How To Get A Psychology Degree At Jhu

Transcription

1 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES UNDERGRADUATE HANDBOOK

2 Introduction Psychologists study thought and behavior in humans and animals. To understand how and why an individual engages in any given behavior, one must have an understanding of several factors. The biological basis of behavior is studied to understand how the central nervous system, the endocrine system, and genetic influences all interact to yield observable behavior. Psychologists analyze the cognitive and perceptual systems at a some what more abstract level in order to characterize the internal representa tions and processes that underlie perception, thought, and action. The personality of the individual how that individual differs from others is also an important determinant of behavior. Social psychology is the study of how individuals behave in a social context, where virtually all behavior takes place. Because living organisms change over time, the development of physiological, perceptual, cognitive, personality, and social factors can also help explain behavior in humans and animals. Psychopathology is the study of psychological disorders which can interfere with an individual s ability to cope with everyday life. Psychology is a large and diverse field, and these are only a few of its most basic sub-disciplines. The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University is among the smallest of the top-ranked departments in the United States. Because of its size, faculty research interests cover only some of the sub-disciplines encompassed by the field of psychology today. These include biopsychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology. Although the research activi ties of the department are focused in these areas, the department offers courses that cover the majority of psychology s sub-disciplines. This goal is achieved in part by having faculty from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions teach courses in the clinical area. Because of its broad scope, the study of psychology and related disciplines extends beyond the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences to other departments and organizations within the University. Some of these include the Departments of Biology, Biophysics, Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Philosophy, Sociology, and the Mind-Brain Institute at the Homewood Campus, as well as departments in the School of Medicine, the School of Hygiene and Public Health, the Peabody Conservatory, and the Applied Physics Laboratory. The undergraduate program leading to a B.A. in Psychological and Brain Sciences provides students with an overview of the major sub disciplines of psychology and also prepares them for advanced study in psychology and related fields. In addition to coursework in the substance of Psychology, a comprehensive education in psychology requires a thorough grounding in quantitative and methodological skills; psychology majors therefore complete a year-long sequence in statistics and laboratory methods. Students are especially encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities within the Department for a research practicum, internship or an independent study (page 11). For those students who wish to pursue advanced study while completing the requirements for the B.A. degree, the Department offers an Honors Program (page 8). Psychology majors should familiarize themselves with the requirements stipulated by the Department. We have prepared this Handbook as a source of important information. Further information and advice about course selection, degree requirements, and preparation for advanced study in Psychology and related fields can be obtained from the student s advisor, the two undergraduate advisors, or any other member of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences faculty. 1

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction... 1 The Department... 4 Chair, DUS and Administrative Staff... 4 Full-time and Part-time Faculty... 5 Academic Calendar... 6 Advising... 6 Advising Duties of Faculty... 7 Psychology Major Requirements... 7 Required Courses... 8 University Requirements... 8 Honors... 8 Psychology Minor... 9 Double Major... 9 Psi Chi Teaching Assistants Departmental Awards David Olton Award G. Stanley Hall Award Julian C. Stanley Award Department Colloquia Supervised Practicum and Independent Research Clinical Internships Preparing for After Graduation Research Internships Applying to Graduate School Further Information Faculty Research

4 THE DEPARTMENT Department Chair Dr. Steven Yantis Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) Psi Chi Faculty Advisor Dr. Justin Halberda Undergraduate Advising Coordinator Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Stephen Drigotas Administrative Manager Rebecca Swisdak ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Research Service Analyst Laurel Valenti Budget Analyst Dru Horne Academic Program Coordinator Laura Dalrymple Department Secretary Julie Feldmeyer FACULTY ADVISORS Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology Dr. Gregory Ball Social & Behavioral Sciences Dr. Justin Halberda Clinical Lecturer & Coordinator for Research Practica & Internships TBD 3

5 THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL & BRAIN SCIENCES FACULTY CONTACT INFORMATION Full-time Faculty FACULTY PHONE EXT ROOM Ball, Gregory Ames 230 Courtney, Susan Ames 227 Egeth, Howard Ames 226 Feigenson, Lisa Ames 221 Flombaum, Jonathan Ames 224 Gallagher, Michela Ames 216B Green, Bert (Emeritus) Ames 133 Halberda, Justin Ames 231 Holland, Peter Ames 222 Shelton, Amy Ames 223 Stuphorn, Veit Krieger 362 Yantis, Steven Ames 228 Yassa, Mike Ames 216A Part-time & Joint Appointment Faculty NAME AFFILIATION Allen, Richard Neurology (SOM) Edwin, David Psychiatry (SOM) Hofer, Paul U.S. Sentencing Commission Kraft, Chris Psychiatry (SOM) Mazzocco, Michele Adjunct Noonberg, Aaron Adjunct Petri, Herbert PBS Adjunct Raifman, Lawrence Adjunct Roberts Fox, Heather Adjunct Connor, Charles Neuroscience (SOM) Drigotas, Stephen PBS Lecturer Gorman, Linda Neuroscience (KSAS) Hsaio, Steven Mind Brain Institute Hendry, Stewart Mind Brain Institute Kirkwood, Alfredo Neuroscience (SOM) McKahnn, Guy Mind Brain Institute Niebur, Ernst Mind Brain Institute Rapp, Brenda Cognitive Science 4

6 HOMEWOOD CAMPUS JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Academic Calendar for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering 2012 Wednesday, August 29 - Sunday, September 2 Monday, September 3 Tuesday, September 4 Monday, October 15 Tuesday, October 16 Monday, November 12 Sunday, December 2 Wednesday, November 21 - Sunday, November 25 Friday, December 7 Saturday, December 8 - Tuesday, December 11 Wednesday, December 12 - Friday, December 21 Saturday, December 22 - Sunday, January 6 Orientation for all new undergraduates Labor Day no classes First day of classes Fall Break Day Classes meet according to Monday Schedule Undergraduate registration for spring term Thanksgiving vacation Last day of classes Reading period Final examination period Mid-year vacation 2013 Monday, January 7 - Friday, January 25 Monday, January 21 Monday, January 28 Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24 Monday, April 8 - Sunday, April 28 Friday, May 3 Saturday, May 4 - Tuesday, May 7 Wednesday, May 8 - Thursday, May 16 Thursday, May 23 Intersession Observance of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. birthday; No Intersession classes First day of classes Spring vacation Undergraduate registration for fall term Last day of classes Reading period Final examination period University Commencement

7 The undergraduate program in Psychological and Brain sciences has four purposes: (1) To acquaint all interested students with the major sub-disciplines of Psychology through a variety of introductory and advanced courses; (2) To prepare majors for graduate work in psychology through a program that meets the admission requirements of the outstanding graduate departments in the United States; (3) To provide an Honors Program; and (4) To offer several fields of concentration for departmental minors and area majors in the social and behavioral sciences. Advising The Director of Undergraduate Studies for majors in Psychological & Brain Sciences is Dr. Justin Halberda. Questions and concerns about the professional development should be directed to Dr. Halberda. Questions and concerns about program requirements, transfer credits, or professional development should be directed to Dr. Drigotas. The Advising Coordinator for Psychological and Brain Sciences is Dr. Stephen Drigotas. The Advising Coordinator is responsible for the assignment of students to faculty advisors within the Psychological and Brain Sciences department. Students will ordinarily remain with their advisor during the course of their undergraduate career. If you wish to change your major or advisor, you should go to the Office of Academic Advising, Garland Hall, Third Floor, and pick up the appropriate form. All students must consult with their advisor or Dr. Stephen Drigotas, (138 Ames Hall) each semester and obtain clearance to register for the following semester. The usual times for such meetings are November and March for sophomores, October and February for juniors, and September and April for seniors. Students must bring a completed requirement checklist which can be found on the Academic Advising website at and a transcript to this meeting. Contact the Office of Academic Advising (ext ), or Dr. Drigotas (ext ) for more information. Dr. Drigotas or your advisor can also provide you with information that may help you prepare for graduate study in psychology. 6

