Department of Psychology

Psychology is the science of mental life and of the relations between mind, brain, and behavior. It involves the systematic observation and analysis of human perception, cognition, and social interaction, and includes relevant study of other species. The Department of Psychology focuses on three broad areas of psychology: cognition/perception, social/personality/clinical psychology, and cognitive and behavioral neuroscience.

The major in psychology provides a unique opportunity for students to explore and to combine different approaches to the study of mind and brain. It includes a comprehensive, but flexible, distribution of courses, along with two years of independent work. Students work closely with one or more faculty members throughout that period and eventually design and carry out an original piece of research.

For students concerned primarily with getting a liberal arts education, psychology is an appropriate major, with important links to a wide range of other disciplines, including molecular biology (a certificate in neuroscience is an available option), philosophy and cognitive science, linguistics, computer science, sociology, and public policy (several of the faculty have joint appointments with the Woodrow Wilson School). For those concerned with preprofessional preparation, such as medicine or law, psychology is a highly relevant discipline. In addition, some students pursue a career in psychology, either immediately or after graduate training. For those interested in scientific research, new tools (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging) and theoretical advances make it an exciting time to be an experimental psychologist. Researchers now can see into the brain and forge meaningful links between neural activity, behavior, and cognition. There is also a wide range of career options other than academic teaching and research. The demand for clinical and therapeutically oriented psychologists continues unabated. The applications of psychology in such areas as environmental control, community organization, biomedical engineering, education, health, social work, advertising, industry, and business continue to expand.

We hope that no matter what aspects of psychology students pursue, they will emerge with something valuable and distinctive—a psychological point of view toward behavioral phenomena.