Dr. Alan D. Musicant

musicant@mtsu.edu

Dr. Harold T. Whiteside

Psychology

Discipline specific equipment

Jones Hall 231

New Technology

N/A

The discipline specific equipment requested is for a number of copies of different psychological test "kits". These "kits" are essential for training of students in two concentration areas, School Psychology and Clinical Psychology. There are a variety of kits that will enable us to expand and update what is being taught to our students for the assessment of 1) Children's Emotional/Behavioral Problems, 2) Assessment of Learning Disabilities, 3) Intellectual Assessment and 4) Neuropsychological Assessment. With changes to state and federal laws mandating certain testing procedures, training our students in the use of these instruments is essential to the ability of MTSU students to continue to be placed in well paying professional jobs. We expect that accrediting agencies will also require that students be trained in the use of these assessment instruments. Additionally, many of our students are placed in jobs within the midstate area. We estimate the number of graduate students utilizing these test kits each year to be approximately 120. This number is based upon the number of students in each of the classes (1-4 above) as well as students in practica, internships and engaged in research. Kits would be used for about 10 years before revisions occur. The Dept of Psychology has a subject pool in which virtually all Psych 1410 (Intro Psych) students participate. This population is approximately 2500 student per year. Participants sign up for various studies being conducted by the Psychology Dept faculty, undergraduates (under direct faculty supervision)and graduate students conducting thesis research (an additional population of approx 250students). The software by Sona corporation (at $900 per year) will be utilized by all of those listed above to facilitate the participation of the Intro Psych students in the various studies. Thus, the mostly freshman population, will directly benefit. Freshman will be introduced early in their careers (often 1st semester) to the use of computers in ways that will facilitate their integration into the university community. This software is also unique to the discipline in that the record keeping that goes with the software will insure no records are lost.