Director of Undergraduate Studies  Michael J. Kalsher
Director of Graduate Program in Human Factors  Alan Stokes
Director of Graduate Program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Michael J. Kalsher

Department Home Page  http://www.rpi.edu/~brings/DEPT/psych.html

The field of psychology uses scientific methods and procedures to study all aspects of behavior and cognitive processes. The knowledge it acquires about such topics as motivation, perception, learning, memory, personality, and social interaction is of major practical value in many settings (e.g., industry, education, health care). The department offers programs of study leading to a Bachelor of Science with a major in psychology, and to a Master of Science degree.

There are a number of dual major options involving psychology and the following disciplines: computer science, biology, and management. Dual majors are also available in combination with several engineering disciplines (e.g., psychology and electrical, computer, and systems engineering).

The dual majors with computer science and engineering are especially appropriate trajectories for the Minds and Machines Program. (This program is described in the section on Interdisciplinary Programs. Information can also be obtained by e-mailing brings@rpi.edu or via the Web at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/ppcs/MM/mm.uc.html.)

A minor in psychology is also available. Finally, a wide range of courses highly relevant to other fields of study at Rensselaer (e.g., engineering, management, biology) is offered. These courses reflect the belief, shared by all members of the department, that information about human behavior is invaluable to individuals in virtually every field of endeavor.

Areas of Advanced Research and Study

Advanced study and research conducted by the students and faculty of the department has an applied orientation. Areas include:

• Human factors—cognitive factors in decision making and task performance, the interaction of humans with machines, information display, environmental determinants of alcohol consumption, transportation safety, and consumer product warnings.
• Industrial and organizational psychology—organizational training, leadership, motivation, performance evaluation, employee selection, organizational behavior, trust and honesty in the workplace, video and e-mail surveillance issues, job attitudes, negotiation and organizational conflict, legal and labor relations issues.
• Psychopharmacology—the biological, neurological mechanisms that play a role in substance abuse, drug addiction, and eating disorders.

Excellent facilities exist within the department for research in all these areas. The Applied Cognitive Engineering and Systems (ACES) Laboratory provides space for projects concerned with work-related behavior, human factors, and many other topics. The Psychopharmacology Laboratory offers approved facilities for work with small rodents and controlled substances, as well as research with humans. Also present is a Physiological Optics Laboratory for the study of visual processes and perception. Students in the Interactive and Distance Education Assessment (IDEA) Laboratory assist in the evaluation of interactive learning on campus, as well as the development and evaluation of technology-based organizational training programs.

Faculty

Professors

Baron, R.A.  Ph.D. (University of Iowa); industrial/organizational psychology, social psychology.

Kandel, G.L.  Ph.D. (University of Rochester); experimental and physiological psychology, physiological optics.

Rea, M.S.  Ph.D. (Ohio State University); visual psychophysics, lighting.

Reid, L.D.  Ph.D. (University of Utah); physiological psychology of reinforcement, drug and alcohol addiction.

Associate Professors

Kalsher, M.J.  Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University); human factors, industrial/organizational psychology, applied experimental psychology.

Noble, R.G.  Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley); psychobiology of choice and decision making.

Stokes, A.F.  Ph.D. (Open University Milton Keynes); engineering psychology, human factors, aviation psychology, cognitive psychology.

Assistant Professors

Noel, R.W.  Ph.D. (New Mexico State University); human factors, cognitive engineering, design optimization.

Yang, Yingrui  Ph.D. (New York University); cognitive psychology, thinking, reasoning, and decision-making, and cognitive science.

Clinical Assistant Professor

Hubbell, C. L.  Ph.D. (SUNY Albany); behavioral neuroscience; psychopharmacology, learning.

Adjunct Faculty

Acchione-Noel, S.  M.A. (New Mexico State University); cognitive psychology, human computer interaction and training.

Alliger, G.  Ph.D. (University of Akron); industrial/organizational psychology.

Athanasiou, R.  M.D. (Albany Medical Center) Ph.D. (University of Michigan); medical psychology.

Boyce, P.  Ph.D. (Reading University, U.K.); human factors in lighting.

Haas, E.  Ph.D. (Virginia Tech); human factors of visual and auditory processes.

Leifer, R.  Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin); organizational behavior.

Luchins, A.  Ph.D. (New York University); problem solving and thinking.

Luchins, E.  Ph.D. (University of Oregon); cognitive science applications to mathematics, learning, and teaching.

Williams, K.  Ph.D. (University of South Carolina); industrial/organizational psychology.

Wogalter, M.S.  Ph.D. (Rice University); warnings, risk perception, hazard communication, human computer interaction.

