Directed Research is the primary capstone course for the Psychology major. It provides an intensive research experience \u2013 from start to finish \u2013 and carries a prerequisite of Psychology 201 (Research in Psychology I) and Psychology 301 (Research in Psychology II). Students must also take at least one advanced Psychology class before taking Directed Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Directed Research provides an opportunity for Psychology majors to engage more independently in the research process and to produce a complete research project in a single semester. It is taught differently from other courses, too. Although there are scheduled class meetings, students also meet individually weekly with the instructor throughout the semester. At the first class session, students indicate their area(s) of research interest and are then assigned to one of the professors teaching Directed Research based on those interests. Then, with the support of a faculty member at each step of the way, students investigate their area of interest by conducting an extensive literature review, designing a research project intended to extend knowledge in that area, conducting the research, writing a research report, and presenting the project through a poster or PowerPoint presentation at the Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference (MUPC\u2014see below) and Psychology\u2019s Directed Research Capstone Poster Session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oral presentations are an integral part of the Directed Research experience. Learning how to communicate your research in a succinct, accurate, and engaging manner not only helps you advance as a psychology major; these same skills are vital to virtually all professional roles. Because we believe that feedback and revision are critical to learning, you will actually give your presentation at least twice (just like turning in a draft of a paper). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mink Fund provides up to $500 to selected Psychology majors or minors to support a research project they are conducting. Capstone students are eligible to apply for this funding to support paid participant recruitment. Students must submit an application <\/a>by October 1 (Fall) or February 15 (Spring). Priority will be given to students whose projects require special recruitment strategies and\/or non-student populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An alternative to Directed Research is the Clinical Science Capstone, which carries a prerequisite of Psychology 301 (Research in Psychology II) and one advanced psychology course. Instructor permission is required to enroll. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Students will apply contemporary psychological science to the practice of clinical and counseling psychology and public health. During class time, we will explore the connections between science and practice; discuss evidence-based interventions and clinical ethics; practice and discuss skill development specific to the application of clinical science; and discuss current considerations, controversies, and emerging science specific to clinical care delivery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As in Directed Research (PSYC 401), Clinical Science Capstone students will conduct a substantial research project. They will undertake a comprehensive review of past scholarship related to key aspects of the fields of clinical science and public health, and they will prepare a capstone paper that uses past scholarship to ask and answer a novel question. Unlike Directed Research, however, students in the Clinical Science Capstone will not be expected to collect data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attendance at MUPC is mandatory for students who are on campus during Spring of the year they do Directed Research. Students who plan to study abroad during the Spring term will present their research projects at the Fall departmental poster session instead, although they will have the option to present at MUPC during their senior year, if they so choose. If unexpected circumstances (e.g., athletic events; illness) prevent students from attending MUPC or the Fall poster session, they will present their Directed Research project, either in poster or oral form, to a group of faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MUPC typically runs from about 9 am to 3 pm. Attendance for the entire day is a crucial part of the conference experience and is expected of all students and faculty. The Department will help coordinate transportation to the conference. Because the conference is held at a different school each year, the details of poster requirements and PowerPoint capability differ. Please be sure to check the conference web site to make sure your poster conforms to the requirements set by the host institution or to verify that your oral presentation plans fit with the technology available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few words about conference etiquette: Students often wonder about what to wear for MUPC. Typically, presenters choose to wear professional attire. While you may not feel comfortable donning an interview suit (you may not even own one!), we urge you to show respect for the proceedings by dressing appropriately. Students also often wonder whether they should visit the posters and oral presentations of just Macalester students or all attendees. Supporting your friends and classmates is wonderful, but one of the highlights of MUPC is meeting students from other institutions and hearing about their research. We invite you to push yourself beyond the Macalester bubble!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Honors Program<\/a> provides an opportunity for seniors to meaningfully extend a project they have worked on during their time at Macalester. Sometimes, students will choose to use their Directed Research Project as the starting point for their honors project. For more information on the Honors Program, see https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/majorsminors\/honorspolicy\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Directed Research (PSYC 401) Directed Research is the primary capstone course for the Psychology major. It provides an intensive research experience \u2013 from start to finish \u2013 and carries a prerequisite of Psychology 201 (Research in Psychology I) and Psychology 301 (Research in Psychology II). Students must also take at least one advanced Psychology class […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":913,"featured_media":0,"parent":209,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-241","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/913"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3071,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/241\/revisions\/3071"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/psychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Clinical Science Capstone (PSYC 402)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference (MUPC)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Integration with the Honors Program<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/h2>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"