8 ADVISING DUTIES OF FACULTY Dr. Gregory Ball, Director of Neuroscience Advisor for Majors and Biopsychology Area Majors Dr. Justin Halberda, Director of Undergraduate Studies Attends Open House for freshman in September Holds Pizza Party for Majors in October Holds Graduate School Information Meeting which takes place in the Spring semester Attends Majors Fair in the Spring Faculty Sponsor for Psi Chi Addresses concerns about transfer credits for major requirements Dr. Stephen Drigotas, Advising Coordinator for PBS Assigns departmental advisors and signs change of major forms Signs declaration of 2nd major or minor form and assigns advisors Attends Open House for freshman in September Releases advising holds online so students can register (after reviewing checklist) Is open advisor for prospective majors Holds Pizza Party for Majors in October Holds Grad Information Meeting in Spring Semester Attends Majors Fair in the Spring Psychology Major Requirements: This list is an overview of the psychology major requirements and is not meant to replace the official requirements checklist posted on the Academic Advising Website. Students should refer to ATTENTION: The curriculum below reflects changes that are effective for students entering the university Fall 2005 or later. If you entered BEFORE Fall 2005, you have the option of using this checklist with the approval of your advisor. If you are unsure which checklist applies to you, please contact the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. 7

9 Required Courses Outside of the Department: 1. Calculus ( or ) or Linear Algebra ( ) **Note may not be used for this requirement** 2. Statistical Analysis I ( ) Statistical Analysis II ( ) **Note-These courses should be taken as early as possible as they are prerequisites for many psychology courses** Required Courses within the Department: 1. Laboratory in the Analysis of Psychological Data (fall) (formerly ) Three (3) Introductory-level Psychology Courses from the following: Introduction to Psychology Introduction to Developmental Psychology Introduction to Social Psychology Introduction to Physiological Psychology Introduction to Cognitive Psychology or Cognition 2. Five (5) upper level psychology courses required: 200-level and above, with a minimum of three (3) courses at the 300-level or higher. Note: One upper level course in Cognitive Science may be used to satisfy these course credits with the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Labo ratory in the Analysis of Psychological Data, research, independent study, and internships may not be used to satisfy these course requirements. Small Group or Individual Experience: 3 credits of Research, Internship, Independent Study, or a designated seminar course (with an. enrollment of 20) students. Courses used to fulfill the five upper level course requirements may not be used to satisfy this requirement. Students may take 1-3 credits in any given semester to fulfill this requirement. All students are required to discuss their plans with their faculty advisor before junior clearance. Distribution Requirements: These cannot include courses taught in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. 18 additional credits of H, N, Q and/or E 8

10 University Requirements: 120 total credits 60 credits at Johns Hopkins 4 semesters at Johns Hopkins 4 writing intensive courses (12 credits) No more than 18 D credits No more than 5 SPSBE courses C average or better in your major No more than 12 transfer credits Notes about Departmental Requirements: Required major courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis and grades of C- or higher are required for courses in the major. Intersession and School of Professional Studies and Education courses do not count toward the departmental major. A degree with honors requires: 3.5 GPA in psychology courses, two additional upper-division psychology courses, and an approved Honors Thesis. The application for honors is due by March 31 of your junior year. Departmental Honors To graduate with honors in The Psychological & Brain Sciences Department, you must complete the criteria on the Honors Checklist by April 1 st of your senior year. The criteria are outlined below. Failure to complete all the criteria on the checklist and submit it for approval by the deadline date means you will not receive honors in your major. You cannot complete the checklist before February 1 st of your senior year. Please note: These requirements are not related to the General University Honors. General University Honors are automatically assigned to all students who graduate with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. To receive your Honors in Psychology, you must have met the following criteria: 1. Have a G.P.A. in your major requirements of 3.5 or higher 2. In your junior year you will need to do the following: a. Submit a 2-page statement of intent to pursue honors research by March 7 th, before spring break, of your junior year. The statement should include a copy of your transcripts, a brief description of the research topic, and an indication that you have discussed these plans with a member of the full-time Psychological & Brain Sciences faculty. The faculty member must also write a letter in support of your proposed thesis. b. You must then submit, by the 1 st Monday after spring break, a full detailed thesis proposal of the research project including: background research, methods, and a time table for completion for review by the entire faculty to approve your honors project. The faculty will then meet and your faulty supervisor will contact you with the final decision. 3. Complete two 300 or 600- level Psychology courses in addition to those required for the regular B.A. degree 4. You will also need to register for (Seniors Honors Research) during your fall and spring semesters of your senior year. To notify Academic Advising that you are eligible for honors: 1. To obtain an honors checklist by either downloading it from or you can go to the Academic Advising office located in Garland Hall, 3 rd floor. 9

11 2. In March of your senior year you should have the following completed: the checklist, had two faculty members (your advisor and one other full-time faculty member) read and approve your paper. You will then need to make an appointment to meet with Dr. Halberda to have him sign-off on your checklist. You will need to turn in all paperwork to Academic Advising by April 1 st. MINOR IN PSYCHOLOGY A minor in Psychological & Brain Sciences is available to undergraduates majoring in any other department. Students electing to minor in Psychological & Brain Sciences should declare their intention by the end of their junior year. To do this, pick up a Declaration of Minor form and a check list from the office of Academic Advising and then make an appointment with the Advising Coordinator in Psychological & Brain Sciences. The minor requires the following: I. Three (3) introductory level Psychology Courses from the following: Introduction to Psychology Introduction to Cognitive Psychology or Cognition Introduction to Developmental Psychology Introduction to Social Psychology Introduction to Physiological Psychology II. Three additional psychology courses, including at least two at the 300 or 600 level: III. One Psychology course at any level. Courses taken for the minor cannot be taken pass/fail except for courses taken during the first semester of freshman year. All courses for the minor must be passed with a grade of C- or higher. No courses taught during Intersession or through the School of Business & Professional Studies may be used to satisfy the requirements for the Minor in Psychological & Brain Sciences; however, JHU Summer credits will be accepted to satisfy these requirements. Double Major Students wishing to double major in Psychological & Brain Sciences and some other field (e.g., Biology or Philosophy) are encouraged to meet with a faculty advisor in each department as early as possible to devise an appropriate plan of study. Check with the Office of Academic Advising about procedures for declaring a double major. If you do not have an advisor in the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department, make an appointment to see Dr. Steven Drigotas ([email protected]), Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Advisor for the PBS department. PSI CHI Psi Chi is the National Honor Society in Psychology; it was founded at Yale University in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of 10

12 psychology. Psi Chi is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and is an affiliate of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. Psi Chi functions as a federation of chapters located at more than 700 senior colleges and universities in the United States. The Johns Hopkins chapter of Psi Chi was founded in 1957 and was reactivated in Fall Membership is open to graduate and undergraduate students. The chapter provides Hopkins students with a forum for obtaining information and developing perspectives about the field of psychology, learning about educational and career opportunities, and forming meaningful professional networks. The chapter encourages students to develop one-to-one relationships with professors who can stimulate their interest in psychology and involve them in ongoing research projects. A newsletter is run by the chapter to inform students of recent developments within the department and to provide information about events sponsored by the chapter. Psi Chi at Hopkins also supports student research at the regional and national levels. Requirements for admission to Psi Chi include registration as a major or minor in Psychology, Cognitive Science or Neuroscience; completion of at least 8 credits in Psychology; and at least a 3.2 overall GPA. Information regarding eligibility requirements and chapter activities can be obtained from the Psi Chi website Dr. Justin Halberda is the Psi Chi chapter advisor. Teaching Assistants If undergraduates are to serve as assistants, they should not participate in any way in the evaluation of fellow students, not even in the scoring of quizzes. NO undergraduate can receive CREDIT for serving as an assistant. DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS David S. Olton Award for Undergraduate Research The David S. Olton award will be given annually to support undergraduate research in the area of the biology of behavior, broadly defined. Undergraduate students from Johns Hopkins in any major, but including psychology, behavioral biology and neuroscience, are welcome to apply. The award will be for $1,000. This award is designed to help students complete a project of their own that they might not otherwise be able to carry out due to financial limitations. Therefore, the award can potentially cover a wide range of costs including stipend support (either during the academic year or the summer) or equipment and/or supplies essential to the project. Applications are due October 15th each year. Applications should consist of a 3 to 5 page proposal; a letter of support from their research sponsor, a budget with justification, a 1 page summary of research and course experience relevant to the project and a transcript. Applications should be submitted to Bobbie Tchopev in the Neuroscience administrative office, Ames Hall 140, by 15 October. Applications will be evaluated by the directors of the David S. Olton Behavioral Biology program, Professors Gregory Ball and Peter Holland. Each year, the members of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences faculty select two individuals for departmental awards, which are made at the end of each academic year and are recognized in the University Commencement Program. 11

