Students are introduced to this aspect of training within the first semester through course work in statistics (Statistics I). In the second semester, training in statistics continues (Statistics II) and a specific focus on research design and methodology is added (Research Design and Practice). Rather than these courses existing in isolation, students are encouraged to utilize the knowledge from these courses in evaluating the empirical research that underlies courses such as Advanced Psychopathology and Psychological Evaluation I and II. In doing so, the importance of the "scientist" aspect of the training program becomes readily apparent.

Concomitantly, students are working with their faculty mentor to begin developing ideas for a thesis project. As many faculty members hold regular meetings with the graduate and undergraduate students as part of their ongoing research projects, this process often involves interactions with students of numerous levels of research experience. Accordingly, students have the opportunity to benefit from the experiences of their more advanced peers as well as faculty expertise.

The thesis typically serves as the students initial experience in the development, design, and execution of an empirical study. However, it is by no means the only opportunity to participate in empirical research. Students who wish to pursue additional research projects are actively encouraged to do so. Students find ample opportunities both within the context of ongoing faculty research projects as well as support from faculty in developing independent research projects. Opportunities to participate in research outside the department are also available. For example, The University of Montana affiliated Rural Institute on Disabilities frequently seeks graduate students from the Psychology Department to fill their Research Assistant positions. It should also be noted that the psychology faculty look forward to, and highly value, the intellectual contributions students make to faculty laboratories and individual research projects. As a part of the mentorship model, students are expected to be active participants in the ongoing research projects being conducted in their faculty mentors lab.

The capstone of the research training experience is the dissertation. While the development of the dissertation project again occurs collaboratively with a faculty mentor, the student takes a much more central role. We expect that the student is able to develop an idea, successfully and appropriately develop a design to test the idea, and execute the study. Subsequently, we expect that the student is able to appropriately interpret and present the results in written form. As an additional goal, both the thesis and dissertation should be of sufficient importance and quality to be submitted for publication upon completion. The program is also designed so that students at this level are able to efficiently utilize their statistical and research design knowledge to be knowledgeable consumers of research.