Many First Years and Sophomores join a lab and contribute to the science.
Undergraduate students do not need to wait for Junior or Senior independent work to get involved in research in the Department of Psychology. Starting early allows you to gain lab skills and become familiar with a research topic — experience that can translate into higher quality independent work. This path is especially useful for students who are interested in a career in science.
If you are interested in early research opportunities, you are encouraged to look carefully through the Department of Psychology faculty web pages and read about their research interests. You should then email and meet with faculty to get a better sense of their work and whether their labs have availability.