or equipment for use, see any faculty member within the Department.
Library facilities
The Lawrence
library has extensive book and journal holdings related to psychology. The library also subscribes to PsycInfo,
computerized search service for journals and book chapters in psychology,
available on the web: http://www.searchbank.com/searchbank/waicupsy.lawru
Honors Projects in Psychology
Any student,
regardless of GPA, may pursue an honors project by arranging for faculty
supervision (in fact, many students with modest GPAs have completed exemplary
projects for which they received honors at graduation). Most honors projects in psychology involve
empirical studies, but theory and library-research papers are also done. Students typically start to pursue these
projects within the required advanced course (40-level or 50-level) and through
IS credit beginning in either their junior or senior year. The honors project is moved toward
completion within the Senior Seminar course as the senior project required in
that class. An honors project is a
great way to cap your undergraduate career, but get started early—projects to
be submitted for honors must be finished by the middle of Term III. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you
start planning a project in the junior year.
Ask a faculty member or see the Lawrence pamphlet “Honors at Graduation”
for more details.
Graduate school in Psychology and related fields
We believe that our major program prepares our
students to excel in even the most difficult graduate programs in psychology
and related fields. Basically, graduate
programs fall into two broad categories—those that are aimed at creating
researchers/teachers who generally pursue academic positions (like your
professors) and programs that are more applied in emphasis, producing people
with appropriate training for jobs outside of academe (e.g., in business,
government, mental health settings, etc.)
Graduate school
is something to think about early on in your undergraduate career. What you find out early may influence the
courses you choose and research opportunities you pursue. Finding the right graduate program for you
takes a great deal of research, as does the application process. It is not something to leave until the last
moment!
Whatever kind of
graduate school you are interested in, the faculty will do its best to help
advise you and the Career Center is a terrific resource. The APA publishes two books of
interest: Getting In: A Step-By-Step
Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology, Preparing for Graduate Study in Psychology: NOT for Seniors Only! and Graduate Study in Psychology (which
gives information about all graduate programs in psychology; it is published
yearly and contains the most up to date information). These books are available at the Career Center and in the
reference section of the Library. The
Psychology Student Association and Psi Chi sponsor a graduate school forum each
Fall (with psychology faculty and the Career Center director).
Graduate school in academic psychology. If you enjoy doing research and think you
would be a good teacher, this may be for you.
Graduate school in academic psychology fits into the subfields evident
in our curriculum: neuroscience,
cognitive, experimental, developmental, social, personality, and clinical. If you are seriously considering an academic
career, be forewarned that you will need to obtain a Ph.D. to pursue college
and university-level jobs. Ph.D.
programs in basic psychology are generally very competitive, requiring strong
GPAs and GREs to get into them. These
programs also place a great emphasis on research experience. Although graduate school is expensive, most
schools offer financial support through teaching assistantships, research
assistantships, or fellowships.
Graduate school in applied psychology. There is a staggering array of applied
graduate programs in areas related to psychology. The biggest area is clinical
and counseling psychology. The
clinical and counseling area has both an academic and applied emphasis. If you seek a higher degree in clinical
psychology and wish to set yourself up in practice as a licensed psychologist,
be aware that straight clinical programs generally are Ph.D. (not Masters)
programs, are extremely competitive to get into, and emphasize research as much
as clinical training (research experience is often critical for gaining
admission). You may also consider PsyD
programs. The PsyD is not as
prestigious as a Ph.D., but these programs emphasize clinical skills, rather
than research. Unfortunately, because
these are run as professional schools, they are expensive and usually do not
offer fellowships or teaching and research assistantships to help you pay your
way (these kinds of support are common in academically-oriented Ph.D.
programs). On the other hand, PsyD
programs have less competitive admissions requirements and are a good option
for students who wish to work in an applied setting, but who do not have the
GPA or GRE scores to gain admission to clinical and counseling Ph.D.
programs. Another option is to pursue a
Masters degree in clinical or counseling programs. This will allow you to obtain counseling jobs, but Masters-level
psychologists must be supervised by licensed Ph.D. psychologists.
A degree in a
related field may be appropriate if you want to do certain kinds of
counseling. For instance, the MSW (Masters in Social Work) degree often
has a counseling track. People with
this degree often have counseling jobs (e.g., working with troubled
adolescents). Similarly, degrees from
Education (such as the MSE, Masters of Science in Education) programs
may have a counseling emphasis, as does school psychology (counseling and
testing within the school system).
Other applied
areas you might be interested in include industrial psychology (psychology
applied to personnel selection, training, motivation, etc.), health psychology,
and sports psychology.
Related fields
often offer pragmatic graduate programs for those who do not seek an academic
job, but wish to use their psychology background. If you are interested in developmental psychology, consider
graduate programs in education, school psychology, developmental disabilities,
or speech disorders. If you are
interested in social psychology, consider the more applied fields of
communication, education, or marriage and family studies. If you are interested in cognitive
psychology, consider programs in speech and hearing, education, or human
factors engineering. If you are
interested in neuroscience, consider a medical degree, pharmaceutical research
or sales, rehabilitation therapy, or physical therapy.
Social Psychology: Matthew Ansfield, Visiting Assistant
Professor.
University of
Wisconsin-Madison, B.S., University of Virginia, M.A., Ph.D. Interests: sex differences in emotional expression and
emotional experience, nonverbal behavior, deception
and deception
detection, close relationships, mental control of thought and action, and sex
differences in infidelity. Office: Briggs 313
Social
Psychology: Peter Glick, Professor.
Oberlin College,
A.B.; University of Minnesota,
Ph.D. Interests: Prejudice, sexism, male-female
relationships. Office: Briggs 315.
Developmental
Psychology: Beth A. Haines, Associate Professor.
University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee, B.S.; University of Wisconsin-Madison, M.S., Ph.D. Interests:
Cognitive and social development, problem solving ability, parent-infant
attachment, child care.
Office: Briggs 312.
Neuroscience: Bruce
E. Hetzler, Professor.
DePauw University, B.A.;