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Spotlight: How Mirror Neurons Adapt

Mirror neurons in the brain fire when a person acts or sees another performing the same action and are thought to play a central role in how we learn by observing others. Drs. Amanda Woodward and Jose Contreras-Vidal received a grant from the ONR to study the flexibility of the mirror system to adapt to changing circumstances in both children and adults. Learn more . . .

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Spotlight: Spatial Memory in Bats

Bats use echolocation to navigate and forage in their environment. Memory for where objects are located in space allows us to navigate in our surrounding environment and remember where we have been before. In a project funded by NIMH, Dr. Cynthia Moss combines these interests with a study of how echolocation contributes to spatial memory in bats. Learn more . . .

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Spotlight: Open Faculty Positions

The Psychology Department is seeking a Director for the Brain Imaging Center as well as tenure track positions in the areas of Counseling Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Social, Decision and Organizational Science (SDOS). Learn more . . .

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Spotlight: Risky Behavior and HIV

Dr Carl Lejuez has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to carry out a five year study that is designed to determine the extent to which identification of patterns of risk taking behavior in younger adolescents can be used to predict future activity that has an increased chance of exposing the person to HIV infection. Learn more . . .

Photo credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Europe

Spotlight: Finding Solutions in the Middle East

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of communicating with the nations and peoples of the Middle East. Dr. Michele Gelfand heads up a multinational team of researchers with a multiyear, multimillion dollar grant to study how cultural differences between the Middle East and the West affect processes of negotiation and collaboration. Learn more . . .

Welcome to the Department of Psychology

Announcement. The Psychology Department is seeking an established scientist with an active research program to serve as the inaugural director of a newly established NSF-funded Brain Imaging Center. More information about this position can be found here. In addition, the Department is seeking to fill three tenure track positions at the assistant or early associate professor level. More information about these positions can be found here.

Psychology is a remarkably broad field that studies mind and behavior at all levels of analysis ranging from the micro to the macro; from single cells to complex systems; from individuals to groups and cultures; and from invertebrates to humans. Our department is committed to research, teaching/mentorship, and service. We have over 1,000 undergraduate majors and enroll approximately 100 graduate students in our Ph.D. programs. Graduate students have an unusually high success rate in securing external funding, and we have an excellent track record for placing them following their Ph.D.s. Much of the research within the department is funded by extramural sources and is published in highly visible outlets. Over 60% of the faculty members are fellows in their scientific societies, almost half have received an external career award, and a third have held Editor or Associate Editor positions.

Our department is organized into five Ph.D. program areas:

  • Clinical
  • Cognitive and Neural Systems (CNS)
  • Counseling
  • Developmental
  • Social, Decision, and Organizational Science (SDOS)

Cutting across these areas and knitting them together are three research themes:

  • Brain, Mind, and Behavior
  • Mental Health
  • Social, Group, and Cultural Processes

Please browse through our site to learn more about our department.

Department News

Design & Stats Lab Seeks More Feedback

October 2, 2009

The Design and Statistical Analysis Laboratory would like to offer periodic informal seminars...

Tony Chan receives Board of Regents Honorable Mention

October 1, 2009

In addition to having won a President's Distinguished Service Award, Tony Chan has received a 2009 ...

Design & Stats Lab Requests Feedback

September 30, 2009

The Department's Design and Statistical Laboratory is seeking feedback from faculty, post docs, and...

Colleen Byrne runs in the Army 10 Miler

September 29, 2009

Colleen Byrne is running the Army 10 Miler on Sunday October 4 with the Give An Hour team . Give an ...

Forrest Tyler participates in Lakeland Heritage Celebration

September 28, 2009

Emeritus Professor Forrest Tyler, a Board Member of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project,...

All News

Event Calendar

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NOV 9

Clinical and Research Issues Seminar (CRIS)

Dr. Carlo DiClemente, Ph.D. will give a talk titled, "Mechanisms of Change in the Modification of Alcohol and Substance Abuse." Dr. DiClemente is a Professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Dr. DiClemente's research examines the stages of the process of human intentional behavior change particularly as related to health and addictive behaviors. He is the co-developer of the Transtheoretical Model of change which has been used by researchers in the areas of cancer prevention, HIV risk reduction, dietary change, exercise, occupational safety, and rehabilitation of health and addictive behaviors.

NOV 9

SDOS Colloquium Series

Jamie Barden, Howard University Prejudice and Discrimination

NOV 11

Distinguished University Scholar Teacher lecture

In conjunction with being named a Distinguished University Scholar Teacher 2009-2010, Dr. Michele Gelfand is giving a university wide lecture entitled "The world is not flat: How culture shapes mind, behavior, and society". A reception will follow the lecture.

NOV 13

Research Methods Seminar

Sharona Atkins, NACS

NOV 13

Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Colloquium Series

Dr. Charles Nelson, Childrens Hospital, Boston, The development and neural bases of face processing

All Events

New Findings



Evidence for a therapeutic treatment that shows promise of helping mildly depressed people quit smoking is presented by Dr. Laura MacPherson and her colleagues. Learn more . . .


A theory of the role played by the personal relationship between a client and a therapist within psychotherapy combined with empirical findings that support the theory is presented by Dr. Charles Gelso. Learn more . . .


Developing children of pregnant, diabetic mothers can be affected in several ways by the iron deficiencies that diabetics often experience. A new study carried out by Dr. Tracy Riggins and her colleagues explores how iron deficiencies during pregnancy can affect their children’s memory three to four years after birth. Learn more . . .


Sometimes parents and teachers differ in how they describe or evaluate a child’s behavior. Research carried out by Dr. Andres De Los Reyes and colleagues provides insight into what these discrepancies might mean. Learn more . . .

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Study documents improvement in memory for the sequence in which prior events occurred in three- and four-year- old children. Learn more . . .

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Social relationships among two crayfish can change as a result of their interactions with a third. Learn more . . .


How victims of domestic violence understand some of the institutions designed to offer them help. Learn more . . .

Department of Psychology
University of Maryland

1147 Biology/Psychology Building
College Park, MD 20742