boston college
morrissey college of arts and sciences
graduate program
psychology
1
the graduate program
in psychology
P
sychology—the scientific study of thought,
feeling and behavior in humans and
other animal species—is one of the most
exciting areas of study today. The study of the
relationship of mind, brain and behavior is at the
frontier of science, and discoveries in the field
of psychology have profound effects on other
domains—e.g., philosophy, economics, law,
education and public policy.
At Boston College, we are ethusiastic about where
we are now and where we’re headed in the future.
We have a thriving department with numerous
world-class investigators. In the last 10 years,
we have hired 11 new faculty members at the
assistant professor level. This tremendous growth
has created a truly unparalleled level of excitement
among our faculty and graduate students.
Our department conducts research in all of the
core areas of psychology: cognitive neuroscience,
behavioral neuroscience, developmental
psychology and social psychology. We also have a
quantitative (mathematical psychology) area that
strengthens the other research areas and provides
our graduate students with the advanced statistical
training that has come to be expected in the field.
Across areas, our department has a singular focus
on neuroscience, which is in line with President
Obama’s 2013 BRAIN Initiative to revolutionize
our understanding of the human brain.
Our faculty and graduate students are highly
productive. Last year, our department published
more than 50 research papers, with graduate
students serving as first author on the large
majority. Our graduate students also regularly
present at national conferences. Given this level
of research productivity, it is not surprising
that our national rankings have dramatically
improved over the last decade. Each spring, we
hold a Graduate Student Research Day, which is
an excellent forum for students to practice giving
presentations, discuss new ideas and get feedback
on their recent work.
Many of our graduate students are supported by
the National Science Foundation, the National
Institutes of Health and other prestigious foundations. More advanced graduate students can
also elect to teach their own courses, an invaluable
experience that provides an edge when they go
into the job market. Indeed, our graduate
students have excellent research and teaching
skills and routinely secure coveted post-doctoral
and faculty positions.
To appreciate the exciting and productive
environment of our department, we encourage
you to visit our website and come to campus. We
would be happy to arrange individual meetings
with our faculty and current graduate students so
you can see our thriving department for yourself.
contents
Program Overview
2
Faculty
3
Courses
8
Outcomes
8
Academic Resources
9
Student Life &
Campus Resources
10
Admission & Financial
Information
12
1
program overview
W
e offer both M.A. and Ph.D. graduate
training programs in the five core areas of
psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive
Neuroscience, Developmental Psychology,
Quantitative Psychology and Social Psychology.
The department seeks students whose interests
fall within or bridge these areas. All students
collaborate closely with a faculty advisor.
programs of study
CourSe requirementS
Ph.D. Program
The required coursework is determined by the intended
area of research. Please visit our website at bc.edu/
psychology for specific information pertaining to required coursework for your area of research.
Our doctoral program is aimed at students who intend
to become research psychologists, participating in the
basic search for knowledge about human beings. The
focus throughout the stay at Boston College is on original research. The Psychology Department matriculates
a small class of new doctoral students each September;
our program’s size ensures individualized attention.
Plan of Study
First Year
Each student is accepted to work with a primary advisor.
By the end of the first semester, the student, along with
his/her advisor, selects two additional faculty members
to serve on a thesis committee. The Ph.D. student’s
initial task is the production of a second-year research
project. Work on this task begins immediately. A topic is
selected, background reading carried out, a research program designed and piloted; a proposal is then submitted
to the student’s committee. The proposal is defended
orally in front of the committee.
Second Year
In the second year, any further pilot work needed is
carried out, IRB approval is obtained, the data gathered
and analyzed, and the second-year research project written and defended.
The thesis reports original empirical research initiated
and conducted while in our program. Although the
project is carried out in close collaboration with the
advisor, the student should be the major contributor to
the thesis, thus qualifying the student for senior authorship on the thesis when it is submitted for publication.
2
Third, Fourth and Fifth Year
The second period in the graduate program is characterized by a shift to more independent work and an
even more intensive focus on research. The third year
focuses on two requirements that the student works on
simultaneously: the third year literature review and the
dissertation proposal. The fourth year focuses on dissertation research. The student’s principal job is carrying
out research and building a CV. The program is designed
to be completed within five years.
Neuroscience Concentration: Brain Mechanisms
of Behavior and Cognition
Graduate students are able to receive a Ph.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience. The goal of
the neuroscience concentration is to promote research
training in the basic neural processes and brain mechanisms that regulate behavior, cognition and emotion.
This concentration offers flexible programs of study and
is appropriate for students with interests in behavioral
and cognitive neuroscience. The concentration is housed
within the Psychology Department, but may include
courses taught in the Biology Department.
Graduate StatiStiCS minor
Graduate students in psychology and other departments
may complete a minor in statistics through completion
of courses in the mathematics and other departments.
