Moderation is undertaken in the second semester of the sophomore year. Through this process students make the transition from the Lower College to the Upper College and establish their major in a program. Transfer students entering with the equivalent of two full years of credit (64 credits maximum) have two semesters in which to complete moderation.
Moderation Requirements
Prior to Moderation
Prior to Moderation, students entering the College are required to complete the following:
Introduction to Psychological Science (PSY 141; a score of 5 on the AP Psychology exam may fulfill the requirement);
a two-semester consecutive sequence, beginning in the sophomore year, of PSY 201 and PSY 202. PSY 201 must be completed or in-progress by moderation. PSY 202 needn’t be taken prior to Moderation but is taken the semester directly following PSY 201;
and at least two additional 200-level courses in Psychology.
Moderation Papers
For the Moderation Board (during the second semester of the sophomore year), the student prepares two short papers (Academic Past and Future) that describe their academic past experiences and future plans, and a longer paper that summarizes and analyzes an empirical article.
The short papers (about two or three pages each) are required for moderation College-wide. More information can be found on the registrar’s website.
Moderation Paper Guidelines
The following are meant to be guidelines only, not a rigid format. You should think of them as areas you should address. The format of the papers is up to you.
The Moderation Project provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to evaluate empirical research in Psychology. Your goal is to respond in writing to a small number of prompts after reading one of a selection of empirical journal articles provided to you. The article selection will be available two weeks before the response is due, as per the calendar.
Moderation Project
Specifically, students will be asked to respond, in no more than 2 double-spaced typed pages, to the following prompts:
State, clearly and succinctly, the primary hypothesis(es) being addressed by the chosen article.
Describe the general design of the study. Focus on the logic of the study rather than the procedural details.
Characterize the strengths and weaknesses of the particular methodology the researchers used to address their question.
Identify a key figure or table in the article and provide an argument for why this is the key figure or table.
Explain whether and why the article reported support for the primary hypothesis(es).
Faculty may be consulted with general questions about the instructions for this assignment, but there are limits to the amount of help we can provide in terms of the content and interpretation of the reading. For example, we will not explain statistical methods in detail, but we will direct you to resources so that you will be able to comment on the experimental results in a manner that reflects your level of understanding. You may not consult any individuals (or “Artificial Intelligence” or chatbots) about your assigned article or your written response, with the exception of faculty members in Psychology. If you use any outside resources (including websites or other articles), they should be referenced in your submission.
Students will upload their responses to Google Classroom by the assigned deadline and be prepared to discuss the article and the responses to the prompts during their scheduled Moderation board. Importantly, students should bring copies of their Academic Past/Future papers, along with the chosen article and their response to it, to the board meeting.
Notes: Students must have completed at least one semester at Bard before sitting for Moderation (i.e., transfer students may not moderate in their first semester at the Annandale campus). The Psychology Program wishes to acknowledge the Biology Program for providing the basis of this Moderation Project.