Psychological Research

We strongly encourage students to become involved in research projects. Why?

• Research participation is a particularly effective way to learn about the science of psychology. There is probably no better way to fully understand the usefulness of statistics and research design.
• Quality graduate schools increasingly expect that students have conducted research as undergraduates, even (perhaps especially) graduate programs in counseling and clinical psychology.
• Students who intend to pursue a career in an applied area of the field will need to develop an ability to read about, understand and apply the results of scientific inquiry in their chosen areas.
• Finally, many if not most students who to to graduate school will be expected to carry out research as a signficant part of their graduate training-- again, even (and perhaps especially) those seeking degrees in clinical or counseling psychology. Students who have participated in student research at Augustana tell us they feel significantly more prepared for graduate work compared to their graduate school peers.