The Department of Psychology offers graduate study leading to the M.A. degree in Psychological Sciences (including social, cognitive, and biological psychology) and in Developmental Psychology, and to the Ph.D. degree in Psychological Sciences, Developmental Psychology, and Clinical Psychology.

Candidates for admission are expected to meet the general requirements of the Graduate School and to have completed fundamental courses in psychology as undergraduates, including a laboratory course in research methods of psychology and a course in basic statistics. Applications for all programs are due Dec. 31 for a September admission.

The Department of Psychology believes the best graduate education involves close working relationships between faculty and students. Thus, a high faculty to student ratio and small class size characterize our graduate programs. Every incoming student works directly with a faculty mentor as a means of gaining valuable research, teaching, and professional experience. There also are opportunities for individualized study and experience in directed readings, research, and supervised teaching. A faculty committee, selected to represent the student’s interest, will assist the student in planning an appropriate program of study.

The program leading to the M.A. in Developmental Psychology requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. This requirement includes six credit hours for the writing of an acceptable thesis based on empirical research, six credit hours of directed research, the first graduate statistics course, and fifteen credit hours of graduate content courses chosen by the student and his or her committee.

The program leading to the M.A. in Psychological Sciences requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. This requirement includes six credit hours for the writing of an acceptable thesis based on empirical research, four credit hours of directed research, two credit hours of Proseminar, the first graduate statistics course, and fifteen credit hours of graduate content courses chosen by the student and his or her committee.

The programs leading to the Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences, Developmental Psychology, and Clinical Psychology include a residence requirement as specified in the general section of the catalog. However, the time required to complete course work and a dissertation based upon an original investigation ordinarily is longer than that required for residence.

Basic program requirements for all doctoral students comprise a minimum of 60 credit hours, including three required courses (History and Philosophy of Psychology; Advanced Statistics & Methods I; Advanced Statistics & Methods II), 12 hours of directed research, and 6 hours of dissertation research. Other course requirements will vary by program as well as by individual student interests and educational needs.

Program in Psychological Sciences

The goal of this program is to prepare students for careers in teaching and research. All students are expected to demonstrate a high level of competence in one of the specialty areas listed below. Students are also expected to demonstrate competence in statistics and experimental design, and in several areas of general psychology outside their specialty area. Competence is assessed in terms of performance in courses, research projects, teaching, and a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive exam is given at the end of the second year of graduate study or at the end of the first year for students entering with a master’s degree from another university. The Department offers the following specialty areas within Psychological Sciences:

Cognitive and Biological Psychology

This program covers several basic areas of experimental psychology, including cognition, perception, biopsychology, and behavioral neuroscience. Students develop research skills and conduct research in at least one specialty area. Students also become familiar with areas of general psychology outside their specialty, and with statistics and experimental design. Students work closely with a research advisor, and begin research involvement in the first year. There are many opportunities for individualized study and directed readings. Opportunities for teaching are available to advanced graduate students. Applicants should write to faculty members in their area of interest, with whom they might want to do research. (Faculty: Cobo-Lewis, Elias, Ell, Farthing, Fremouw, Hayes, Robbins, Rosenwasser)

Social Psychology

By emphasizing basic and applied research at the Ph.D. level, the social psychology program aims to produce well-rounded academicians and practitioners by fostering a solid understanding of theory and research in social psychology, as well as knowledge of how social research may be applied to solve practical problems. The program operates on an apprenticeship model by which students work closely with faculty members on theory-driven research. Students are trained to think conceptually and to acquire proficiency in research methodology, statistics, scholarly writing, oral presentation, and teaching. Faculty research specializations include stereotyping and prejudice, personal and social identity management, social cognition, political attitudes, and attraction. (Faculty: McCoy)

