Language and Cognition
Ph.D. Concentration
The language and cognition concentration in UConn’s Department of Psychological Sciences is a diverse community of creative scholars with a strong record of interdisciplinary research.
Our work spans from theory and computational modeling to empirical cognitive and neuroscience approaches. We examine major themes including neurobiological mechanisms in speech perception, reading, sentence processing, semantic memory and concept formation, event cognition, individual differences, and complex systems/dynamical systems theory approaches, in typical and atypical populations.
We have strong relationships with researchers inside and outside of UConn. Our graduate students work with collaborators across the University. We are affiliated with UConn’s Cognitive Science Program and the Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, as well as with Haskins Laboratories.
Our faculty and graduate students take advantage of state-of-the-art research facilities available. Examples include MRI, high-density EEG, eye-tracking, TMS, and other neuromodulation techniques. We also have access to computing clusters, lab space, and a dynamic program of colloquia, internal talk series, and interest groups.
The deadline for applications from new graduate students is December 1 of each year.
Program Overview
UConn graduate students earning a Ph.D. in psychological sciences can choose choose language and cognition as their area of concentration. Language and cognition is a subfield of the perception, action, and cognition program—one of several research divisions in the Department of Psychological Sciences.
Students take courses in cognition, the psychology of language, and quantitative methods in behavioral science. They also take advantage of several interdisciplinary graduate training programs that set them up for success after graduation, including the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellowship Program.
Research and Collaboration
UConn language and cognition researchers are highly collaborative. Their work focuses on the interplay between new cognitive science insights and the classical foundation in the computational theory of mind.
Graduate student researchers work closely with faculty in their concentration. They also collaborate with scholars and peers in other divisions in the Department of Psychological Sciences and across the University, including:
- The developmental psychology and behavioral neuroscience research programs in the Department of Psychological Sciences.
- The departments of linguistics; speech, language, and hearing sciences; cognitive science; mathematics; philosophy; educational psychology; engineering; and UConn Health.
- The Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action, Institute for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and other interdisciplinary centers and institutes.
UConn language and cognition researchers also have strong connections with external collaborators at Haskins Laboratories, an internationally renowned interdisciplinary research facility located in New Haven, which provides a stimulating environment for graduate research and training.
Facilities
Graduate students take advantage of UConn’s state-of-the-art facilities and a dynamic program of colloquia, internal talk series, and interest groups. Our facilities include:
- MRI, high-density EEG, and TMS at UConn’s Brain Imaging Research Center
- tDCS, EEG, and eye-tracking at the Cognitive Sciences Shared Electrophysiology Resource Laboratory
- Several eye-trackers and other behavioral techniques, available in individual PI’s labs
- Computing clusters and lab space
Financial Aid
Most students admitted into the Ph.D. program receive a graduate assistantship for research or teaching. The assistantship includes a tuition waiver, stipend, and a range of other benefits. Students can also apply for other scholarships, fellowships, and awards based on financial need and academic merit, as well as interdisciplinary graduate training programs.
Admissions
All application materials must be received by December 1.
Full Ph.D. Admissions Requirements
Please designate "language and cognition” as your concentration in the online application.
UConn graduate students are unionized, and funding includes health insurance.
We strongly encourage applicants to contact a potential faculty advisor to inquire whether they are accepting new students.
Applicants should have an excellent academic record. Research experience is helpful but not necessary. Applicants may have an undergraduate major in psychology, linguistics, computer science, mathematics, cognitive science, or other related fields of study.
Contact Us
For questions about the developmental psychology concentration, please contact the director of the Perception, Action, and Cognition Research Program:
Gerry Altmann
Professor of Psychological Sciences
gerry.altmann@uconn.edu