The project proposes equipping the psychology department's laboratories with 14 Macintosh computers and related hardware as a practical and flexible way to support our experimentally oriented courses. With emphasis on teaching, providing a solid foundation in traditional areas of the discipline, and involving undergraduate majors in significant research experiences, psychology is a relatively strong undergraduate department. At the center of our curriculum is a core of three courses in experimental areas that lead majors through content and methodological issues to a final senior research project. A deficit of equipment places a severe constraint on our ability to provide laboratory support for these core courses. Macintosh computers with HyperCard software would permit us to include laboratory experiments in perception, learning, memory, and cognition along with opportunities for undergraduates to design their own programs for use in senior research projects. A computer-based laboratory would be the most practical and effective way to meet our most pressing need.
