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Psych 123 Final

Terms in this set (36)

key experiences outside the classroom
Internships
Research Activities
- Research Assistantship
- Senior thesis/independent study
Student Organizations
Opportunities to learn about and apply psychological principles out of the classroom and in the field
Typically supervised by non-faculty member at the site
Paid or unpaid; for credit (e.g., INTRDSCP 399 at UWO)
Common internship activities
• Provide general assistance in the operations of the organization
• Interact with customers, clients, and patients of the organization
• Write reports summarizing organizational activities or gathered data• Shadow or observe the work of professionals employed by the organization
• Complete training relevant to the operations of the organization
Research Assistantship
An opportunity for undergraduate students to assist faculty members in a program of research
Advantages of research assistantships
Working one-on-one with a faculty member provides an opportunity for faculty to get to know the student and become familiar with the student's professional abilities and potential, often leading to:
• Cultivating a mentoring relationship
• Strong letters of recommendation from the faculty
• Giving a competitive edge for the student
Typical tasks of a research assistant
• Collecting data ("running participants")
• Scoring, coding, and entering collected data (e.g., using SPSS)
• Conducting literature searches and obtain source materials relevant to research studies (e.g., searching PsycInfo, ordering resources through interlibrary loan)
• Attending lab meetings; maintain lab space and equipment Developing new research ideas
• Preparing project outcomes to be submitted for presentations at conferences (e.g., writing abstracts)
- When accepted, preparing a poster or an oral presentation
• Working on manuscripts to be submitted for publication in academic journals
Senior Thesis/Independent Study
• A research project in which the student is the principal investigator who "owns" the research, and the faculty member plays an advisory or consulting role
- Students test their own research ideas under the supervision and guidance of a faculty member
• Typically requires much more responsibility and independence compared to the research assistantship
Benefits of research experience
___________ ____________ is the mot beneficial for students, especially those who plan to attend graduate school (Kiser et al., 2007)
• Publishing in a peer-reviewed journal
• Publishing a senior thesis• Being the first author on a peer-reviewed journal article
• Presenting a paper at a national conference
Benefits of Experience Outside of the Classroom
• Can provide a new perspective on career aspirations
- Experience may solidify career goals or
- Cause a student to change his or her mind about career goals
• Develop knowledge and skills that cannot be gained through traditional coursework
- These are often the skills that appeal most to employers and graduate programs
• Enables students to develop a more mature perspective on academic and career goals
- Employers and graduate programs seek graduates who have a clear understanding of themselves and their goals
Gaining __________ outside the classroom can be a challenging process
Experience
There are limited opportunities to gain these experiences and you may be competing with _____ for them
peers
Your academic abilities, _________ __________ , and motivation will weigh heavily in the selection process
previous experience
Skills Developed During Graduate School
• Ability to function in various roles and environments
• Interviewing skills
• Public speaking skills
• Computer skills
• Ability to argue and defend different viewpoints• Scientific method skills
• Research methods, data analysis, and statistical skills
• Ability to integrate information from multiple sources
• Ability to evaluate information/data critically
• Objective thinking skills
• Ability to understand group dynamics
• Ability to appreciate and work with differing viewpoints
• Ability to accept criticism and rejection
• Ability to tolerate and work with ambiguity
• Teaching skills
Employment status and prospects of graduate studies students
• 6% unemployment rate among doctoral degree recipients
• 72% of those surveyed secured their first choice of employment opportunities
• 44% of those surveyed found their employment prior to completing their graduate program
• overall positive levels of satisfaction with current position (Michalski et al., 2011)
________ of psychology graduate programs prefer that entering students have a statistics course
91.8%
________ of psychology graduate programs prefer that entering students have a research course
74.4%
What are the top six preferred courses for clinical and counseling programs
- Percentage of Clinical and Counseling Programs Preferring Incoming Students Have the Course
Statistics 88.1%
Abnormal 73.8%
Research 73.1%
Developmental 46.9%
Personality 46.3%
Biopsychology 33.1%
Top Six Preferred Courses for Educational and School Psychology Programs
- Percentage of Educational/School Psychology Programs Preferring Incoming Students Have the Course
Statistics 86.7%
Research 75.6%
Developmental 64.4%
Abnormal 44.4%
Testing 35.6%
Personality 31.1%
Top Six Preferred Courses for Industrial-Organizational Programs
- Percentage of Industrial-Organizational Programs Preferring Incoming Students Have the Course
Statistics 92.9%
Research 60.7%
Social 25.0%
Cognitive 17.9%
Testing 14.3%
Personality 14.3%
Top Six Preferred Courses for Experimental Psychology Programs
- Percentage of Experimental Psychology Programs Preferring Incoming Students Have the Course
Statistics 96.2%
Research 81.1%
Biopsychology 18.9%
Cognitive 18.9%
Developmental 15.1%
Learning 15.1%
What type of classes should one avoid
fluff classes
Students should take electives such as
Math and Natural Science
Why should students take Math and Natural sciences?
• Additional statistics courses
• Biology and chemistry courses if interested in grad programs in animal behavior, biopsychology or neuroscience
Consider enrolling in ______ courses or an ______ _______
honors; honors program
What test covers all areas of psychology?
GRE Psychology Subject Test
when withdrawing from courses, a student should limit themselves to no more than ______ or ______ course withdrawals
one; two
What do withdrawals indicate in a student?
taking on more responsibility than the student could handle
- knowing your limits is an important attribute
Research experience
One of the nonobjective criteria (e.g., letters of recommendation, personal statement, interview) used to evaluate applicants
Research experience resulting in ________ credit on a publication received the highest rating (4.45/5.0) among all nonobjective criteria (Keith-Spiegel, Tabachnik, & Spiegel, 1994)
Authorship
Research experiences is the ________ rating ________ among all nonobjective criteria for students applying to forensic psychology programs (Helms & Mayhew, 2006)
highest; (2.94/3.0)
Why should one start getting their research experience early?
• Relationships with faculty take time to develop
• Research takes time to complete
How can someone learn about professors' research
• By reading their biographies on the department website and looking at some of their recent publications
• Talk to other students about their experiences conducting research
First year preparing for graduate school
• complete lower-level psychology courses
• take required math and science coursework along with statistics coursework
• Get involved in research
• Identify a potential mentor
Second year preparing for graduate school
• Complete research foundation coursework (e.g., Research Methods, Experimental Psychology)
• Increase research activity
• Join and become involved in Psi Chi
• Join and become involved in a professional association
• Discuss with a faculty member developing your own research idea
Third year preparing for graduate school
• Take the majority of your upper-level psychology courses in preparation for the GRE Psychology Subject Test
• Hold an office in Psi Chi or Psychology Club
• Complete first research study with a professor and present it at a conference
• Work with your professor to submit a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal
• Begin working on research with another professor
Psychology's Strengths
Scientific basis
Ethical rigor
Recent growth