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boston collegemorrissey college of arts and sciences

graduate program

psychology

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Psychology—the scientific study of thought, feeling and behavior in humans and other animal species—is one of the most

exciting areas of study today. The study of the relationship of mind, brain and behavior is at the frontier of science, and discoveries in the field of psychology have profound effects on other domains—e.g., philosophy, economics, law, education and public policy.

At Boston College, we are enthusiastic about where we are now and where we’re headed in the future. We have a thriving Department of Psychology with numerous world-class investigators. In the last 10 years, we have hired 11 new faculty members at the assistant professor level. This tremendous growth has created a truly unparalleled level of excitement among our faculty and graduate students.

Our department conducts research in all of the core areas of psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, Quantitative Psychology and Social Psychology. We also have a quantitative (mathematical psychology) area that strengthens the other research areas and provides our graduate students with the advanced statistical training that has come to be expected in the field. Neuroscience is the common thread that connects all areas of research within our department.

Our faculty and graduate students are highly productive. Last year, our department published more than 50 research papers, with graduate students serving as first author on the large majority. Our graduate students also regularly present at national conferences. Given this level of research productivity, it is not surprising that our national rankings have dramatically

the graduate program in psychology

improved over the last decade. Each spring, we hold a Graduate Student Research Day, which is an excellent forum for students to practice giving presentations, discuss new ideas and get feedback on their recent work.

Many of our graduate students are supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and other prestigious foundations. More advanced graduate students can also elect to teach their own courses, an invaluable experience that provides an edge when they go into the job market. Indeed, our graduate students have excellent research and teaching skills and routinely secure coveted post-doctoral and faculty positions.

To appreciate the exciting and productive environment of our department, we encourage you to visit our website and come to campus. We would be happy to arrange individual meetings with our faculty and current graduate students so you can experience our thriving department for yourself.

contentsProgram Overview 2

Faculty 3

Courses 8

Outcomes 8

Academic Resources 9

Student Life & Campus Resources 10

Admission & Financial Information 12

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We offer a Ph.D. graduate training program in the five core areas of

psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology, Quantitative Psychology and Social Psychology. The department seeks students whose interests fall within or bridge these areas. All students collaborate closely with a faculty advisor.

Our doctoral program is aimed at students who intend to become research psychologists, participating in the basic search for knowledge about human beings. The focus throughout the stay at Boston College is on original research. The Department of Psychology matriculates a small class of new doctoral students each September; our program’s size ensures individualized attention.

plan of studyFirst Year

Each student is accepted to work with a primary advisor.

By the end of the first semester, the student, along with

his/her advisor, selects two additional faculty members

to serve on a thesis committee. The Ph.D. student’s

initial task is the production of a second-year research

project. Work on this task begins immediately. A topic is

selected, background reading carried out and a research

program designed and piloted. A proposal is then

submitted to the student’s committee. The proposal is

defended orally in front of the committee.

Second Year

In the second year, any further pilot work needed is

carried out, IRB approval is obtained, the data gathered

and analyzed, and the second-year research project

written and defended.

The thesis reports original empirical research initiated

and conducted while in our program. Although the project

is carried out in close collaboration with the advisor, the

student should be the major contributor to the thesis, thus

qualifying the student for senior authorship on the thesis

when it is submitted for publication.

program overviewThird, Fourth and Fifth Years

The second period in the graduate program is

characterized by a shift to more independent work and

an even more intensive focus on research. The third

year focuses on two requirements that the student

works on simultaneously: the third year literature

review and the dissertation proposal. The fourth

year focuses on dissertation research. The student’s

principal job is carrying out research and building a

CV. The program is designed to be completed within

five years.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The required coursework is determined by the

intended area of research. Please visit our website at

bc.edu/psychology for specific information pertaining

to required coursework for each area of research.

GRADUATE STATISTICS MINOR

Graduate students in psychology and other

departments may complete a minor in statistics

through completion of courses in the Mathematics

and other departments.

Neuroscience Concentration: Brain Mechanisms of Behavior and Cognition

Graduate students are able to receive a Ph.D. in

psychology with a concentration in neuroscience. The

goal of the neuroscience concentration is to promote

research training in the basic neural processes and

brain mechanisms that regulate behavior, cognition

and emotion. This concentration offers flexible

programs of study and is appropriate for students with

interests in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience.

The concentration is housed within the Department

of Psychology, but may include courses taught in the

Biology Department.

