Investigating Psychology, the Brain, and Behavior: Designing & Conducting Human Research Experiments
FYSEMR 52Z
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Does doomscrolling really worsen our attention? Can exercise make us more productive? Does junk food make us sleepy? We each have personal experiences that inform our hypotheses about human behavior, but to determine whether these hypotheses are correct, we must conduct a well-designed research experiment. In this seminar, we will take a hands-on approach to designing, testing, and interpreting results of research with humans. Students will have opportunities to scrutinize published studies, test hypotheses using existing data, and collect data using their own novel study designs.
Early in the semester, the seminar will take a trip to Dr. Arnett's laboratory to see a demonstration of how electroencephalography (EEG) is used to measure brain activity in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Seminar assignments will include weekly readings, research projects, individual and group presentations, and short reports. Altogether, the goal of the seminar is for students to learn to think critically about scientific research, generate creative hypotheses about brain-behavior connections, learn to interpret research results, and work collaboratively with student peers.
NOTE: There will be a required field trip to Boston Children's Hospital's Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience to see a demonstration of electroencephalography (EEG) research with children.
Class Notes
First-Year Seminars are available only to first-year students. You may apply to both Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 First-Year Seminars via the FYS lottery between July 6 and August 6, 2026 at 11:59PM-midnight.
You may apply to as many seminars each term as you would like, but we recommend you apply to at least six in fall and three in spring.
As part of your application, you must provide a brief statement on why you are interested in each seminar. You will be notified of lottery results for both fall and spring seminars at 5 pm on August 11. If you are unsuccessful in the lottery, you may still join any seminar with open seats. A list of open seminars and instructions on next steps will be available on the First-Year Seminar Program website August 11 at 12 Noon.
Not Available for Cross Registration
