Department of Psychological Science

https://www.uvm.edu/cas/psychology

UVM’s Department of Psychological Science offers high-quality teaching and training in clinical and experimental psychology, and places an emphasis on research. Programs are arranged in four closely integrated clusters:

  • Biobehavioral Psychology - The study of the relationship between behavior and biological processes. Research interests include behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of Pavlovian and instrumental conditioning, stress and anxiety, and sex differences in learning and emotion.
  • Social Psychology - The study of how the situation (or context) shapes and determines human thought, feeling, and behavior. Research interests include relationships and what makes people feel more or less connected, the experiences of targets of stigma, how to improve intergroup relations, how to foster compassion and prosocial outcomes, and the social psychology of food.
  • Developmental Psychology - The study of the development of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, including the interplay between biological and environmental influences. Research interests include family relationships, parental socialization, children's peer relationships, gender development, adaptation to stress, and developmental psychopathology.
  • Clinical Psychology - The study of psychological distress, its influences, and healthy adaptation. Research interests include adult anxiety and mood disorders and sexual dysfunctions; childhood ADHD, conduct disorder, and family preventions; resiliency in adolescents; and refugee mental health.

 The faculty include widely published experts, several holding leadership positions within their professional associations.