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faculty profiles

behavioral neuroscience

john christianson Ph.D. 2006, University of New Hampshire

Email: john.christianson.2@bc.edu

The focus of John Christianson’s research is to determine how stress interacts with the neural systems that permit individuals to adapt to potentially dangerous and changing environments. The current emphasis is on the neural mechanisms that underly safety learning. The laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach to study brain circuits and behavior including sophisticated behavioral paradigms, electrophysiology and optogenetics. The overall goal is to provide new insight into the organization of the brain and behavior and improve treatment for psychological illness.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Christianson, J.P.; Jovanovic, T.; Kazama, A.; Fernando, A.; Ostroff, L.; Sanga, S. (2012). Inhibition of fear by learned safety signals: minisymposium review. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(41), 14118-24. Christianson, J.P.; Jennings, J.H.; Ragole, T.; Flyer, J.; Benison, A.; Barth, D.; Watkins, L.R.; Maier, S.F. (2011). Safety signals mitigate the consequences of uncontrollable stress via a circuit involving the sensory insular cortex and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Biological Psychiatry, 70(5), 458-64. Christianson, J.P.; Benison, A.M.; Jennings, J.H.; Sandsmark, E.K.; Amat, J.; Kaufman, R.D.; Barratta, M.V.; Paul, E.D.; Campeau, S.; Watkins, L.R.; Barth, D.S; Maier, S.F. (2008). The sensory insular cortex mediates the stress-buffering effects of safety signals but not behavioral control. Journal of Neuroscience, 28(50), 13703-11.

michael a. mcdannaldPh.D. 2008, Johns Hopkins University

Email: michael.mcdannald@bc.edu

Michael McDannald’s research is aimed at uncovering the neural circuits that support the prediction of important events such as danger and reward. To uncover these neural circuits the laboratory combines Pavlovian conditioning procedures from the learning theory tradition with single-unit recording, optogenetic stimulation, neurotoxic lesions and neural inactivation procedures. The goal is to describe neural circuits that support prediction and how dysfunction of these circuits contributes to disorder of anxiety and addiction.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

McDannald, M.A.; Jones, J.L.; Takahashi, Y.; Schoenbaum, G. (2014). Learning theory: a driving force in understanding orbitofrontal function. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 108, 22-27.

McDannald, M.A.; Whitt, J.P.; Calhoon, G.G; Piantadosi, P.T.; Karlsson, R.M.; O’Donell, P.; Schoenbaum, G. (2011). Impaired reality testing in an animal model of schizophrenia. Biological

Psychiatry, 70(12), 1122-26. McDannald, M.A.; Lucantonio, F.; Burke, K.A; Niv, Y.; Schoenbaum, G. (2011). Ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex are both required for model-based, but not model-free, reinforcement learning. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(7), 2700-05.

gorica d. petrovich Ph.D. 1997, University of Southern California

Email: gorica.petrovich@bc.edu

Gorica Petrovich’s research explores the neurobiology of the motivational and emotional control of feeding behavior. She is particularly interested in interactions between the forebrain and the hypothalamus in the control of food intake and how basic hunger mechanisms can be influenced by learning and stress. She accomplishes the research goals through the use of advanced neuroanatomical, molecular and behavioral techniques in animal models. Her research demonstrates that the brain network formed by the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex and lateral hypothalamus mediates control of food consumption by learned motivational cues.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Anderson, L.C.; Petrovich, G.D. (2017). Sex specific recruitment of a medial prefrontal cortex-hippocampal-thalamic system during context-dependent renewal of responding to food cues in rats. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 139, 11-21. Keefer, S.; Cole, S.; Petrovich, G.D. (2016). Orexin/hypocretin receptor 1 signaling mediates Pavlovian cue-food conditioning and extinction. Physiology & Behavior 162, 27-36 Cole, S.; Mayer, H.S.; Petrovich, G.D. (2015). Orexin/hypocretin-1 receptor antagonism selectively reduces cue-induced feeding in sated rats and recruits medial prefrontal cortex and thalamus. Scientific Reports 5, 16143.

cognitive neurosciencehiram brownell Ph.D. 1978, Johns Hopkins University

Email: hiram.brownell@bc.edu

Hiram Brownell’s work examines selective deficits in linguistic and cognitive ability associated with injury to the brain and remediation of those deficits.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Lundgren, K.; Brownell, H. (2011). Remediation of theory of mind impairments in brain-injured adults. In J. Guendouzi, F. Loncke; M.J. Williams (eds.), The Handbook of Psycho-

Linguistic and Cognitive Processes: Perspectives in Communication

Disorders. Psychology Press.

