Research Areas
Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research Program (CSPR)
The CSPR program focuses on research that aims to articulate basic mechanisms underlying mental disorders. Our program is distinguished by a unique focus on the biological aspects of mental disorders, with particular expertise in their neural and genetic correlations. We also integrate biologically-informed research with the social contexts in which mental disorders occur, aiming to articulate a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to understanding and ameliorating mental disorders in contemporary society.
Core faculty: Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, Robert Krueger, Shmuel Lissek, Monica Luciana Collins, Angus MacDonald III, Scott Vrieze
Learn more about our graduate program in Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research.
Cognitive and Brain Sciences (CAB)
CAB faculty are highly collaborative, offering opportunities to work across labs within psychology. Our faculty work closely with other labs within psychology as well as other departments, including clinical psychology, behavior genetics, child development, computer science, neuroscience, educational psychology, neurology, communication disorders, the Center for Cognitive Sciences (CCS), the Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science (CATSS), and the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR).
Core faculty: Stephen Engel, Charles Fletcher, Nicola Grissom, Daniel J. Kersten, Wilma Koutstaal, Gordon Legge, Vanessa Lee, Cheryl Olman, Andrew Oxenham, Paul Schrater, Iris Vilares, Amanda Woodward
Learn more about our graduate program in Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
Counseling Psychology
Our Counseling Psychology program at the University of Minnesota recognizes and seeks to fully understand the changing demographics in society, the increasing globalization of the world in which we live, and the need for both relevant research and mental health services to address these societal and global shifts. We have a particular emphasis on social psychological approaches to issues of relevance to counseling, on multicultural issues related to mental health and counseling, and on vocational psychology and work adjustment. Our program training goals are focused on the basic science of psychology and its methods and the specific science and practice of counseling psychology.
Core faculty: Alex Ajayi, Melissa Ertl, Patricia Frazier, Richard Lee
Learn more about our graduate program in Counseling Psychology.
Industrial-Organizational Psychology (I-O)
I-O psychology is a very broad subfield of psychology. It ranges from the study of basic human abilities important for task performance to the investigation of managerial problem-solving behavior to a consideration of how work motivation is influenced by characteristics of the organization versus characteristics outside the organization. We explore areas such as personnel psychology, training and development, individual assessment, work motivation, group and organizational processes, psychometrics, and more.
Core faculty: John Campbell, Nathan Kuncel, Richard Landers, Deniz Ones, Paul Sackett, Aaron Schmidt
Learn more about our graduate program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics (PIB)
PIB considers a wide range of constructs, including cognitive abilities, personality traits, temperament, identity, interests, motives, character, expressive and social behavior, social attitudes, academic and workplace achievement, and mental disorders. Our program also represents a broad range of research methodologies, with faculty research including molecular genetic, behavioral genetic, brain imaging, longitudinal, survey, narrative, and qualitative research approaches.
Core faculty: Thomas Brothen, Juan Del Toro, Colin DeYoung, James Lee, Matt McGue, Moin Syed
Learn more about our graduate program in Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics.
Quantitative/Psychometric Methods (QPM)
Our Quantitative/Psychometric Methods area utilizes multivariate methodology such as factor analysis, structural equation modeling, item response theory, computerized adaptive testing, multi-way data analysis, and nonparametric methods. Our program's broad perspective covers problems of translating psychological observations into numerical form by developing psychological measurement instruments and developing new methods for scaling psychological data, for investigating the reliability and validity of psychological data, and for analyzing psychometric data using a variety of modeling approaches. Our faculty and students conduct research in applied statistics, experimental design, correlational methods, advanced test theory, and psychological scaling.
Core faculty: Nate Helwig, Katerina Marcoulides, Niels G. Waller, David J. Weiss
Learn more about our graduate program in Quantitative/Psychometric Methods.
Social Psychology
Faculty and student research in our social psychology program focuses on areas such as social cognition, emotion, subjective well-being, personality and social behavior, attitude formation and change, culture, intergroup relations, social psychology and law, political psychology, decision-making and health behavior, stress and coping, dyadic social interaction and strategic social communication, prosocial action and citizen participation, and interpersonal relationships. Our faculty actively collaborate with other researchers in the Department of Psychology, in other academic departments in the university, and in other institutions in the Twin Cities area.
Core faculty: Eugene Borgida, Christopher M. Federico, Marti Hope Gonzales, Drexler James, Traci Mann, Alexander Rothman, Jeffry A. Simpson, Mark Snyder