Department of Psychology

Faculty and Fields of Interest

Brian Ayotte health psychology, interpersonal relationships, cognition, and problem solving in older adults

R Thomas Boone (Chairperson) nonverbal communication of emotion, developmental social processes, cooperative processes, communication of trustworthiness

John K. Conboy child and family psychotherapy, psychological assessment, ADHD, behavior therapy

Donald P. Corriveau clinical research, counseling, behavioral medicine

Paul A. Donnelly counseling psychology, treatment of adolescent and criminal offenders

Jennifer Fugate categorization of faces and role of language

Patrice Hartnett lifespan development (child and adolescent), comparative cognition

Mahzad Hojjat conflict, forgiveness, satisfaction in romantic relationships/friendships, inter-ethnic romantic relationships, positive psychology of love

Trina Kershaw skill learning and transfer, problem solving, individual differences

Robin Locke Arkerson developmental psychopathology, emotional development, biological psychology

Aminda O’Hare emotion and cognition, individual differences, anxiety, cognitive bias, and event-related potentials (ERPs)

Teal Pedlow health psychology, women’s health, HIV/AIDS, alcohol/substance abuse, clinical research

Theodore E. Powers clinical training, personality, motivation

Andrew J. Revell lifespan human development, neuropsychology of aging, health risk indicators, multivariate measurement, gerontology

Elizabeth F. Richardson health psychology, adolescent and young adult risk behaviors, clinical research

Amy M. Shapiro human learning and memory, educational technology, memory errors

Judith E. Sims-Knight cognitive development, adult reasoning, human-computer interaction, instructional psychology.

The focus of psychology is the scientific study of behavior. Psychology is studied as a science with the implication that there is a commitment to rational thinking and empirical analysis of the problems encountered in describing and explaining human behavior.

An integrated 4-part curriculum provides students with a broad introduction to the field, emphasizing the understanding and design of research. Depth of study is offered in the junior and senior years. A wide range of subfields of psychology are offered from courses that emphasize our biological heritage (e.g., physiological psychology, perception) to those that examine basic human functioning (e.g., cognition, learning, personality, social) and those that have a distinct applied orientation (e.g., counseling, behavior modification, organizational and community psychology). There are also opportunities for students to engage in independent research and honors research projects and to participate in internships in various clinical settings. The curriculum can be structured to prepare students for graduate education or to include applied clinical coursework and experiences that would allow graduates to seek employment in a variety of human services agencies.

Students who major in psychology find primary employment opportunities in personnel management, elementary and secondary high school education, social work, software and other product development. Higher level psychological professions, such as counseling psychotherapy, university instruction, psychological research (in industry, universities, and research centers) and various administrative mental health positions generally require a master’s degree or preferably a doctorate in psychology. The department also offers a graduate program in psychology leading to a Master of Arts degree with distinct clinical and research options.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students should gain the ability to:

Recognize or recall the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and/or historical trends in psychology; and
Identify and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation; and
Identify and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and/or the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes; and
Identify and apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organizational issues; and
Weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a discipline.