To start off, here’s how the class is graded. Your final grade is based on several components: 10% for participation in lecture and section (mainly attendance for section), 10% for your teammates’ evaluation of your collaboration, 10% for participating in the REPS study, 10% for a memo analyzing experimental data on your own, 20% for a brief team research proposal, 20% for the full team proposal and response memo, and 20% for the final draft of a JEPS-style paper.

I took this class because all the other lab courses in the psychology department were either full or had questionable reviews. Although this professor didn’t have any reviews, the grade distribution looked promising, which was one of the main reasons I chose it. Looking back, I think this class was a great choice, especially if you're aiming to get an A without overwhelming yourself during a busy quarter.

The biggest part of your grade is a group research paper that ends up being around 14 to 15 pages. That sounds intimidating at first, but the work is divided among your group members, so you’re only responsible for your assigned sections. As long as your group is decent and you stay organized, it’s very manageable. My group met regularly and followed a structured schedule so that we didn’t end up rushing anything last minute.

Most of the work in this class made the course feel pretty flexible. To be honest, after the first few classes, I stopped going to lecture. There are no exams, and you don’t need to engage with the lecture content to succeed. The professor spends most of the time discussing different studies (some of which he conducted himself) and using them to explain how to do research. While that might be helpful if you want to take a similar approach in your paper, it’s not necessary for completing the assignments.

The most technical part of the course happens around week 7 or 8 (I forgot which week it was) because of RStudio. I recommend attending that week’s sessions because they walk you through what you need to know for your data analysis assignment and for the final paper. The coding wasn’t hard or time-consuming (discussion sections run you through RStudio and the coding process so don't sweat it), but it’s helpful to get that explanation in person.

Overall, this class is a great option if you want something manageable and less stressful, especially in a quarter where you’ve got other demanding courses. It’s definitely possible to secure an A if you put in the work, start early, and communicate well with your group. Shoutout to Professor Perez, he kept things reasonable and made the course a solid experience.