Research Laboratories

State-of-the-Art!

At Purdue, we are proud to have some of the best resources to aid in learning and research.

Motor Behavior and Control Laboratory

The Motor Behavior and Control Laboratory primarily utilizes kinematic recording equipment in experiments. The lab houses many computers and assorted peripheral devices to control experiments and to collect kinematic data. The lab also has a 16 channel medical quality electromyographic setup. The work is concerned with understanding the processes which lead to timing consistency in one task and whether those processes can be generalized to other timing tasks.

Infant Motor Development Laboratory

The Infant motor development laboratory studies the perceptual-motor development of infants during the first years of life. Particular emphasis is put on the study of reaching, hand preference, bimanual coordination, and how these behaviors interact with postural and locomotor development.

Teaching and Learning Laboratory

The teaching and learning laboratory has been designed and implemented to accommodate a host of instructional and research experiences for undergraduate teacher education majors in physical education and health, graduate students enrolled in the teaching and learning program in the department, and students throughout Purdue University with interests in the evaluation and study of effective teaching practice. Resources include an experimental classroom, a well equipped gymnasium, a resource library, and a computer laboratory which includes a variety of quantitative and qualitative assessment tools. Such facilities are ideally suited to projects ranging from computer-assisted instruction for our undergraduate teacher education majors, to the study of innovative classroom and gymnasium teaching methods, to the direct observation and analysis of videobased and live teaching performance across a host of educational settings and subject matters. Currently, evaluation of teaching services are also provided for graduate students, faculty, and public school educators across a variety of disciplines through the sequential behavior technologies developed by faculty working in the teaching and learning programs in the department.

Max E. Wastl Human Performance Laboratory

The Max E. Wastl Human Performance Laboratory is a modern exercise physiology research and teaching facility housed in Lambert Gym at Purdue University. The laboratories provide a venue for student and faculty research and are equipped with: two separate stations for testing of whole body metabolism and stress testing, a wet chemistry lab to allow for the analysis of muscle, blood, and other body fluids and equipment to perform techniques in cellular immunology. Combined with the Wastl Annex, a recently constructed chemistry laboratory, the labs provide the investigator with a wealth of potential research techniques. The Max E. Wastl Human Performance Laboratory also houses a separate teaching laboratory for conducting laboratory experiences associated with classes taught in Exercise Physiology and Health Promotion.

Sport and Health Psychology Laboratory

The Sport and Health Psychology Laboratory is a multifunctional facility used for research endeavors of the Sport & Exercise Psychology and Health Promotion programs. The laboratory is used for interviews, student-athlete consultations, graduate seminars, research observation, and experimental and computer-based work. The laboratory is comprised of five rooms, including an office for Sport & Exercise Psychology doctoral students, a small conference room, and a consulting room. Dr. Alan L. Smith (765-496-6002 or alsmith@sla.purdue.edu).