Social Psychology

A multi-discipline approach

The faculty in the Social Psychology Research Group conduct research at the interfaces between social psychology and clinical psychology, developmental psychology, and judgment and decision making.

Interested graduate student applicants are encouraged to contact potential mentors whose research best fits with their interests. Graduate students with a focus on social psychology have a variety of curriculum options. Students formally apply to one of the three broad graduate training areas (Clinical Science, Cognitive, or Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience), or through our Individualized Graduate Training Track. Graduate training is flexible and student centered to accommodate unique and cross-cutting interests.

The training in our labs is designed to prepare students for careers in research and teaching in psychology. The majority of a student's education in this program comes from hands-on experience in designing, conducting, and communicating research. Required coursework is usually completed by a student’s third year in the program, but an emphasis on research begins on day one and continues throughout the student’s graduate career.

The students' initial research projects will naturally depend on the expertise of his/her faculty advisor, and are likely to be nested in the overall research program of the particular lab. This is particularly true for the first two years of the program, but becomes less relevant as the student develops independent lines of research. By the third year, students typically have a suite of projects, including independent ones and collaborations with faculty in other research groups and/or other students inside and sometimes outside the Department. All students who are admitted to the program are given five years of financial support in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, or in some cases, fellowships.