Students concentrating Applied Cognition are preparing for careers in both academic and applied settings (e.g., government, private industry, and university administration). Students acquire a background in the theories and research that define the traditional and contemporary areas of psychology, especially those related to judgment and decision making, interpersonal perception and behavior, and teaching and learning. This concentration emphasizes the development of methodological and statistical skills for the purpose of translating basic science into new settings and extending empirical research to applied settings. Most of the ongoing research projects by the students and faculty are on applied topics that inform important societal problems.

The faculty members in the Applied Cognition area include:

Dr. Kathryn Becker-Blease (Ascend Lab) – Research interests include implementation of effective higher education teaching and learning practices, developmental traumatology, and the effects of trauma stress on attention and memory across the lifespan. (Not accepting students.)

Dr. Frank Bernieri –  (Interpersonal Sensitivity Lab) - Research interests involve face-to-face interaction processes (both automatic and controlled) as they apply to organizational settings, educational settings, individuals with behavior or communication related disabilities, human-robot interactions, and human-animal interactions. (Currently accepting students.)

Dr. Iván Carbajal–  Research focuses on two areas: 1) cultural neuroscience, specifically in the Latinx population, investigating the effects of biculturalism on cognitive processes, and 2) social justice, regarding racial and ethnic identity development, critical consciousness development, and how these processes are affected by intersectional forms of oppression. (Currently accepting students.)

Dr. John Edwards – Research concerns causal uncertainty (recently extended into the health domain), effects of meditation, intersections between Buddhist philosophy and social cognition and attributions about situations. (Not accepting students.)

Dr. Regan A. R. Gurung – Two major lines of social cognition research interests: Factors influencing learning in higher education and the role of clothing in diffusing racism, sexism, objectification, and prejudice. (Currently accepting students.)