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Psychology
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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


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