Psychology Research at Oxy

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