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Are mindful people better at regulating their emotions?

Emotions such as fear, sadness, anger, and so on often need to be "regulated" for us to behave in healthy, adaptive ways. How can people better regulate their emotions when stressed? read more...

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Can we help children with ADHD succeed in school?

Adolescents with ADHD often experience significant problems in school, such as failing grades and low achievement test scores. Can we predict these problems before they occur? read more...

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Why do African American youth trade cigarettes for cigars?

Many youth perceive cigars to pose fewer health risks than cigarettes. But, is this true? read more...

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Are cultural issues important in rehabilitation medicine?

Many health problems and disabilities disproportionately affect ethnic minority communities. But what can rehabilitation specialists do to change that? read more...

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Is religious counseling effective?

Many religious people say they want religious counseling. But is it effective? And, if it is not available, is secular counseling less effective for religious people than religious counseling? read more...

Honors in Psychology

The requirements for graduating with Honors in Psychology are:

View the application for Honors in Psychology.

Completing an Honors Thesis in Psychology

An Honors thesis is a research project that you design, run, write up, and defend like a Masters thesis under the supervision of a faculty mentor. An Honors Thesis provides an opportunity to do your own research, learn about an area in an in-depth way, and get to work closely with a professor in the Department of Psychology. Completing an Honors Thesis is a great way to make your application to graduate or professional school stand out.

Students generally start work on their Honors Thesis during the Spring semester of their junior year, and continue throughout their senior year. During this time you would sign up for the three-course sequence: PSYC 497, PSYC 498, and PSYC 499.

The first step in preparing to do an Honors Thesis is to find a faculty member willing to be a mentor for your thesis project. The best way to do this is to get involved with research before the Spring of your junior year by doing a Research Internship (PSYC 494) or Independent Study (PSYC 492). This way, you can explore an area of research that interests you, and a professor will get to know your work.

Honors Courses in Psychology

One of the requirements to graduate with Honors in Psychology is to take three Psychology courses as Honors. There are two types of courses that qualify. One type is a Psychology course that has an HONR designation—the Department of Psychology tries to present one of these every semester. The other type of course is a regular Psychology course that you can turn in to an Honors course by completing some additional or more high-level work that you and the instructor agree on. There is a form (available from the Honors College) for you and the instructor to complete on which you describe what additional work you will do for it to count as Honors.

For more information, contact Dr. Scott Vrana.