Behaviors result from a complex web of interacting influences. Our department takes an interdisciplinary approach, exposing students to the various approaches to psychological research that reveal these complex influences.
Department Highlights
The Major
Our majors graduate with a comprehensive understanding of the content of the discipline and the skills required to work within it.
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Our Reach
Almost half of the student body takes our introductory course, Psychology 100, at some point while at Amherst.
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Research
Students work with faculty in labs dedicated to physiological psychology and behavioral neuroscience; cognitive psychology; developmental psychology; social psychology; personality psychology; and clinical psychology.
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Honors Program
Senior honors majors work independently and in depth on an empirical or theoretical research project.
FAQs
Find answers to the frequently asked questions about our department.
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After Amherst
Our majors go on to careers in such fields as research, teaching, psychotherapy, consulting, medicine, business and the law.
Major Explorations: Psychology
Catherine Sanderson, Poler Family Professor in Psychology and Chair of Psychology provides an overview of the psychology department, including some of the courses students can enroll in and careers that a psychology major can pursue.
Psychology Courses
Current Courses
PSYC 122
Statistics and Experimental Design
Description
Learn how to form testable hypotheses, select and implement appropriate procedures, statistically describe and analyze experimental data and interpret results.
PSYC 224
Intergroup Dialogue on Race
Description
Through scholarly readings, discussions and collaborations, link personal experiences with race to a socio-historical understanding of individual, institutional and structural discrimination.
PSYC 362
Development of Non-Verbal Communication
Description
Examine how infants learn to communicate through gestures, body language, and preverbal vocalizations, and how nonverbal communication develops through childhood and adulthood.
Research Laboratories
The Department of Psychology provides numerous laboratories for studying many aspects of psychology—from physiological psychology and behavioral neuroscience to cognitive psychology, and much more.
Professional & Summer Opportunities
Learn more about post-grad job opportunities in the field and summer internships for undergraduates, including research assistantships, applied internships and departmental honors research.