Introductory Psychology (PSY 151) is required for students planning to major in psychology and also fulfills a divisional requirement (Division 4). Although the course does not include the laboratory sessions found in other basic science courses, it is important for students to understand the experimental aspects of psychology, e.g., how a question is put to the scientific test, what methods are used, how research findings are interpreted, etc. For students to learn about research in psychology and to fulfill PSY 151 course requirements, they must choose one of the following research options: 1) Write a paper reviewing the research in an area of psychological inquiry. The topic, form of the paper, and due date are decided by the instructor in consultation with the student; or 2) Participate in psychological studies being conducted by departmental faculty and advanced students during out-of-class time. Students must complete a designated number of research credits (the required number varies by semester) to fulfill the course requirement. Students also have the opportunity to participate in additional research sessions to earn extra credit.

Students can change their course grade with either the paper of the research credit option, so either option can serve as an extra credit opportunity. However, a student’s grade can also be decreased by either turning in a very poor paper or by not participating in the designated number of research sessions.

All research conducted in the Department has been approved by the Wake Forest Institutional Review Board. This means that the studies conform to ethical guidelines set forth by the federal government and the American Psychological Association.

Participation in research studies is accessed through an on-line sign up system. Students create a unique profile on that system and can then see when studies are available for sign up, what the prerequisites and requirements for a study are, where and when to report for the study, and how many credits the study is worth. The on-line system sends students reminders of their upcoming appointments, keeps track of the number of credits earned, and allows the student to access the sign up pages from any computer in the world (or on campus) that has Internet access. The on-line web access is at http://www.experimetrix.com/wfu (before you go there, be advised that the Back button on that page will not be able to bring you back to this page or to the Psychology Department home page).