Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Psychology - Developmental

The Developmental Area is inherently interdisciplinary, studying social, cognitive, and neural processes in infants, children, and adolescents as they grow and change. The area focuses on ontogenetic change and the mechanisms that underlie it in typically developing populations. We primarily use experimental methods to uncover these mechanisms and we have a particular strength in the area of social cognition in birth through elementary school age children. Our area has had a tremendous scientific impact. Meltzoff’s work concerns the roots of social cognition in infants and young children. Meltzoff is one of the international leaders in this area, and his work is very well-cited. He is also extending beyond his core discipline and doing collaborative work on developmental neuroscience. Other examples of our excellence in the field of social cognition come from the work of Repacholi. Repacholi, for instance, has been a major contributor in her work on infants’ responses to, and understanding of other people’s emotions. She is known for conducting complex and labor intensive studies, tackling challenging theoretical issues that few researchers are willing to address. At least two of her studies have become classics in the field of developmental psychology and are cited in many textbooks.

We do not have a stand alone Master's program. However, accepted students to our Ph.D. program may earn a Master's on the way to a Ph.D. The Master's is optional to our Ph.D. program requirements.