Skip to the content of the web site.

Psychology Undergraduate Studies

PSYCH 499A/B/C - HONOURS THESIS

Learn More
  • READ the Honours Thesis Handbook (the Handbook is the course outline for Psych 499)
  • ATTEND oral presentations by other students (see schedule below)

  • READ Honours Theses samples available for loan at the Psych Undergrad Office (PAS 4005)

  • ATTEND a Psych 499 Orientation Meeting

    Psych 499 Orientation Meetings are held the first Tuesday of lectures every term and are open to everyone. Students are strongly advised to attend an Orientation meeting prior to enrolling in Psych 499.

    The Course Coordinator will review what's involved in completing an Honours Thesis. Tim Ireland, Psychology's Liaison Librarian, will review library resources available to Psych 499 students. Marg Ingleton, Psychology's Research Experiences Group (REG) Coordinator, will review the process of obtaining ethics clearance and collecting data for your thesis. There will be lots of opportunity to ask questions.

    Upcoming Meetings:

    • Spring 2012: Friday May 4, 2012, 12:30pm, PAS 4288 *NEW DATE*

    Powerpoint presentation available here

Course Enrolment
Course prerequisites and enrolment information
Course Deadlines


Psych 499 deadlines and important dates

Oral Presentations for Psych 499B

Instructions for scheduling your oral presentation

Spring 2012

Presentation dates: May 8 through July 24 inclusive
Presentation times: Tuesdays at 12:30, 1:30, or 2:30pm
Location: PAS 3012 (unless otherwise indicated)

How to schedule a presentation: Check the current presentation schedule (below) for openings, discuss a mutually agreeable date/time with your supervisor, then email Theresa the date and time you'd like to schedule your presentation. Include your full name, ID#, thesis supervisor, what term you're enrolled in 499B, and the topic of your thesis proposal.

Oral presentations are scheduled on Tuesdays during the University lecture period. If there are extenuating circumstances and you wish to request an alternate presentation date (i.e., you or your supervisor have class during the regular presentation times), please email your request to Theresa, outlining the circumstances and reasons for the request, and she'll consult with the course coordinator. Include with your request at least two alternate dates and times that both you and your supervisor would be available for your presentation.

Current presentation schedule: click

Course Coordinator

Dr. Dan Smilek
Office: PAS 4051
Phone: (519) 888-4567 Ext. 35365
Email:dsmilek@uwaterloo.ca
Website: click

Research Experiences Group (REG)

Marg Ingleton
REG Coordinator & Departmental Ethics Review Committee (DERC) Officer
Office: PAS 3016
Phone: (519) 888-4567 Ext. 32690
Email: regadmin@uwaterloo.ca
REG website: click

Ethics handout from Sept 2011 Orientation meeting - click

Liaison Librarian - Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology

Tim Ireland
Library
Phone: (519) 888.4567 Ext. 35061
E-mail: tireland@library.uwaterloo.ca

Library handout from Sept 2011 Orientation meeting - click (and specify 'read only')

Statistics - Help!!

Statistics and Actuarial Sciences have a consulting service which is free to students. They conduct office hours on a regular schedule and by appointment: http://www.stats.uwaterloo.ca/stats_navigation/Consulting/StatConsulting.shtml

Annual Ontario Psychology Undergraduate Thesis Conference


What's it all about?
Click here for general information about the conference (Note that a small fund is available to students to offset the cost of participating in the Thesis Conference)

2012

The 42nd Annual Ontario Undergraduate Psychology Thesis Conference

  • Where - York University
  • When - Friday April 27, 2012
  • Abstract submission deadline - March 27, 2012
    Submit abstracts through the following website:
    https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012OUPTC
    Abstracts must not exceed 150 words and must include a title, description of the research, as well as preliminary results (if possible) at the time of submission. Co-authored abstracts will not be accepted. Students will have a choice of oral or poster presentation. Depending on the number of submissions, there may not be opportunity for all presenters to do so orally. As such, presenters will be notified of the type of presentation that they will be giving (i.e. oral or poster) as early as possible.
    Questions regarding submissions or the conference can be sent to psyconf@yorku.ca
  • Conference registration deadline - tba
  • Conference website - click
  • Hotel, Directions, Parking - click
  • Presentation schedule and conference program - click
    Twelve of our Honours Thesis students will be participating in this year's conference by way of oral or poster presentations!


