This project is a research experience for undergraduates (REU) site that provides 10 advanced undergraduate psychology majors from underrepresented groups a full year of research training into issues of psychology and the law. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln hosts the students for their junior year. Students work 10-12 hours per week in a research team, participate in an intensive graduate school preparation course, and take a full course load at UNL. Intellectual Merits- REU participants join one of four ongoing research teams. Topics include: legal decision-making; jurors, witnesses and litigants in the real world; cultural and social group influence on attitudes and beliefs about the justice system; and legal competencies. In conjunction with faculty mentors, students develop their own project designs, data collection, and analyses. The ultimate goal is to have students produce publishable papers and/or present their research at professional conferences. Broader Impacts- The project targets students from underrepresented groups in the Midwest. It prepares them for advanced graduate training in psychology through an intensive research experience in a team-based environment and a special graduate school preparation course. The focus is on exposing students early on to a number of professional development activities all aimed at preparing them for research careers in academic and applied settings. The project also includes a comprehensive evaluation plan.