13 The G. Stanley Hall Prize is named for the Hopkins professor who established the first experimental psychology laboratory in the United States in This award is for outstanding achievement by an undergraduate in Psychology. The Julian C. Stanley Award was established in the name of one of the Department s longstanding faculty members internationally respected for his study of and work with gifted and talented youth. This award is given to the undergraduate psychology major who most closely approximates Dr. Stanley s personal and professional standards of excellence. DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIA The Department sponsors weekly colloquia given by invited speakers, faculty, and graduate students. Although these colloquia do not carry credit, they provide a unique opportunity to learn about current research in the field. All members of the University community are invited to attend. Colloquia are scheduled for Wednesday afternoons, from 4 to 5 p.m. and preceded by light refreshments and coffee at 3:30. Check the Department bulletin board for a list of speakers, dates, and locations or go to web site SUPERVISED RESEARCH PRACTICUM AND INDEPENDENT STUDY Guidelines for Research Practicum Outline of Grading for Research Courses (All course numbers are listed under the guidelines above #2) Undergraduate Research S/U (Pass/Fail) Undergraduate Readings - Letter Grade Seniors Honors Letter Grade Undergraduate Internship S/U (Pass/Fail) Undergraduate Independent Study S/U (Pass/Fail) NOTE: You must sign up for Undergraduate Readings if you are conducting a readings project. Also, our department protocol (different from Arts & Sciences protocol) for Independent Study is handled differently. Independent Study is used as a compliment to Undergraduate Internship. This means that if you are participating in an Internship that you must register for both Independent Study and Internship to receive a possible 1-3 credits and a pass/fail grade for both. If you are wishing to a true Independent study (see guidelines) then you would want to register for Undergraduate Readings that would result in an actual letter grade. If you have any questions please contact Dr. Drigotas ([email protected]). You are urged to take advantage of the many opportunities to participate in research projects carried out here at Homewood or at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Supervised research is initiated by an agreement between you and the faculty member with whom you wish to work. That agreement specifies what you are going to do in terms of research, how much time you will spend doing it, when you are expected to be present, what you are going to give to the research supervisor (e.g., a certain amount of time, a paper, the results of an experiment) and what you will receive (e.g., supervision, readings, guidance in pursuing the project). 12

14 (1) A Supervised Research Practicum must be sponsored by a full-time faculty member or advisor of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. If you would like to work with someone outside the department, you must find a full-time Psychological & Brain Sciences faculty member or advisor who believes the work is psychologically relevant and who agrees to serve as your sponsor (the person with whom you perform the work is your supervisor). Any full-time faculty member or advisor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences can sponsor research projects. Note that research that will be performed with human subjects must be approved by The Review Board on the Use of Human Subjects, even if the research will take place off campus. Such approval may take several weeks, but you may not begin without IRB approval. To find a faculty sponsor, begin by reading the Faculty Research Interest statements listed in the Undergraduate Handbook or online at It is advisable to read one or more of the listed references to learn more about the faculty member's research. Additional information can be viewed on the department website Then contact the faculty member with whom you would like to work and discuss possible research opportunities. You are urged to make these arrangements well before the end of the semester, proceeding the semester which you wish to begin work. The number of credits earned for supervised research ranges from 1 to 3, and is determined at the end of the semester. Each 40 hours of work is worth one credit. Because the semester is about 13 weeks long, each credit requires about 3 hours per week on average. If you work regularly during the semester, then 3 hours a week will yield 1 credit, 6 hours will yield 2 credits, and 9 hours will yield 3 credits. You may, of course, work more some days and weeks than others. In all cases, keep a record of the number of hours you put in during the semester. Have your time sheet signed by your supervisor at the end of the semester. Because the number of credits is determined at the end of the semester, do not fill in any particular number of credits when you sign up for the course. An Undergraduate Directed Readings is a self-directed project course of study, conducted under the aegis of a mentor. This academic experience may culminate in a formal paper on a topic agreed upon by the student and his or her mentor. (2) When you register for a research practicum, directed readings, you must submit an Undergraduate Research Readings Form that has been signed by your faculty sponsor (forms may be obtained from the Registrar). The green copy (make sure it is legible) should be returned to your sponsor. This form must accompany your registration or drop/add form. (3)All Psychology majors who are doing research for credit will be required to enroll in and complete: Research Compliance Training Courses: Human Subjects Research Animal Care and Use Specific labs may require additional research training. Research compliance registration and training can be found at: Courses must be completed early in the term and prior to beginning any contact with human or animal subjects. Once you have completed the courses, you will be able to print out a certificate indicating which courses were completed and the date(s) of completion. This certificate must be given to the faculty sponsor. (Additional copies may also be required by the specific lab.) Questions can be directed to Dr. Stephen Drigotas (6-6703; [email protected]). (4) All students who enroll for Research Practicum must (at a minimum) write an 8-10 page report that describes the substance of the research that was carried out during the semester. The students registered for Undergraduate Directed Readings may be required to write a paper or submit a report. The required document must be submitted along with a Summary Report of Independent Work form (available from the registrar) and your time sheet to your faculty sponsor at the end of the semester. 13

15 You should fill out all the information on the form, except for the Faculty Supervisor's Comments and the last line with grade, credit, and signature; these items will be filled in by your sponsor and attached to the grade report that your sponsor will send to the Registrar's Office. Without a Summary Report form, a research paper or report, and time sheet, you will not earn any credit for the work. At the end of the semester, the following three items must be handed in to the sponsor by 5:00 PM on the last day of the reading period to enable the sponsor to submit a grade to the registrar in a timely manner. Unless an alternative arrangement has been made with the sponsor beforehand, late reports will not be accepted and may result in a grade of "U". Guidelines for the written report (a) A type-written report, about 8-10 double-spaced pages in length, on work accomplished during the semester. Also, you should cite 4-8 journal articles with a bibliography included at the end of the report. The paper required for an Undergraduate Directed Readings may be longer. The following format should be used: Introduction: Provide background information including references to the literature and describe how the work fits into the overall research program of the laboratory (about 1 page). Methods: Briefly describe experimental methods used in the work. Cite references when appropriate. Step-by-step detailed protocols are not necessary (about 1 page). Results: Describe your results. Be sure to include graphs, tables, etc. If this is the first semester of work and there are insufficient results to report, there should be more emphasis on describing techniques learned during this period in the Methods section. Discussion: Discuss significance of the results and relate them to future plans, if appropriate. Once you have completed your research experience and your written report, you should fill out the Internship Survey. This survey can be found online at: The above report will be kept in the Homewood sponsor's file. (b) Supervisor's Evaluation of Work: If the student is working under the supervision of a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, that supervisor should certify that the work described in the report was complete and provide evaluation on the quality of the work. This information can be written directly on the student's report or in the form of a confidential letter to the sponsor. (c) Summary Report of an Independent Study: The student should complete the white form entitled "Summary Report of Independent Work" up to the end of the Bibliography section. If the work was supervised by someone at the Hopkins Medical Institutions, list this person as "Other Supervisor" and the Homewood sponsor as "A&S Faculty Supervisor." Based on information from the student's oral and written reports, evaluation provided by the East Baltimore faculty member, and the student s time sheet, the Homewood sponsor will fill out the "Faculty Supervisor's Comments", assign a letter grade, sign the form, and send the form along with the Grade Roster to the registrar. (Note that the Summary Report is kept in the student's academic file in the Office of Academic Advising). The School of Arts and Sciences stipulates that students may earn no more than 3 credits for a research practicum or independent study per semester, and no more than 6 credits per academic year (Fall/Spring/summer). Guidelines for Psychological and Brain Science Internships The Psychological & Brain Sciences Department sponsors clinical internships for credit. You will not receive a grade but a pass/fail only. An internship is an opportunity to work as a volunteer at a mental health care facility or other institution in which interactions with clients, inpatients, or subjects in clinical research is supervised by a professional staff member. Often volunteer work includes attending group sessions, accompanying patients to different activities or locations within or outside a facility, and participating in therapeutic activities (e.g., sports, art, or horticulture). These are just a few examples of volunteer work available to students. Students may volunteer for 40 hours (1 credit) to 120 hours (3 credits); some facilities have limits on the minimum number of hours that may be volunteered. 14