M.A. Program
The master’s program is designed for students who
intend to become psychologists, but are not ready to
commit to a four- to five-year doctoral program. This is a
two-year, full-time, research-oriented graduate program
that features an empirical thesis, coursework and a close
relationship with a faculty advisor. Master’s students
complete the same course of study as the first two years
of the Ph.D. program.
faculty profiles
Plan of Study
First Year
Each student is accepted to work with a primary advisor.
By the end of the first semester, the student along with
his/her advisor, selects two additional faculty members
to serve on a thesis committee.
The student’s primary task is the production of a secondyear research project (master’s thesis). Work on this
task begins immediately. A topic is selected, background
reading carried out, a research program designed and
piloted and a two- to three-page plan is submitted to the
student’s three-person master’s committee.
Second Year
An oral defense of the completed thesis must be held
in front of the three-person master’s committee and
approved by March 31 of the second year.
The thesis reports original empirical research initiated
and conducted while in our M.A. program. Although
the project is carried out in close collaboration with the
advisor, the student should be the major contributor to
the thesis, thus qualifying for senior authorship on the
thesis when it is submitted for publication.
CourSe requirementS
The required coursework is determined by the intended
concentration. Please visit our website for specific
information pertaining to requirements for your area
of concentration.
behavioral neuroscience
john christianson
Ph.D. 2006, University of New Hampshire
Email: john.christianson.2@bc.edu
The focus of John Christianson’s research is to determine how
stress interacts with the neural systems that permit individuals to
adapt to potentially dangerous and changing environments. The
current emphasis is on the neural mechanisms that underly safety
learning. The laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach to
study brain circuits and behavior including sophisticated behavioral paradigms, electrophysiology and optogenetics. The overall
goal is to provide new insight into the organization of the brain
and behavior and improve treatment for psychological illness.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Christianson, J.P.; Jovanovic, T.; Kazama, A.; Fernando, A.;
Ostroff, L.; Sanga, S. (2012). Inhibition of fear by learned safety
signals: minisymposium review. Journal of Neuroscience, 32(41),
14118-24.
 Christianson, J.P.; Jennings, J.H.; Ragole, T.; Flyer, J.;
Benison, A.; Barth, D.; Watkins, L.R.; Maier, S.F. (2011). Safety
signals mitigate the consequences of uncontrollable stress via a
circuit involving the sensory insular cortex and the bed nucleus of
the stria terminalis. Biological Psychiatry, 70(5), 458-64.
 Christianson, J.P.; Benison, A.M.; Jennings, J.H.; Sandsmark, E.K.; Amat, J.; Kaufman, R.D.; Barratta, M.V.; Paul, E.D.;
Campeau, S.; Watkins, L.R.; Barth D.S; Maier, S.F. (2008). The
sensory insular cortex mediates the stress-buffering effects of
safety signals but not behavioral control. Journal of Neuroscience,
28(50), 13703-11.
michael mcdannald
Ph.D. 2008, Johns Hopkins University
Email: michael.mcdannald@bc.edu
Michael McDannald’s research is aimed at uncovering the neural
circuits that support the prediction of important events such as
danger and reward. To uncover these neural circuits the laboratory
combines Pavlovian conditioning procedures from the learning
theory tradition with single-unit recording, optogenetic stimulation, neurotoxic lesions and neural inactivation procedures. The
goal is to describe neural circuits that support prediction and how
dysfunction of these circuits contributes to disorder of anxiety and
addiction.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 McDannald, M.A.; Jones, J.L.; Takahashi, Y.; Schoenbaum, G.
(2014). Learning theory: a driving force in understanding orbitofrontal function. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 108, 22-27.
 McDannald, M.A.; Whitt, J.P.; Calhoon, G.G; Piantadosi, P.T.;
Karlsson, R.M.; O’Donell, P.; Schoenbaum, G. (2011). Impaired
reality testing in an animal model of schizophrenia. Biological
Psychiatry, 70(12), 1122-26.
 McDannald, M.A.; Lucantonio, F.; Burke, K.A; Niv, Y.;
Schoenbaum, G. (2011). Ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex
are both required for model-based, but not model-free, reinforcement learning. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(7), 2700-05.
3
faculty profiles
gorica d. petrovich
Ph.D. 1997, University of Southern California
Email: gorica.petrovich@bc.edu
Gorica Petrovich’s research explores the neurobiology of the
motivational and emotional control of feeding behavior. She is
particularly interested in interactions between the forebrain and
the hypothalamus in the control of food intake and how basic
hunger mechanisms can be influenced by learning and stress.
She accomplishes the research goals through the use of
advanced neuroanatomical, molecular and behavioral techniques in animal models. Her research demonstrates that the
brain network formed by the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex
and lateral hypothalamus mediates control of food consumption
by learned motivational cues.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Petrovich, G.D. (2011). Forebrain circuits and control of feeding by learned cues. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 95,
152-8. (Epub 2010).
 Petrovich, G.D.; Ross, C.A.; Mody, P; Holland, P.C.; Gallagher,
M. (2009). Central but not basolateral amygdala is critical for
control of feeding by aversive conditioned cues. Journal of
Neuroscience, 29, 15205-12.
