Research

With individual research projects, students work directly with a psychology professor whose research interests match their own. During the first semester, students usually complete background reading on the topic of the research, and begin to plan their experiments. The second semester usually consists of the actual data collection and analysis, as well as preparing to present the results at two conferences, one hosted by the Virginia Psychological Association and another hosted by the Mary Washington Psychology Department. At the end of the year, students write up their research findings in a formal, APA style paper.