Psychology
The Department of Psychology offers programs of study leading to the PhD degrees in psychology and social psychology. Students are ordinarily admitted only if they intend to complete the doctoral degree.
Prerequisites
Entering students must have an undergraduate degree with an academic record of distinction. It is desirable but not essential to have majored in psychology; indeed, some breadth of training in biology, computer sciences, mathematics, philosophy, physics, or the social sciences is preferred to overconcentration in psychology. Some college work in elementary statistics or quantitative methods is advisable. In assessing the applications of candidates whose undergraduate training was in the arts or humanities, the admissions committee will need to place more emphasis on such things as general math and science grades, and the GRE scores. Candidates must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test in time for the results to reach the Admissions Office by December 15. We do not require the psychology subject test; if you have taken it and feel the score would be an asset in your application, you may elect to have it sent. Foreign applicants must either have had a full year of college course work at an English-speaking institution or take the TOEFL test and receive a grade of at least 550.
We do not require a Master’s degree for admission. If you have done graduate work -elsewhere you may apply for credit for a maximum of eight half-courses after you have been enrolled in the PhD program for one term. It is possible, but very uncommon, for students to get PhD program requirements waived because of previous graduate work.
Admission
Admission and financial aid application packages may be obtained by filling out the request form. We encourage online submission of the application. Applications are processed in the GSAS Admissions Office and then sent to the department. Departmental ranking decisions are made blind to financial need.
The department’s Admissions Committee reviews applications in two broad areas: 1) the candidate’s qualifications and aptitude, which are assessed by a review of grades, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation; and 2) the candidate’s appropriateness for this program in terms of goals and research interests. The committee will judge this mainly by an examination of the statement of purpose and letters of recommendation. The “fit” of a candidate with the program is extremely important. While applicants are not required to know exactly what narrow specialty area they will pursue in graduate study, they should know at least in broad terms what area within psychology they are interested in. A candidate is unlikely to be admitted if his or her interests are not in an area studied by any of our faculty.
We urge candidates to read carefully the materials from all programs they apply to, especially information about the research interests of the faculty. In addition to materials from the programs, one may find good information about a variety of doctoral programs in the American Psychological -Association’s (APA) publication Graduate Study in Psychology and Associated Fields.
This book is available in libraries or may be purchased from the APA publications office (800-374-2721). We also encourage applicants to read recent articles in the scientific literature by faculty whose work they are interested in.
In applying, please take special care with the Statement of Purpose. Divide your reply into three parts: (1) Describe reasonably fully any research experience you have had, including assisting in a laboratory or other scientific facility, dissertation research, or individual work. Please include reprints of published work, if any, but do not send unpublished materials such as term papers or other manuscripts; (2) Describe the nature of your interests in graduate education, answering the following questions: Why continue on with your education? Why do you need to learn more? What skills, theories, and knowledge do you lack? What are the kinds of discoveries and theories that sparked your interest in the chosen discipline? In graduate school, what kinds of questions do you hope to address? Why do you think that these questions are important? Given the set of questions that you will focus on, what kinds of methods do you hope to apply? What skills do you bring forward as you enter graduate school and which skills do you hope to acquire? What holes do you see in the current discipline [big picture stuff]? In what ways do you think that they can be addressed during your graduate career? What kind of graduate environment are you looking for? Are you particularly keen on working with one faculty advisor, and if so, why this particular person? If you are leaning more toward a cluster of advisors, as well as the department more generally, why? (3) Briefly outline the type of career you envision. Please be as concise as is compatible with a clear response on each point; no more than two pages is expected.
Admission to the Harvard doctoral program is competitive. The department -typically reviews many applications and has an entering class of 12-16 people. Our ability to admit applicants is constrained by the amount of financial aid funds we have available, since typically the number of qualified applicants greatly exceeds the number of students we can support. Therefore, applicants are advised to apply for external funding.
Financial Aid
Admitted students receive a merit-based award consisting of five years of tuition support, a living stipend and summer research fellowship for the first two years, and a living stipend for the final dissertation-writing year. In the 3rd and 4th years students are guaranteed Teaching Fellowships. All applicants are urged to apply for outside fellowships from a variety of sources, and are required to accept such awards in lieu of the Harvard award. If an outside award is for 12 months, it takes the place of Harvard stipend and summer research fellowship. Students will be eligible for a prize of up to $4,000 for each academic year of external funding they receive. For US citizens, the primary outside funding sources are the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowships, the Jacob Javits Fellowship, and the NDSEG fellowships. Applicants outside the US should explore sources of scholarship aid such as from their national governments. Students are required to maintain satisfactory progress in order to be eligible for financial aid.
