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Areas of StudyBehavioral Neuroscience (bn)The Behavioral Neuroscience program trains students in the scientific study of the biological aspects of behavior. Students are expected to sample widely from the course offerings of the Department of Psychology and other related departments, such as Pharmacy and Zoology. It is expected that students will be actively engaged in research throughout their tenure in the program. The specific course requirements of the behavioral neuroscience program are designed to allow students to work closely with several members of the faculty while pursuing their personal professional goals. Faculty members in behavioral neuroscience are currently engaged in research and teaching on problems of behavior theory, animal learning, psychopharmacology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropsychology, animal communication, evolution and behavior, behavioral development, and sensory processes. Approximately ten faculty in the Departments of Psychology and Zoology contribute to the area. These faculty, along with other faculty in the Department of Psychology and faculty from the Departments of Pharmacy, Biomedical Engineering, Anthropology, and Kinesiology participate in the campus-wide Institute for Neuroscience. Students in behavioral neuroscience have opportunities for a wide range of course work and research within the neurosciences. Clinical Psychology (cl)The primary objective of the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology is to prepare students for careers in clinical psychology that emphasize research and teaching. A secondary objective is to train students for the practice of clinical psychology. Students trained in this program are prepared for careers in academic or professional settings. To accomplish these objectives, the program stresses: (a) skills in research design and research methods; (b) familiarization with the recent research literature and theoretical constructs of clinical psychology and related areas (e.g., community, cognitive, personality, learning, social, physiological, developmental, and individual differences; (c) the assessment and treatment of behavioral disorders with emphasis on current theoretical, conceptual, research, and evaluation issues; and (d) application of clinical techniques in well supervised practica, internships, and other field experiences. The breadth of training is insured through a variety of course offerings designed to reflect the many developments in the mental health sciences. Faculty interests include addictive behaviors, female sexuality, stress and coping, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, stress and acculturation, and group and cultural responses to traumatic events. Admission and training is based on a mentor model. The clinical training program is APA-accredited. There are opportunities for specialization in health psychology, child clinical, and clinical neuropsychology within the clinical program. Cognitive Systems (cs)The graduate program in Cognition and Perception offers training and specialization in cognition and visual and auditory perception. Particular strengths include cognitive development, categorization, language, reading, speech perception, memory, perceptual organization, reasoning, binocular vision, visual psychophysics and physiology, auditory psychophysics, and mathematical modeling. Research activities are emphasized throughout the entire program. The program's philosophy has permitted some recent graduates of the program to take academic jobs while others have obtained positions in industry or in public institutions. The program has excellent relationships with related units on campus such as the Children's Research Lab, the Center for Vision and Image Sciences, the Institute for Neuroscience, and the Departments of Computer Sciences, Electrical and Computing Engineering, Linguistics, and Zoology. Developmental Psychology (dv)The Developmental Psychology Program is designed to provide students with a broad academic and research background in developmental psychology and special competence in at least one sub-area (e.g., social development, cognitive development). The program is oriented toward the examination of basic research and theoretical issues, although this can be combined with work on applied problems. Students are expected to be actively involved in research from the time they enter the program. Much of the research conducted by the faculty and graduate students in the Developmental Program occurs at the Children's Research Laboratory, a facility containing observation and testing rooms for studying infants and children as well as offices, meeting rooms, and a library. Faculty and students in the developmental area also work with faculty in the graduate programs in Child Development and Family Relationships and Educational Psychology. Individual Differences and Evolutionary Psychology (id)The Individual Differences and Evolutionary Psychology area focuses on the causes and consequences of differences among individuals and groups, and the techniques by which these differences can be measured. Since the causes of differences are multifaceted, students are expected to have some exposure in formal courses to behavior genetics, evolution, environmental influences on behavior, and the techniques of psychological measurement, as well as to specialize in a major area of interest. Social and Personality Psychology (sp)The program in Social and Personality Psychology is a research-oriented program for students who wish to pursue postdoctoral careers in academics, government, or industry. Students learn to design and execute laboratory experiments as well as complex multivariate field investigations. The program emphasizes traditional theoretical approaches to social and personality psychology and its students work on a variety of new and classic problems. Topics include self-concept and self-esteem, the psychology of health, the mind-body interface, attitude change, social judgment, stereotyping and prejudice, gender, group performance, personality, and the behavioral effects of differences in personality. There is an opportunity for specialization in health psychology within the social and personality program. Perceptual Systems (ps)The program in Sensory Neuroscience is designed to provide students with the training necessary to conduct research on the sensory aspects of vision and hearing and to work in either academic or industrial settings. The emphasis of the program is on the fundamental mechanisms involved in visual and auditory perception. Students will learn about the behavioral (psychophysical) and physiological techniques best suited for studying sensory mechanisms, and about mathematical modeling of sensory phenomena and systems. A traditional goal of sensory psychology is to explain psychophysical facts in terms of known physiological facts; accordingly, students in the SNS area will be expected to study the literature in both domains. Some specific topics of recent or current interest to the faculty in SNS include: binocular cures in vision, perception of texture, processing by neurons in visual cortex, form vision, visual and auditory perceptual organization, otoacoustic emissions from the cochlea, and sex differences in hearing. |
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Updated 24 March 2009
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