Research with faculty
Last updated Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Participating in research with faculty (PSYC366)
Why do research?
- If you want to go to graduate school, it is useful-- often essential--to participate in research.
- It is also good hands-on experience and it may very well help you determine what type of psychology you want to pursue.
- If you work closely with faculty and graduate students in a lab, then you will have someone to approach if you need a letter of recommendation.
- Research experience also pays dividends in terms of future employment. Being able to list research experience on your resume tells a prospective employer that you are capable of working well with others in a disciplined environment, and have probably acquired good analytical skills.
The Research, Labs and Program Areas section of the Psychology website will help you learn about the specific research interests of the psychology faculty at UD.
Research is usually done as PSYC366, or Independent Study, for 3cr.
How do you get involved? Faculty members run their labs differently. Some faculty have a formal application process, interviewing potential undergraduate research assistants before each semester. Other faculty are more informal, and have students begin as volunteers for a few hours a week. Some faculty work with freshmen, others only work with juniors and seniors. Begin by reading faculty research interests on the website, and then send a well-written email to professors who you think you might be interested in working with. Read below to see a list of faculty who routinely work with undergrads. Another option is to email graduate students whose research sounds interesting (find a list of graduate students under "People").
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Below is a list of faculty at UD who routinely recruit undergraduate research assistants. Students usually start by signing up for PSYC366 (independent study) for 3cr.
ALL of the faculty here request that you contact them first by email.
Cultural differences in group membership and attraction, cultural dimension of individualism and collectivism
(contact anytime)
Coping with daily stress
(contact before the start of the semester)
Dr. Mary Dozier, Infant-Caregiver Lab
Development of young children in foster care and young children who have been maltreated
(Contact any time of the year)
People's motivation at work and leisure
(contact before the start of the semester)
Intergroup relations, reducing prejudice and discrimination
(contact during registration to work the following semester, or else contact during add-drop)
Child clinical psychology and developmental psychology
(contact during registration to work the following semester)
Scene perception and memory
(best to contact during last weeks of Spring semester to start in the Fall)
Emotional development
Social psychology of racial attitudes and psychological well-being
(contact during registration to sign up for the following semester)
Neuroplasticity in Normal and impaired brains
(contact at any time)
Adolescent relationships; psychopathology and problem behaviors.
(contact during advance registration to sign up for the following semester)
Individual differences in social orientation
(contact any time)
Intimacy processes in close relationships, prevention of relationship dysfunction
(contact during registration to work the following semester)
Attention, emotion, and how they work together
(contact any time)
Psycholinguistics, language acquisition, language and cognition
(Contact before the start of the semester)
Developmental cognitive science, infant cognition
(Contact before the start of the semester )
Neurobiology of emotion
(Contact before the start of the semester)
Related Books - Found in the advising library
Graduate Study in Psychology 2008
by APA
GRE Psychology
by Kaplan
How to Prepare for the GRE
by Barron's
This book has a CD-Rom practice test that you can use in Wolf 202. Contact the advising office to make an appointment to use it!
Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology: 2004-2005 Edition
by Norcross et al.
Related UD resources
Graduate and Undergraduate Catalog
The Catalog contains academic policies, regulations, and procedures; a listing and description of all courses; descriptions of degree requirements; and lists of faculty and administrators. This is the place to look if you have questions such as:
What are the graduation requirements for my University, College, and Major?
What are the breadth requirements?
What courses count for the multicultural requirement?
Can I transfer a course?
Can I take a course pass-fail?