16 (1) Any full-time faculty member or advisor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences can sponsor a clinical internship. To enroll for an internship, there must be an agreement between the student and his/her faculty sponsor concerning the written requirements for the internship. (2) This placement includes a paper or a daily journal of observations made at the treatment facility. (3) After this agreement is reached, you should register for Psychology Internship (4) When you enroll for independent study or research, you must also submit an Undergraduate Research/Independent Study/Internship Supplemental Registration Form that has been signed by your faculty sponsor (forms may be obtained from the Registrar). This form must accompany your registration or drop/add form. Credits for the internship will be based on the time actually volunteered as well as time spent on the written requirement. The student earns 1 academic credit for 40 hours of work. In the 13-week semester, this amounts to about 3 hours of work per week for 1 credit, 6 hours per week for 2 credits, and 9 hours per week for 3 credits (the maximum). In order to receive credit for the internship, the student must complete and submit a Summary Report of Independent Work to the faculty sponsor along with any written work (e.g., journal or paper) agreed upon in advance as well as their time sheet signed by their advisor. The faculty sponsor will make comments and assign 1-3 credits. Internships are graded on a Pass/Fail basis only. The School of Arts and Sciences stipulates that students may earn no more than 3 credits of research, independent study, or internship per semester, and no more than 6 credits per academic year (fall/spring/summer). To make a decision regarding your field experience, check the department website under Research & Internships Opportunities ( Students may also make arrangements with any other appropriate institution for an internship, so long as arrangements can be made in advance with a departmental faculty member who is willing to approve and sponsor the internship. Each of these programs requires a different time commitment, depending on the position and the facility. On average, most internship s require at least two days a week for a minimum of four hours per day. The best way to get a flavor for any one internship program is to visit the facility and to talk to the people who have volunteered there. Please Note: Practica and internship experiences contribute to the development of your professional identity. When going for an interview or are on site you should dress professionally at all times. Ethics Policy Johns Hopkins requires that students adhere to the Ethics Policies of the University and the American Psychological Association. Please go to the following on the links below to review the applicable policies. Academic Advising Ethics code American Psychological Association Field Placement Information Form Please complete and submit this form before you meet with your advisor. Once your advisor has approved your placement, pick up the appropriate forms from the Registrar's Office, fill them out, and bring them in for her signature. When filling out the registration forms, press hard enough that the green copy is legible. 15

17 The School of Arts and Sciences stipulates that students may earn no more than 3 credits for a research practicum or independent study/directed readings per semester, and no more than 6 credits per academic year (Fall/ Spring/ Summer). CLINICAL INTERNSHIPS The Psychological & Brain Sciences Department sponsors clinical internships for credit. You will not receive a grade but a pass/fail only. An internship is an opportunity to work as a volunteer at a mental health care facility or other institution in which interactions with clients, inpatients, or subjects in clinical research is supervised by a professional staff member. Often volunteer work includes attending group sessions, accompanying patients to different activities or locations within or outside a facility, and participating in therapeutic activities (e.g., sports or art,). These are just a few examples of volunteer work available to students. Students may volunteer for 40 hours (1 credit) to 120 hours (3 credits); some facilities have limits on the minimum number of hours that may be volunteered. Any full-time faculty member with an appointment in the Depart ment of Psychological and Brain Sciences (e.g., your advisor in the PBS) can sponsor a clinical internship. Please feel free to visit our website for additional information. To enroll for an internship, there must be an agreement between the student and his/her faculty sponsor concerning the written requirements for the internship. This may include a paper or a daily journal of observations made at the treatment facility. After this agreement is reached, you should register for Psychology Internship You must also submit an Undergraduate Research/Independent Study/Internship Supplemental Registration Form that has been signed by your faculty sponsor (forms may be obtained from the Registrar). This form must accompany your registration or drop/add form. Credits for the internship will be based on the time actually volunteered as well as time spent on the written requirement. The student earns 1 academic credit for 40 hours of work. In the 13-week semester, this amounts to about 3 hours of work per week for 1 credit, 6 hours per week for 2 credits, and 9 hours per week for 3 credits (the maximum). In order to receive credit for the internship, the student must complete and submit a Summary Report of Independent Work to the faculty sponsor along with any written work (e.g., journal or paper) agreed upon in advance as well as their time sheet signed by their advisor. Your site supervisor should submit a written evaluation to your faculty sponsor. The faculty sponsor will make comments and assign 1-3 credits. Again, Internships are graded on a Pass/Fail basis only. The School of Arts and Sciences stipulates that students may earn no more than 3 credits of research, independent study, or internship per semester, and no more than 6 credits per academic year (Fall/ Spring/ Summer). Following are descriptions of some of the facilities that provide volunteer opportunities. Additional information is available in Ames Hall 2 nd floor. Students may also make arrangements with any other appropriate institution for an internship, so long as arrangements can be made in advance with a departmental faculty member who is willing to approve and sponsor the internship. 16

18 Each of these programs requires a different time commitment, depending on the position and the facility. On average, most internships require at least two days a week for a minimum of four hours per day. The best way to get a flavor for any one internship program is to visit the facility and to talk to the people who have volunteered there. Additional information about these programs can be obtained from TBA or on the Department s website ( Please Note: Practica and internship experiences contribute to the development of your professional identity. When going for an interview or are on site you should dress professionally at all times. Examples of Internship Placements are: Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Health System Betsy Forbush, Director of Volunteer Services 6501 N. Charles Street Sheppard-Pratt is a psychiatric center for treatment, education, and research. The Hospital is a private, not-for-profit, facility with inpatient, outpatient, and community-based treatment services for children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Volunteer/Intern positions are available in patient care and support areas of the health system. During an initial interview, the student and Ms. Forbush will choose where and with what population the student will work. There are varied opportunities available. Buses servicing Charles Street make Sheppard-Pratt easily accessible to Hopkins students. Child Abuse Center Larell Smith 2315 St. Paul Street Baltimore, MD / Fax The Baltimore Child Abuse Center is available to provide forensic interviews, medical exams and mental health services to all reported victims of child sexual abuse in Baltimore. They receive all client referrals from the Department of Social Service, the Baltimore Police Department and the State s Attorney s Office. Villa Maria Carol Shear, Director of Volunteer Services 2300 Dulaney Valley Road , ext. 233 Villa Maria is a residential treatment center for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children five to thirteen years old. Children treated at Villa Maria may be residents, day students, or recipients of Therapeutic Foster Care. Internship positions are available in one of three general areas: (1) Educational Treatment Assistant Internships involve work with children in Villa Maria s level-5 private school; (2) Residential Treatment Internships involve work with children in a residential setting; (3) Pre-Vocational Center Internships involve working with children on learning independent living skills. 17

19 PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER GRADUATION You will be an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins for four years, and then you will leave to go on to further education (e.g., medical school, law school, graduate school) or to a job. It is worth thinking now about what you intend to do when you graduate and to take steps that will enhance your chances of achieving your goals. Below are listed a number of factors you may want to consider Advice The faculty of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences has prepared this handbook to provide you with some of the information you may need in planning your academic schedule and in preparing for further education or a job. You will need to acquire more specific information for your individual situation and your career goals. You should not hesitate to ask your advisor, the undergraduate advisors, or any other member of the faculty for advice, guidance, and just raw information. Although we spend most of our time in teaching and research, part of our job is to provide students with guidance in preparing for the next phase of their education. We encourage you to take advantage of whatever help we can provide. The Internet is an extremely rich source of information on advanced study. To get an example of just one psychology graduate program visit Letters of Recommendation Whether you intend to apply for a job or for admission to graduate or professional school, you should ask faculty members to write letters of recommendation for you. If you apply to graduate school or professional school, at least three letters of recommendation are mandatory. If you are going to take a job right out of college, then one or more letters can also be very helpful. How do you get a letter of recommendation? A letter from the instructor of your intro psych course will not be particularly useful (in fact, a letter that says John Smith was in my Introduction to Psychology course and earned an A-, which was the 37th best grade in a class of 200 probably does more harm than good, because it suggests that this is the best one can say about you). A much better approach is to get to know several faculty members well, either by working with them on research projects or taking advanced seminars. These contexts provide more individual contact and opportunities for you to display how talented and motivated you are. Faculty are much more likely to write a strong letter if they know you than if they do not know you. Fortunately, because of the favorable student-faculty ratio at Hopkins, it is feasible to get to know faculty members with a little initiative on your part. It is helpful to keep in mind the purpose of a letter of recommendation. The members of a selection committee are looking for whatever information they can find that will help them predict your likely success in professional or graduate school or in a job. One source of information is test scores and grades, but these often do not reflect the intangibles that can mean the difference between a successful student and a merely adequate one. Therefore, you should strive to get letters that contain information about you that cannot be obtained from test scores and grades. You want the letters to reflect your motivation to succeed, your maturity, your interpersonal skills. It takes work on your part to ensure that your recommenders know enough about you to write an effective letter. Provide them with a transcript and a statement of purpose to help them prepare a good letter. Research 18

