The 15 faculty members in the Brain & Cognitive Science (BCS) area of the Psychology department seek to understand the mental processes, structures, and neurobiological mechanisms that are involved in perceiving, learning, remembering, understanding, and acting in one's environment.  The mental phenomena that we study include basic visual processes, categorization, learning, decision making, spatial cognition, cognitive and motor skills, and perception-action links.  We use a variety of methods, ranging from behavioral measurements (e.g., reaction time experiments) to mathematical modeling, to neurophysiological, neurochemical, and molecular techniques (i.e. single-cell recording).  We also examine behavior across a variety of species, including mice, rats, rabbits, and humans.

 
The program is distinctive, in part because the faculty members balance strong interests in basic psychological research with work that applies their research interests to everyday life.  Overall, the program combines the broad talents of an exceptional faculty with the merits of a small, personalized graduate program.