The Psychology Department is in the top 20 in the nation as the undergraduate source of psychology Ph.Ds. The major reason for this success is our 20-plus year history of involving students in faculty research. The single most important factor in gaining admission to graduate programs in Psychology is the demonstration of an interest and expertise in conducting research. Psychology majors at Rhodes have the opportunity to participate in ongoing research of the faculty in the Department, or with scientists at University of Memphis, University of Tennessee Medical School, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Each year 40-50 psychology majors participate on a research team working with a faculty member on one or more related projects. Most teams include one or two seniors doing honors research or independent studies, one or two second year students who assist the older students in data collection, coding, etc., while learning research skills, and one or two third year students who are designing and preparing for their senior projects.
Are you looking to get involved? Here’s a good start: Find out about your faculty members’ research interests. Read their published work and ask questions that demonstrate your interests. If you would like to have a place on a research team, you will need to impress the faculty member with your willingness to do extra reading, to think clearly about research problems, and to work independently. Every year one or two spaces generally become available on each team.
Prof. Haberman/Visual Cognition Laboratory
Prof. Klatzkin/Behavioral Neuroscience Lab
Prof. Maddox/Memory and Cognition Lab
Prof. Person/Learning Technologies Lab
Prof. Weeks/Social Cognition Lab
Prof. White/Cognition and Aging Lab