 Petrovich, G.D.; Ross, C.A.; Holland, P.C.; Gallagher, M.
(2007). Medial prefrontal cortex is necessary for an appetitive
contextual conditioned stimulus to promote eating in sated rats.
Journal of Neuroscience, 27, 6436-41.
alexa h. veenema
Ph.D. 2003, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Email: alexa.veenema@bc.edu
Alexa Veenema examines the neural basis of social behaviors
including juvenile play-fighting, adult aggression, social recognition and social anxiety. She is particularly interested in the
role of early life stress in modulating these behaviors and in the
neural circuits underlying the maturation of social behaviors.
She is using rats and mice to explore the underlying brain
systems with a focus on the neuropeptides vasopressin and oxytocin among others. Her research ultimately aims to shed light
on normal and abnormal human social functioning as observed
in autism spectrum disorder, borderline personality disorder,
antisocial personality disorder and schizophrenia.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Lukas, M.; Bredewold, R.; Landgraf, R.; Neumann, I.D.;
Veenema, A.H. (2011). Early life stress impairs social recognition due to a blunted response of vasopressin release within
the septum of adult male rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36(6),
843-53.
 Veenema, A.H.; Beiderbeck, D.I.; Lukas, M.; Neumann, I.D.
(2010). Distinct correlations of vasopressin release within the
lateral septum and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis with
the display of intermale aggression. Hormones and Behavior,
58(2), 273-81.
4
 Veenema, A.H. (2009). Early life stress, the development of
aggression and neurobiological correlates: What can we learn
from animal models? Front Neuroendocrinol, 30, 497-518.
 Veenema, A.H.; Blume, A.; Niederle, D.; Buwalda, B.;
Neumann, I.D. (2006). Effects of early life stress on adult male
aggression and hypothalamic vasopressin and serotonin.
European Journal of Neuroscience, 24, 1711-20.
cognitive neuroscience
hiram brownell
Ph.D. 1978, Johns Hopkins University
Email: hiram.brownell@bc.edu
Hiram Brownell’s work examines selective deficits in linguistic
and cognitive ability associated with injury to the brain and
remediation of those deficits.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Griffin, R.; Friedman, O.; Ween, J.; Winner, E.; Happé, F.;
Brownell, H. (2006). Theory of mind and the right cerebral
hemisphere: Refining the scope of impairment. Laterality, 11,
195-225.
 Lundgren, K.; Brownell, H. (2011). Remediation of theory of
mind impairments in brain-injured adults. In J. Guendouzi,
F. Loncke; M. J. Williams (eds.), The Handbook of PsychoLinguistic and Cognitive Processes: Perspectives in Communication
Disorders. Psychology Press.
 Lundgren, K.; Brownell, H.; Cayer-Meade, C.; Miliione, J.;
Kearns, K. (2011). Treating metaphor interpretation deficits subsequent to right hemisphere brain damage: Preliminary results.
Aphasiology, 25(4), 456-74.
elizabeth kensinger
Ph.D. 2003, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Email: elizabeth.kensinger@bc.edu
Elizabeth Kensinger’s research combines behavioral and brain
imaging techniques to examine how emotion affects the
processes that are used to remember information. She is interested in understanding these cognitive and neural processes
in young adults and in identifying how these processes change
across the adult lifespan.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Kensinger, E.A. (2009). Emotional Memory across the Adult
Lifespan. Psychology Press.
 Kensinger, E.A. (2009). How emotion affects older adults’
memories for event details. Memory, 17, 208-219.
 Kensinger, E.A. (2007). How negative emotion affects
memory accuracy: Behavioral and neuroimaging evidence.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 213-18.
sean macevoy
Ph.D. 2003, Brown University
Email: sean.macevoy@bc.edu
Sean MacEvoy studies the mechanisms of human visual perception, using both using functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) and psychophysics. He is particularly interested in the
neural processes underlying object perception and recognition
in complex environments, the integration of “what” and “where:
information in temporal lobe visual areas and the functional organization of visual cortex.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 MacEvoy, S.P.; Epstein, R.A. (2009). Decoding the representation of multiple simultaneous objects in human occipitotemporal
cortex. Current Biology, 19, 943-47.
 MacEvoy, S.P; Tucker, T.R.; Fitzpatrick, D. (2009). A precise
form of divisive normalization supports population coding in
primary visual cortex. Nature Neuroscience, 12, 637-45.
 MacEvoy, S.P.; Epstein, R.A. (2007). Position selectivity in
scene- and object-responsive occipitotemporal regions. Journal of
Neurophysiology, 98, 2089-98.
scott slotnick
Ph.D. 1998, University of California, Berkeley
Email: scott.stotnick@bc.edu
Scott Slotnick’s research program aims to understand the
nature of visual memory (i.e., memory for visual items or events).
Drawing on the foundation of research in visual perception, he
employs cognitive modeling (based on behavioral measures),
event-related potentials (ERPs), and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). His research indicates that memory
retrieval is a continuous process that is constructive in nature,
where features or components from disparate cortical regions
bind together to form a unified memory.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Slotnick, S.D.; Moo, L.R.; Kraut, M.A.; Lesser, R.P.; Hart, J.
(2002). Interactions between thalamic and cortical rhythms during semantic memory recall in human. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 99, 6440-43.
 Slotnick, S.D.; Schacter, D.L. (2004). A sensory signature that
distinguishes true from false memories. Nature Neuroscience, 7,
664-72. Supplement.
 Slotnick, S.D.; Dodson, C.S. (2005). Support for a continuous
(single-process) model of recognition memory and source
memory. Memory & Cognition, 33, 151-70.
joseph tecce
Ph.D. 1961, Catholic University
Email: tecce@bc.edu
Joseph Tecce studies the role of attention in the understanding of
stress-health associations and in the achievement of stress
reduction by cognitive-behavioral methods. He also investigates
the use of eyeblinks as an indicator of emotional arousal and the
control of computer functions by eye movements.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Tecce, J.J.; Pok, L.J.; Consiglio, M.R.; O’Neil, J.L. (2005). Attention impairment in electrooculographic control of computer
functions. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 55, 159-63.
 Tecce, J.J. (1992). Psychology, physiological and experimental
[a review of eyeblink research ]. In McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology (6th edition). McGraw-Hill.
 Tecce, J.J. (1991). Dopamine and CNV: Studies of drugs, disease, and nutrition. Electroencephalography and Clinical
Neurophysiology (Suppl. 42), 153-164.
See also Sara Cordes, Ellen Winner and Liane Young.
developmental psychology
sara cordes
Ph.D. 2005, Rutgers University
Email: sara.cordes.1@bc.edu
Sara Cordes studies cognitive development. Her primary
research focus is on understanding how infants, children and
adults keep track of basic quantities such as number, time and
amount and how these abilities relate to early counting abilities
and mathematics achievement in the classroom. using primarily looking-time measures with infants and psychophysical tasks
with children and adults, her work investigates the impact of
contextual, linguistic and social factors on these preverbal representations of quantity.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Cordes, S.; Brannon, E.M. (2008). Quantitative competencies
in infancy. Developmental Science, 11(6), 803-8.
 Cordes, S.; Brannon, E.M. (2008). Discrimination of continuous quantities in 6-month old infants: using number is just
easier. Child Development, 79(2), 476-89.
 Cordes, S.; Gelman, R.; Gallistel, C.R.; Whalen, J. (2001).
Variability signatures distinguish verbal from nonverbal counting for both large and small numbers. Psychonomic Bulletin &
Review, 8(4), 698-707.
joshua hartshorne
Ph.D. 2012, Harvard University
E-Mail: joshua.hartshorne@bc.edu
Joshua Hartshorne studies the relationship between language
and intuitive theories of the world, with a particular focus on
how children use their intuitive theories to bootstrap language
acquisition. He is particularly interested in using new and
emerging methodologies, such as viral quizzes, crowdsourcing
and Bayesian modeling to make progress on previously intractable problems.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Hartshorne, J. K.; Germine, L. T. (2015). When does cognitive
functioning peak? The asynchronous rise and fall of different
cognitive abilities across the lifespan. Psychological Science,
26(4), 433-43.
5
faculty profiles
 Hartshorne, J.K.; Pogue, A.; Snedeker, J. (2015). Love is hard
to understand: The relationship between transitivity and caused
events in the acquisition of emotion verbs. Journal of Child
Language, 42, 467-504.
 Hartshorne, J.K.; Nappa, R.; Snedeker, J. (2015). Development
of the first-mention bias. Journal of Child Language, 42(2), 423-46.
katherine mcauliffe
Ph.D. 2013, Harvard University
E-Mail: katherine.mcauliffe@bc.edu
Katherine McAuliffe’s work focuses on the development and
evolution of cooperation. Her primary research investigates how
children develop an understanding of the norms governing
cooperation and a willingness to enforce them. Her work on
children is situated within a broader cross-cultural and comparative context that seeks to understand how and why the cognition
supporting cooperation evolved.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 McAuliffe, K.; Jordan, J.J.; Warneken, F. (2015). Costly thirdparty punishment in young children. Cognition, 134, 1-10.
 McAuliffe, K.; Blake, P.R.; Warneken, F. (2014). Children reject
inequity out of spite. Biology Letters, 10, 20140743.
 McAuliffe, K. & Thornton, A. 2015. The psychology of cooperation in animals: an ecological approach. Journal of Zoology, 295,
23-35.
michael moore
Ph.D. 1978, Harvard University
Email: moorem@bc.edu
Michael Moore studies parent-child interactions, cognitive and
emotional development, memory organization and automatic
processing. His current research interests focus on children’s
participation in organized sports and their understanding of the
“rules of the game.”
karen rosen
Ph.D. 1984, Harvard University
Email: rosenk@bc.edu
Karen Rosen’s work focuses on social and emotional development during infancy and early childhood. Her research on
parenting and early attachment relationships has included both
mothers and fathers. She has studied questions about the effects
of these early attachments on emotion regulation, on sibling relationships and on the development of problem behaviors.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Rosen, K.S; Burke, P. (1999). Multiple attachment relationships within the family: Mothers and fathers with two young
children. Developmental Psychology, 35, 436-41.
 Rosen, K.; Rothbaum, F. (2003). Parent-child attachment and
its implications for child development. In J.J. Ponzetti (ed.),
International Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family Relations (2nd
edition). Macmillan.
6
 Rothbaum, F; Rosen, K; ujiie, T.; uchida, N. (2002). Family
systems theory, attachment theory, and culture. Family Process, 41,
328-50.
ellen winner
Ph.D. 1978, Harvard University
Email: winner@bc.edu
Ellen Winner’s work focuses on cognition and emotion in the
arts. She studies typical and atypical development in the arts,
and the relationship between artistic learning and other forms of
cognition.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Hawley, A.; Winner, E. (2011). Seeing the mind behind the art:
We can distinguish abstract expressionist paintings from highly
similar paintings by children, chimps, monkeys, and elephants.
Psychological Science, 22, 4.
 Drake, J.E.; Redash, A.; Coleman, K.; Haimson, J.; Winner,
E. (2010). ‘Autistic’ local processing bias also found in children
gifted in drawing. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
40, 762-73.
 Goldstein, T.R.; Winner, E. (2012). Imagining others:
Enhancing empathy and theory of mind. Journal of Cognition and
Development, 13, 19-37.
See also James A. Russell.
quantitative psychology
ehri ryu
Ph.D. 2008, Arizona State University
Email: ehri.ryu.1@bc.edu
Ehri Ryu’s research interests include multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling, and analysis of longitudinal data. She is
particularly interested in the assessment of goodness of model fit
in multilevel structural equation modeling, different approaches
to analyzing multivariate multilevel data, and modeling longitudinal relationships between multiple variables.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Ryu, E.; West, S.G. (2009). Level-specific evaluation of model
fit in multilevel structural equation modeling. Structural Equation
Modeling, 16, 583-601.
 Ryu, E.; West, S.G.; Sousa, K.H. (2009). Combining mediation
and moderation: Testing relationships between symptom status,
functional health, and quality of life in HIV patients. Multivariate
Behavioral Research, 44, 213-32.
 Ryu, E.; West, S.G.; Sousa, K.H. (2012). Distinguishing
between-person and within-person relationships in longitudinal
health research: Arthritis and quality of life. Annals of Behavioral
Medicine, 43, 330-42.
hao wu
Ph.D. 2010, The Ohio State University
Email: hao.wu.5@bc.edu
Hao Wu’s research interest lies in the evaluation of statistical
models in psychology. Relying on tools such as classical asymptotic theories, Bayesian statistics and information theoretic
methodologies, he is particularly interested in issues such as how
to compare multiple statistical models, how to account for the
fact that models are not exactly true in reality, and how to handle
nonlinear relations or non-normal distributions.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Wu, H.; Myung, I.J.; Batchelder, W.H. (2010a). Minimum
description length model selection of multinomial processing
tree models. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 17, 275-86.
 Wu, H.; Myung, I.J.; Batchelder, W.H. (2010). On the complexity of multinomial processing tree models. Journal of Mathematical
Psychology, 54, 291–303.
See also Hiram Brownell, Sean Macevoy and Scott Slotnick.
social psychology
donnah canavan
Ph.D. 1969, Columbia University
Email: canavang@bc.edu
Donnah Canavan’s research interests focus on the development
of individual differences, including narcissism, psychological
separateness and three orientations to achievement (fear of
success, conventional success and healthy success). Her recent
studies of the effects of shared affect and enthusiasm have led to
a series of studies on a new concept she calls “social energy.”
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Canavan, D. (1991). Fear of success. In R.C. Curtis (ed.),
Self-Defeating Behaviors: Experimental Research, Clinical Impressions, and Practical Implications. Plenum Press.
 Canavan, D. (2001). Social Energy: The Consequences of
Shared Affect. Symposium at New England Psychological Association Conference, Danbury, Connecticut.
 Canavan, D. (2002). Success and Beauty: The Motive to Contribute and the Motive to Win. Presidential Address at the 2002
New England Psychological Association Conference. Rivier College,
Nashua, New Hampshire.
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Russell, J.A. (2003). Core affect and the psychological construction of emotion. Psychological Review, 110, 145-72.
 Russell, J.A.; Bachorowski, J.A.; Fernandez Dols, J.M. (2003).
Facial and vocal expression of emotion. Annual Review of
Psychology, 54, 339-49.
 Widen, S.C.; Russell, J.A. (2008). Young children’s understanding of other’s emotions. In M. Lewis, J.M. Haviland-Jones and
L.F. Barrett (eds.), Handbook of Emotions. Guilford.
 Russell, J.A.; Carroll, J.M. (1999). On the bipolarity of positive
and negative affect. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 3–30.
liane young
Ph.D. 2008, Harvard University
Email: liane.young@bc.edu
Liane Young studies the cognitive and neural basis of human
moral judgment. Her current research focuses on the role of
theory of mind and emotions in moral judgment and moral
behavior, as well as cultural and individual differences in moral
cognition. She is also interested in conceptions of the self and
free will. Her research employs methods of social psychology and
cognitive neuroscience, including functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI), examination of patient populations with selective cognitive deficits and modulating activity in specific brain
regions using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
RECENT PuBLICATIONS
 Young, L.; Phillips, J. (2011). The paradox of moral focus.
Cognition, 119, 166-78.
 Young, L.; Bechara, A.; Tranel, D.; Damasio, H.; Hauser, M.;
Damasio, A. (2010). Damage to prefrontal cortex impairs
judgment of harmful intent. Neuron, 65, 845-51.
 Young, L.; Camprodon, J.; Hauser, M.; Pascual-Leone, A.;
Saxe, R. (2010). Disruption of the right temporo-parietal junction
with TMS reduces the role of beliefs in moral judgments. PNAS,
107(15), 6753-8.
james a. russell
Ph.D. 1974, University of California, Los Angeles
Email: james.russell@bc.edu
James A. Russell’s work focuses on emotion. He studies the
expression and recognition of emotion through faces, children’s
understanding of emotion, the structure of emotional experience,
cultural influences on emotion and the distinction between mood
and emotion and scientific taxonomies of each.
7
courses
outcomes
T
Recent Theses/
Dissertations
university of massachusetts
Maria Therese Gendron, “relativity
in the Perception of emotion
across Cultures”
yale university School of medicine
Angelina Justine Hawley Dolan,
“two Sides of the Same mind:
How our Beliefs about the artist’s
moral mind influence the Way We
respond to the artistic mind”
Brooklyn College
he combined and varied interests of the
faculty, as indicated in the faculty profiles,
ensure that the department offers a wide variety
of graduate course electives. While the number
and content of the graduate electives varies
from year to year, the following list is illustrative
of the range of courses offered.
fall 2015
Current topics in moral Psychology
young
neural Systems and Stress
Veenema
Cellular Perspectives on
motivated Behavior
mcdannald
History of Psychology
Weidman
missing data analysis
ryu
Scientific Writing
russell
SPrinG 2016
multiple regression
ryu
Controversies in Cognitive
neuroscience
Slotnick
Structural equation modeling
ryu
advanced affective neuroscience
kensinger
Brain Systems: motivation
and emotion
Petrovich
Brendan David Murray,
“Psychology memory for
associative integrations depends
on emotion and age”
yale university
tenure-traCk PlaCementS
California State university,
Sacramento
elon university
manhattanville College
Pace university
university of otago, new Zealand
university of Waterloo
Preston P. Thakral, “the role
of Human motion Processing
Complex, mt+, during Sustained
Perception and attention”
university of Wisconsin, eau Claire
Jennifer E. Drake, “Predictors of
local and Global Processing in
autistic and typical development”
Bae Systems
Thalia R. Goldstein, “the effects
of acting training on theory
of mind, empathy, and emotion
regulation”
Caren Walker, “Biological vs.
artificial life: Challenges to
Children’s essentialist Beliefs”
Recent Placement
the Psychology department takes
an active role in attempting to
place its students in attractive
post-doctoral, tenure track and
nonacademic positions. our recent students’ placements have
included:
PoSt-doCtoral PlaCementS
Boston Children’s Hospital
the Broad institute
the martinos Center at mass.
General Hospital
Princeton university
rutgers university Center for
Cognitive Science
Stanford university
tufts university
university of California, davis
8
university of Virginia
Washington and lee university
non-aCademiC PlaCementS
Capacities.com
digital research, inc.
Gillette advanced technologies
Center
mPr associates
Zeldis research associates
morrissey college of arts & sciences
T
he oldest and largest of the university’s eight
schools and colleges, the Morrissey College
of Arts and Sciences offers graduate programs
in the humanities, social sciences and natural
sciences, leading to the degrees of Doctor of
Philosophy, Master of Arts and Master of Science.
In addition, numerous dual-degree options are
offered in cooperation with the Carroll School
of Management, the Boston College Law School,
the Lynch School of Education and the Graduate
School of Social Work.
With approximately 1,000 students and 400 fulltime faculty, the Graduate School is small enough
to know you as a person, but large enough to
serve you and prepare you for a rewarding life
and satisfying career.
Academic Resources
PSyCHoloGy Colloquium SerieS
We host a diverse colloquium series that brings outstanding visiting scientists to the department for formal and
informal interactions with all of the members of the department.
2015
2013
Howard eichenbaum, Harvard university
yaoda Xu, Harvard university
ken Paller, northwestern university
Glenn Schellenberg, university of toronto
BoSton area ConSortium
The Boston Area Consortium allows graduate students
to cross-register for courses at Boston university,
Brandeis university and Tufts university.
