Research Opportunities

Research is a critical component of the behavioral and social sciences. Those students considering graduate school or employment within the field should seek out research opportunities. Fortunately, students in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences have numerous opportunities to become involved in research as participants, research assistants, or as an independent student researcher.

Research Participant

Most Introductory Psychology courses participate in the undergraduate subject pool. Students in these courses are receive either course credit or extra credit for participating in BSS research. Students in other courses (e.g., Introduction to Measurement and Statistics) may also be given the opportunity to participate in BSS research.

Research Assistant

Faculty in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences are consistently engaged in research. In many cases, faculty need student research assistants to assist with the process of data collection and/or analysis. Students might be asked to conduct a literature review, administer a survey, run an experiment, enter data, and conduct statistical analyses. Interested students should review faculty interests and contact faculty who are conducting research in areas of interest.

Student Research

Students have several opportunities to conduct their own research under the supervision of a faculty member in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Students considering conducting their own research must first take ANSO/PSYC 2825 Introduction to Research Methods and ANSO/PSYC 2750 Introduction to Measurement and Statistics. Students within the Introduction to Research Methods course will typically complete a research proposal that may be used as the basis of a later research study.

Following the completion of these introductory courses (2750 & 2825), students wishing to coduct their own research may sign up for ANSO/PSYC 4825 Advanced Research Methods. This course typically has either a quantitiative or qualitiative orientation. In addition to advanced methodological instruction, students will be given the opportunity to conduct their own research. Student may also register for INDZ 3500 Independent Study after consulting with a faculty sponsor.

Any research involving humans needs to be reviewed by the Webster University Institutional Review Board. The student will work with the faculty member to ensure all research is in compliance with applicable ethical constraints.

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