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faculty profiles Lundgren, K.; Brownell, H.; Cayer-Meade, C.; Miliione, J.; Kearns, K. (2011). Treating metaphor interpretation deficits subsequent to right hemisphere brain damage: Preliminary results. Aphasiology, 25(4), 456-74. Griffin, R.; Friedman, O.; Ween, J.; Winner, E.; Happé, F.; Brownell, H. (2006). Theory of mind and the right cerebral hemisphere: Refining the scope of impairment. Laterality, 11, 195-225.

elizabeth kensinger Ph.D. 2003, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Email: elizabeth.kensinger@bc.edu

Elizabeth Kensinger’s research combines behavioral and brain imaging techniques to examine how emotion affects the processes that are used to remember information. She is interested in understanding these cognitive and neural processes in young adults and in identifying how these processes change across the adult lifespan.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Kensinger, E.A. (2009). Emotional Memory Across the Adult

Lifespan. Psychology Press. Kensinger, E.A. (2009). How emotion affects older adults’ memories for event details. Memory, 17, 208-19. Kensinger, E.A. (2007). How negative emotion affects memory accuracy: Behavioral and neuroimaging evidence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 213-18.

sean macevoy Ph.D. 2003, Brown University

Email: sean.macevoy@bc.edu

Sean MacEvoy studies the mechanisms of human visual perception, using both using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and psychophysics. He is particularly interested in the neural processes underlying object perception and recognition in complex environments, the integration of “what” and “where” information in temporal lobe visual areas and the functional organization of visual cortex.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Linsley, D.; MacEvoy, S.P. (2015). Encoding-stage crosstalk between object- and spatial property-based scene processing pathways. Cerebral Cortex, 25, 2267-81. Linsley, D.; MacEvoy, S.P. (2014). Evidence for participation by object-selective visual cortex in scene category judgments. Journal of Vision, 14, 19. Gagne, C.R.; MacEvoy, S.P. (2014). Do simultaneously-viewed objects influence scene recognition individually or as groups? Two perceptual studies. PLoS One, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102819.

maureen ritchey Ph.D. 2011, Duke University

Email: maureen.ritchey@bc.edu

Maureen Ritchey’s research is focused on the psychology and neuroscience of human memory. She combines cognitive neuroscience methods, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), to investigate the relationship between cortico-hippocampal systems and memory processes. One line of research aims to uncover how these systems and processes are affected by modulatory states such as emotional arousal. The goal of this research program is to determine why we remember some things and not others and to identify ways to intervene in memory-guided behavior.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Ritchey, M.; Libby, L.A.; Ranganath, C. (2015). Cortico-hippocampal systems involved in memory and cognition: The PMAT framework. In S. O’Mara and M. Tsanov (eds.), The

Connected Hippocampus. Progress in Brain Research, Elsevier. Yonelinas, A.P.; Ritchey, M. (2015). The slow forgetting of emotional episodic memories: An emotional binding account. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(5), 259-67. Ritchey, M.; Yonelinas, A.P.; Ranganath, C. (2014). Functional connectivity relationships predict similarities in task activation and pattern information during associative memory encoding. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 26(5), 1085-99.

scott slotnick Ph.D. 1998, University of California, Berkeley

Email: scott.slotnick@bc.edu

Scott Slotnick’s research program aims to understand the nature of visual memory (i.e., memory for visual items or events). Drawing on the foundation of research in visual perception, he employs cognitive modeling (based on behavioral measures), event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). His research indicates that memory retrieval is a continuous process that is constructive in nature, where features or components from disparate cortical regions bind together to form a unified memory.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Thakral, P.P.; Jacobs, C.M.; Slotnick, S.D. (in press). An attention account of neural priming. Memory. Slotnick, S.D. (2017). Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory.

Cambridge University Press. Jeye, B.M.; Karanian, J.M.; Slotnick, S.D. (2016). Spatial memory activity distributions indicate the hippocampus operates in a continuous manner. Brain Sciences, 6, 37.

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joseph tecce Ph.D. 1961, Catholic University

Email: tecce@bc.edu

Joseph Tecce studies the role of attention in the understanding of stress-health associations and in the achievement of stress reduction by cognitive-behavioral methods. He also investigates the use of eyeblinks as an indicator of emotional arousal and the control of computer functions by eye movements.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Tecce, J.J.; Pok, L.J.; Consiglio, M.R.; O’Neil, J.L. (2005). Attention impairment in electrooculographic control of computer functions. International Journal of Psychophysiology,

55, 159-63. Tecce, J.J. (1992). Psychology, physiological and experimental [a review of eyeblink research]. In McGraw-Hill

Yearbook of Science & Technology (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Tecce, J.J. (1991). Dopamine and CNV: Studies of drugs, disease, and nutrition. Electroencephalography and Clinical

Neurophysiology (Suppl. 42), 153-64.

