Psychology

Psychology defines our human experience and the way we understand the world around us; it is evident in the things we use, the way we drive, the way we compare ourselves to others, as well as in the things we purchase. Psychology, as a science, studies mental processes, brain functions, and human behavior.

At Lawrence Technological University, the psychology program encompasses a wide range of disciplines including computational cognition, psychology of technology, and psycholinguistics. Computational cognition develops models to gain insight into how people solve challenging problems in everyday life. Psychology of technology is the intersection of the psychological aspects of technology and the impact of its development. Psycholinguistics examines the mental and brain mechanisms involved in the production of language, as language processing is key in many aspects of human experience and industries.

Research is a fundamental component of LTU's curriculum as it provides an essential platform for comprehending the psychology of the world around us. The Computational Cognition Laboratory (CCL) housed within LTU’s psychology program has four behavioral testing computers that measure reaction time with millisecond accuracy, two high-end simulation computers, an array of virtual reality systems, state-of-the-art eye-tracking equipment, and a high-definition transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) system that stimulates parts of the brain.

Multiple research-active faculty members work with undergraduate students and encourage them to conduct original research and have their work peer-reviewed and potentially even published. This form of inclusive pedagogy is rare and impactful to students' education and their career endeavors and allows students to understand content better, improve critical thinking, and nurture creativity.

This field of study focuses on developing process-based models, computer simulations, behavioral experiments, and more to gain a better understanding of how our minds function and how we make decisions and inferences. Computational cognition aims to answer questions concerning human performance and behavior by developing computer simulations and algorithms that attempt to mimic human capabilities in order to gain a deeper understanding of human cognition.

Exploring the intersection between technological innovation and human behavior, mental processing, and brain function is at the heart of this discipline and research activities within the CCL. Through the incorporation of Course-based Research Experience (CRE) and senior research projects, students explore a multitude of research and experiments that help them understand the interaction between human thought processes and technology. For example, students participate in research examining the efficiency and consequences of immersive virtual reality training to understand the impact of such technology on humans.

Psycholinguistics is the study of the mental and brain mechanisms that underlie human language processing. The CCL uses computational modeling, brain stimulation, behavioral testing, and eye-tracking to study how individuals understand the meaning of language, especially metaphorical language to unlock the mechanisms of human meaning-making.

Numerous psycholinguistic projects incorporate student researchers. Students utilize eye-tracking technology to capture and evaluate the gaze patterns of participants as they read, develop computer algorithms that can process metaphors, and identify brain regions involved in processing metaphors and concepts.

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