Of Mice and Meth: A New Media-Based Neuropsychopharmacology Lab to Teach Research Methods

摘要

This article describes an innovative neuropsychopharmacology laboratory that can be incorporated into any research methods class. The lab consists of a set of interconnected modules centered on observations of methamphetamine-induced behavioral changes in mice and is designed to provide students with an opportunity to acquire basic skills necessary for conducting research. To assess the practical utility of this new laboratory, an empirical study was conducted to determine whether different formats of the lab produce similar learning gains. The results suggest that both the live and the media-based variations of this lab are similarly effective. Thus, to facilitate the adoption of the lab, especially in its media-based format, all necessary materials are made available on a dedicated website.