Alumni Perspective
“It took several more academic terms to learn how to balance social and academic demands, but through trial and error this eventually happened. As a result of my Lawrence experience, I found my doctoral studies relatively easy. I was well prepared both with knowledge and with a skill set for being a successful student.”
Dr. Linda Berger Hellmich ‘82, Psychologist at KSB Hospital
Psychology
Dixon, Illinois
Lawrence Research Fellows
As a Lawrence University Research Fellow, you will have the opportunity to participate in student-faculty collaborative research, whether it’s with our professors here on campus or with one of our collaborating off-campus programs around the world.
Cross-Cultural Psychology
An examination of the intricate connections between cultural experiences and psychological processes. Topics include cultural contributions to development and socialization, identity and personality, morality and religion, emotions, and interpersonal relationships. Emphasis will be placed on developing an understanding of cultural and cross-cultural research methods and critical interpretation of research results.
Apply your classroom studies to hands-on research
With access to our behavioral neuroscience lab and experimental observation rooms, you’ll bring psychology theories and frameworks to life through applied research.
Hone your interests in specialized fields
Lawrence’s psychology program offers training in areas of psychology like neuroscience, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and more.
The Chandler Senior Experience
The centerpiece of the capstone experience is an original senior project—your Senior Experience—allowing you to pursue your own interests in depth, encouraging autonomy and creativity. In consultation with the faculty mentor, you will choose one of the following types of papers: a critical review of past theory and research, an original empirical study report, a theory development paper, or a paper that integrates your own applied work (e.g., in an internship) with its wider scholarly contexts.
To prepare for your Senior Experience, you will take a senior capstone course where you and your classmates will meet in small independent seminar sections supervised by a faculty mentor. You’ll meet to discuss common readings, provide constructive criticism of each other’s work, and present work in progress to your peers.
Recent Senior Experience projects include:
- How Much Do You Pay Attention to What is Happening Around You?”: Mindfulness in Preschoolers
- Following the Footprint of Trauma: Using Artificial Intelligence to Identify Biological Markers of PTSD
- Providing Culturally Competent Diagnoses and Treatments for Asian Americans
- Trans Women’s Experiences in Sex Work
Psychology Outcomes
Both beneficial on its own as well as combined with any other number of fields at Lawrence, studying psychology opens doors to bright futures.