20 If you intend to pursue further education (e.g., graduate school or medical school), it is essential that you start your advanced training now. You should take a position in a laboratory that is related in some way to the areas you may pursue later. This serves three important purposes. First, you will learn about what it is like to work in such a setting (something you cannot learn from a textbook). This can help you make up your mind about your career goals (either to reinforce and crystallize your goals or cause you to rethink them). Second, you will receive some valuable research training that will give you a head start in your postgraduate education. Third, working in the laboratory of a faculty member may result in an opportunity for a letter of recommendation. Many graduate programs will not consider applicants who do not have at least some research experience under their belt at the time they apply. See the section on research on page 14 of this Handbook. Internships If you intend to pursue clinical training, rather than research training, then it is highly important to obtain some clinically-relevant experience. One good way to do this is to take a clinical internship at a mental-health care facility. As with research, this can serve to help you solidify your career goals or help you decide that perhaps you want to do something else. In addition, an internship will often provide you with the opportunity to get to know someone who can write you a letter of recommendation. See the section on internships on page 17 of this Handbook. Applying to Graduate School If you want to pursue a career in research, you should plan to earn a Ph.D. in the relevant academic field. Even if your research interests are in the biomedical fields, the Ph.D. is the appropriate degree for a career in research. The M.D. and the Ph.D. provide very different kinds of training, and so you should think carefully about which degree is most appropriate for you. You are strongly urged to consult with your advisor and other faculty members about this decision if you are not sure about which route to take. If you wish to treat individuals with mental health disorders, then there are two main options you can pursue. One is to earn an M.D. with a specialization in psychiatry, and the second is to pursue a Ph.D. with a specialization in clinical psychology. Some programs in clinical psychology offer a degree called the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.). This degree does not require as much research experience as the Ph.D. and exclusively prepares one for a career in clinical psychology. The difference between M.D. and Ph.D. tracks concerns the extent to which one emphasizes pharmacological versus non-pharmacological forms of treatment: psychiatrists can prescribe drugs, clinical psychologists cannot. Clinical psychologists are concerned with evaluation and treatment that promote psychological health in individuals, families, and organizations. This can range from prevention of minor problems of adjustment to treatment of individuals whose disorders require institutionalization. Clinical psychologists can be involved exclusively in clinical treatment, or can have active research programs in addition to their clinical practices. Research psychologists, in contrast, do not engage in treatment. They are concerned with developing and testing theories of human and animal behavior at a variety of levels. If you choose a career in psychological research, you will have to select a subarea of the field for your specialization. The main subareas represented by the faculty at Hopkins include physiological or biological psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology. There are many other areas of psychology (the American Psychological Association recognizes over 50 divisions each representing different subspecialty within the field). In addition, there are a growing number of interdisciplinary fields that involve psychological research in one form or another. These include such fields as cognitive science, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. 19

21 Given the enormous range of subspecialties within psychology, it is often difficult to decide which one best suits your interests. The most efficient approach to making this decision is to take a wide range of courses during your undergraduate years, starting with broad introductory level courses that cover many topics briefly, followed by more advanced course work in those areas that interest you most. You should also talk to faculty and graduate students about the scope of each area as you narrow your list of potential specializations. Despite the difference in emphasis provided by research and clinical training programs, preparation for applying to graduate school in these two tracks is surprisingly similar. In both cases, you should build up a strong undergraduate transcript in the natural sciences, including mathematics, statistics, and biology. In addition, you should take a wide range of courses within psychology both to enhance and round out your education within the field and to help pin down which area of psychology most interests you. Contrary to a common belief, clinical training programs are not looking for applicants who have taken a lot of clinical psychology coursework as undergraduates. Instead, they are typically more interested in someone who has a broad-based grounding in psychology and other sciences, and someone with a high level of motivation, who is adept at learning. When you apply to graduate school, you will send a set of documents to the admissions committees of the schools you wish to attend. These documents will serve as the basis for each committee s decision to admit you to their program or invite you for an interview. Obviously, those documents should be as strong as possible and you are encouraged to talk to a faculty member about your application to help make it as strong as possible. The choices you make now about what sorts of activities to pursue and how to prioritize your time will determine just how strong they are. Your applications will include at least the following: A statement of purpose, an academic transcript, test scores (e.g., from the Graduate Record Exam), and at least three letters of recommendation. Statement of Purpose The first thing an admissions committee will want to know is whether you know what you re getting yourself into. You should have a very clear idea of what your objectives are in pursuing graduate training. If your objectives are not clear, that will be reflected in your statement. You should seek information from faculty members and from graduate students in helping you to clarify your goals. You should also ask one or more faculty members to read a draft of your statement with a critical eye before you send it off. Grades All other things being equal, it is better to have good grades than to have poor grades. However, it is important to keep in mind that good grades are only one factor that contributes to a decision about whether to admit you. The difference between a 3.4 GPA and a 3.6 GPA is not going to have nearly as significant an impact as whether or not you have research experience. It is not worth overextending your mental resources to the detriment of other activities and your own happiness, to eke out another point or two in your GPA. On the other hand, a GPA of 2.7 does not look good and will often be enough reason, in itself, for an unfavorable decision. Graduate Record Examination Most graduate schools require applicants to take the Graduate Record Examination. The GRE is administered by the Educational Testing Service. Usually you will want to take the GRE at the fall 20

22 administration in the year before the fall you intend to enter graduate school. To register for the GRE, pick up a free copy of the GRE Registration and Information Bulletin, which is available from the Registrar s Office in the basement of Garland Hall. There are two parts to the GRE: the General Test and the Subject Tests. All graduate schools require you to take the General Test, and many require you to take the Subject Test in the relevant field (in this case, Psychology). The General Test is given in the morning of the test date and the Subject Tests in the afternoon. You need not take the two parts on the same test date. It is important to check the GRE bulletin because some test dates may be for the General Test only. You are strongly encouraged to purchase a GRE preparation book (available at the Book Center) and to take some timed practice tests on your own. This will familiarize you with the format for the GRE, which will help your confidence (and may slightly magnify your vocabulary!) If you are taking the Psychology Subject Test, then it is a good idea to review an introductory psychology textbook in the weeks before you take the test. Preparation courses for the GRE are also available. They will give you many timed practice tests and will offer some hints on test taking strategies. The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences does not make any recommendation concerning the effectiveness of such courses. Letters of Recommendation Reread the section above about letters of recommendation. Remember: this is the one place where your intangibles your creativity, your reliability, your ability to work effectively with other people must come through. You should make every effort to be sure that your potential recommenders know you well. Further Information The department and the Psi Chi Society sponsor evening get-togethers that are designed to answer your questions about the psychology major and to assist students wishing to apply to graduate school in psychology. Graduate programs in both experimental and clinical psychology are discussed. The Psi Chi office maintains a file of information concerning graduate programs in psychology around the country. The following publications provide additional information about graduate programs. Most of them are available in the library and in the administrative offices of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. Graduate Study in Psychology and Related Fields, published biennially by the American Psychological Association (APA). This book contains vital information about every graduate psychology program in the country, including admissions requirements, deadlines, programs and facilities offered, etc. Career Opportunities for Psychologists: Expanding and Emerging Areas. Complete Guide to Graduate School Admissions: Psychology and Related Fields. Is Psychology the Major for You? These three books are also published by the APA ( and provide a variety of useful information about applying to graduate school and career opportunities once you have completed your graduate training. Training Programs in Neurosciences, which is published by the Society for Neuroscience, provides information for those interested in the emerging interdisciplinary field of neuroscience. 21

