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Location & Laboratory Experience
The Department of Psychology is located in the Smith-Curtis
Classroom Administration Building. Department facilities include
26 rooms and nearly 4,000 square feet of space equipped for
laboratory study in perception, animal learning, biofeedback,
psychophysiology, sleep and dreaming, and interpersonal communication.
Senior Research
All students have the opportunity to conduct a senior
research project in which they formulate their own research
question, collect and analyze data relevant to that question
and write a formal report outlining this research. It’s
rare to find a psychology program in which all majors have
the opportunity to conduct such research projects.
Animal Learning Events
The first event of its kind in the nation, the Xtreme
Rat Challenge is regularly featured in the national media,
including the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio and
“Late Night with David Letterman.” This event
is part of the “Basic Learning Principles” class,
in which students spend the semester using basic principles
of operant behavior and positive reinforcement to train their
animals to compete in events.
Psych Fair
The biennial Psychology Fair is conducted by students
and brings more than 1,500 visitors to NWU for displays of
various aspects of psychology.
Practicum Placement
Many students take advantage of practicum opportunities
in educational, business, medical or human service settings.
Typical experiences have included working with a pediatrician
on a study of the effect of painful procedures on children,
assisting in sleep and dreaming research and helping conduct
groups that work with grieving children. The Urban Life Center
in Chicago offers another experiential learning environment.
Students may spend the semester in Chicago working with inner-city
residents or travel to the Center for several days with Wesleyan
faculty or staff member.
Fawl Lecture Series
The Fawl Lecture Series brings nationally and internationally
known experts in psychology to Wesleyan’s campus each
year. Named in honor of longtime Wesleyan psychology professor
Dr. Clifford Fawl, this event gives students the opportunity
to meet and interact with leaders and innovators in the field.
Academic Conferences
Students and faculty participate each year in the
Great Plains Student’s Psychology Convention and the
Nebraska Psychological Society. Students present their research
papers at these meetings, and recent student research has
been published in the Journal of Psychological Inquiry and
the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research.
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