Click links
below for more info:
Home
Faculty
Dept. Info
Advising
Career Info
Photo Albums
Other Info
Site Map
- Beck Psychophysiology Laboratory
The Beck Psychophysiology Laboratory consists of a microcomputer-controlled system for collecting event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and electroencephalograms (EEGs) while the subject performs a variety of experimental tasks. The subject is placed in a near-soundtight room, in front of the stimulus computer which presents the experimental stimuli and collects the subject’s responses made on response keys or hand dynamometers. The data collection computer, in an adjacent room, is interfaced to a 16-channel Grass Neurodata 12 polygraph to which the subject is hooked up. It collects samples of brain electrical activity through electrodes mounted on the subject’s scalp as the experiment proceeds. All procedures are carried out with millisecond precision. The laboratory is used in conducting research on attention and memory.
The Psychology Department supports several laboratories and research facilities that are routinely used by faculty and students for their research projects. They are also used for instructional purposes, particularly in the experimental and clinical courses. When image thumbnails are presented, you can click on them to see a larger version.
Beck Biofeedback Laboratory
The Beck Biofeedback Laboratory offers students enrolled in classes such as the Health Psychology and Counseling Practicum courses the opportunity to learn about mind-body interactions. For example, laboratory participants are provided supervised opportunities to experiment with voluntary self-regulation of physiological functioning such as muscle tension and skin temperature by altering thought processes and through the modification of environmental stimuli. While our laboratory is dedicated to providing educational experiences for students, it should be noted that biofeedback training is used in a number of professional settings for the treatment of medical and psychological disorders.
 |
 |
 |
Beck Videotaping Facility
The Beck Videotaping Facility provides counseling practicum students the opportunity to conduct videotaped counseling sessions in preparation for class critiques of counseling performance. Importantly, the facility supports experiential learning crucial to students who aspire to careers in professions such as clinical, counseling, and school psychology. While this facility primarily serves students in our undergraduate introductory counseling practicum courses, it is also used by professors and students in the conduct of research in areas such as Developmental Psychology and Social Psychology.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Cognition Laboratory
The Cognition Lab is a micro-computer based facility with four microcomputers in separate subject booths. It is the oldest of the modern suite of computerized labs in the Department of Psychology. The laboratory is focused on research in human attention and memory. Instructions, practice trials and experimental trials are all presented to human subjects under program control and their responses on each trial collected with millisecond accuracy. Established in 1988, this laboratory has gone through several upgrades. It currently has four high-speed Pentium stations with large color monitors and speakers, and consequently, the capability for presenting complex visual and auditory stimuli, including pictures and speech. Up to four subjects can be run in a single session, enabling a researcher to collect a large body of data in a relatively short period of time. Typically, groups of 2 to 3 students work on two separate research projects in this lab.
Developmental Psychopathology Laboratory
The Developmental Psychopathology Laboratory is used to investigate adaptive and maladaptive development across childhood and adolescence. It is used for data entry, analysis, and observational coding of children’s behavior. The laboratory features digital video capturing equipment, DVD players for data coding, and behavioral observation software. Research topics include (1) adolescent motherhood and the emergence of childhood behavior disorders, (2) ADHD assessment in school-aged children, and (3) Conduct Disorder in late adolescence. Data are collected off-site in the Stevens Point schools, local clinics/hospitals, and residential treatment programs across Wisconsin. Approximately 3 to 4 students work in the laboratory each semester.
 |
 |
Memory Laboratory
The Memory Laboratory is a micro-computer based facility that is used to study phenomena related to both memory and conscious awareness. The machines can be used to run experiments and collect data under program control. Many topics in cognitive psychology concern both memory and consciousness -- the blending of perceptual and mental experiences. For example, reality monitoring involves distinguishing (or failing to distinguish) between memories for real and imagined events. Implicit memory reflects the unconscious influence of past experiences on thought and behavior. Finally, the perception of time is a mysterious aspect of consciousness that may depend on the way people remember their own mental processes. This laboratory is devoted to the challenge of exploring these phenomena experimentally.
Pain Laboratory
The Pain Laboratory is equipped to measure acute pain induced by ice water. The lab has three microcomputers that are used for data analysis and for assessment of physiological manifestation of pain. Current studies explore the effects of personality on pain intensity and tolerance. We are investigating the effects of various methods of therapy to help overcome pain and increase personal effectiveness in managing discomfort. We have auditory and visual distracter devices that are used in research designed to explore the distracting effects of cognitive processes on pain. We also investigate the role that emotions such as anger, anxiety, and depression play in responsiveness to placebo intervention.
Social Analysis Laboratory
The Social Analysis Laboratory is dedicated to the design and analysis of social psychology studies. The laboratory houses four fully-networked PCs that are used by faculty and students for data analysis and the preparation of manuscripts and presentations. The laboratory is also used for small group research and discussion.
Spindler Perception Laboratory
The Spindler Perception Laboratory houses Macintosh G3-based subject stations equipped for perceptual research. Software that can be used for experimentation includes SuperLab for Macs and SoundEdit 16 for specialized auditory research. SuperLab will enable experimenters to author programs that will run experiments on the Macintosh G3 computers with stimulus presentation and response collection procedures that have millisecond precision.
 |