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On Line!
 Research
is the
central
part of the
doctoral
candidate's
education
During the
first
year of graduate
study,
students work
closely
with a faculty
advisor
on a current
research
project
consistent
with their
interests.
As
students learn
the
techniques of
research,
they are
encouraged
to
develop
their own
ideas
for
experimental
and
theoretical
investigations.
By
the end of the
graduate
training,
students
will be
conducting
their
own
research,
having
made the
transition
from
apprentice
to
independent
scientist.
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............Areas
of Study:
.
Cognitive
Psychology
Our
goal is nothing less than to characterize the mechanisms underlying human
cognition
in
domains that range from perception and action to problem solving and reasoning.
We
investigate the cognitive basis for abilities such as language processing,
mathematical
reasoning,
learning and memory.
Cognitive
research draws on a variety of empirical methods, including protocol analysis
and
eye
movement monitoring, in addition to traditional behavioral methods. The
studies involve
a
variety of populations, including experts and novices in particular content
domains,
bilinguals
and neuropsychological patients, such as those with visual neglect or aphasia.
The
theoretical work often incorporates computer approaches. Both introductory
and more
advanced
experience in these methods is available through research projects, courses
and
workshops.
Other ongoing cognitive research examines the neural underpinnings of
cognition,
using functional neuroimaging of normal individuals and patients with particular
deficits
performing well-specified tasks.
Research
groups frequently interact with groups in other departments with related
interests,
including researchers in computer science and robotics at Carnegie Mellon,
and
in the neurosciences at the University of Pittsburgh. The graduate program
in cognitive
psychology
encourages the analysis of the functional and neural mechanisms underlying
cognition
using a variety of methodologies, populations and computational formalisms.
Cognitive
Neuroscience
Cognitive
neuroscience is a relatively new and flourishing field that has emerged
at the
interface
between traditional cognitive psychology and the brain sciences. At Carnegie
Mellon
the two fields are strongly integrated, as the description of cognitive
psychology
indicates.
Our approach is characterized by attempts to derive cognitive-level theories
from
a
variety of types of information, including the computational properties
of neural circuits,
patterns
of behavioral damage following brain injury, and measures of brain activity
during
the
performance of cognitive tasks. Specific foci of current research include
perception and
attention,
read and language procession, and learning and memory. The research involves
a
number of techniques, including neuropsychological analysis of patients
with brain
damage
and mental disorders, computational modeling, functional neuroimaging,
and
experiments
on the relation between brain development and cognition in human infants
and
other vertebrate species.
Students
concentrating in cognitive neuroscience complement their training in psychology
with
course work and research experience in neuropsychology and neuroscience.
For more
intensive
training in this area, students in the psychology department are eligible
to
participate
in the graduate training program of the Center
for the Neural Basis of Cognition.
This
program provides exposure to cognitive, computational and systems neuroscience
as
well
as cellular and molecular neuroscience, complementing the research training
offered in
the
department, and extending the time to complete the Ph.d. to five years.
Developmental
Psychology
How
do newborns learn to break sounds into syllables and words? How do infants
learn to
link
concepts to words? How do toddlers acquire the grammars of their native
language?
What
are the strategies children use to master the range of cognitive skills
from early
mathematics,
spelling and writing to complex problem solving and scientific reasoning?
How
can we build mechanistic models of all these processes that are constrained
by what
we
know about the development of human brain?
These
are some of the core issues that are being investigated by
developmental
researchers at Carnegie Mellon.
Our
program is designed to provide students with the newest and most promising
research
methodologies
available to address these questions. Among these methodologies are
neural
networks, dynamic system models, production system architectures, advance
statistical
models, functional magnetic resonance imaging, ERP recording and
eye-movement
tracking. Additionally, the program trains students in the use of
microgenetic
techniques, online reaction time measurements, verbal protocols, error
analysis
and computerized video analysis of language and gesture. There is a particular
emphasis
on bringing the tools and precision of adult cognitive psychology to bear
on the
complexities
of human development. At the same time, we are strongly committed to the
application
of developmental theory to educational practice. These links to practice
are
developed
in cooperation both with local schools, our own laboratory
pre-school/kindergarten
program at Carnegie Mellon Children's School, and the Learning
Research
and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh.
This
program prepares the student to become an independent research scientist,
one who has a profound command of developmental theory, modern research
methodology, and
applications
to education and cognitive neuroscience.
Social
/ Personality / Health Psychology
Humans
are fundamentally social beings. They are also individuals with unique
histories,
experiences
and perceptions. Their social and cognitive behaviors, how they relate
to one
another,
and their health are influenced not only by the social contexts in which
they find
themselves
but also by the personality traits they bring to those situations. The
research of
social/personality
psychologists in the department spans the following areas: relationships
-
their
nature and how they are affected by emotions and personality; health -
the effects of
personality
characteristics, emotions and relationships; and the impact of stress and
coping
on
relationships and health. Within the area of health psychology, there are
ongoing studies
on
the role of psychological and social factors in heart disease, cancer and
infectious
diseases.
Within the area of relationship research, there are ongoing studies on
psychological
processes occurring in newly forming relationships, and on different types
of
relationships,
including friendship, romance, marriage and caregiving.
The
program builds upon traditional research and training experiences in the
social/personality
psychology laboratory as well as on the faculty's current interests and
opportunities
in applied social research. Researchers in the department interact and
collaborate
with researchers at other educational and medical institutions. Current
training
programs
in health psychology involve researchers at the University of Pittsburgh
as well
as
Carnegie Mellon's Department of Social and Decision Sciences.
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