Program in Developmental Psychology

This program offers training in social, cognitive, emotional, and psychobiological development. With children and adolescents, concentrated study is available in the areas of play, communicative competence, emotional development, friendship evolution, peer relations, learning, and information processing. Students are expected to become well-versed in developmental theory and methodology, as well as actively involved in research. Besides offering applied experience with preschool children in the Department’s Child Study Center, the program provides opportunities to work with developmentally disabled children at the Eastern Maine Medical Center. (Faculty: Cobo-Lewis, Eilers, Erdley, Hayes, LaFreniere)

Program in Clinical Psychology

The Clinical Psychology Training Program prepares students for the doctorate (Ph.D.) in psychology and for careers combining research and clinical practice. While students earn a master’s degree (M.A.) on the way to earning their Ph.D., a terminal M.A. program in Clinical Psychology is not available. The program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and adheres to the scientist-practitioner model.

An academic core provides the foundation of knowledge in the areas of general and experimental psychology as well as psychotherapy, psychopathology, assessment, professional issues and ethics, and clinical research methods. Clinical training is centered on course work, individual tutorials in research, and clinical experiences supervised by professional models actively engaged in careers in those areas. Students are given increasing responsibility for the content and emphasis of their training by being encouraged to sample a wide variety of training opportunities at the University and in the community. They are encouraged to articulate career objectives early in training, and to contribute to modifications in the program to meet their goals. Applicants are urged to match their interests with those of the clinical or developmental psychology faculty and to specify areas of compatibility. There are two tracks within the program. Students in the general track receive training from a generalist perspective. The developmental-clinical track focuses on children and adolescents and is described below.

The Psychology Department’s Psychological Services Center serves as the primary practicum training site with additional practicum experiences available at inpatient, outpatient, community, and hospital settings elsewhere in Maine. Core training in the traditional areas of clinical psychology is supplemented with opportunities for innovative approaches to psychotherapy and community involvement; geographic considerations permit special attention to rural problems.

Ph.D. training culminates with the doctoral dissertation and a full-year internship in an approved clinical setting. (Faculty: Nangle, Sigmon, Thorpe, Yoon)

Developmental-Clinical Track in the Clinical Program

The developmental-clinical track offers joint training in developmental and clinical psychology. Students complete core programs in both clinical and developmental psychology, in addition to the practicum, internship, and dissertation requirements of the traditional clinical program.

Research Facilities

Facilities for experimental and clinical research include laboratories for the study of human and animal behavior, cognition, perception, and emotion. Among departmental research foci are depression and anxiety disorders, sleep and biological rhythms, peer relations, developmental psychopathology, cognitive aging, and socio-cognitive factors influencing health and well-being.  The department also operates a pre-school (Child Study Center) and psychology clinic (Psychological Services Center) for instructional and research purposes. Through faculty affiliation with Eastern Maine Healthcare, research opportunities are also provided at Eastern Maine Medical Center and at the Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health.

Graduate Faculty

Alan B. Cobo-Lewis, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin, 1992), Associate Professor. Visual perception; language development; statistical and computational methods.

Rebecca E. Eilers, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1972), Professor. Language development, bilingualism.

Merrill F. Elias, Ph.D. (Purdue University, 1963), Professor. Neurobiological correlates of hypertension, age, and cardiovascular disease; behavioral-cardiovascular epidemiology and aging.

Shawn Ell, Ph.D. (University of California, Santa Barbara, 2003), Assistant Professor. Neurobiology of learning and memory, categorization, skill learning, implicit and explicit memory, computational modeling, working memory, basal ganglia, cognitive neuroscience.

Cynthia A. Erdley, Ph.D. (University of Illinois, 1992), Associate Professor. Social cognition, children’s peer relationship experiences and psychological adjustment.

G. William Farthing, Ph.D. (University of Missouri, 1969), Professor. Decision-making, risk-taking behavior, intrinsic motivation.

Thane Fremouw, Ph.D. (University of Utah), Assistant Professor. Cognition, brain, & behavior; auditory neurophysiology; auditory perception; neural basis of cognition, learning, and memory.

