The Department of Psychology offers graduate degrees in four program areas. In addition, the Department of Psychology participates in a multidisciplinary degree program in Cellular and Behavioral Neurobiology.
In addition to the four major program areas above, some researchers in the department also work in one or more of three integrative, cross-cutting specialties:
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The Cognitive Psychology program provides training in a variety of topical areas using modern experimental methods such as carefully controlled behavioral methods and methods and measures drawn from cognitive neuroscience. Graduate students in the program can receive training in cognitive engineering and human factors psychology (following the scientist/practitioner model), developmental cognitive neuroscience, cognitive and decision psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. Graduates of the program are qualified to pursue a wide variety of employment opportunities in both academia and industry.
Some of the issues and questions currently being investigated by members of the Cognitive Psychology program include:
Research performed by members of the Cognitive Psychology program are being and have been supported by funding from the following:
Current faculty members include: Edward Cokely, Lauren Ethridge, Adam Feltz, and Michael Wenger (program coordinator).
Current graduate students include: Brenna Arledge, Amy Barnett, Dana Mahmoud Elhaj, Uyen “Gwen” Hoang, Jenna Holt, Eunsung Lee, Farima Naghash, Sarah Newbolds, Long Nguyen, Jordan Norris, Olivia Perrin, Rachana Rajala, Alejandra Sanroman, and David Weed.
Members of the Cognitive Psychology program conduct research at the Brain and Biomarker Lab (BABL), the OU Cognitive Research Facility (OUCog), OU’s National Institute for Risk and Resilience, and at the OU Visual Neuroscience Laboratory (OUVNL).
BABl hosts one high density MagStim/EGI EEG system and one low density Smarting Pro 32 wireless EEG system for mobile applications and field research. The lab also hosts a Tobii Pro Spectrum eye tracking system with tracking speeds up to 1200 Hz to non-invasively capture detailed gaze data in developmental populations.
Located on the second floor of Cate Center 4, the OUCog research facility is a suite of adjoining laboratories used for cognitive and human factors research. The facility houses laboratories for Dr. Cokely and Dr. Feltz, including dedicated human participant testing rooms, access to a conference room, a break room, shared graduate student offices, and a participant waiting/registration area. In addition to dozens of computers for individual cognitive testing and assessment, there are eye trackers, facial and emotional recognition devices, a user experience research suite with motion tracking video and audio recording systems, and group testing facilities for analyzing human and team interactions. For stimulus creation and data analysis, the research facility has a number high-powered PC and Mac workstations configured with graphics and data analysis software (e.g., EPrime, Mathematica, Photoshop, Matlab, R, SPSS, and SAS).
The OUVNL and the BABL Lab share a suite that currently supports Drs. Michael Wenger and Lauren Ethridge in Psychology, and Lei Ding in OU’s School of Biomedical Engineering. The laboratory contains one EMF/RF shielded, sound- and light-attenuated chamber for the collection of EEG data; one magnetically shielded sound- and light-attenuated chamber for the collection of MEG data; and two sound- and light-attenuated chambers for the collection of psychophysical and behavioral data. The lab houses one high-density (128 channel) EEG system. The OUVNL supports visual psychophysics and behavioral testing with a set of fast gray-to-gray LED monitors equipped controlled by custom software for the precise presentation of stimuli and timing of responses. For stimulus creation and data analysis, the lab has three Mac Minis and one Linux workstation configured with graphics and data analysis software (Gimp, Photoshop, Matlab, R, and SAS).
The I-O doctoral program at the University of Oklahoma is rigorous and rich with a variety of opportunities for students interested in a range of applied and translational programs of research, covering laboratory and field work as well as quantitative, qualitative, and modeling techniques. We follow a scientist-practitioner model. Our primary objective is to train individuals seeking the Ph.D. degree to conduct research and to practice in the areas of industrial psychology and organizational behavior.
Faculty include: Shane Connelly, Adrienne Carter-Sowell, Eric Day (Program Coordinator), Yaqing He, JeongJin Kim, and Lori Snyder
Graduate Students Include: Joshua Chappell, Brandon Choi, Rachel Detherage, Sophia Fischer, Kyra Gallion, Cecelia Gordon, Benyt Hagler, Yomna Helmy, Josie Koubek, James Lue, Maddison North, Joshua Rice, Raechel Sanger, Amanda Stephens, Joseph Stewart, and Piper Winsett.
Grant supported research and publications in reputable, peer-reviewed journals are vital to the program. We strive for a strong collaborative and supportive research culture, where students share ideas and help each other on theses, dissertations, and other research projects. Co-authorships involving several graduate students is the norm for publications and conference presentations. While students will spend significant time and effort working in their major professor’s lab, students are also encouraged to work with other faculty labs outside their major professor’s including those of other psychology faculty and researchers outside the department. We value interdisciplinary collaborations.
For example, in recent years students have contributed to collaborative, interdisciplinary projects funded by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Federal Aviation Administration-CAMI, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy and papers published in a variety of high-profile I/O and management journals, such as Journal of Applied Psychology, The Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Management, Organizational Research Methods, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. Our students regularly present at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology as well as the American Psychological Association, and Association for Psychological Science.
Internships are not a requirement of our program. We typically do not encourage students to pursue internships until after their second year of study (i.e., thesis is completed), and in many cases not until after the general exam has been passed. Nevertheless, our students have thrived across a range of internships in high-profile organizations such as Amazon; National Security Agency; U.S. Army Research Institute; CMA Consulting; National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE); JetBlue; Lockton Companies; The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Proctor and Gamble (P&G); Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E); and Hogan Assessment Systems.
The latest rankings reported by the SIOP show that OU’s I-O doctoral program is ranked 6th and 2nd out of 53 programs in research productivity overall and per faculty, respectively, as indexed by total research journal publications (as well as interdisciplinary publications). Congratulations to our department’s I-O faculty and students!
We do not accept students who are seeking a part-time program. Students have the opportunity to teach in-person and online courses during their time in the program, but research is the top priority regardless of whether students are interested in pursuing an applied or academic career.
We do not have a terminal master’s degree program. Rather, students entering the program with a BA or BS degree earn a Master’s of Science en route to their Doctorate.
Our approach to student development is based on an active learning model. As part of their education, students are expected to apply what they learn in the classroom in faculty-directed research or consulting projects. Students receive training in:
Students often work as part of a team addressing a broader research or organizational problem. With experience, students are given the opportunity to take responsibility for a significant aspect of a project.
Some examples of work recently and currently being done by students and faculty include:
Topics addressed within the program via research and coursework enable students to work with organizations in the areas of:
The Applied Social and Developmental Psychology PhD program focuses on research training related to basic affective, cognitive, cultural, and biological processes underlying complex social phenomena, and the development of these processes across the lifespan. Graduate training in the Applied Social and Developmental Psychology program is designed to prepare students for careers in academic research and teaching, and graduates of the program are also well prepared for applied positions in government and industry.
Program Faculty: Adrienne Carter-Sowell, Mauricio Carvallo (Program Coordinator), Nicole Campbell, Huajian Cai, Lara Mayeux, and Michael Sladek.
Graduate Students: Asser Salem, Hannah Baskin, Ranyu Bo, Tammy Chen, William Curth, Mike Doerge, Alan Drake, Destiny Gayle, Menglin He, Yanan Hong, Elijah Moore, Lane Rippey, Megan Waldron, and Jingqiao Yuan
Faculty members in the Applied Social and Developmental Psychology program have interests spanning such questions as:
Research in the Applied Social and Developmental Psychology program takes place in a variety of settings, including laboratories equipped with two-way mirrors; computer terminals for capturing reaction times and high-quality video display; and space for small group interactions. The Department and the University offer access to the Department’s research participant pool and licensed software for data analysis and online data collection platforms. Some of our projects involve collecting data through community-based partnerships, conducting longitudinal studies to examine developmental trajectories over the course of months and years, and collecting dynamic experience sampling (i.e., daily diary) data. Finally, our research also includes the analysis of natural language, archival, and cohort data from government and international sources.
The Department of Psychology houses a nationally recognized program in Quantitative Psychology, which serves many roles within the Department and the University. The program is designed to provide quantitative training to all Psychology Ph.D students and specifically to students in Quantitative Psychology. The Department has a strong commitment to Psychology as a Quantitative science. The program operates as a de facto Applied Methods program for the whole University, and students from many colleges and departments take our quantitative courses, including Business, Math, Nursing and Public Health, Education, Engineering, Communication, Sociology, Political Science, Computer Science, and many others.
Faculty include: Hairong Song (Program Coordinator) and Patrick Manapat.
Graduate Students include: Catherine Bain, Theo Meyer, and Keelyn Brennan
Students in the Quantitative Program are trained in applied statistics, psychometrics, and mathematical modeling. Courses are offered in the following topics:
