Experimental Psychology, PhD

Cognition, Brain, & Behavior

Contact:

Lael Schooler, Ph.D.
509 Huntington Hall
lschoole@syr.edu
(315)443-3669

Faculty

Emily B. Ansell, Kevin Antshel, D. Bruce Carter, Catherine A. Cornwell, Amy H. Criss, Joseph W. Ditre, Tanya L. Eckert, Joshua C. Felver, Les A. Gellis, Randall S. Jorgenson, Michael L. Kalish, Lawrence J. Lewandowski, David Kellen, Stephen A. Maisto, Brian K. Martens, Leonard Newman, Tibor Palfai, Aesoon Park, Natalie Russo, Lael J. Schooler, Peter A. Vanable, Laura E. VanderDrift, and Sarah Woolf-King.

The Cognition, Brain, & Behavior (CBB) program offers graduate training leading to a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology. Research in the area is centered on using computational methods and theory to understand fundamental mechanisms underlying cognitive and neural processing. Cognitive and perceptual processes under study include visual perception, memory, learning, attention, knowledge development, concepts and categories, problem solving, reasoning, and decision making. Research in this area contributes to the understanding of human behavior in individual and social environments and provides the structure on which to build applications to improve health and behavior.

Students receive research training at the forefront of cognitive psychology. Students are assigned a core faculty member as primary advisor upon entry to the program and are required to actively participate in research through the duration of their program of study. Participation is designed to facilitate the development of research and professional skills necessary for a career in psychological science. Required milestones include completion of a first year research project, Master’s proposal and defense, qualifying exam, and Dissertation proposal and defense.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Explain fundamental mechanisms, underlying cognitive and neural processing

2. Develop a toolbox of computational skills

3. Synthesize the literature and develop novel ideas, approaches, methods, or theory to advance their sub-field

4. Conduct original research in the field

5. Organize and interpret scientific data for written and oral presentation

6. Follow ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association

7. Demonstrate expertise as a psychology instructor

Program Requirements

The curriculum is designed to provide students with the essential coursework and laboratory research experience necessary for an academic or research career. The program of study for the Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology requires a minimum of 90 graduate credit hours, distributed as follows:

Statistics Core (6 credits):

PSY 655 - Experimental Design and Statistical Methods I 3 credit(s)
PSY 756 - Experimental Design and Statistical Methods II 3 credit(s)

Department Core (9 credits):

Three courses chosen from areas outside of the student’s major area of study.

Methods Core (15 Credits):

PSY 611 - Proseminar Methods and Topics in Cognitive Psychology 3 credit(s)
PSY 612 - Advanced Experimental Psychology 3 credit(s)
PSY 854 - Bayesian Statistical Analysis 3 credit(s)

Cognitive/Neural Bases (12 credits):

PSY 736 - Advanced Introduction to Cognitive Psychology 3 credit(s)
and 3 of the following
PSY 615 - Behavioral Pharmacology 3 credit(s)
PSY 622 - Cognitive Psychology: Memory and Attention 3 credit(s)
PSY 626 - Cognitive Neurochemistry 3 credit(s)
PSY 730 - Seminar in Experimental Psychology 3 credit(s)
PSY 737 - Experimental Psychology: Cognition and Human Aging 3 credit(s)
PSY 777 - Advanced Cognitive Neuroscience 3 credit(s)

Independent Research, Other Recommended Courses (24 credits):

Students are encouraged to work closely with one or more faculty members in a research program, and to develop a program of research.

Master’s Thesis (6 credits)

Dissertation (18 credits)

Satisfactory Progress in the Program

The first year project is due by May 30th of the first year. Students are required to propose their master’s thesis by September 30th of their second year and complete the master’s thesis (or equivalent research project for students admitted with credit for an earned master’s degree) by May 30th of their second year. Students pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam by May 30th of their third year. The Ph.D. dissertation proposal must be completed by September 30th of the 4th year. Thesis and dissertation research is supervised by a committee consisting of three faculty members. The dissertation committee consists of the student’s research advisor, who must be a member of the Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (C.B.B.) program, and two other faculty members. Students are expected to defend the dissertation by the end of their fifth year.

Admissions and Financial Support

Admission to the graduate program in Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (C.B.B.) depends on the quality of the applicant’s prior academic record, research interests, skills, and experience, and the applicant’s GRE scores. Financial support is available for all well-qualified graduate students by means of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships.