Theorists consider student interest central to effective education, but undergraduates have varying interest in psychological research. We developed a measure of interest in psychological research and tested person-level predictors of interest in a sample of undergraduate psychology students (N = 139). Interest in psychological research was low to moderate, on average, with greater interest in relatively passive and low-commitment research activities. Predictors of greater interest in psychological research included personality (openness to experience), academic aptitude (higher ACT scores), perceived relevance of research to post- undergraduate activities, and plans to enter a PhD program. We discuss these results in the context of teaching strategies intended to improve psychological research education.
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