Experimental Psychology Research

The Experimental Psychology program at Georgia Tech focuses on studying the basic processes of behavior, and has a strong quantitative emphasis.

Active faculty research areas span many topics and approaches to investigate behavior. Current broad topics of research include vision and perception, memory, learning, language, problem solving, cognitive aging, human computer interaction, education, social cognition, and animal behavior. The Experimental program has particular strengths in the following areas of concentration:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Cognitive Aging
• Animal Behavior (Applications for this program not being taken at this time)

Life in Experimental Psychology at Georgia Tech centers on research involvement, beginning as soon as you arrive. Students are encouraged to gain a strong background in experimental psychology, with exposure to a variety of fundamental areas of general psychology, while also developing a particular research concentration. The program is designed to provide students with intensive concentration in a selected specialty by allowing each student to tailor coursework and research experience to match personal needs.

As a first year student you work closely with your faculty advisor to produce a first year research project. More advanced students are encouraged to engage in more independent research and to interact with other researchers.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is encouraged, with particularly varied possibilities in Cognitive Science and the Graphics, Visualization, and Usability Center. Georgia Tech also has research ties to Zoo Atlanta, participates in the Southeastern Center for Applied Cognitive Aging Research, and has collaborations with Emory brain imaging researchers.

There are two weekly brown bag series, Cognitive Aging and CogSem, where students and faculty make informal presentations. Nationally prominent researchers from outside Georgia Tech come to speak as part of our departmental colloquium series. Moreover, Georgia Tech hosts a national biennial conference on cognitive aging and has hosted the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society.

Students are strongly encouraged to participate in national conferences and to publish their findings. Travel for conference presentations may be partially supported by the School of Psychology.