[HRD 0811773] The Tennessee State University (TSU) is working to enhance the experimental psychology curriculum and increases mentored research opportunities for undergraduate students. This HBCU-UP Targeted Infusion Project supports further development of the TSU state-of-the-art Experimental Psychology Teaching and Research Laboratory. Unpublished institutional data from recent TSU alumni (1999-2005) reveal no graduates applied to graduate programs in experimental psychology. Standardized tests administered by the University show that mastery of experimental subfields of psychology (e.g., cognitive, sensation and physiology, developmental) is weaker than clinical subfields. This pattern contributes to the under-representation of minorities in experimental psychology and in Psychology Departments in academia. This under-representation leads to a paucity of human subjects? research using African American participants or examining issues particularly relevant to African Americans (e.g., stereotype threat).
Development of the Experimental Psychology Teaching and Research Laboratory modernizes and elevates the Psychology Department?s curriculum by providing students enrolled in new and reinstated experimental courses with experiential learning opportunities. Through coursework and research experiences in the Lab, students gain experience using professional grade instruments and methodologies including a neuro-imaging tool (EEG), instruments that objectively measure sleep quality, standardized tests of brain functioning, observation equipment for conducting social psychology research, and various software programs (e.g., E-prime) for conducting original psychological research. Consequently, students show greater mastery of experimental psychology subfields as measured by a standardized test, increased interest in pursuing careers in experimental psychology as measured by a survey, and greater enrollment in rigorous experimental courses.