23 FACULTY RESEARCH GREGORY F. BALL Ph.D., 1983, Rutgers University Biopsychology We are interested in the interrelation of hormones, brain, and behavior. We study a variety of avian species that exhibit high degrees of neuroplasticity in response to hormone treatment. These studies are designed to investigate both how hormones act in the brain to affect the learning and activation of behavior and how behavioral and other stimuli are processed by the brain to influence reproductive endocrine activity and the timing of seasonal reproduction. Current research activities include: (1) studies addressing how the neuroendocrine system integrates cues that regulate seasonal reproduction including photoperiod and supplementary factors that augment the photo induction of gonadal growth, such as the perception of conspecific vocalizations; (2) investigations of seasonal brain changes and neural sex differences mediating bird song learning and production; (3) studies of the interaction between dopamine and the steroid metabolizing enzyme, aromatase, in relation to the activation of male reproduction behavior in quail. Students in the laboratory have the opportunity to learn methods and techniques relevant to behavioral neuroendocrinology such as receptor autoradiography, immunohistochemistry, In situ hybridization, neural tract tracing, small animal surgery, hormone administration and measurement techniques, and behavioral testing methods. Our laboratory routinely collaborates with the other biopsychology laboratories in the department. Publications: Ball, G.F. and S.H. Hulse (1998) Birdsong American Psychologist, 53:37-58 Balthazart, J. and G.F.Ball (1998) New insights into the regulation and function of brain estrogen synthase (aromatase). Trends in Neurosciences, 21: MacDougall-Shackleton, S.A., and G.F. Ball (1999) Comparative studies of sex differences in the song control system of songbirds. Trends in Neurosciences, 22: Bentley, G.E., and G.F. Ball (2000) Photoperiod-dependent and -independent regulation of melatonin receptors in the forebrain of songbirds. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 12: Dawson, A., V.M. King, G.E. Bentley, and G.F. Ball (2001) Photoperiodic control of seasonality in birds. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 16, Ball, G.F., L.V. Riters and J. Balthazart (2002) Neuoendocrinology of song behavior and avian brain plasticity: Multiple sites of action of steroid hormones. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology 23: Duffy, D.L., and G.F. Ball (2002) Song predicts immunocompetence in male European starlings (sturnus vulgaris), Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 269: Sockman, K.W., T.G.Gentner and G.F. Ball (2002) Recent experience modulates forebrain gene-expression in response to mate-choice cues in European starlings. Proceedings 0f the Royal Society of London B, 269: Riters, L.V. and G.F. Ball (2002) Sex differences in the densities of 22

24 . &_.(_2-adrenergic receptors in the song control system, but not the medial preoptic nucleus in zebra finches. Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, 23: Maney, D.L., and G.F. Ball (2003) Fos-like immunoreactivity in catecholaminergic brain nuclei after territorial behavior in free-living song sparrows. Journal of Neurobiology, 56: SUSAN COURTNEY Ph.D., 1993, University of Pennsylvania Cognitive Neuroscience Working memory is the process by which our brains maintain and manipulate the information about which we are currently thinking. This information is generally held in this active state for only a few seconds and may be constantly updated. The information may have just arrived in the brain via the senses, or it may have been recalled from storage in long-term memory. My students and I use primarily functional brain imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging to address the specifically following types of questions: 1. How is information maintained and manipulated within working memory? What are the neural mechanisms which are responsible for this ability in the normal, healthy human brain? How are these neural mechanisms affected by age and disease? 2. How does the brain organize different types of information within working memory? Different kinds of information, such as spatial locations, object identities, or words, may be maintained and manipulated using working memory. For example, one may need to remember the constantly changing spatial locations of the other cars on the road as one drives, or one may need to remember the sequence of digits in a phone number one is trying to dial. Working memory for spatial locations may not be achieved by the brain in the same way as working memory for a sequence of digits. On the other hand, these different types of information must also be combined in order to achieve a unified perceptual experience. How does the brain achieve this unified experience? 3. How is information moved in and out of working memory? For example, information may come in from the senses or from long term memory, and it may leave working memory to be stored in long term memory, used to make a motor response, or it may simply be discarded in favor of newer, more currently relevant information Publications: Susan M. Courtney and Leslie Ungerleider. (1997) What fmri has Taught us about Human Vision, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 7, Susan M. Courtney, Leslie G. Ungerleider, Katrina Keil, James V. Haxby. (1997) Transient and Sustained Activity in a Distributed Neural System for Human Working Memory, Nature, 386, Susan M. Courtney, Laurent Petit, James V. Haxby, Leslie G. Ungerleider. (1998) The Role of Prefrontal Cortex in Working Memory: Examining the Contents of Consciousness, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 353,

25 Susan M. Courtney, Laurent Petit, Leslie G. Ungerleider, José Ma. Maisog, James V. Haxby. (1998) An Area Specialized for Spatial Working Memory in Human Frontal Cortex, Science, 279, Rama, P, Sala, J.B., Gillen, J.S., Pekar, J.J., Courtney, S.M. (2001) Dissociation of the Neural Systems for Working Memory Maintenance of Verbal and Non-spatial Visual Information, Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience, 1(2), Sala, Joseph B., Pia Rama, & Susan M. Courtney. (In Press). Functional Topography of a Distributed Neural System for Spatial and Nonspatial Information Maintenance in Working Memory. Neuropsychologia STEPHEN DRIGOTAS Ph.D University of North Carolina, Social Psychology, Interpersonal Relationships The focus of my research is decidedly interpersonal in nature, examining the interdependence between people who are close to one another. Within this broad theme, I have developed three significant programs of research: 1. the role of commitment in romantic relationships, 2. personal growth in romantic relationships, and 3. various aspects of friendship networks. While the programs of research emphasize different aspects of close relationships and use different methods to study them, they are bound by an emphasis on the interdependent nature of all close relationships. What happens to you in a dating relationship or a friendship is a product not only of your behavior, but of the behavior of your interaction partner as well. Thus, relationship partners (whether romantic or friendship) have a considerable influence on each other. Examining the influence process leads to exciting new knowledge about the form and substance of close relationships. Publications: Drigotas, S. M., Grey, C. A., & Gentilia, T. (1999). An investment model prediction of dating infidelity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, Drigotas, S. M., Rusbult, C. E., & Verette, J. (1999). Level of commitment, mutuality of commitment, and couple adjustment in marital relationships. Personal Relationships, 6, Drigotas, S. M., Rusbult, C. E., Wieselquist, J., & Whitton, S. (1999). Close partner as sculptor of the ideal self: Behavioral affirmation and the Michelangelo phenomenon. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, Yovetich, N. A. & Drigotas, S. M. (1999). Secret transmission: A relative intimacy hypothesis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, Agnew, C. A., Loving, T. J., & Drigotas, S. M. (2001). Substituting the forest for the trees: Social networks and the prediction of romantic 24

26 relationship state and fate. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, Drigotas, S. M. & Barta, W. (2001). The cheating heart: Scientific explorations of infidelity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10, Drigotas, S. M. (2002). The Michelangelo phenomenon and personal well-being. Journal of Personality, 70, HOWARD EGETH Ph.D., 1966, University of Michigan Cognitive Psychology Several lines of evidence suggest the existence of two functionally separate visual systems. One is the preattentive system; it can quickly, effortlessly, and in parallel detect differences in a variety of conspicuous features. The other system involves focal attention; it is used when difficult or complex discriminations must be made. It proceeds serially and effortfully. Dr. Egeth is concerned with the following sorts of issues: 1. Is focal attention necessary for consciousness? 2. How do the preattentive and focal attentive systems work together? Presumably the preattentive system guides the focal system; how does such guidance work? How does focal attention know what to look at next? 3. What are the spatial and temporal characteristics of the focal attention system? Is it narrow like the beam of a spotlight? If so, to what extent can stimuli outside the beam be processed? If focal attention is like a spotlight, does it move in an analog fashion across the visual field the way a real spotlight moves, or does it make discrete jumps? How quickly can attention be moved from one item to another? 4. Is attention directed to objects or to the locations in space those objects occupy? (What defines a visual object?) Recent Publications: Folk, C. L., Leber, A. B., & Egeth, H. E. (2002). Made you blink! Contingent attentional capture produces a spatial blink. Perception & Psychophysics, 64, Egeth, H., & Lamy, D. (2003). Attention. In A.F. Healy & R.W. Proctor (Eds.), Experimental Psychology (pp ). Volume 4 in I.B. Weiner (Editor-in-Chief), Handbook of Psychology, New York: Wiley. Lamy, D., Tsal, Y., & Egeth, H. E. (2003). Does a salient distractor capture attention early in processing? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 10, Egeth, H.E. (2003). Attention. In Encyclopedia of Psychology, American Psycho logical Association, Washington, DC. Lamy, D. Leber, A., & Egeth, H.E. (2004). Effects of task relevance and stimulusdriven salience in feature-search mode. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 30, Connor, C.E., Egeth, H.E., & Yantis, S. (2004). Visual attention: Bottom-up versus top-down. Current Biology, 14, R850-R852. Serences, J. T. Shomstein, S., Leber, A.B., Golay, X., Egeth, H.E., & Yantis, S. (2005). Coordination of Voluntary and stimulus-driven attentional control in human cortex. Psychological Science, 16,