BoSton ColleGe liBrarieS
The university is home to eight libraries, containing
2.87 million volumes; more than 700 manuscript
collections, including music, photos, art and artifacts;
440,000 e-books; and more than 600 electronic
databases. O’Neill Library, Boston College’s main
library, offers subject-specialist librarians to help with
research, to set up alerts to new publications in areas
of interest and to answer any research- and libraryrelated questions.
tHe BoSton liBrary ConSortium
The Boston Library Consortium allows Boston College
students access to millions of volumes and other services
at 19 area institutions in addition to the world-class
resources available through the Boston College
Library System.
Josh knobe, yale university
tHe Graduate ConSortium in Women’S StudieS
Geoffrey Schoenbaum, university of maryland
The Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies (GCWS)
brings together scholars and teachers at nine degreegranting institutions in the Boston area: Boston College,
Boston university, Brandeis university, Harvard
university, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Northeastern university, Simmons College, Tufts
university and the university of Massachusetts Boston.
The GCWS is devoted to graduate teaching and research
in Women’s Studies and to advancing interdisciplinary
Women’s Studies scholarship. Students can engage in
the community and cross-disciplinary study promoted by
the GCWS in myriad ways. Through courses, attending
events and organizing conferences, these initiatives
provide a learning environment unlike any other.
Jessica Black, Boston College School of Social Work
2014
Hillary anger elfenben, Washington university
robert rauschenberger, exponent
William Seeley, Bates College
david miele, Boston College lynch School of education
Jonathan Phillips, yale university
ronnie Janoff-Bulman, university of massachusetts, amherst
laurie Santos, yale university
Paul Harris, Harvard university
ani Patel, tufts university
9
student life & campus resources
B
oston College is located on the edge of one of
the world’s most vibrant cities. Just six miles
from downtown Boston—an exciting and dynamic
place to live and learn—Boston College is an easy
car or “T” ride away from a booming center for
trade, finance, research and education.
Home to some of New England’s most prestigious
cultural landmarks, including the Museum of
Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum,
Boston Symphony Hall and the Freedom Trail,
Boston provides a rich environment for those
passionate about art, music and history. For sports
fans, Boston hosts a number of the country’s
greatest sports teams: the Celtics, Patriots, Bruins
and, of course, Fenway Park’s beloved Red Sox.
Found within a short drive from Boston are some
of New England’s best recreational sites, from the
excellent skiing in New Hampshire to the pristine
beaches of Cape Cod.
Boston also offers a wide range of family-friendly
attractions, including the Children’s Museum,
New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo
and the Museum of Science. There are roughly
50 universities located in the Boston area, and
the large student population adds to the city’s
intellectually rich and diverse community. Events,
lectures and reading groups hosted by worldrenowned scholars abound on area campuses,
providing abundant opportunities to meet and
network with other graduate students and faculty
throughout the Boston area.
The University
Boston College is a Jesuit university with more than
14,000 students, 758 full-time faculty and more than
165,000 active alumni. Since its founding in 1863, the
university has known extraordinary growth and change.
From its beginnings as a small Jesuit college intended to
provide higher education for Boston’s largely immigrant
Catholic population, Boston College has grown into a
national institution of higher learning that is consistently
ranked among the top universities in the nation: Boston
College is ranked 31st among national universities by
U.S. News & World Report.
Today, Boston College attracts scholars from all 50 states
and over 80 countries, and confers more than 4,000
degrees annually in more than 50 fields through its eight
schools and colleges. Its faculty members are committed
to both teaching and research and have set new marks
for research grants in each of the last 10 years. The
university is committed to academic excellence. As
part of its most recent strategic plan, Boston College
is in the process of adding 100 new faculty positions,
expanding faculty and graduate research, increasing
student financial aid and widening opportunities in key
undergraduate and graduate programs.
The university is comprised of the following colleges and
schools: Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Carroll
School of Management, Connell School of Nursing,
Lynch School of Education, Woods College of Advancing
Studies, Boston College Law School, Graduate School of
Social Work and School of Theology and Ministry.
General Resources
HouSinG
While on-campus housing is not available for graduate
students, most students live in nearby apartments. The
Office of Residential Life maintains an extensive database
with available rental listings, roommates and helpful
local real estate agents. The best time to look for fall
semester housing is June through the end of August.
For spring semester housing, the best time to look is late
November through the beginning of the second semester.
Additionally, some graduate students may live on campus
as resident assistants. Interested students should contact
the Office of Residential Life.