Required Teaching
It is our expectation that most graduates of our program will go on to have academic careers. Hence, experience in teaching is an integral part of the graduate training program. This teaching is expected of all students regardless of their source of funding.
Residence
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences requires that doctoral candidates be in residence, full-time, for at least two years prior to receiving the degree. That is, a minimum of 16 half-courses, or equivalent units of indepen-dent work, must be completed satisfactorily (B, or higher, for those which are graded), and paid for at the full tuition rate. Reduced tuition is charged in the third and fourth years; thereafter, either the facilities fee or active file fee is charged.
It is assumed that students will be enrolled full-time during the first year. A candidate for admission who anticipates being unable to study full-time should consult with the chair prior to being admitted. In later years, part-time work may be approved on petition.
In psychology a period of five years from the date of first registration is deemed sufficient to satisfy all requirements and to obtain the doctorate. Ordinarily, a candidacy will be terminated if the student has not received the degree within that time. The department reserves the right to terminate a student’s candidacy at any time if the faculty is not satisfied with the progress made.
Advisors
On or shortly after entering the department each student is assigned an advisor. Advisors may be changed from time to time either as a matter of mutual preference or because the student begins to concentrate his or her work in an area distant from the interests of the original advisor.
Organization
The Department is organized into four areas. These groups consist of faculty members whose combined interests span a coherent program of advanced study and research in some subfield of psychology. Individual faculty are encouraged to participate in more than one group. In addition, there are various “themes” that cut across the areas. Faculty in the Department of Psychology have a wide range of interests, and the themes of their research often span the boundaries of traditional areas in the field. Active research is being conducted in each of the topics listed below, primarily by the faculty listed after each entry. There are regular research seminars on these topics, and numerous opportunities to become involved in research with the relevant faculty.
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program in the Psychology Department may currently study in one of following areas: Social; Cognition, Brain, and Behavior; Developmental; and Experimental Psychopathology and Clinical Science. Students are admitted into the Department, but assigned to a particular area. Should they wish to change affiliation they must 1) be in good standing, and 2) must petition the faculty of the proposed new area which they wish to join. If a student is not in good standing, s/he should petition the CHD for permission to apply to transfer areas. The area faculty will discuss and vote whether to admit the student, and will inform the student and the CHD of its decision.
One exception to the transfer rule is the Clinical Science track; students may only be considered for Clinical during the initial graduate school application process, and may not transfer in at a later date. Students who transfer into or out of Social Psychology must also file a petition for change of subject with GSAS (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences).
The themes of research and graduate advising in the department, along with the faculty who are associated with each theme, can be summarized as follows.
Animal Learning and Cognition: Buckner, Carey, Hauser, Spelke
Attitudes: Banaji, Langer, Sidanius
Cognitive Aging: Buckner, Langer, Mendez, Schacter
Cognitive Development: Carey, Hauser, Snedeker, Spelke
Cognitive Neuroscience: Buckner, Caramazza, Greene, Hooker, Kosslyn, Mitchell, Nakayama, Schacter
Consciousness: Cavanagh, Langer, Schacter, Wegner
Development of Social Cognition: Banaji, Carey, Spelke
Emotion: Gilbert, Greene, Hooker, Hooley, Mendez, Nock, Pizzagalli, Sidanius, Wegner
Emotional Disorders: Hooker, Hooley, Mendez, McNally, Nock, Pizzagalli
Evolutionary Psychology: Greene, Hauser, Pinker, Sidanius,
Executive Control: Hackman, Hooker, Pizzagalli, Schacter, Wegner
Genetics and Individual Differences: Buckner, Hackman, Hooker, Hooley, Kosslyn, Nakayama, Pinker, Pizzagalli, Sidanius
Group and Intergroup Relations: Banaji, Hackman, Kosslyn, Mendez, Sidanius
Health Psychology: Hooley, Langer, Mendez, Wegner
Judgment and Decision Making: Banaji, Gilbert, Greene, Hackman, Hauser, Langer, Wegner
Language: Caramazza, Carey, Hauser, Pinker, Snedeker
Learning and Memory: Banaji, Buckner, Hooker, Kosslyn, McNally, Schacter
Moral Cognition: Greene, Hauser, Langer, Pinker, Wegner
Motor Control: Nakayama, Wegner
Neurological Disorders: Buckner, Caramazza, Hooker, Kosslyn, Schacter
Perception: Cavanagh, Nakayama, Spelke
Psychophysiology: Buckner, Mendez, Pizzagalli
Social and Affective Neuroscience: Banaji, Cavanagh, Greene, Hauser, Hooker, Hooley, Langer, Mendez, Mitchell, Nakayama, Pizzagalli, Wegner
