Social Relationships Lab
Dr. Coy's Perspective on Teaching
As a psychology professor, I have two primary goals: 1) to develop students’ understanding of psychological theories and methods; 2) encourage application of course material and related research to personal and professional aspects of life. Although these goals seem commonplace, they work to provide depth (theory and methods) and breadth (personal and professional applications) to each course I teach. Moreover, this extends students’ learning beyond the “course” and into their everyday lives and experience, which research has demonstrated is the most effective way to learn new material (i.e., applying the material to oneself). Thus, my teaching is guided by the notion that learning is a continuous process of exploring of new and complex concepts and stimuli; not limited to the classroom or textbook.
Courses I Teach
Research Methods
I am passionate about research methods for one reason - no matter who you are, it's important that you understand them. More and more people are required to evaluate information, often as quickly as possible, and make a decision based on it. From the findings of psychological research to the claims made by politicians, understanding how research is conducted will help people critically evaluate information make better decisions.
In this course, we explore the basics of research methods with a focus on experimental methods. We explore topics such as internal and external validity, measurement validity and reliability, experimental and other research designs, and then apply these concepts in a research proposal.
Social Psychology
The principles of social psychology are central to understanding how people think about themselves and interact with others. This course takes an "applied" approach, emphasizing the ways in which social psychology is applicable to daily life and students' personal experiences.
Professional Seminar: Close Relationships
My pro-seminar on close relationships takes a deeper dive into the literature on close relationships of all types (i.e., friends, family, romantic) to better understand the core theories and concepts that cut across each of these. In addition, it pulls in work from a variety of psychological sub-fields (e.g., neuropsychology, developmental, cognitive) to provide a broad overview of this area.
Psychological Tests and Measures
My Tests and Measures course challenges students to apply the various concepts related to tests and measures (esp. reliability and validity) to their life and career goals. Dr. Coy facilitates student learning through problem-based applications and team-based learning and discussion. The result is a novel and interesting Test and Measures course.