10
JoHn Courtney murray, S.J., Graduate
Student Center
One of only a handful of graduate student centers
around the country, the Murray Graduate Student Center
is dedicated to the support and enrichment of graduate
student life at Boston College. Its primary purpose is to
build a sense of community among the entire graduate
student population and cultivate a sense of belonging to
the university as a whole. Its amenities include study
rooms, a computer lab, two smart televisions, kitchen,
deck and patio space, complimentary coffee and tea, and
more. Throughout the year, the center hosts programs
organized by the Office of Graduate Student Life and
graduate student groups. The Murray Graduate Student
Center also maintains an active job board (available
electronically), listing academic and non-academic
opportunities for employment both on and off campus.
mCmullen muSeum of art
Serving as a dynamic educational resource for the
national and international community, the McMullen
Museum of Art showcases interdisciplinary exhibitions
that ask innovative questions and break new ground in
the display and scholarship of the works on view. The
McMullen regularly offers exhibition-related programs,
including musical and theatrical performances, films,
gallery talks, symposia, lectures, readings and receptions
that draw students, faculty, alumni and friends together
for stimulating dialogue. Located on the main campus,
the McMullen Museum is free to all visitors.
ConnorS family learninG Center
Working closely with the Graduate School, the Connors
Family Learning Center sponsors seminars, workshops
and discussions for graduate teaching assistants and
teaching fellows on strategies for improving teaching
effectiveness and student learning. Each fall, the
Learning Center and the Graduate School hold a oneand-a-half day “Fall Teaching Orientation” workshop
designed to help students prepare for teaching. The
center also hosts ongoing seminars on college teaching,
higher learning and academic life; assists graduate
students in developing teaching portfolios; and provides
class visits and teaching consultations, upon request.
Through these and other activities, the Connors Family
Learning Center plays an important role in enhancing
the quality of academic life at Boston College.
flynn reCreation ComPleX
The 144,000-square-foot Flynn Recreation Complex
houses a running track; tennis, basketball, volleyball,
squash and racquetball courts; an aquatics center with
pool and dive well; saunas and more. Its 10,000-squarefoot Fitness Center offers over 100 pieces of cardio
equipment, a full complement of strength training
equipment and free weights, an air-conditioned spin
studio and three air-conditioned group fitness studios.
During the academic year, BC Rec holds more than 80
group fitness classes per week in a variety of disciplines,
including Zumba, spin, yoga, strength training, Pilates
and more.
BoSton ColleGe Career Center
The Boston College Career Center works with graduate
students at each step of their career development.
Services include self-assessment, career counseling,
various career development workshops, resume and
cover letter critiques, and practice interviews. In addition
to extensive workshop offerings, Career Center staff
members are available throughout the year for one-onone advising about any aspect of the career path. The
Career Resource Library offers a wealth of resources,
including books, periodicals and online databases.
11
admission & financial information
Admission Requirements
Financial Assistance
The application deadline for fall admission
is December 15 for the Ph.D. program and
February 1 for the M.A. program. Please visit
bc.edu/gsas for detailed information on how
to apply.
dePartment fundinG
application requirements include:

Application Form:
Submitted online,
via the GSaS website.

Application Fee:
$75, non-refundable.

Abstract of Courses
Form:
a concise overview of background
and related courses completed in
an intended field or proposed
area of study.

Official Transcripts:
demonstrating coursework
completed/degree conferral from
all post-secondary institutions
attended.

GRE General Test:
official score report required for
all applicants.

GRE Subject Test:
official score report from either
the Psychology or Biology exam
strongly recommended for all
applicants.

Three Letters of
Recommendation:
from professors or supervisors.
it is highly advisable that at least
one letter be from an academic
source.

Statement of Purpose: a brief (1-2 page) discussion of
an applicant’s preparation,
motivation and goals for their
proposed course of study.

12
Proof of English
Proficiency:
(International only)
official toefl/ieltS score reports
accepted.
Doctoral
Our Ph.D. students are fully funded, including a stipend
and tuition scholarship. Ph.D. students serve as either
research assistants or teaching assistants during the
course of the program.
Master’s
unlike many M.A. programs, we offer financial assistance to qualified applicants. All M.A. students receive
a 15-credit tuition scholarship per year (standard course
load). M.A. students may also receive financial support
by serving as teaching assistants. In addition, M.A.
students may discuss, with their advisor, the possibility
of a research assistantship, especially over the summer
months, for additional financial support.
federal finanCial aid
Graduate students can apply for federal financial aid
using the FAFSA. The loans that may be available to
graduate students are the Federal Direct unsubsidized
Stafford Loan and Perkins Loan, based on eligibility.
If additional funds are needed, student may apply for a
Grad Plus Loan. For more information, see the Graduate
Financial Aid website at bc.edu/gradaid or contact the
Graduate Financial Aid Office at 617-552-3300 or
800-294-0294.
offiCe of SPonSored reSearCH
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) assists both
faculty and graduate students in finding sources of
external funding for their projects and provides advice
in the development of proposals. OSP maintains a
reference library of publications from both public and
private sectors listing funding sources for sponsored
projects. In the recent past, graduate students have
received research support from prominent agencies,
corporations and organizations such as the Fulbright
Commission, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National
Science Foundation, the American Political Science
Association, the American Chemical Society and the
American Association of university Women.
header
boston college
morrissey college of arts and sciences
Department of Psychology
McGuinn Hall 300
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-552-4100
E-Mail: psychoffice@bc.edu
bc.edu/psychology
14