Faculty members of the Graduate Program, as well as related faculty within the Psychology Department and adjunct faculty at near-by institutions, are conducting research on a wide range of phenomena of interest to cognitive psychologists. Opportunities are available for students to carry out research in laboratories of faculty outside the Graduate Program if student and faculty interests coincide.
Students begin carrying out research upon entering the program, and do so throughout their careers.
Students' support during the first year usually involves a research assistantship, which allows the students to become actively involved in the ongoing research of a faculty member. Students are encouraged to become familiar with the research of all the members of the Graduate Program, and of related and adjunct faculty, so that the student will have maximum freedom in choosing a research area for concentration. Research requirements include, in preparation for the dissertation, production of a publishable project by the end of the second year. Coursework is designed to expose the student to material across the broad spectrum of psychology represented in the department, as well as providing advanced training in cognitive psychology. Advanced seminars are available in the Psychology Department in the areas of memory, perception, psycholinguistics, creativity, neurocognition, and cognitive development, among others.