See also Sara Cordes, Ellen Winner and Liane Young.

developmental psychologysara cordes Ph.D. 2005, Rutgers University

Email: sara.cordes.1@bc.edu

Sara Cordes studies cognitive development. Her primary research focus is on understanding how infants, children and adults keep track of basic quantities such as number, time and amount, and how these abilities relate to early counting abilities and mathematics achievement in the classroom. Using primarily looking-time measures with infants and psychophysical tasks with children and adults, her work investigates the impact of contextual, linguistic and social factors on these preverbal representations of quantity.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Cherynak, N.; Sandham, B.; Harris, P.L.; Cordes, S. (2016). Numerical cognition explains age-related changes in third-party fairness. Developmental Psychology, 52(10), 1555 Hurst, M.; Cordes, S. (2016). Rational-number comparison across notation: Fractions, decimals, and whole numbers. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and

Performance, 42(2), 281-93. Young, L.N.; Cordes, S. (2013). Fewer things, lasting longer: The effects of emotional stimuli on quantity judgments. Psychological Science, 24(6), 1057-59.

joshua hartshornePh.D. 2012, Harvard University

E-Mail: joshua.hartshorne@bc.edu

Joshua Hartshorne studies the relationship between language and intuitive theories of the world, with a particular focus on how children use their intuitive theories to bootstrap language acquisition. He is particularly interested in using new and emerging methodologies, such as viral quizzes, crowdsourcing and Bayesian modeling to make progress on previously intractable problems.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Hartshorne, J.K.; Germine, L.T. (2015). When does cognitive functioning peak? The asynchronous rise and fall of different cognitive abilities across the lifespan. Psychological Science,

26(4), 433-43. Hartshorne, J.K.; Pogue, A.; Snedeker, J. (2015). Love is hard to understand: The relationship between transitivity and caused events in the acquisition of emotion verbs. Journal of

Child Language, 42, 467-504. Hartshorne, J.K.; Nappa, R.; Snedeker, J. (2015). Development of the first-mention bias. Journal of Child

Language, 42(2), 423-46.

katherine mcauliffePh.D. 2013, Harvard University

E-Mail: katherine.mcauliffe.2@bc.edu

Katherine McAuliffe’s work focuses on the development and evolution of cooperation. Her primary research investigates how children develop an understanding of the norms governing cooperation and a willingness to enforce them. Her work on children is situated within a broader cross-cultural and comparative context that seeks to understand how and why the cognition supporting cooperation evolved.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

McAuliffe, K.; Jordan, J.J.; Warneken, F. (2015). Costly third-party punishment in young children. Cognition, 134, 1-10. McAuliffe, K.; Thornton, A. (2015). The psychology of cooperation in animals: an ecological approach. Journal of

Zoology, 295, 23-35. McAuliffe, K.; Blake, P.R.; Warneken, F. (2014). Children reject inequity out of spite. Biology Letters, 10, 20140743.

michael moore Ph.D. 1978, Harvard University

Email: moorem@bc.edu

Michael Moore studies parent-child interactions, cognitive and emotional development, memory organization and automatic processing. His current research interests focus on children’s participation in organized sports and their understanding of the “rules of the game.”

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faculty profiles

karen rosen Ph.D. 1984, Harvard University

Email: rosenk@bc.edu

Karen Rosen’s work focuses on social and emotional development during infancy and early childhood. Her research on parenting and early attachment relationships has included both mothers and fathers. She has studied questions about the effects of these early attachments on emotion regulation, on sibling relationships and on the development of problem behaviors.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Rosen, K.; Rothbaum, F. (2003). Parent-child attachment and its implications for child development. In J.J. Ponzetti (ed.), International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family Relations (2nd edition). Macmillan. Rothbaum, F.; Rosen, K.; Ujiie, T.; Uchida, N. (2002). Family systems theory, attachment theory, and culture. Family Process,

41, 328-50. Rosen, K.; Burke, P. (1999). Multiple attachment relationships within the family: Mothers and fathers with two young children. Developmental Psychology, 35, 436-41.

ellen winner Ph.D. 1978, Harvard University

Email: winner@bc.edu

Ellen Winner’s work focuses on cognition and emotion in the arts. She studies typical and atypical development in the arts, and the relationship between artistic learning and other forms of cognition.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Hogan, J.; Winner, E. (in press). Using habits of mind as tools for assessment in music. In D.J. Elliott, G. McPherson and M. Silverman (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical and

Qualitative Assessment in Music Education. Oxford Handbooks. Panero, M. E.; Weisberg, D.S.; Black, J.; Goldstein, T.R.; Barnes, J.L.; Brownell, H,; Winner, E. (2016). Does reading a single passage of literary fiction really improve theory of mind? An attempt at replication. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology, 111(5), e46-e54. Snapper, L.; Oranc, C.; Hawley-Dolan, A.; Nissel, J.; Winner, E. (2015). Your kid could not have done that: Even untutored observers can discern intentionality and structure in abstract expressionist art. Cognition 137, 154-65.