Social Cognition: Banaji, Gilbert, Hooker, Langer, Mitchell, Wegner
Thought Disorders: Hooker, Hooley, Nock, Wegner
Unconscious Processes: Banaji, Greene, Mendez, Hackman, Kosslyn, Langer, Nock, Schacter, Wegner
Visual Cognition: Carey, Cavanagh, Kosslyn, Nakayama, Pinker, Spelke
Degree Requirements: Social Psychology Program
This program, leading to the PhD in social psychology, is designed to offer broad and
eclectic training in the field. It recognizes the value of a wide range of methodological and conceptual orientations, of research addressed to theory building as well as to the solution of social problems, and of interactions between social psychology and other disciplines. Within the broad limits of the curriculum, however, the programs of individual students may vary in keeping with their particular backgrounds, interests, and preferred styles of work.
First Two Years
• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.
• PSY 1950, Intermediate Statistical Analysis in Psychology
• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.
• PSY 2100, Research Methodology. Covers all major steps in conducting an empirical research project, with emphasis on studies that involve human participants.
• PSY 2500, Advanced Social Psychology. B+ or better. This course will provide intense coverage of topics that reflect the breadth of modern social psychology. The course will be taught each year, and will include a serious and rigorous examination.
• PSY 3420, Research Workshop in Social Psychology (full-year course), first year.
• First-year project. Students in the first year are required to select a faculty mentor who will help the student select a research project (either part of ongoing faculty research or research initiated by the student and approved by the mentor). A proposal of the project is submitted in late fall for approval by the Committee on Higher Degrees (CHD). A scholarly report is required and will be evaluated by the mentor and completed by May of the first year.
• Second-year project. Students should begin work as early as possible under the supervision of a faculty member and second reader, assigned by the Committee on Higher Degrees, on a theoretical or empirical inquiry of their own devising which must be completed and written up in the style of a journal article prior to the end of the spring term of the second year. A 10-minute oral report on the findings is presented at a meeting scheduled late in the spring of the second year, to which all faculty members and graduate students are invited.
• The Core Seminars. Students will be required to take three “core seminars”
from three different members of the social psychology faculty. Two of these seminars must be completed before the end of the student’s second year, and the third seminar must be completed by the end of the student’s third year.
• The Progress Report. Students will submit
a progress report at the end of their second year describing their research accomplishments, their professional goals, and other relevant information upon which they wish to be evaluated.
• The Second Year Evaluation. At the end of a student’s second year, the social psychology faculty will evaluate him or her. These evaluations will be based on three criteria: (a) the student’s research involvement and productivity, (b) the student’s competence in methods and statistics, and (c) the student’s demonstrable knowledge of social psychology. The faculty will adduce these by examining the student’s performance in the advanced social psychology course, the core seminars, the methods and statistics courses, and the student’s second-year progress report.
Dissertation Prospectus
By the end of the first term of the fourth year students will complete the design for an original project (it often grows out of the second-year research study) that will culminate in the dissertation. The design is submitted to a prospectus committee, appointed by the CHD, made up of faculty members interested in the topic; that committee must approve the plan, and its members ordinarily continue to work closely with the student.
Dissertation and Oral Defense
The completed dissertation must be prepared as described in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, defended at an oral examination, and approved by the department faculty. These requirements must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the fifth year.
Degree Requirements: Cognition, Brain, and Behavior (CBB) Program
The CBB program includes cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, visual perception, and behavior and decision analysis.
First Two Years
• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.
• PSY 1950, Intermediate Statistical Analysis in Psychology.
• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.
• PSY 2020ab, Experimental Psychology Proseminar. B+ or better. This is a double course which meets six hours per week. Spring term of first year. This requirement is in lieu of a General Examination.
• First-year project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
• Second-year project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
Additional Requirements
Faculty advisors may require students to take courses that provide them with the skills necessary for specific research areas.
