Student opportunities

Students who fall in love with psychological science often go through a transformation from being consumers of psychological knowledge (reading, thinking about, and discussing other people's ideas and observations) to becoming creators of new knowledge. No one makes this transition all at once – on the contrary, our department scaffolds opportunities for students to gain research experience at a variety of levels.

Most students' first hands-on experiences with psychological research come from participating as research subjects in studies conducted by advanced students or faculty (see Participant pool for information about the Psychology Research Participation System). Once students have completed our basic background courses, there are a variety of additional ways for them to get involved in research:

• As volunteer or paid research assistants (RAs): Many of our faculty have one or more undergraduate RAs working in their labs. Some of these RAs are supported by the Work Study program (see the Registrar website for details).
• The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council offers a small number of Undergraduate Student Research Awards, which financially support students for a semester-length duration of full-time work in a lab; several UVic Psychology students have held such awards. Visit the NSERC website for details.
• Independent Study courses (PSYC 390 and 490): These are "pro forma" courses, meaning that they are customized courses whose content and criteria vary from one instance to another and are determined via a consultation between instructor and student. Typically, these courses involve students in hands-on research. Students interested in this educational opportunity take initiative and approach a faculty member to discuss the possibility of developing a customized learning experience that is aligned with their interests and a faculty member's expertise. To register for a "pro forma" course, a written contact specifying the content of the course and details of the learning experience (including graded work that will be required) is developed between student and instructor and submitted to the registrar. To learn more, contact the department's undergraduate adviser.
• Research Seminar in Psychology (PSYC 492): This seminar and laboratory research course, available to psychology majors, offers opportunity to step into a small group setting (typically no more than 8 fellow students) and gain hands-on research experience within the context of one of the ongoing programs of research within our department. A faculty member with an active research program leads seminar meetings and mentors students in completing a research project. Students prepare a written report of their project and make oral presentation(s) to the seminar group. Note: PSYC 492 is not necessarily offered every year. Admittance to the course required permission of the instructor.
• PSYC 499 (Honours): Students who meet certain criteria qualify for the honours program, a key part of which is conducting a research project under the supervision of a Psychology faculty member throughout both semesters of the Winter session of the final full year of study. Honours students also take two higher-level statistics courses and participate in the Honours Seminar throughout the Winter session. Visit the Honours section for details.
• Research-related Co-op Placements: Students in the Psychology co-op program are sometimes able to land a paid RA job as a co-op placement. Review the UVic calendar for information about the psychology co-op program.

Not all of these opportunities are open to all psychology majors. Only some faculty members involve undergraduates in their laboratories, and those who do can accommodate only a small number. Faculty members choose, from amongst interested students, those they think most likely to thrive in the lab. To increase your chances, it is advisable to:

1. complete core degree requirements in a timely way,
2. take optional courses likely to increase your research-related knowledge and skills (e.g., math, logic, programming),
3. do well in your courses, and
4. make yourself known to your psychology profs (e.g., ask questions in class, go to office hours, etc.).

Sharing one's research findings with others is an integral aspect of the scientific enterprise. Each spring, UVic Psychology honours students, along with students who have completed independent studies courses at UVic Psychology or at Vancouver Island University Psychology, present their research at the Psychology Students of Vancouver Island Poster Session (PSOVIPS). Students also often present their work at other conferences, such as NOrthWest Cognition And Memory (NOWCAM).

Publications

Not infrequently, research to which UVic undergrads contributed is published in international scientific journals, usually with the student and supervisor as co-authors. Here are a few recent examples (student's name in bold):

• Garrett, D.D., Tuokko, H., Stajduhar, K., Lindsay, J., & Buehler, S. (2008). Planning for end-of-life-care: Findings from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. Canadian Journal on Aging, 27, 11-22.
• Krigolson, O. E., Pierce, L. J., Holroyd, C.B. & Tanaka, J.W. (2009). Learning to become an expert: Reinforcement learning and the acquisition of perceptual expertise. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 21, 1834-1841.
• Masson, M. E. J., Bub, D. N., & Newton-Taylor, M. (2008). Language-based access to gestural components of conceptual knowledge. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 71, 869-882.

The Department of Psychology at UVic doesn't just teach research, we do research.