At the Psychology Research at Oxy (PRO) Center, we are advancing the science of mind and behavior through student-driven research.
At the PRO Center, students work closely alongside faculty to conduct cutting-edge research in psychological science. The Center’s philosophy is defined by a highly mentored approach that places undergraduate students at the heart of scientific discovery.
As a psychology student at Occidental College, you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Join labs early in your college career for course credit, becoming an integral member of research teams
- Shape ongoing research projects, from study design to statistical data analysis
- Conduct independent research, including honors thesis projects
- Present your work at regional and national research conferences, honing critical science communication skills
- Co-author peer-reviewed journal publications with psychology faculty
- Receive individualized faculty mentorship on graduate school and career pathways in psychology
Gain a breadth of research experience
The PRO Center Labs offers a diverse range of research areas for students to explore, allowing them to develop their intellectual interests. This breadth of experience helps students clarify their career trajectories, whether preparing for research-oriented careers or exploring pathways into clinical and applied work. PRO Center Labs focus on research topics that correspond to the four domains in the psychology major's curriculum:
- Application-Oriented: Mental health, behavioral change, and applied interventions
- Faculty specializing in this domain: Professors Cabral, Baker, and Martins-Klein
- Biologically Based Analyses: Brain, physiology, and the biological bases of behavior
- Faculty specializing in this domain: Professors Grebe, Silver, and Cabral
- Information Processing: How people think, learn, and reason across the lifespan
- Faculty specializing in this domain: Professors Amemiya and Shtulman
- Interpersonal and Intergroup Relations: Social identity, inequality, intergroup relations, and social change
- Faculty specializing in this domain: Professors Alt and Amemiya