Princeton University

Psychology, PhD

Graduate work within the Psychology emphasizes preparation for research and teaching in psychology, with specialization in the following broad areas: cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, language, learning and memory, perception and cognition, the psychology of inequality, social neuroscience, social psychology, and systems neuroscience. The program is designed to prepare students for attaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and a career of productive scholarship in psychology.Students are required to take the proseminar, PSY 500 501, which covers several basic areas of psychology, in the first year. By the end of the second year, students should have demonstrated basic competence in quantitative methods by having successfully completed PSY 503: Quantitative Analysis in Psychological Research. Each student must complete a six-week course in the responsible conduct of scientific research, entitled PSY 591 Ethical Issues in Scientific Research. This course is normally taken during the second year. First year students should consult their advisors enrolling in seminars in addition to Psychology 500, 501, and 503. Three semester hours of teaching, then, is the minimum required for the degree, although most students teach than three hours over their graduate careers. In any case, students will be appointed as assistants in instruction and paid for any hours that they teach.PSY 500 Proseminar in Basic Problems in Psychology: Social Psychology Social Proseminar: Introduction to graduate level social psychology for first year graduate students in psychology. This course will serve as the basis for advanced graduate courses on specific topics in this area. PSY 501 Proseminar in Basic Problems in Psychology: Cognitive Psychology Introduction to cognitive psychology for first-year graduate students. This course will serve as the basis for advanced graduate courses on specific topics in this area.PSY 543 Research Seminar in Cognitive Psychology Current research and issues in sensation, perception, and cognition. Ongoing research by seminar participants, research methodology, and current issues in the literature are discussed.PSY 551 Design and Interpretation of Social Psychological Research An advanced seminar that considers current research in social psychology. Contemporary research conducted by the seminar participants is discussed.) Examination of issues in the responsible conduct of scientific research, including the definition of scientific misconduct, mentoring, authorship, peer review, grant practices, use of humans and of animals as subjects, ownership of data, and conflict of interest. Class will consist primarily of the discussion of cases. Required of all first and second year graduate students in the Psychology. Open to other graduate students.

Psychology

A multidisciplinary study of the fundamentals of human-machine interactions from both the human psychology philosophy side and the machine engineering and design side. Philosophical, psychological, and engineering models of the human processor. Functional differences between people and machines, the nature of consciousness and intelligence, massively parallel computing and neural networks, and the concept of resonant synergism in human-machine interactions. Two 90-minute lectures three laboratories during semester.

An examination of the relationship between important topics in abnormal psychology and laboratory research conducted in other areas of psychology. Topics will include the ties between laboratory-learned helplessness and mood disorders, human memory research and dissociative disorders, and coping strategies and anxiety disorders. Two 90-minute classes. Prerequisite: 101 and 207, or instructor permission.

Major issues in social and personality psychology examined from a developmental perspective with emphasis on developmental processes and change. Data on children, adolescents, and adults will be considered. Topics will include: social attachment, stranger and separation anxiety, self-concept, self-esteem, achievement, sex roles, and antisocial, prosocial, and moral behavior. Prerequisite: 252 or 254 or 257 or instructor permission. Two 90-minute seminars.

Gender is a topic with which everybody feels intimately familiar. This course holds up to scientific scrutiny the strong beliefs people have how women and men are similar to and different from each other, examining major theories and empirical findings in psychological research on gender. Topics include the development of gender identity, empirical comparisons of men and women, gender stereotypes and their perpetuation, and the role of gender and gendered beliefs in achievement, interpersonal relationships, and physical and psychological well-being. Prerequisite: any course in psychology. Two 90-minute lectures, one preceptorial.

A fundamental goal of cognitive neuroscience is to understand how psychological functions such as attention, memory, language, and decision making arise from computations performed by assemblies of neurons in the brain. This course will provide an introduction to the use of connectionist models (also known as neural network or parallel distributed processing models) as a tool for exploring how psychological functions are implemented in the brain, and how they go awry in patients with brain damage. Prerequisite: instructor permission. Two 90-minute lectures, one laboratory.