"Psychology"
The Legacy
S. Polizzi

LU students taking experimental psychology and research methods are conducting the Human Subject Pool studies Oct. 1 through the end of October. The research behavioral projects are done every spring and fall.

The HSP was started in the fall of 2002. "The reason why I started the HSP was because my students had a hard time recruiting participants for their research projects," said Michiko Nohara-LeClair, Lindenwood psychology professor.

Students taking beginning level psychology, sociology and anthropology classes can earn extra credit by participating in the projects. Other students are welcome to join.

"These students get the benefit of learning about the field outside of the classroom," Nohara-LeClair said.

Students help other students by participating. "The extra credit is just a way to get more subjects for the student researcher to collect information," said student Abby Ramon.

Interested participants can visit the HSP bulletin board on the fourth floor of Young Hall to sign up for the subject that interests them, or stop by the HSP office in room 407 of Young.

Benefits from the studies include not only experience, but also the ability to interact with people and to learn. Most of the office work is done by Work and Learn students.

According to Nohara-LeClair, "HSP gives Work and Learn students the opportunity to gain valuable and marketable experience managing a huge database and communicating between researchers, subjects and professors involved."

The interactive research and survey study topics must be submitted to the Board of Institutional Review for approval.

Ramon said, "Students taking a research methods class get to come up with their own ideas for their research, but other students will follow models of previous research."

Last spring, 217 students participated in similar human behavior studies and earned 581 points of extra credit.

For more information, call the HSP office at 636-949-4673 or email questions to lpp@lindenwood.edu.