Marie J. Hayes, Ph.D. (Northeastern University, 1979), Professor.  Behavior of human neonates; ontogeny of sleep and arousal mechanisms; and assessment of function in infancy.

Jeffrey E. Hecker, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1986), Professor. Sexual offending risk assessment; anxiety disorders.

Peter J. LaFreniere, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota, 1982), Professor. Ethology; developmental psychopathology; anxiety and social withdrawal; and cooperation and competition.

Shannon McCoy, Ph.D. (University of California, Santa Barbara, 2003), Assistant Professor. Social psychological study of the self, social identity, and social stigma.

Douglas W. Nangle, Ph.D. (West Virginia University, 1993), Professor, Director of Clinical Training. Child and adolescent peer relations; close relationships and psychological adjustment; social skills assessment and intervention.

Michael A. Robbins, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1985), Research Associate Professor, Chair. Biopsychosocial correlates of cognitive aging.

Alan M. Rosenwasser, Ph.D. (Northeastern University, 1980), Professor. Biopsychology and behavioral neuroscience; circadian and other biological rhythms; animal models of addiction.

Sandra T. Sigmon, Ph.D. (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1989), Professor. Predisposing factors for seasonal and nonseasonal depression; cyclical effects on mood and behavior; women’s physical and mental health; and endocrinological factors in panic disorder and fibromyalgia.

Geoffrey L. Thorpe, Ph.D., ABBP (Rutgers University, 1973), Professor. Questionnaire development and standardization in assessing irrational beliefs and topics in forensic clinical psychology using modern test theory methodology.

K. Lira Yoon, Ph.D. (Northwestern University, 2006), Assistant Professor.  Cognitive processes in anxiety and depression; emotion regulation; risk factors for anxiety and depression; comorbidity.

External and Affiliated Graduate Faculty

Michael Asher, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Bridget K. Biggs, Ph.D., External Graduate Faculty

Edward Bilsky, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor

Jonathan Borkum, Ph.D., Faculty Associate

Nina Boulard, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Kylie G. Cole, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Erika Coles, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor

M. Elizabeth Cuddy, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Adam Davey, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor

Robert Dodge, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Scott Eidelman, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor

Penelope K. Elias, Ph.D. Adjunct Research Associate Professor

Robert Ferguson, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Margaret Fernald, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Christine Fink, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Nicholas Guidice, Ph.D., Cooperating Assistant Professor

Joel Gold, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus

Jerold Hambright, Ph.D. Clinical Associate

Vaughn Hardesty, Ph.D., Adjunct Associate Professor

Jonathan Heeren, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Anne Hess, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor

Keith Houde, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Peter Ippoliti, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Rachel Kallen, Ph.D., External Graduate Faculty

Gina Kenney, Psy.D., Clinical Associate

Raymond Knight, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor

Kevin B. MacDonald, Ph.D., External Graduate Faculty

Craig Mason, Ph.D., Cooperating Associate Professor

Jeff Matranga, Ph.D., External Graduate Faculty

David Mills, Ph.D., Faculty Associate

David Mokler, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor

Karen Mosher, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

April O’Grady, Ph.D., Director of Psychological Services

Philip S. Pierce, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Anthony M. Podraza, Ph.,D., Clinical Associate Professor

Kevin Polk, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Jessica Pollard, Ph.D., Adjunct Research Associate Professor

Susan Righthand, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor

Robert Riley, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Kelly Rohan, Ph.D., External Graduate Faculty

Raymond C. Russ, Ph.D., Faculty Associate

Richard M. Ryckman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus

Linda Silka, Ph.D., Faculty Associate

Laurence D. Smith, Ph.D. Adjunct Associate Professor

Susanne Stiefel, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Diane Tennies, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Stacy Whitcomb-Smith, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Holly Zack, Ph.D., Clinical Associate

Janice Zeman, Ph.D. Adjunct Associate Professor