2011

The 41st Annual Ontario Undergraduate Psychology Thesis Conference

  • Where - University of Guelph
  • When - Friday April 29, 2011
  • Abstract submission deadline - March 31, 2011 (see conference website below)
    **ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 11, 2011**
  • Conference registration deadline - April 15, 2011
  • Conference website - click
    April 25, 2011 - conference schedule and program has been posted

Feedback from Waterloo students who attended the 2011 conference:

  • Vivian Cheng (supervisor: D. Smilek)
    Presentation: Music and Sustained Attention

    "There were a number of impressive presentations in the conference. I have learned a lot from the other presenters in terms of their presentation skills and research methods. This definitely helps me to generate better research in the future. I also had an awesome experience in presenting my own thesis and receiving feedback from the other professors and students, so that I could acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of my thesis. This is definitely a rewarding experience."

  • Cory Tam (supervisor: D. Koehler)
    Presentation: Reducing Optimistic Bias in Spending Predictions: A Construal and Motivational Account of Unpacking

    "I had a great time at the conference and would highly recommend future thesis students to attend. I really enjoyed being in the presence of over a hundred students from universities all over Ontario. It was a great opportunity to present my research as well as learn about the research of other students."

  • Brandon Ralph (supervisor: J. Fugelsang)
    Presentation: Gender Differences in Statistical Reasoning: Impacts of Stereotype Threat and Self-Affirmation

    "The conference was a great experience. It was an excellent opportunity to get involved in the psychology community and meet undergraduates from across Ontario. There was a great deal of diversity in research topics, with lots of interesting and unique ideas being brought to the table. This is the perfect opportunity to gain experience presenting your research to an audience of your peers in a positive and friendly environment. I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and highly recommend attending to anyone who has taken the effort to undertake the honours thesis."

2010

The 40th Annual Ontario Undergraduate Psychology Thesis Conference was held at University of Windsor on Friday April 30, 2010

There were 145 students from across Ontario presenting their theses work at this year's conference, including 4 students from Waterloo who provided this feedback about their conference experience.

  • Jessica Wuergler (supervisor: M. Fernandes)
    Presentation: "Memory for face-name recognition in younger and older adults"
    "I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the conference.  I got to hear a lot of excellent presentations from students across Ontario and was very impressed with their research efforts. I had a wonderful time presenting and it was a great learning experience due to the strict nature of time given for each talk and the questions asked during the Q & A section."

  • Kasra Zokaei (supervisor: J. Fugelsang)
    Presentation: "Improving Decision Making By Reducing Overconfidence with Computerized Cognitive Training of Working Memory"

    "The conference was a good experience. Lots of interesting research from other students. It was interesting to see how others conduct research and report their findings. Also a very good experience to present your own research and receive feedback from others. The quality of research was very high and the atmosphere was very casual and friendly."

  • Andrew Cashman (supervisor: J. Fugelsang)
    Presentation: "Number Form Effects on Arithmetical Strategy among Individuals with High and Low Math Anxiety"

  • Leilani Mangal (supervisor: L. Nilsen)
    Presentation: "The role of listener knowledge and feedback in children's production of referential statements"

    "I found the complete experience very rewarding. Although this was my second time attending (the first was at Brock a couple years ago for friends who were doing poster presentations), the experience at Windsor was quite different this time around...in part because I was there to present my own research this year. I think a conference such as this is wonderful opportunity for undergraduate students because it provides us with a platform to speak about our research, enhance our communication skills in this domain, and meet and share ideas with students from other schools. Attending the Undergraduate Thesis Conference was a beneficial learning experience for myself and was truly impressed by the calibre of work presented by my peers. I would encourage all those interested in pursuing further studies in psychology to take advantage of this great opportunity!"

  • 2010 Conference Program: click
Other Conference Opportunities

Click here for details.

Note in particular the annual convention for the Canadian Psychology Association. The 2012 convention will be held in Halifax Nova Scotia June 14-16. A special feature will be the Graduate Student Fair ('find a program that's right for you').

Publishing Opportunities for Psychology Majors

Go to the 'Bulletin Board for Psychology Majors' for information.