Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Design and present a study in this 2-week psychology research program for high school students on UCLA’s campus.
Course Description
Psychology asks students to examine familiar behavior with unfamiliar precision. Why do people remember, conform, judge, cope, or make decisions as they do? Students compare explanations from social, cognitive, forensic, health, and abnormal psychology while learning how researchers test those ideas.
Lectures, research articles, and classroom activities introduce scientific method, research ethics, methodology, empirical analysis, and academic writing. In groups, students develop a novel research question, review relevant literature, design a method, collect class data, and interpret the results. The project makes it possible to see where a finding is strong, where a design is limited, and how evidence differs from an appealing assumption.
Each group communicates its investigation in an APA-style research paper and presentation. Students organize the question, methods, analysis, and conclusions, then explain how the work connects to psychological theory. Career discussions also help them compare research, clinical, and other directions across the field. Individual reflection helps each student identify the questions and roles they want to investigate further.
This two-week full-day academy takes place at UCLA. Students spend the full program focused on one intensive academy. The academy is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study or pursue next. The program is developed by UCLA and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
What Will You Do?
• Compare theories from social, cognitive, forensic, health, and abnormal psychology
• Read empirical research and evaluate questions, methods, and evidence
• Develop a novel group research question and literature review
• Design a method and collect class data ethically
• Analyze results and identify limitations in the research design
• Write an APA-style paper and present the group study
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Compare major psychological perspectives and apply them to behavior
• Design and evaluate an ethical psychological research study
• Analyze data and communicate findings in an APA-style paper and presentation
Students will leave with a completed group research project, stronger scientific and academic-writing skills, and greater clarity about continued study or careers in psychology and social science.
Why Psychology Skills Matter
Psychological thinking becomes useful when students can connect a claim about behavior to a theory, a method, and evidence. Comparing perspectives helps them see that the same action may have several plausible explanations. Designing a study then forces them to define what they would actually observe or measure.
Research work strengthens source evaluation, ethical reasoning, data interpretation, and academic communication. Students learn to notice limits rather than treating one result as universal. Collaboration adds the challenge of reaching agreement on a question, method, and conclusion. These skills support future study in psychology and social science, and they are valuable anywhere people must evaluate behavior, evidence, and competing explanations.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade curious about behavior, thought, emotion, mental health, or the research behind psychological claims. It fits students considering psychology, social science, healthcare, law, education, business, or another field concerned with how people think and act.
Students should be ready to read research, participate in discussion, work closely with a group, collect and analyze class data, and write in a structured academic format. The course is especially useful for students who want both a broad introduction to psychological perspectives and firsthand experience conducting a small research study.
Recommended by More Than 4 out of 5 Students
Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 UCLA high school program.
Why UCLA?
UCLA gives high-school students the opportunity to explore an academic interest while experiencing university life in Los Angeles, a city where entertainment, technology, business, science, and culture constantly intersect. The campus has its own community and rhythm while connecting students to a wider environment built around creativity and new ideas.
Students learn alongside peers, navigate a large campus, and gain independence through everyday choices and responsibilities. Time outside class expands the experience through friendships, campus life, and opportunities to notice which subjects and settings hold their attention. For families, UCLA offers a valuable combination of substantive academics, personal growth, and clearer direction about what a student may want to study, experience more deeply, or pursue next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification of completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive