How to Get Involved

Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology

Our Psi Chi chapter provides you with the opportunity to join Psi Chi if you meet certain standards required by Psi Chi and the Association of College Honor Societies (a governing body for college honor societies).

Undergraduate students who have registered for major or minor standing in psychology (or for a program psychological in nature) may be eligible for membership if other requirements are fulfilled.

Eligibility for undergrads includes:

Completion of 3 semester or 5 quarter of the college course
Completion of 9 semester hours of psychology courses
A minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in both psychology classes and in cumulative grades

PsiChiApplication_2012.pdf

For more information, please email the Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kevin Harris.

Psychology Club

The Psychology Club, together with Psi Chi is an informal club whose members include anyone interested in psychology. Our primary goal is education outside the classroom. We hope to provide an environment where everyone can come together and learn about psychology. There are a variety of ways Psychology Club hopes to accomplish this goal. We hold discussions among members and faculty, either through seminars or lectures in order to learn about aspects of psychology in a more in-depth manner.

We also hold lectures or discussions with people currently in the field to talk about their areas of interest and their experiences.

We also hold fund-raising events in the form of bake sales, and other charitable donations. Psychology Club also participates with some campus activities; however, it is not mandatory that all members participate. If you are interested in Psychology Club, please contact the Faculty Advisor Dr. Kevin Harris or pick up an application in the Psychology Office or print one out here.

Psychology_Club_Application2011.pdf

Here are a few events Psi Chi and Psychology Club are involved: Social events (bowling, dinners, concerts), Research Brown Bags (faculty and student research talks), Seminars of interest to students, Tours of Western State Hospital in Fall and Riverbend Maximum Security Prison in Spring, GHOST, Students Helping Students, Help an Elf, Homecoming, MudBowl, and others based on student interest. Please also see the bulletin board by room 206 for event listings, updates and officer information. Student participation is what makes both clubs and events great, so please get actively involved when possible.

We are also on Facebook: Psi Chi/Psychology Club Austin Peay State University

Serve as a Psi Chi/Psychology Club Officer

Another great way to become involved is to serve as an officer of the two clubs. Positions include: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Historian, Events Coordinator, and Assistant Events Coordinator. The first five positions must be served by members of Psi Chi, with the events coordinator positions filled by either members. This is another great opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills as well as a responsibility to add to your vita or resume. If you are interested in one or more of the positions, please contact the Faculty Advisor, Dr. Kevin Harris.

Undergraduate Psychology Advisory Committee

The Undergraduate Psychology Advisory Committee is a committee of undergraduate students from each year that serve as a liaison to faculty to discuss concerns students have but also to serve as a sounding board for faculty to discuss possible changes that may affect students. Dr. Brian Hock is the Faculty Advisor to this committee.

Helping with faculty research

Several faculty members are conducting research at different times. If you are interested in working with a specific faculty member, ask them if they have any current research projects that you could help with. You can do this at any time during the semester. Research projects may go through various phases at different times, so there's virtually always one just getting started. Professors very rarely announce these projects in their classes, so take the initiative and ask. You can look at faculty webpages to see their research interests or look at the research board in the hallway by the main office.

Research Program
Dr. Paul Nicodemus is presently involved in an extensive project investigating the possibility that engaging in brain enrichment training will enhance frontal lobe functions in ADHD adolescents ranging in ages from 9 through 15 years. The brain enrichment training will be provided to 30 ADHD adolescents who have been classified by a qualified professional (school personnel, psychologist, or medical practitioner). A comparison group of 30 ADHD students and a control group of 30 healthy adolescents will also be assessed to compare their assessment results to the experimental ADHD group to determine if any significant effects occurred as a result of the enrichment program. Structured psychological assessments will be given to each research group at the beginning of their participation (pretest), after approximately a 45 day period after pretest (mid-point), and approximately a 45 day period after midpoint (post test). Undergraduate psychology majors who volunteer to work in the lab are being trained to provide the structured brain enrichment program to the ADHD adolescents.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Dr. Paul Nicodemus’s research lab has been structured so research opportunities for undergraduates can be obtained. Because of the intensity of the ADHD study, I would like to have 10 to 15 students serve as brain enrichment trainers. Because of the nature of the training for undergraduate volunteers the students must commit to a one-year period and be able to schedule 12 hours per week with at least 2 hours per day for five days each week. I encourage freshman and sophomore students to consider working in the research lab because early training typically results in greater understanding of research procedures resulting in more meaningful experiences. Students can sign up for 3 credit hours under Research Experience, but this has to be with instructor’s permission. Although I cannot guarantee unique opportunities to students, I typically try to provide co-authorships on paper presentations to the national convention of the American Psychological Association for students who demonstrate a strong commitment to the lab projects.

 For more information, contact Dr. Paul Nicodemus at (931) 221-1244 or e-mail.

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