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Cognitive Psychology

General Information

The cognitive area consists of a group of research faculty investigating a range of research topics. Some of these topics involve collaborations among faculty members and provide opportunities for students to become involved in larger research groups.

Faculty members in the cognitive program are very accessible to students and stress collegial interaction and collaboration as major vehicles for intellectual growth.

The graduate program in cognitive psychology is research oriented. While course-work is required, students are expected to become engaged in research from the outset of their graduate training. Generally, close faculty supervision of research in the first-year project yields to greater independence as the student progresses through the program. A first year research project, second year research project, comprehensive examinations, and a doctoral dissertation are required.

Graduate students in cognitive psychology are also encouraged to interact with faculty in the interdispiplinary Cognitive Science Program and to enroll in the Interdepartmental Graduate Specialization in Cognitive Science. Cognitive Science students may also apply for funding

The cognitive program features a series of formal courses, specialty seminars, reading groups, and both "brown bag" luncheon talks and the Friday afternoon Cognitive Forum. Students are also encouraged to attend colloquia in other cognitive science departments as well as the cognitive science speakers series.

Because most of our students seek a research-teaching position following completion of the Ph.D., they are encouraged to gain teaching experience. Students typically serve as teaching assistants in one or more courses during their tenure as graduate students, and have the opportunity to teach their own course near completion of the program.

Recent Ph.D. graduates from the cognitive psychology program have competed successfully for some of the best post-doctoral and faculty positions in the field. Students who have graduated in the recent past are at the institutions in the following table. Students from prior years hold faculty positions at prominent institutions such as the University of Notre Dame and industry positions at institutions such as AT&T.

Name	Ph.D.	Position	Location
Dan Gajewski	2006	Post-doc	George Washington University
Ben Swets	2006	Post-doc	Stony Brook University
Monica Castelhano	2005	Faculty	Queen's University
Mareike Wieth	2005	Faculty	Albion College
Karl Bailey	2004	Faculty	Andrews University
Carrick Williams	2003	Faculty	Mississippi State University
Sian Beilock	2003	Faculty	University of Chicago
Kiel Christianson	2002	Faculty	University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Kate Arrington	2002	Faculty	Lehigh University
Karin Butler	2001	Faculty	University of New Mexico
Douglas Davidson	2000	Post-doc	Max-Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics
Andrew Hollingworth	2000	Faculty	University of Iowa

• The Graduate Program in Cognitive Psychology (you're here)
• Primary Research Faculty in Cognitive Psychology
• Facilities in Cognitive Psychology
• Financial Aid
• Application Information
• The Cognitive Science Program
• The Department of Psychology
• Michigan State University