ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors describe the people efforts to achieve active engagement in development of research skills at the upper division undergraduate level. Working in groups, students in the cross-cultural lab review and comment on drafts of their colleagues' work, and each student prepares an American Psychological Association-style paper reporting the research conducted during the semester. Students in this program get a bit of a head start on the single-semester research project in that they complete a one-unit preparation during the semester prior to actually conducting the study. The final product for the Introduction semester is a strong literature review, as well as a possible research hypothesis or research question and a supporting rationale. The successful student has, at the end of Introduction to Senior Research, a sound plan for a project to implement during the subsequent semester. An interesting aspect of a laboratory experience in developmental psychology is the opportunity to examine data obtained from minors.
