Poster Guidelines and Information

This page provides information regarding Psychology \ Neuroscience Poster Day
and offers links to sites with poster design recommendations.

Research Conferences

Students are encouraged to present their research work at student and professional conferences. The Psychology Dept. accepts applications for stipends to attend such conferences. Speak to your Psychology advisor regarding these and other funds to support conference attendance.
See a list of upcoming conferences at Events.

Research Requirements and Opportunities

A student who is interested in an independent scholarship project in psychology has unusual opportunities at Colorado College. We have a faculty committed to undergraduate education and research. A research project is a valuable educational experience. For students interested in experimental psychology, it will provide a first taste of the field. Students wishing to focus on clinical or counseling psychology or social work will find all good graduate programs require a solid background in experimental work. A research project can be a positive element on your curriculum vitae and a topic about which you can be confident in interviews for diverse occupations. Students have the opportunity to participate at various levels of responsibility and for academic credit and on a voluntary basis.

A. For academic credit:

1. PY 451 Final Project, required of all Psychology majors (under the new major), can take one of three forms, the first of which is characterized as experimental work.
(a) Empirical Research. This is supervised empirical research leading to a publishable paper. Students, in collaboration with a faculty supervisor, design a project, collect and analyze data, and write up a paper in a manner appropriate for a peer-reviewed journal (following APA format). Examples of such research articles can be found in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology, and Cerebral Cortex. Additionally, empirical projects that involve human subjects may require approval of the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board.

The remaining Final Project choices, though scholarly, are not experimental.
(b) Literature review: This is a critical review of the literature that addresses a particular issue. Students carefully outline the topic they will address, and use (primarily) journal articles to support their thesis. Such a review is not a mere summary of the literature; instead, it critically analyzes existing literature to a particular end. Examples of such reviews can be found in Psychological Bulletin, and Nature Reviews Neuroscience (online).
(c) Directed field study: This is a project completed in the field under the direct supervision of a Colorado College (CC) faculty member. In addition to the service component, the project results in a final paper (e.g., grant/program application, critical summary) that is negotiated between the supervising CC faculty, the student, and the agency director. See Directed Field Study for additional information.

Considerable preparation is required of all students prior to conducting their final project (see Final Project Preparation and Application below).

2. PY 251 Independent Study is for students to work in an apprentice position with a faculty member on an experimental project designed by the professor or those wishing to write a comprehensive literature review. The requirements for independent study are set by faculty members after discussion with the student. Usually, independent research results in a thesis paper. You do not need to submit a proposal in order to do an independent study; however, you should arrange with a faculty member to do a project as early as possible. Independent Study projects are assigned on a space available basis.

Research not for academic credit:

1. Volunteer positions are available on an ad hoc basis to assist in experiments sponsored by faculty. Consult individual faculty members or the paraprofessional about this.

2. Volunteers are needed in local agencies such as mental health facilities, hotlines, and brother and sister groups. Information is available through the campus Center for Community Service, announcements made in class, and on the bulletin board.

Although such volunteer work does not carry remuneration, it provides valuable experience to help you decide on career objectives, and may be attractive to prospective employers.

Applying for PY 451 Final Project

Preparation. In the year prior to conducting their final project, students decide (in consultation with professors) the kind of project they wish to complete, and with which professor they would like to conduct their project. The following is the general timeline (See also the Final Project Timeline webpage and handout):

Blocks 1-5: Make appointments with individual professors to discuss potential research options. Professors will outline to students prospective projects, opportunities, and limitations. As you speak to each of the professors, take specific notes about each project type and the description of the potential projects. You will need this information to complete the Final Project Application. Failure to meet to discuss potential topics with professors will greatly limit a students’ opportunities regarding the final project.

Block 6: By the last Monday of Block 6, complete application for Final Project, including preferences for professor and type of project to be completed. An application is considered pending, if the student's major declaration is not on file with the chair of the department. Provide the information as requested on the online application. (Link to Final Project Application Form)

Department makes final decisions about Final Projects, and notifies students of acceptance.

Block 7: Students register for courses, including PY451: Final Project.

Blocks 7-8: Students meet with their Final Project advisor to discuss individual projects for the next year.

For December graduates:
1. Students must submit the Final Project paper by the last day of Block 3 in the year they are graduating. It will be read by a second reader and feedback will be provided to the students by the end of the second week of Block 4.
2. Students are required to participate in Poster Day on the third Friday of Block 4 or present their work in a forum approved by the supervisor.