Undergraduate Curriculum

General information

The applied nature of many of the department’s course offerings, including the Minds and Machines program, provides students with a wide range of practical skills and knowledge, useful in many different employment settings. The program is also designed to prepare psychology majors for graduate work.

The department’s philosophy is to provide maximum flexibility to each student in devising a specific plan of study. Requirements for a major are as follows: completion of three basic courses in psychology (General Psychology, Experimental Methods and Statistics, Undergraduate Thesis) and completion of at least 18 additional credit hours within the department. The latter courses are electives and will be chosen by students in consultation with their departmental advisers.

In addition, students must complete the basic degree requirements in physical, life, and mathematical sciences. The specific courses chosen to complete these requirements will, again, be selected by students and their academic advisers in accordance with their individual interests and goals.

A dual major in management and psychology is currently available. This program involves completing certain requirements established by the Lally School of Management and Technology in addition to those described above. Please see entry for the Lally School for further information and a list of course requirements for the dual major in management. Efforts are also under way to develop additional dual majors in computer science, electrical, computer and systems engineering, and decision science and engineering systems.

General Psychology is typically taken in the first year, Experimental Methods, and Statistics in the second year, and Undergraduate Thesis in the third or fourth year. Because students are permitted flexibility in the selection of many courses, individual curricula may vary considerably, within the framework of basic Institute degree requirements. Students are encouraged to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered at Rensselaer by supplementing basic requirements in science and mathematics whenever feasible.

Minimum Credit Hours  This curriculum requires a minimum of 124 credit hours.

The Minds and Machines Program and Laboratory

Program Director  Selmer Bringsjord

Director’s Home Page  www.rpi.edu/~brings

The Minds and Machines (M&M) Program offers students a number of options for the B.S. degree, and combines these degrees with hands-on research that starts at the beginning of the first year in connection with the Minds and Machines Laboratory. This course work and research is designed to prepare students to build, and manage the building and use of, both “smart” machines (e.g., intelligent agents that search the Web, expert systems, robots), and machines that make us—that is, our minds—smarter (e.g., better human-machine interfaces, Web browsers that learn from our surfing, automated theorem-provers). The emphasis is on learning by doing, and the doing, even for students new to the program, involves hands-on research at the intersection of computer science, logic, psychology, artificial intelligence, and relevant areas of engineering (e.g., computer systems, electrical, mechanical). Research is carried out in significant part in the Minds and Machines Laboratory and includes specific research projects described on the program’s Web site. Much of the undergraduate research in the M&M Program and Laboratory reflects an entrepreneurial spirit: for example, students working in the gaming area are encouraged to try to build systems that can be sold in the marketplace.

Students select a Bachelor of Science “trajectory” in line with their interests and with what part of the information economy they want employment in or what type of graduate study they may wish to pursue. Trajectories include:

B.S. in Computer Science and Psychology  a dual major in these two disciplines (most of those interested in gaming technology and the gaming industry are in this trajectory), the requirements and template for which are shown on the program’s Web site.

B.S. in Information Technology and Psychology

B.S. in Information Technology and Pre-Law

B.S. in Computer Systems Engineering (or Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering) and Psychology  (a dual major appropriate, e.g., for those students interested in robotics)

B.S. in Computer Science and Philosophy  (especially appropriate for those interested in logic-based systems, e.g., expert systems)

B.S. in Psychology  (with courses having a computational emphasis).

In addition to developing technical expertise in the relevant areas of information technology, the Minds and Machines Program is designed to allow students to analyze and discuss (with the help of science fiction films) the “big” questions raised by research and engineering in the program— questions such as: How smart can machines get? As smart as us? Is creativity the line that machines will never cross? Can machines be conscious? How would we tell? And so on.

Further information can be obtained by accessing the program’s Web site through the director’s (Selmer Bringsjord’s) home page www.rpi.edu/~brings or by contacting him directly at selmer@rpi.edu.

Psychology Minors  The department offers minor programs that are arranged by the student in consultation with an adviser. A wide range of options exist, depending on the student’s major, interests, and career goals.

Graduate Programs

Master of Science  The M.S. program in psychology provides for concentrations in industrial/organizational, human factors, and psychopharmacology. The program, however, is quite flexible and can provide for other interests as well as interdisciplinary work with other departments at Rensselaer.

Graduate Degree Requirements  Thirty credit hours are required. The department has specific course requirements including work in statistical design and methods, and Master’s Thesis. Students are permitted flexibility in the selection of electives.

Professional Program in Cognitive Systems Engineering  This new interdisciplinary Master of Science program is designed for students who wish to capitalize on the growing demand for machine systems that interact smoothly with, and sometimes emulate aspects of, humans. The program can be completed in one academic year of full-time study or pursued part-time.