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| Department of Psychology | |
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Program Focus Research and Collaboration: The Cognition, Action, Perception program provides a wide and extensive range of instruction and guidance in the domain of Experimental Psychology. Graduate students are trained in Additionally, students gain experience in supervision of undergraduate research assistants. Area research laboratories encourage group efforts, taking advantage of the contributions from an array of resources. The Cognition, Action, Perception program includes 13 core faculty members, and 12 affiliated faculty from other departments. Furthermore, each of the research groups in our area has an affiliation with at least one other interdisciplinary organization. Doctoral students are encouraged to broaden their training through collaboration with faculty and students from these related outside areas. Career Goals: The Cognition, Action, Perception program is committed to training the next generation of experimental psychologists in the areas of Cognition, Behavior, Perception, Dynamic Action, Cognitive Development, and Cognitive Neuroscience. Graduates are prepared for faculty positions as experimental psychologists in Departments of Psychology, at major research institutions, and in industry. Graduates of the program hold faculty positions at major research universities and government laboratories such as Indiana University, University of Kansas, and Aberdeen Proving Ground Admission and Training Admission and Financial Support. Students in the Cognition, Action, Perception program are admitted directly to the Ph.D. program, with the expectation that the student will progress through a Master's (M.A.) Degree to the Ph.D. The modal time for achieving the Ph.D. degree is five years, and in recent years we have been able to offer five years of funding through various research and teaching assistantships. A number of area faculty have received grants through NIH and NSF that fund research assistants, and some assistantship is available through the interdisciplinary programs. Research Experience Graduate study blends formal course work and laboratory research to provide students with both a broad knowledge base and specialized skills applicable to their personalized research program. Throughout their training, students participate in graduate seminars, tool skill courses, and advanced content courses in psychology and related disciplines. Students engage in research with faculty mentors from their first semester, with the first-year research experience culminating in a paper and oral presentation. In subsequent years of study, the course work and research projects are individually tailored to each student's particular interests and talents. Research becomes more independent as students complete a master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation. During this time, students are also encouraged to present posters and talks to local and national conferences, and to submit their research for publication. Teaching Experience Students may gain teaching experience by serving as teaching assistants or lab instructors of undergraduate and introductory graduate courses, under the supervision of the faculty who are teaching the course. This experience is especially valuable for those with plans to pursue a career in academia. Milestones First Year Project. The first year project involves research under the direct supervision of the student’s mentor. This project culminates in a paper and brief oral presentation at the end of the student’s first year, and often symbolizes the successful survival of their "freshman" year in graduate school. Master’s Thesis. The Master's thesis is typically undertaken in the second year. It is an original piece of research, closely supervised by the research advisor. The student defends the thesis before a committee consisting of his or her advisor and two additional faculty members. The thesis leads to the M.A. degree. Comprehensive Examination. Generally during the third year of graduate school, the student concentrates much of his or her effort on a scholarly review of four areas of Experimental Psychology, one for each of the four members on their comprehensive examination committee. The student, in the process of reviewing the literature from the selected reading lists, becomes an expert in the areas, which are often the basis of the doctoral dissertation or are research areas the student plans to pursue in the future. The comprehensive examination involves a two-step process. The student first completes a written exam consisting of questions from each area, and a week later, the student defends the written responses before the committee and answers other questions posed by the committee. Doctoral Dissertation. The doctoral dissertation is an extensive piece of original research that demonstrates the capability of the student to act as an independent scholar in experimental methods. The dissertation is closely supervised by the research advisor and three additional faculty members, who constitute the dissertation committee. The dissertation process begins with the dissertation proposal, a written document that provides a comprehensive scholarly introduction to the research and a complete description of the research to be undertaken. Once the oral defense of the dissertation proposal is completed, the student is admitted to Ph.D. candidacy by the Graduate College. Next, the Psychology Department requires a "data meeting," a working meeting in which the empirical and/or analytical outcomes are reviewed by the whole committee. Any further needed work is discussed. The student then defends the dissertation in a final oral examination. Curriculum Core courses (3 courses from the following, and 1 course approved by your advisor): Skill courses (2 courses): Specialized seminars (3 courses): Research seminar (each semester) Research hours (30 semester hours)
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