Psychology majors at Fort Lewis College have previously shown little interest in independent research or pursuing careers in psychological research. This is believed to be due, in part, to poorly equipped laboratories in two Core courses required of majors, Foundations of Experimental Psychology and Topics in Research. There have not been enough pieces of equipment to conduct well-supervised laboratories, and there have not been computers available for data collection and analysis. These deficiencies are being corrected by equipping the laboratory associated with these two courses with Macintosh computers and appropriate software for running a variety of experiments. Modernizing the laboratory in this manner enables students to concentrate on acquiring research concepts, experimental design techniques, statistical and graphical analysis skills with little of the frustration and time associated with the use of the previous outdated system. The college will contribute an amount equal to the award.
