Research in Psychology Course

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The last day to submit a completed Learning Contract to the Psych Advising Office is Friday of Week 1.

Description:

Psych 196A (Assistantship in Psychology) offers undergraduate students the opportunity to assist Psychology Department faculty members and graduate students who are conducting research in the area of  Psychology.  Psych 196A is often taken in preparation for Psych 199, Directed Individual Research and Study.  To receive credit for the course, students are required to work a minimum of 7 hours per week for the 10-week quarter and attend a one-hour weekly seminar, arranged by the faculty sponsor (Summer enrollees are required to work a minimum of 74 hours over the 6-week session).  A five to eight page typed research paper is also required.

This course is most successful when both students and faculty benefit from the arrangement.  This generally occurs when these two conditions are met: students contribute in a meaningful way to faculty members’ research and faculty members provide students with opportunities to learn specific research skills and reflect on all aspects of research. 

Course Guidelines:

• Once you turn in your Psych 196A Contract, you will be enrolled in 4 P/NP units of Research.  Depending on your lab group size, you will be enrolled in one of the following options: (1) Psych 196A – 4 units (2) Psych 196A – 3 units & Psych 194B – 1 unit  (3) Psych 185– 3 units & 194D – 1 unit.
• To receive credit for the course, you MUST be enrolled in a total of 4 units on a P/NP basis.
• Sophomore, Junior, or Senior standing is required.
• Students must do the work in the same quarter that the Research class is taken for credit.
• Only 12 units from any combination of courses 185, 192, 194, 195, 196 may be applied toward undergraduate degree.
• This Research course does not satisfy any major requirement for Psychology, Psychobiology, or Cognitive Science majors.
• Students cannot earn credit for a Research in Psychology course and SRP (Letters & Science Student Research Program) for working on the same research project in the same quarter.
• Students continuing with the same research project in future quarters must submit a new Contract and enroll in the course.

Enrollment:

• Look through the Research listings on our website: www.psych.ucla.edu/undergrads/ and contact the professor, post doc, or graduate student to secure your research placement.
• Log on to your My.UCLA and click on CONTRACT COURSES on the left menu bar.
• Follow the instructions to create your Psych 196A contract & take it to the Professor for approval and signature.
• You do NOT need the Department Chair’s signature.
• Once you have the completed contract, submit it to the Psych Advising Office in 1531 Franz Hall.  The deadline to submit the contract to Psych Advising Office is Friday of Week 1.
• Visit your College Counseling Unit if you need approval to take more than 5 P/NP units or are planning to exceed 19 units for the quarter.
• Last step is to check your URSA Study List on Thursday of Week 2 to make sure you are properly enrolled in a total of 4 P/NP units with the correct Professor.  The deadline to make changes to your Study List without a late fee is Friday of Week 2.

Research Paper:

A typed paper of at least five pages and three references is required.  The topic of the paper must be directly related to the project you are working on.  A satisfactory paper demonstrates that you have researched the topic, organized and integrated the information, and linked the research activities to the topic.  You must turn in a copy of the paper to your faculty sponsor by Friday of Finals Week.

Faculty Sponsor’s Responsibilities: 

The faculty sponsor must be a regular faculty member in the Psychology Department.  Post Docs and Graduate Students may guide the Research in Psychology students in research projects only under the supervision of a regular faculty member. Sponsors should lead the one-hour weekly seminar or lab meeting, provide written feedback to the student on their research paper, and evaluate the student at the end of the quarter.  Sponsors are also responsible for disseminating departmental information and regulations regarding running subjects, otherwise they risk their project being banned from the use of the subject pool.

The deadline to submit your Learning Contract to the Psych Advising Office is Friday of Week 1.

View all Research listings in Psychology