Harris M Cooper, Professor

Harris M Cooper

Professor
PhD Social Psychology, University of Connecticut, 1976
mailing address: 249 Soc/Psych Box 90086 Duke University Durham, NC 27708
office: 249 Soc/Psych
email:
phone: (919) 660-5664

research interests | publications | courses | lab web site | curriculum vita

Research Summary:
 My research interests follow two paths. The first concerns research synthesis. I study how research syntheses can best be carried out and how their results can be communicated to general audiences as well as scholars. My students and I have published research syntheses in varied fields, including personality and social psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, education policy, marketing, and developmental medicine and child neurology.

Second, I am interested in the application of social and developmental psychology to educational policy issues. Our most recent research includes syntheses on the effectiveness of homework and the role of parents in the homework process. My students and I are currently conducting research syntheses on the impact of the length of the school year and full-day kindergarten on academic performance. We are also doing experimental research on the effects of choice on intrinsic motivation.

Finally, after serving as editor of the Psychological Bulletin from 2003 through 2008, I have begun work as the Editor-in-Chief for the American Psychological Association's Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology. I teach both graduate and undergraduate research methods classes.

Representative Publications:   (More Publications)

  1. Cooper, H. (2009). Research synthess and meta-analysis: A guide for literature reviews. 4th Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  2. H. Cooper (2008). The search for meaningful ways to express the effects of interventions.. Child Development Perspectives, 2, 181-186.
  3. Cooper, H., Robinson, J.C. & Patall, E.A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement?: A synthesis of research, 1987-2004. Review of Educational Research, 76, 1-62.
  4. Cooper, H. "Research questions and research designs." Handbook of Research in Educational Psychology (2nd ed.). Ed. P.A. Alexander, P.H. Winne & G Phye. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum & Associates., 2006: 849-877.

Courses (Fall 2009):

  • Psy 200a.01, Distinction thesis workshop i Synopsis
    Soc/psych 126, TuTh 08:30 AM-09:45 AM