Alumni Perspective
鈥淚t 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.鈥
Dr. Linda Berger Hellmich 鈥82, Psychologist at KSB Hospital
Psychology
Dixon, Illinois
Psychology of Music
A scientific approach to questions about musical structure and its effect on human behavior and mental experience. Topics include the physical characteristics of sound that specify pitch, loudness, and timbre; the perception of melody and rhythm; the universality of musical structures; the psychology of musical ability and performance; and the effect of music on emotions.
Apply your classroom studies to hands-on research
With access to our behavioral neuroscience lab and experimental observation rooms, you鈥檒l bring psychology theories and frameworks to life through applied research.
Hone your interests in specialized fields
Lawrence鈥檚 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鈥攜our听Senior Experience鈥攁llowing 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鈥檒l meet to discuss common readings, provide constructive criticism of each other鈥檚 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?鈥: Mindfulness in Preschoolers听
- Following the Footprint of Trauma: Using Artificial Intelligence to Identify Biological Markers of PTSD听
- Providing Culturally Competent Diagnoses and Treatments for Asian Americans听
- Trans Women鈥檚 Experiences in Sex Work听
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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.