Below is more detailed information on each of these steps.

Application process. After meeting with individual professors and learning about their options, students complete the Final Project application online by the last Monday of Block 6 (Link to Final Project Application Form). On the application students:

1. Select three preferred professors with whom to work. (See Faculty below.)

2. Select the preferred type of final project for each of the the professors (e.g., empirical research, literature review, or directed field study).

(a) Empirical Research. This is supervised empirical research leading to a publishable paper. Students, in collaboration with a faculty supervisor, design a project, collect and analyze data, and write up a paper in a manner appropriate for a peer-reviewed journal (following APA format). Examples of such research articles can be found in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology, and Cerebral Cortex. Additionally, empirical projects that involve human subjects may require approval of the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board.
(b) Literature review: This is a critical review of the literature that addresses a particular issue. Students carefully outline the topic they will address, and use (primarily) journal articles to support their thesis. Such a review is not a mere summary of the literature; instead, it critically analyzes existing literature to a particular end. Examples of such reviews can be found in Psychological Bulletin, and Nature Reviews Neuroscience (online).
(c) Directed field study: This is a project completed in the field under the direct supervision of a Colorado College (CC) faculty member. In addition to the service component, the project results in a final paper (e.g., grant/program application, critical summary) that is negotiated between the supervising CC faculty, the student, and the agency director. See Directed Field Study for additional information.

3. Briefly describe the project for each of the professors—a short summary for each will suffice. The better prepared the students are, the more likely they will get their top choice. However, students are not automatically guaranteed their first choice of professor or type of final project. For a student's preferences to be considered, a declaration of major must be on file with the chair of the department.

4. State how many blocks will be involved for each of the potential projects.

Acceptance process. By the end of Block 6, the psychology department meets with all applications in hand to accept and assign applications to professors. Before the start of Block 7, students will be notified with whom they will be conducting their Final Project, and what type of project they will be doing.

Registration. During block 7, students will register for their courses, including their Final Project course. Students, in consultation with their Project Professor, may register for more than one block (i.e., PY451, 452, etc.).

Follow-up. During blocks 7 and/or 8, students will meet with their Project Professor to discuss their Final Project, including expectations, timelines, and overall goals.

Guidelines for Final Project paper:

1) The paper may be based on either (a) an empirical study (including case reports or ethnographic research) (b) a literature review (i.e., library research) involving a critical synthesis of current literature, usually to support a specific hypothesis, or (c) directed field study.

2) The paper follows exactly the guidelines of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Publication Manual (5th ed.). Students writing an Final Project (Senior Thesis) manuscript should purchase this manual as part of the their Final Project block (unless a copy was retained when purchased for PY202 Research Design).

3) The paper is well-written and concise. Typically, empirical studies should not exceed 20-25 pages of text, literature reviews should not exceed 25-30 pages of text.

4) The paper, which should make a significant contribution to the field, will be evaluated by all full-time psychology professors according to several criteria: depth of analysis, the importance of the hypothesis being explored, the competence of the work, and the quality of writing.

5) The student must present the research at Psychology and Neuroscience Poster Day during Block 8 (as the date approaches, see Events and Announcements for details). Students are also encouraged to present their research at a professional meeting.

Evaluation of Final Project. All final projects must be submitted to the Project Professor by 3PM of the first day of Block 7. Late Final Projects will likely not be evaluated in time for Spring graduation.

Students turn in two copies of their final version to their Project Professor. Each Project Professor grades the Final Project and then puts it in a pool, where one other psychology professor, anonymously, evaluates the Final Project, as being Acceptable, Acceptable with revisions, or Not acceptable. If there is considerable disagreement between the two professors, a third professor will be asked to evaluate the project. If it is deemed necessary, students may be required to revise or redo their final project. The student will receive that feedback by the end of the third week of block 7.

If the student meets the GPA criterion for distinction, each of the readers will decide if the paper should be given distinction.

For December graduates:
1. Students must hand in the Final Project by the last day of block 3 in the year they are graduating. It will be read by a second reader and feedback will be provided to the students by the end of the second week of block 4.
2. Students are required to participate in Poster Day on the third Friday of block 4.

Faculty research interests

The following is a list of some topic areas that are current interests of Psychology faculty who are supervising projects. They are useful as a guide for arranging projects.