Department Of Psychology

Learn more about Dean Tim McNamara, what's kept him teaching and leading for 40+ years and what he loves to do most when he's not working. Read More

A new study led by Andre Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, found that animal subjects under general anesthesia were unable to detect moderate and complex surprises. This discovery deepens the understanding about the nature of consciousness and how it arises. Read More

The researchers, including Vanderbilt’s team led by Kari Hoffman, focused their efforts on the detection of hippocampal ripples, which are considered biomarkers of memory and are affected by epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Read More

Throughout the brain’s cortex, neurons are arranged in six distinctive layers, which can be readily seen with a microscope. André Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, is senior author on a study published in Nature Neuroscience detailing that these layers also show distinct patterns of electrical activity, which are consistent over many brain regions and across several animal species, including humans. Read More

When Joseph Sexton’s friend died by suicide in high school, Sexton channeled his grief into a research quest to better understand depressive behaviors.  The Georgia native started studying the systems and molecular neuroscience behind mood. By his senior year of high school, he was doing research at Georgia… Read More

Andrew Howard Nichols, senior director of higher education research and data analytics at education nonprofit The Education Trust, died Jan. 26 of brain cancer. His studies of educational gaps and financial aid regularly revealed inequities affecting low-income and minority students. Read More

Seven Vanderbilt faculty recently were elected as fellows in the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association. Read More

Martin Katahn, a retired psychology professor and best-selling author who wrote "The Rotation Diet" and other books promoting healthy weight loss and lifestyle, has died after an extended illness. Read More

Gordon Logan, Centennial Professor of Psychology, has been elected a foreign associate of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Read More

A memorial service for the late Robert Fox, an emeritus Vanderbilt professor who was renowned internationally for his landmark studies of human and animal vision, is being planned for early spring. Read More

College of Arts and Science professors Suzana Herculano-Houzel, David Ikard and Robert Talisse are among the speakers at the TEDxNashville event March 16–17 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Read More

Brain imaging studies have implicated the connection between two brain regions in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Read More

The Affective Neuroscience Lab in the Department of Psychology at Vanderbilt University is currently recruiting healthy male adults, 50–65 years old, for a multiday study that attempts to understand the relation between brain chemistry and decision-making. Read More

British writer, actor, comedian, and self-described "tall person" John Cleese will speak on "Thinking Creatively" at Vanderbilt's Sarratt Cinema Nov. 11. Read More

The Affective Neuroscience Lab in the Department of Psychology at Vanderbilt University is currently recruiting healthy adults, 50–59 years old, for a multi-day study that attempts to understand the relation between brain chemistry and decision-making. Read More

The Office of the Provost, as part of the Provost's Initiative to Enhance Research and Scholarship (PIERS), is providing a campuswide educational workshop Oct. 9 to support the diversification of faculty research portfolios. Read More

A memorial service for Professor Vivien Casagrande is planned for April 12 in Benton Chapel. Read More