27 Leber, A. B. & Egeth, H. E. (2006). Attention on autopilot: Past experience and attentional set. Visual Cognition, 14, Leber, A. B. & Egeth, H.E. (2006). It s under control: Top-down search strategies can override attentional capture. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 13, Proulx, M.J. & Egeth, H.E. (2006). Target-nontarget similarity modulates stimulus-driven control in visual search. Psychological Bulletin & Review, 13, Lamy, D. Bar-Anan, Y., Egeth, H.E., & Carmel, T. (2006). Effects of top-down guidance and singleton priming on visual search. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 13, Lamy, D., Carmel, T., Egeth, H.E., & Leber, A. (2006). Effects of search mode and intertrial priming on singleton search. Perception & Psychophysics, 68, Proulx, M.J. & Egeth, H.E. (in press). Biased competition and visual search: the role of luminance and size contrast. Psychological Research LISA FEIGENSON Ph.D., 2003, New York University Cognitive Development A central focus of cognitive psychology is: What is the format of the mental representations that store information, and what computations can we perform over these representations? Our research explores answers to these questions for the case of the concept individual (for example, representing the concept object is a specific case of representing an individual). This work both draws from and unites research in numerical cognition, object-based attention, and short-term memory. Our research centers on infants and young children and asks questions such as: Under what conditions do infants represent individual objects? How many objects can infants/adults represent at one time? What information can be bound to object representations, and what computations can be performed over these representations? We approach these issues, which are of broad relevance to cognitive psychology, by studying infants and young children for two main reasons. First, infants performance can inform us about the cognitive primitives that are available throughout the lifespan, and which may be evolutionarily basic. Second, studying children enables us to observe changes in representational vocabulary. By examining key points in development we can gain insight into the role played by a set of representations as new knowledge is acquired, and as new knowledge structures are created. Publications: Feigenson, L. (in press). Parallel non-verbal enumeration is constrained by a set-based limit. Cognition. Feigenson, L. (2007). The equality of quantity. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11(5), Halberda, J., Sires, S.F., & Feigenson, L. (2006). Multiple spatially overlapped sets can be enumerated in parallel. Psychological Science, 17(7), Feigenson, L. (2005). A double dissociation in infants representation of object arrays. Cognition, 95, B37-B48. Feigenson, L., & Carey, S. (2005). On the limits of infants quantification of small object arrays. Cognition, 97, Feigenson, L., Dehaene, S., & Spelke, E.S. (2004). Origins and endpoints of the core systems of number: Reply to Fias and Verguts. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8(10), Feigenson, L., Dehaene, S., & Spelke, E.S. (2004). Core systems of number. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8, 7,

28 Feigenson, L. & Halberda, J. (2004). Infants chunk object arrays into sets of individuals. Cognition, 91, Feigenson, L. & Carey, S. (2003). Tracking individuals via object-files: Evidence from infants manual search. Developmental Science, 6, Feigenson, L., Carey, S., & Hauser, M. (2002). The representations underlying infants choice of more: Object-files versus analog magnitudes. Psychological Science, 13, Feigenson, L., Carey, S., & Spelke, E.S. (2002). Infants discrimination of number vs. continuous extent. Cognitive Psychology, 44, JONATHAN FLOMBAUM, PhD, 2008, Yale University Visual Perception, Attention, and Cognition Research explores visual perception and cognition, and how they interact. This can mean many different things, and so I have very broad research interests. In the first place, are perception and cognition actually different? To what extent do these terms designate unique and somewhat independent parts of the mind? Where does perception end and cognition begin (or vice versa)? Second, how do perception and cognition interact? How do our perceptual experiences supply the raw materials that cognition operates over? And how, if it all, might cognition influence or constrain perception? Why do we sometimes seem to know things that contradict what we see? And why does seeing often involve processes that we are not even aware of and cannot access directly? Finally, attention what it is and how it works because attention seems to be the primary means of communication between perception and cognition. How do we use attention to get the information that we needout of perception? How do the involuntary aspects of attention ensure that we perceive certain things no matter what the momentary preoccupations of our thoughts might be? And how is attention involved in the kinds of complicated tasks that require the careful coordination of perception and cognition? Experimentally, these theoretical interests have led me to study various aspects of how we track multiple objects, how we perceive, track, and remember objects despite occlusion, the ability to enumerate objects nonverbally, and even aspects of theory of mind and eye-gaze perception. These experiments involve behavioral methods with human adults and behavioral methods with semi-free ranging monkeys in Puerto Rico. Undergraduates and prospective graduate students who might like to join my lab should feel free to contact me by . Publications Published or In-Press Yi, D. J., Turk-Browne, N. B., Flombaum, J. I., Scholl, B. J., & Chun, M. M. (2008).Spatiotemporal object continuity in human ventral visual cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105, Flombaum, J. I., Scholl, B. J., & Pylyshyn, Z. W. (2008). Attentional resources in visual tracking through occlusion: the high-beams effect. Cognition, 10, Flombaum, J. I., & Scholl, B. J. (2006). A temporal same-object advantage in the tunnel effect: facilitated change-detection for persisting objects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 32,

29 Flombaum, J. I., & Santos, L. R. (2005). Rhesus monkeys attribute perceptions to others. Current Biology, 15, Flombaum, J. I., Junge, J. A., & Hauser, M. D. (2005). Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) spontaneously compute addition operations over large numbers. Cognition, 97, Fan, J., McCandliss, B. D., Fossella, J., Flombaum, J. I., & Posner, M. I. (2005). The activation of attentional networks. NeuroImage, 26, Flombaum, J. I., Kundey, S., Santos, L. R., & Scholl, B. J. (2004). Dynamic object individuation inrhesus macaques: a study of the tunnel effect. Psychological Science, 15, Fan, J., Flombaum, J. I., McCandliss, B. D., Thomas, K. M., & Posner, M. I. (2003). Cognitive and brain consequences of conflict. NeuroImage, 18, Ghazanfar, A. A., Flombaum, J. I., Miller, C. T., & Hauser, M. D. (2001). The units of perceptionin the antiphonal calling behavior of cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus): playbackexperiments with long-calls. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 187, MICHELA GALLAGHER Ph.D., 1977, University of Vermont Behavioral Neuroscience My students and I study neural systems that serve a role in memory and attention. Behavioral studies in laboratory rodents are conducted in conjunction with a range of neurobiological techniques. For example, we examine the behavioral effects of removing specific neurons in the brain with newly developed immunotoxins and use molecular biological methods to assess the expression of genes important for neural communication. One problem under study concerns the effects of aging on memory. Rats are tested for memory of spatial locations, a function for which the neural circuitry in rodents is relatively well-defined. One notable finding is that decline in spatial memory is evident in only a subpopulation of aged rats, a phenomenon commonly reported for age-associated memory impairment in elderly humans. Individual differences are used in our work as a background for identifying features of brain aging that are characteristic of rats with cognitive impairment. Contrary to a common view that neuron loss contributes to such deficits in aging, we find that functional alterations within the existing architecture of the brain, rather than frank neurodegeneration, is a basis for memory impairment. Storage of information in memory and the operation of attentional processes provide powerful devices by which past experience can be brought to bear on the selection and interpretation of current sources of input. Other studies in our laboratory are directed at defining the neural circuitry and mechanisms used to regulate cortical processing on the basis of memory and selective attention. Publications: Rapp, P. R. and Gallagher, M. (1996) Preserved neuron number in the hippocampus of aged rats with spatial learning deficits. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. USA 93: Schoenbaum, G., Chiba, A. A. and Gallagher, M. (1998) Orbitofrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala encode expected outcomes during learning. Nature Neuroscience. 1: Schoenbaum, G., Setlow, B., Saddoris, M. P., & Gallagher, M. (2003). Encoding predicted outcome and acquired value in orbitofrontal cortex during cue sampling depends upon input from basolateral amygdala. Neuron, 39,