Dissertation Prospectus
By May 15 of the third year, students will complete the design for an original project (it often grows out of the second-year research study) that will culminate in the dissertation. The design is submitted to a prospectus committee, appointed by the CHD, made up of faculty members interested in the topic; that committee must approve the plan, and its members ordinarily continue to work closely with the student.
Dissertation and Oral Defense
The completed dissertation must be prepared as described in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, defended at an oral examination, and approved by the department faculty. These requirements must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the fourth year. The oral exam will focus solely on a defense of the dissertation.
Degree Requirements: Experimental Psychopathology
First Two Years
• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.
• PSY 1950, Intermediate Statistical Analysis in Psychology.
• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.
• PSY 2040, Contemporary Topics in Psycho-pathology. B+ or better. Required of first- or second-year students in psychopathology.
• First-year research project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
• Second-year project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
General Exam
A six-hour exam covering in considerable depth the literature in the area of psychopathology and clinical psychology. The exam is taken in the summer before the start of the third year.
Dissertation Prospectus
By the end of the first term of the fourth year students will complete the design for an original project (it often grows out of the second-year research study) that will culminate in the dissertation. The design is submitted to a prospectus committee, appointed by the CHD, made up of faculty members interested in the topic; that committee must approve the plan, and its members ordinarily continue to work closely with the student.
Dissertation and Oral Defense
The completed dissertation must be prepared as described in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, defended at an oral examination, and approved by the department faculty. These requirements must be satisfactorily completed by the end of the fifth year.
Degree Requirements: Clinical Psychology Program
The clinical psychology program is based on a model of training that is designed for the scientist-professional. We are committed to educating academic and clinical research psychologists who will be able to integrate research and clinical work and help advance theory and practice in the field. Clinical students will be required to meet the course requirements of the APA and the state of Massachusetts licensing board. However, at the present time, the program does not have APA accreditation. The program, which is research-focused, and which emphasizes research and clinical work with patients with severe psychopathology, provides training through class work, research seminars, and clinical practica. A one-year clinical internship is required of all students. Students are expected to complete all of their departmental requirements before they begin their internship.
First Two Years
• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.
• PSY 1950, Intermediate Statistical Analysis in Psychology.
• PSY 2050, History of Psychology. B+ or better. By end of third year.
• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of second year.
• PSY 2040, Contemporary Topics in Psychopathology. B+ or better. Required of first- or second-year students in psychopathology.
• First-year research project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
• Second-year project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
General Exam
A six-hour exam covering in considerable depth the literature in the area of psychopathology and clinical psychology. The exam is taken the summer before the start of the third year.
Dissertation Prospectus
See description above under Social Psychology Program.
Dissertation and Oral Defense
See description above under Social Psychology Program.
Degree Requirements: Developmental Psychology
First Two Years
• PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research (the Proseminar); this is a survey of the several areas of study covered by the department. B+ or better. Fall term of first year.
• PSY 1950, Intermediate Statistical Analysis in Psychology.
• PSY 1952, Multivariate Analysis. B+ or better. Spring term of first year.
• First-year project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
• Second-year project. See description above under Social Psychology Program.
• Two graduate courses in developmental psychology, including PSY 2170, Developmental Proseminar. B+ or better.
• Advanced courses in the chosen subfield: students of cognitive development or developmental cognitive neuroscience must take PSY 2020ab, the CBB Proseminar; students of social development must take both PSY 2500, Advanced Social Psychology and one further graduate core course in social psychology; students in developmental psychology must take PSY 2040, Contemporary Topics in Psychopathology and a second course in Psychopathology at the 1000 or 2000 level. All courses must be completed with B+ or better.
Dissertation Prospectus, Dissertation and Oral Defense: see description under: Social Psychology Program.
Master’s Degree
Students may be recommended for the non-terminal degree of Master of Arts upon completion of the relevant GSAS residence requirements and the following departmental requirements which are detailed above.
a. PSY 2010, Contemporary Topics in Psychological Research, B+ or better.
b. For CBB students, the intensive CBB Proseminar.
c. First-year research project.
d. The two quantitative methods courses, B+ or better.
e. Second-year research project.
f. For students in experimental psychopathology and in the -clinical program, the General Examination.
g. For social psychology students, PSY 2100, Research Methodology, the advanced social psychology course, B+ or better, and three core seminars.
h. For developmental students, the two graduate courses in developmental psychology plus the sub-area specific courses.