See also James A. Russell.

quantitative psychologyehri ryu Ph.D. 2008, Arizona State University

Email: ehri.ryu.1@bc.edu

Ehri Ryu’s research interests include multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling and analysis of longitudinal data. She is particularly interested in the assessment of goodness of model fit in multilevel structural equation modeling, different approaches to analyzing multivariate multilevel data and modeling longitudinal relationships between multiple variables.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Ryu, E.; West, S.G.; Sousa, K.H. (2012). Distinguishing between-person and within-person relationships in longitudinal health research: Arthritis and quality of life. Annals of Behavioral

Medicine, 43, 330-42. Ryu, E.; West, S.G. (2009). Level-specific evaluation of model fit in multilevel structural equation modeling. Structural

Equation Modeling, 16, 583-601. Ryu, E.; West, S.G.; Sousa, K.H. (2009). Combining mediation and moderation: Testing relationships between symptom status, functional health, and quality of life in HIV patients. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 44, 213-32.

hao wu Ph.D. 2010, The Ohio State University

Email: hao.wu.5@bc.edu

Hao Wu’s research interest lies in the evaluation of statistical models in psychology. Relying on tools such as classical asymptotic theories, Bayesian statistics and information theoretic methodologies, he is particularly interested in issues such as how to compare multiple statistical models, how to account for the fact that models are not exactly true in reality, and how to handle nonlinear relations or non-normal distributions.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Wu, H.; Myung, I.J.; Batchelder, W.H. (2010). Minimum description length model selection of multinomial processing tree models. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 17, 275-86. Wu, H.; Myung, I.J.; Batchelder, W.H. (2010). On the complexity of multinomial processing tree models. Journal of

Mathematical Psychology, 54, 291–303.

See also Hiram Brownell, Sean Macevoy and Scott Slotnick.

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social psychologydonnah canavan Ph.D. 1969, Columbia University

Email: canavang@bc.edu

Donnah Canavan’s research interests focus on the development of individual differences, including narcissism, psychological separateness and three orientations to achievement (fear of success, conventional success and healthy success). Her recent studies of the effects of shared affect and enthusiasm have led to a series of studies on a new concept she calls “social energy.”

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Canavan, D. (2002). Success and Beauty: The Motive to Contribute and the Motive to Win. Presidential Address at the

2002 New England Psychological Association Conference. Rivier College, Nashua, New Hampshire. Canavan, D. (2001). Social Energy: The Consequences of Shared Affect. Symposium at New England Psychological

Association Conference, Danbury, Connecticut. Canavan, D. (1991). Fear of success. In R.C. Curtis (ed.), Self-Defeating Behaviors: Experimental Research, Clinical

Impressions, and Practical Implications. Plenum Press.

james a. russell Ph.D. 1974, University of California, Los Angeles

Email: james.russell@bc.edu

James Russell’s work focuses on emotion. He studies the expression and recognition of emotion through faces, children’s understanding of emotion, the structure of emotional experience, cultural influences on emotion and the distinction between mood and emotion and scientific taxonomies of each.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Crivelli, C.; Russell, J.A.; Jarillo, S.; Fernandez-Dols, J.M. (2016). The fear gasping face as a threat display in a Melanesian society. PNAS, 113(44), 12403-07. Widen, S.C.; Russell, J.A. (2013). Children’s recognition of disgust in others. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 271-99. Widen, S.C.; Russell, J.A. (2008). Young children’s understanding of other’s emotions. In M. Lewis, J.M. Haviland-Jones and L.F. Barrett (eds.), Handbook of Emotions. Guilford. Russell, J.A. (2003). Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion. Psychological Review, 110, 145-72.

liane young Ph.D. 2008, Harvard University

Email: liane.young@bc.edu

Liane Young studies the cognitive and neural basis of human moral judgment. Her current research focuses on the role of theory of mind and emotions in moral judgment and moral behavior, as well as cultural and individual differences in moral cognition. She is also interested in conceptions of the self and free will. Her research employs methods of social psychology and cognitive neuroscience, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), examination of patient populations with selective cognitive deficits and modulating activity in specific brain regions using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Young, L.; Phillips, J. (2011). The paradox of moral focus. Cognition, 119, 166-78. Young, L.; Bechara, A.; Tranel, D.; Damasio, H.; Hauser, M.; Damasio, A. (2010). Damage to prefrontal cortex impairs judgment of harmful intent. Neuron, 65, 845-51. Young, L.; Camprodon, J.; Hauser, M.; Pascual-Leone, A.; Saxe, R. (2010). Disruption of the right temporo-parietal junction with TMS reduces the role of beliefs in moral judgments. PNAS, 107(15), 6753-58.

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outcomescourses

Recent Theses/Dissertations

Drew Linsley, “Co-occurrence Statistics in the Visual System Support Scene Recognition”

Xuan Zhang, “How Affective Properties in Voice Influences Memory and Person Perception”

Kelly Bennion, “How Sleep Influences the Relation Between Encoding and Retrieval”

Kelly Dumais, “Sex-specific Regulation of Social Behavior: Focus on Oxytocin and Neural Circuits”

Laura Niemi, “Interrogating Moral Norms: Interpersonal Orientations, Attitudes and Neural Activity Associated with Moral Values”

Tasha Posid, “The Small-Large Divide: The Development of Infants’ Ability to Discriminate Small vs. Large Sets”

Maria Therese Gendron, “Relativity in the Perception of Emotion Across Cultures”

Angelina Justine Hawley Dolan, “Two Sides of the Same Mind: How Our Beliefs about the Artist’s Moral Mind Influence the Way We Respond to the Artistic Mind”

Brendan David Murray, “Psychology Memory for Associative Integrations Depends on Emotion and Age”

Preston P. Thakral, “The Role of Human Motion Processing Complex, MT+, During Sustained Perception and Attention”

Jennifer E. Drake, “Predictors of Local and Global Processing in Autistic and Typical Development”

Thalia R. Goldstein, “The Effects of Acting Training on Theory of Mind, Empathy, and Emotion Regulation”

Recent Placement

The Department of Psychology takes an active role in attempting to place its students in attractive post-doctoral, tenure track and non-academic positions. Our recent students’ placements have included:

POST-DOCTORAL PLACEMENTS

Boston Children’s Hospital

The Broad Institute

The Martinos Center at Massachusetts General Hospital

Princeton University

Rutgers University Center for Cognitive Science

Stanford University

Tufts University

University of California, Davis

University of Massachusetts

University of Virginia

Yale University

Yale University School of Medicine

TENURE-TRACK PLACEMENTS

Brooklyn College

California State University, Sacramento

Elon University

Manhattanville College

Pace University

University of Otago, New Zealand

University of Waterloo

University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire

Washington and Lee University

NON-ACADEMIC PLACEMENTS

BAE Systems

Capacities.com

Digital Research, Inc.

Gillette Advanced Technologies Center

MPR Associates

Zeldis Research Associates

The combined and varied interests of the

faculty, as indicated in the faculty profiles,

ensure that the department offers a wide variety

of graduate course electives. While the number

and content of the graduate electives varies

from year to year, the following list is illustrative

of the range of courses offered.

FALL 2017Analysis with Missing Data Ryu

Cellular Perspectives on Motivated Behavior McDannald

Experimental Design and Statistics Wu

The Hippocampus Ritchey

History of Psychology Weidman

SPRING 2018Computational Models of Cognition Hartshorne

Molecular Basis of Learning and Motivation Christianson

Multiple Regression Ryu

Structural Equation Modeling Ryu

Topics in Moral Psychology Young

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morrissey college of arts & sciences

The oldest and largest of the University’s eight schools and colleges, the Morrissey College

of Arts and Sciences offers graduate programs in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Master of Arts and Master of Science. In addition, numerous dual-degree options are offered in cooperation with the Carroll School of Management, the Boston College Law School, the Lynch School of Education and the Graduate School of Social Work.

With approximately 1,000 students and 400 full-time faculty, the Graduate School is small enough to know you as a person, but large enough to serve you and prepare you for a rewarding life and satisfying career.

Academic Resources

PSYCHOLOGY COLLOQUIUM SERIES

We host a diverse colloquium series that brings

outstanding visiting scientists to the department for

formal and informal interactions with all of the members

of the department.

Recent visitors have included:

2016Matthew Fritz, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Brian Nosek, University of Virginia and Center for Open Science

Joe Henrich, Harvard University

Kay Tye, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Guangjian Zhang, University of Notre Dame

Rebecca Shansky, Northeastern University

2015Randy Buckner, Harvard University

David Lewkowicz, Northeastern University

Josh Knobe, Yale University

Geoffrey Schoenbaum, University of Maryland

Jessica Black, Boston College School of Social Work

2014Hillary Anger Elfenben, Washington University

Robert Rauschenberger, Exponent

William Seeley, Bates College

David Miele, Boston College Lynch School of Education

Jonathan Phillips, Yale University

Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Laurie Santos, Yale University

Paul Harris, Harvard University

Ani Patel, Tufts University

BOSTON AREA CONSORTIUM

The Boston Area Consortium allows graduate students to

cross-register for courses at Boston University, Brandeis

University and Tufts University.

BOSTON COLLEGE LIBRARIES

The University is home to eight libraries, containing

2.95 million volumes; more than 700 manuscript

collections, including music, photos, art and artifacts;

625,000 e-books; and more than 600 electronic

databases. O’Neill Library, Boston College’s main library,

offers subject-specialist librarians to help with research,

to set up alerts to publications in areas of interest and to

answer any research- and library-related questions.

THE BOSTON LIBRARY CONSORTIUM

The Boston Library Consortium allows Boston College

students access to millions of volumes and other services at

19 area institutions in addition to the world-class resources

available through the Boston College Library System.

THE GRADUATE CONSORTIUM IN WOMEN’S STUDIES

The Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (GCWS)

brings together scholars and teachers at nine degree-

granting institutions in the Boston area: Boston College,

Boston University, Brandeis University, Harvard

University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

Northeastern University, Simmons College, Tufts

University and the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The GCWS is devoted to graduate teaching and research

in Women’s Studies and to advancing interdisciplinary

Women’s Studies scholarship. Students can engage in

the community and cross-disciplinary study promoted by

the GCWS in myriad ways. Through courses, attending

events and organizing conferences, these initiatives

provide a learning environment unlike any other.

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student life & campus resources

Boston College is located on the edge of one of the world’s most vibrant cities. Just six miles

from downtown Boston—an exciting and dynamic place to live and learn—Boston College is an easy car or “T” ride away from a booming center for trade, finance, research and education.

Home to some of New England’s most prestigious cultural landmarks, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Symphony Hall and the Freedom Trail, Boston provides a rich environment for those passionate about art, music and history. For sports fans, Boston hosts a number of the country’s greatest sports teams: the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins and, of course, Fenway Park’s beloved Red Sox. Found within a short drive from Boston are some of New England’s best recreational sites, from the excellent skiing in New Hampshire to the pristine beaches of Cape Cod.

Boston also offers a wide range of family friendly attractions, including the Children’s Museum, New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo and the Museum of Science. There are roughly 50 universities located in the Boston area, and the large student population adds to the city’s intellectually rich and diverse community. Events, lectures and reading groups hosted by world-renowned scholars abound on area campuses, providing abundant opportunities to meet and network with other graduate students and faculty throughout the Boston area.

The UniversityBoston College is a Jesuit university with 14,250

students, 805 full-time faculty and more than 175,000

active alumni. Since its founding in 1863, the University

has known extraordinary growth and change. From its

beginnings as a small Jesuit college intended to provide

higher education for Boston’s largely immigrant Catholic

population, Boston College has grown into a national

institution of higher learning that is consistently ranked

among the top universities in the nation: Boston College

is ranked 31st among national universities by U.S. News &

World Report.

Today, Boston College attracts scholars from all 50 states

and over 80 countries, and confers more than 4,000

degrees annually in more than 50 fields through its eight

schools and colleges. Its faculty members are committed

to both teaching and research and have set new marks

for research grants in each of the last 10 years. The

University is committed to academic excellence. As

part of its most recent strategic plan, Boston College

is in the process of adding 100 new faculty positions,

expanding faculty and graduate research, increasing

student financial aid and widening opportunities in key

undergraduate and graduate programs.

The University is comprised of the following colleges and

schools: Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Carroll

School of Management, Connell School of Nursing,

Lynch School of Education, Woods College of Advancing

Studies, Boston College Law School, Graduate School of

Social Work and School of Theology and Ministry.

General Resources

HOUSING

While on-campus housing is not available for graduate

students, most choose to live in nearby apartments.

The Office of Residential Life maintains an extensive

database with available rental listings, roommates and

helpful local real estate agents. The best time to look for

fall semester housing is June through the end of August.

For spring semester housing, the best time to look is late

November through the beginning of the second semester.

Additionally, some graduate students may live on campus

as resident assistants. Interested students should contact

the Office of Residential Life.

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JOHN COURTNEY MURRAY, S.J., GRADUATE STUDENT CENTER

One of only a handful of graduate student centers

around the country, the Murray Graduate Student Center

is dedicated to the support and enrichment of graduate

student life at Boston College. Its primary purpose is to

build a sense of community among the entire graduate

student population and cultivate a sense of belonging to

the University as a whole. Its amenities include study

rooms, a computer lab, two smart televisions, kitchen,

deck and patio space, complimentary coffee and tea, and

more. Throughout the year, the center hosts programs

organized by the Office of Graduate Student Life and

graduate student groups. The Murray Graduate Student

Center also maintains an active job board (available

electronically), listing academic and non-academic

opportunities for employment both on and off campus.

MCMULLEN MUSEUM OF ART

Serving as a dynamic educational resource for the

national and international community, the McMullen

Museum of Art showcases interdisciplinary exhibitions

that ask innovative questions and break new ground in

the display and scholarship of the works on view. The

McMullen regularly offers exhibition-related programs,

including musical and theatrical performances, films,

gallery talks, symposia, lectures, readings and receptions

that draw students, faculty, alumni and friends together

for stimulating dialogue. Located on the main campus,

the McMullen Museum is free to all visitors.

CONNORS FAMILY LEARNING CENTER

Working closely with the Graduate School, the Connors

Family Learning Center sponsors seminars, workshops

and discussions for graduate teaching assistants and

teaching fellows on strategies for improving teaching

effectiveness and student learning. Each fall, the

Learning Center and the Graduate School hold a one-

and-a-half day “Fall Teaching Orientation” workshop

designed to help students prepare for teaching. The

center also hosts ongoing seminars on college teaching,

higher learning and academic life; assists graduate

students in developing teaching portfolios; and provides

class visits and teaching consultations, upon request.

Through these and other activities, the Connors Family

Learning Center plays an important role in enhancing

the quality of academic life at Boston College.

FLYNN RECREATION COMPLEX

The 144,000-square-foot Flynn Recreation Complex

houses a running track; tennis, basketball, volleyball,

squash and racquetball courts; an aquatics center with

pool and dive well; saunas and more. Its 10,000-square-

foot Fitness Center offers more than 100 pieces of cardio

equipment, a full complement of strength training

equipment and free weights, an air-conditioned spin

studio and three air-conditioned group fitness studios.

During the academic year, BC Rec holds more than 80

group fitness classes per week in a variety of disciplines,

including Zumba, spin, yoga, strength training, Pilates

and more.

BOSTON COLLEGE CAREER CENTER

The Boston College Career Center works with graduate

students at each step of their career development.

Services include self-assessment, career counseling,

various career development workshops, resume and

cover letter critiques, and practice interviews. In addition

to extensive workshop offerings, Career Center staff

members are available throughout the year for one-on-

one advising about any aspect of the career path. The

Career Resource Library offers a wealth of resources,

including books, periodicals and online databases.

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Admission Requirements

The application deadline for fall admission is December 15. Please visit bc.edu/gsas for detailed information on how to apply.

Application requirements include:

Application Form: Submitted online, via the GSAS website.

Application Fee: $75, non-refundable.

Abstract of Courses A concise overview of background Form: and related courses completed in an intended field or proposed area of study.

Official Transcripts: Demonstrating coursework completed/degree conferral from all post-secondary institutions attended.

GRE General Test: Official score report required for all applicants.

GRE Subject Test: Official score report from either the psychology or biology exam strongly recommended for all applicants.

Three Letters of From professors or supervisors. Recommendation: It is highly advisable that at least one letter be from an academic source.

Statement of Purpose: A brief (1-2 page) discussion of an applicant’s preparation, motivation and goals for their proposed course of study.

Proof of English Official TOEFL/IELTS score reports Proficiency: accepted. (International only)

Financial Assistance

DEPARTMENT FUNDING

Our Ph.D. students are fully funded, including a stipend

and tuition scholarship. Students serve as either research

assistants or teaching assistants during the course of

the program.

FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID

Graduate students can apply for federal financial aid

using the FAFSA. The loans that may be available to

graduate students are the Federal Direct Unsubsidized

Stafford Loan and Perkins Loan, based on eligibility.

If additional funds are needed, student may apply for a

Grad Plus Loan. For more information, see the Graduate

Financial Aid website at bc.edu/gradaid or contact the

Graduate Financial Aid Office at 617-552-3300 or

800-294-0294.

OFFICE OF SPONSORED RESEARCH

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) assists both

faculty and graduate students in finding sources of

external funding for their projects and provides advice

in the development of proposals. OSP maintains a

reference library of publications from both public and

private sectors listing funding sources for sponsored

projects. In the recent past, graduate students have

received research support from prominent agencies,

corporations and organizations such as the Fulbright

Commission, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National

Science Foundation, the American Political Science

Association, the American Chemical Society and the

American Association of University Women.

admission & financial information

admission & financial information

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header

Department of PsychologyMcGuinn Hall 300

140 Commonwealth AvenueChestnut Hill, MA 02467

617-552-4100E-Mail: psychoffice@bc.edu

bc.edu/psychology

boston collegemorrissey college of arts and sciences