The Department of Psychology is organized into specialized programs that reflect the contemporary state of the discipline as well as the wide-ranging interests of its own faculty. These programs are:
Cognition
The goal of the doctoral program in Cognitive Psychology is to train graduate students to be well-rounded researchers and scholars. Our unique approach fosters integrative thinking that crosses disciplinary boundaries, and focuses on research questions that have both theoretical and practical significance. Faculty, students, and post docs collaborate on projects spanning a variety of cognitive domains, such as human memory, language and communication, perception, attention and action, and conflict resolution and negotiation. Not only do we focus on fundamentally cognitive questions, but we also situate these questions within a broader context, including the biological bases and the social manifestations of cognitive phenomena. Our integrative approach allows graduate students to benefit from the University as a whole, by interacting with faculty from the Biological Sciences, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences.
Faculty Advisers in the Cognition Area: Edward S. Awh, Wilma A. Bainbridge, Akram Bakkour, Marc G. Berman, Jean Decety, David A. Gallo, Susan Goldin-Meadow, Leslie M. Kay, Boaz Keysar, Susan C. Levine, Yuan Chang Leong, Sarah London, Daniel Margoliash, Howard C. Nusbaum, Monica Rosenberg, Alex Shaw, Steven K. Shevell, Edward K. Vogel, Amanda Woodward, Jai Yu
Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
The Computational Cognitive Neuroscience graduate program at the University of Chicago is designed to provide the training and research opportunities for the next generation of computational cognitive neuroscientists. The program will provide students with training in basic neuroscience, cognition and computational techniques to tackle the incredible and daunting challenge in trying to understand such a complex system and complex multidimensional behavior.
Faculty Advisers in the Cognition Area: Edward S. Awh, Wilma A. Bainbridge, Akram Bakkour, Marc G. Berman, Leslie M. Kay, Yuan Chang Leong, Greg J. Norman, Howard Nusbaum, Brian Prendergast, Monica Rosenberg, Steven K. Shevell, Edward K. Vogel, Jai Yu
Developmental Psychology
The University of Chicago has long been a pioneer in the field of developmental science. With its renowned faculty and state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, the Developmental Psychology Program provides a rich environment for scientific inquiry, training, and mentorship.
Among the faculty, there is particular convergence in the areas of language and cognitive development. Our research on language acquisition spans a broad range of topics, including early vocabulary growth and word learning, the effects of language input on language development, the development of narrative and discourse abilities, and the development of the gestures that accompany speech. Our research on cognitive development includes studies of perceptual development, mathematical and spatial abilities in infants and children, the effects of school and home environments on cognitive development, the development of autobiographical memory, the development of infants' knowledge about objects, and infants' and children's concepts of intentional action. There are also thriving research programs in social and emotional development, including the development of emotional understanding and interactions between parents and children. In addition to these areas of research, a number of us investigate relations between multiple factors in development, for example relations between thought, language and culture, and relations between action, perception and cognition.
Faculty Advisers in Developmental Psychology: Lin Bian, Jean Decety, Susan Goldin-Meadow, Katherine D. Kinzler, Susan C. Levine, Alex Shaw, Amanda Woodward
Integrative Neuroscience
The Integrative Neuroscience graduate program at the University of Chicago is designed to provide the training and research opportunities for the next generation of behavioral, cognitive, and social neuroscientists. Behavioral, cognitive, and social neuroscience represent three complementary and partially overlapping aspects of this integrative neuroscience of mind and behavior. Behavioral neuroscience places an emphasis on the biological mechanisms underlying basic behavioral processes; cognitive neuroscience places an emphasis on the biological mechanisms underlying cognition, with a specific focus on the neural substrates of mental processes and their behavioral manifestations; and social neuroscience places an emphasis on the biological mechanisms underlying social processes and behavior, including the ability to perceive and communicate mental states including the beliefs and desires of others and to form and maintain interpersonal and group relationships. The University of Chicago is optimally positioned to meet this challenge because its unique academic structure facilitates interactions across disciplinary perspectives.
Faculty Advisers in Integrative Neuroscience: Edward S. Awh, Wilma A. Bainbridge, Akram Bakkour, Marc G. Berman, Jean Decety, David A. Gallo, Leslie M. Kay, Yuan Chang Leong, Sarah London, Daniel Margoliash, Greg J. Norman, Howard C. Nusbaum, Brian J. Prendergast, Monica Rosenberg, Steven K. Shevell, Edward K. Vogel, Jai Yu
Social Psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how social environments shape our thinking, feeling, and behavior on one hand, and how our thinking, feeling, and behavior shape our social environments on the other hand. It is the scientific study of how the social world and psyche make each other up.
The primary goal of the UChicago social psychology program is to address pressing societal issues using social psychological theorizing and methods. This makes the UChicago social psychology program distinct. Our inquiry is inspired by the real world. Our findings will inspire the solutions to real-world problems and enhance the well-being of the individual and society. We are diverse in terms of personal and cultural backgrounds, theoretical orientations, and preferred methodologies, but united in our commitment to and belief in the benefits of social psychological research for the individual and society. In addition to the faculty advisors listed below, there are a number of renowned social psychologists at Booth School of Business (PhD in Behavioral Science | The University of Chicago Booth School of Business) who collaborate with the social psychology students.
Faculty Advisers in Social Psychology: Lin Bian, Jean Decety, Katherine D. Kinzler, Yuan Chang Leong, Greg J. Norman, Shigehiro Oishi, Alex Shaw
Consistent with the interdisciplinary traditions of the University of Chicago, many faculty members serve on more than one of the department's programs.