Selected Dissertation Titles in Social Psychology
“A Mind of Its Own: Negativity Bias in the Perception of Intentional Agency”
“Mispredictions of the Magnitude and Decay Rate of Happiness Following Positive and Negative Feedback”
“‘I’ll Have What She’s Having’ Influence of General and Prediction-Relevant Similarity on Surrogation in Affective Forecasting”
Selected Dissertation Titles in Cognition, Brain, and Behavior
“Attentive Tracking of Moving Targets: Psychophysical and Neuroimaging Evidence for an Attention-Based Motion Process”
“Attention and Eye Movements in Visual Search”
“Beyond Content: The Fate—or -Function?—of Contextual Information in Directed Forgetting”
“Attentional Orienting to Information with Emotional Associations”
“The Role of Benzodiazepine Gaba Receptor Complex in Ethanol Consumption and -Preference”
Selected Dissertation Titles in Developmental Psychology
“Properties of Infants’ Learning about Objects”
“Understanding Explanation: Studies in Teleology, Simplicity, and Causal Knowledge”
“Encoding Individuals and Sets in Language Acquisition”
Selected Dissertation Titles in Experimental Psychopathology and Clinical
“Repressive Coping in People Who Have Lost Loved Ones to Suicide”
“Memory Distortion in Individuals Reporting Recovered Memories of Trauma”
“Emotion Perception and Recognition in Borderline Personality Disorder”
“The Fine Line Between Confidence and Arrogance: Investigating the Relationship of Self-Esteem to Narcissism”
Combination Degrees
The only formal dual-degree program at Harvard involving two different graduate or professional schools is an MD/PhD program. Candidates interested in that program should contact Harvard Medical School. In general, it is difficult to implement combined programs that cross two different professional areas. An individual may only attend one Harvard graduate school at a time. Applicants considering dual degree programs with law, public health, or other programs should think carefully about the practical feasibility of such a program. It is best to do one program immediately preceding or following another, rather than trying to interleave the programs. While the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences allows students admitted to one department to apply to form an ad hoc degree committee, such an option is not common or encouraged in psychology. However, it is relatively easy to combine study in two different areas within a faculty, such as arts and sciences, on an informal basis.
One of the advantages of Harvard is its location. Within the University and the broader Cambridge/Boston area are many labs and researchers doing work of interest to our faculty and students. The department encourages students to seek out opportunities to work with these researchers. Students are also encouraged to cross-register for courses at other Harvard graduate schools and at MIT.
Other Information
Course listings and descriptions for both graduate- and undergraduate-level courses are found in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Courses of Instruction catalog. The catalog is available online.
Other Programs
Harvard does not offer a degree in industrial or industrial/organizational psychology. There is a research-oriented PhD program in organizational behavior, offered jointly by the Harvard Business School and either the psychology or sociology department.
For information, visit www.gsas.harvard.edu/academic/departments/programs/orgbeh.html, or contact:
Doctoral Programs Office
Sherman Hall
Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA 02163
(617) 495-6101
Harvard’s Graduate School of Education has master’s and EdD programs in human development and psychology. For information on that program, visit www.gse.harvard.edu/hdp/ or write:
Graduate School of Education
Admissions Office, Longfellow 111
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-3414
A program in neuroscience is offered by the Department of Neurobiology of the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School. It is a PhD degree-granting program linking together the clinical and basic science faculties in the neurosciences at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard Affiliated Hospitals, and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences into a single unit. The large faculty consists of a diverse group of investigators whose research interests include neurophysiology and biophysics, neurochemistry, neuroanatomy, genetic and molecular biological approaches to the nervous system, immunology, neuroendocrinology, psychiatry, diseases of the human nervous system, and related areas. The goals of the program are to turn out a generation of exceptionally well trained research scientists who are knowledgeable about and interested in the diseases and disorders of the nervous system and to link into a single unit the large faculty working in the neurosciences at Harvard Medical School, its affiliated hospitals and at Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. For information, visit Website, or contact:
Program in Neuroscience
Division of Medical Sciences
Harvard Medical School
260 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 432-0162
Updates to this brochure will be posted on our Website. Answers to specific questions about the program of study offered by the Department of Psychology may be obtained from the Graduate Office, Department of Psychology, William James Hall 210, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 495-3810; psyinfo@wjh.harvard.edu.
Faculty Research Interests
COGNITION, BRAIN, AND BEHAVIOR
EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND CLINICALSOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY