Roberta Brinton

Coordinator for PERM minor in CNS Graduate program:

The Graduate Minor in Program Evaluation and Research Methodology (PERM) is open to CNS majors as well as qualifying non-CNS majors, and can be comprised of courses broadly covering a variety of related areas, including: (a) The logic of inquiry and issues of philosophy of science as they apply to psychosocial research; (b) Problems encountered by researchers in personality, family studies, social and clinical psychology, and creative approaches to their data analysis and methodological design resolutions; (c) Research problems and methods particularly relevant to field research; (d) The logic of inquiry and approaches to data analysis appropriate to field trials and quasi-experimental research; (e) The problems of measurement, research design, data analysis, causal inference, and representation of results needing to be resolved in formulating research problems, in determining the legitimacy of conclusions, and in the usefulness of recommendations based on them; and (f) The practical application of theoretical learning within group settings and involving the exchange of ideas and practical methods, skills, and principles. As PERM requires a certain degree of expertise in quantitative methods of data analysis, additional courses have included quantitative courses offered by the departments of Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Family Studies.​ 

Point of Contact for EGAD:

The "EGAD" (Evaluation Group for Analysis of Data) group meets weekly. Attendees are PERM minors and other students interested in statistical analysis and problem solving.  EGAD was started by the late Lee Sechrest and emeritus AJ Figueredo in 1987. Any faculty member or student may arrange to present a project in an EGAD meeting to get feedback on approaches to data analysis.

Updated: 07/15/22