30 Bizon, J.L., Lee, H.J., & Gallagher, M. (2004). Neurogenesis in a rat model of age-related cognitive decline. Aging Cell, 3, Hol land, P., & Gallagher, M. (2004). Amygdala frontal interactions and reward expectancy. Current Opinions in Neurobiology, 14, Lee, H.-K., Min, S.S., Gallagher, M., & Kirkwood, A. (2005). NMDA receptor-independent long-term depression correlates with successful aging in rats. Nature Neuroscience, 8(12), Petrovich, G.D., Holland, P.C., & Gallagher, M. (2005). Amygdalar and prefrontal pathways to the lateral hypothalamus are activated by a learned cue that stimulates eating. The Journal of Neuroscience, 25(36), Lesne, S., Koh, M.T., Kotilinek, L., Kayed, R., Glabe, C., Yang, A., Gal lagher, M., & Ashe, K. (2006). A specific amyloid-protein assembly in the brain impairs memory. Nature, 440(7082), JUSTIN HALBERDA Ph.D. 2003, New York University Cognitive and Developmental Psychology Professor Halberda s lab focuses on two main topics. The first is an interest in language acquisition and the possibility that logical deductive inference may play a role in the learning of new words. Working with infants, children, and adults, students in the lab receive training in eye-tracking and classic anticipatory-looking paradigms with a possible focus in the development of logical reasoning abilities broadly construed or in the constraints that guide word-learning. The second topic area is an interest in the organization of attention and the connection of mind to world. How do we take the continuous information that we receive from the senses and construct a representation of the world that is filled with discrete individual objects? Students in the lab have utilized both empirical methods (change detection, multiple object tracking) and computational modeling (symbolic and connectionist) to understand how attention may play a role in this process. Students are encouraged to form both broad and deep and collaborations with other labs (Prof. Feigenson etc.) which are happily supported. Publications: Halberda (2003) The development of a word-learning strategy. Cognition, 87 B23-B34. Feigenson, L. & Halberda, J. (2004). Infants chunk object arrays into sets of individuals. Cognition, 91, PETER C. HOLLAND Ph.D., 1976, Yale University Biopsychology My students and I study mechanisms of behavior. Much of our research explores brain circuitry involved in processes of attention, learning, memory, and motivation in simple conditioning of rats. In collaboration with Dr. Michela Gallagher s laboratory, we are currently examining the roles of the amygdala and other brain regions in regulating both attention to events in the environment, and motivational functions such as eating and the induction of appetite. For example, the occurrence of surprising events - ones that violate previously-learned expectations - often enhances learning new information, but interferes with the display of previously-acquired knowledge. Likewise, life s consistencies, predictable sequences of events, can often lead to expert performance, but less new learning. Interestingly, the same portions of the amygdala seem to be critical for both the enhancement of learning by surprise and the facilitation of performance by consistency, perhaps by way of connection with different regions of the cortex. 29

31 Other projects include studies of the representation of sensory, temporal, and motivational information in memory, the use of more complex, hierarchically-organized memory structures in guiding learned behavior ( occasion-setting ), and the role of motivation in the organization of behavior. Publications: Holland, P.C. (2004). Relations between Pavlovian-instrumental transfer and reinforcer devaluation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 30, Holland, P.C., & Gallagher, M. (2004). Amygdala-frontal interactions and reward expectancy. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 14, Pickens, C.L., Saddoris, M.P., Setlow, B., Gallagher, M., Holland, P.C., & Schoenbaum, G. (2003). Different roles for orbitofrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala in a reinforcer devaluation task. Journal of Neuroscience, 23, Holland, P.C., & Ball, G. F. (2002). The psychology and ethology of learning. In M. Gallagher & R. Nelson (Eds.), Handbook of Psychology: Biological Psychology (Vol. 3, pp ). New York: Wiley. Holland, P.C., Petrovitch, G.D., & Gallagher, M. (2002). Lesions of basolateral amygdala but not central amygdala reduce potentiation of eating by an appetitive conditioned stimulus in rats. Physiology & Behavior, 76, Holland, P. C., & Bouton, M. E. (1999). Hippocampus and context in classical conditioning. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 9, Holland, P. C., & Gallagher, M. (1999). Amygdala circuitry in attentional and representational processes. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 3, Schmajuk, N. A., Lamoureux, J. A., & Holland, P. C. (1998). Occasion setting: A neural network approach. Psychological Review, 105, AMY SHELTON PhD, 1999, Vanderbilt University Spatial Cognition, Cognitive Neuroscience The primary question of interest in much of Dr. Shelton s work concerns how information about spatial layout is acquired and represented in the brain. In particular, she is interested in how differences in spatial experiences affect the representation of spatial information. Much of the evidence to date suggests that what is represented in the brain is a function of what type of spatial information was available during learning and what the observer was required to do with the information. Moreover, the observable behavior depends on how the observer is later tested on the spatial information. In its simplest form, this approach suggests a type of encodingspecificity, in which the representation of spatial layout in the brain is a capture of the egocentric experiences the observer has with the space. To better understand the effects of different types of encoding on memory, Dr. Shelton s lab is studying how behavior and brain activation varies as a function of study and test conditions. These various conditions include different types of visual information, comparisons between visual and nonvisual information, and comparisons across different type of spatial tests. In addition, her lab explores how individual differences in adults and developmental changes in children affect the brain and behavior during spatial learning and memory. Together with results from comparative neurophysiology, we hope to shed some light on how the brain processes spatial information during both encoding and retrieval. 30

32 Publications: Shelton, A. L., & McNamara, T. P. (1997). Multiple views of spatial memory. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 4, Shelton, A. L., & McNamara, T. P. (1997). Representing space: reference frames and multiple views. In M.G. Shafto & P. Langley (Eds.), Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (p. 1048), Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Science, 12, Roskos-Ewoldsen, B., McNamara, T. P., Shelton, A. L., & Carr, W. S.(1998). Mental repre- sentations of large and small spatial layouts are orientation dependent. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 24, Shelton, A. L., & McNamara, T. P. (2001). Systems of spatial reference in human memory. Cognitive Psychology, 43, Shelton, A. L., & McNamara, T. P. (2001). Visual memories from nonvisual experiences. Psychological Science, 12, Shelton, A. L., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2002). Neural mechanisms for encoding route and survey information. Journal of Neuroscience 22, Shelton, A.L. (2004). Putting spatial memory into perspective: Brain and behavioral evidence for representational differences. In G. L. Allen (Ed.), Human Spatial Memory: Remembering Where. Mahwah, NJ: Law rence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Shelton, A.L., & McNamara, T.P. (2004). Orientation and perspective dependence in route and survey learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 30, Shelton, A. L., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2004). Neural correlates of individual differences in spatial learning strategies. Neuropsychology, 18, STEVEN YANTIS Ph.D., 1985, University of Michigan Vision, Attention, Cognitive Neuroscience Research in my laboratory concerns the mechanisms of intermediate-level vision. We are concerned with the creation, selection, and maintenance of visual object representations. These mechanisms include perceptual organization, visual attention, and certain aspects of object recognition. The methods we use to investigate these mechanisms include measurements of response time and accuracy, and measurements of human brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) in the F. M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging. Visual attention can be directed overtly via eye movements or covertly via deployments of spatial attention to locations in space, to objects, or to visual features. Several current projects are concerned with the mechanisms of attentional control. Our experiments have examined the extent to which the deployment of attention to part of an object causes other parts of that object. We have also investigated the neural circuits that control shifts of attention between locations, features, and objects. We have recently studied shifts of attention within audition and between vision and audition. Other experiments are concerned with the neural basis of visual object recognition, testing parts-based vs. holistic accounts of object representation using fmri. We are also using retinotopic mapping techniques to investigate adult cortical plasticity in vision. Recent Publications: Yantis, S. (2000). Goal-directed and stimulus-driven determinants of attentional control. In S.Monsell & J. Driver (Eds.), Attention and Performance (Vol 18, pp ). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 31

33 Yantis, S. (Ed.). (2000). Visual Perception: Essential Readings. Philadelphia: Psychology Press. Yantis, S., Schwarzbach, J., Serences, J., Carlson, R., Steinmetz, M.A., Pekar, J.J., & Courtney, S. (2002). Transient neural activity in human parietal cortex during spatial attention shifts. Nature Neuroscience, 5, Rauschenberger, R., & Yantis, S. (2001). Masking unveils pre-amodal completion representation in visual search. Nature, 410, Yantis, S., & Serences, J. (2003). Neural mechanisms of space-based and object based visual attention. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 13, Liu, T., Slotnick, S., Serences, J., & Yantis, S. (in press). Cortical mecha nisms of feature- based attentional control. Cerebral Cortex. 32

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35 NOTES 34

36 Johns Hopkins University Psychological and Brain Sciences Undergraduate Student Handbook