[Intro Music]
Dr. Goedert: The goal of experimental psychology
is to understand the human mind and to understand
human behavior.
Dr. Joh: Cognition, perception, neuroscience,
these are topics that help us to understand
who we are as people.
Vicki: You think that you know about the mind
because it’s a part of you, but the more
you learn, the more you realize we know absolutely
nothing.
Dan: We really know more about outer space
and, like, the bottom of the ocean than we
do about how the brain works.
Dr. Goedert: Experimental psychologists do
research that helps police craft better eyewitness
lineups.
They are involved in asking questions that
are related to education.
Pat: Many experiments study addiction in the
addicted animal or the addicted person.
Kerry: As a student here, my research is on
sleep and REM deprivation.
Vicki: I’m looking at something called retrieval
enhanced suggestibility.
It has to do with how misinformation can change
what you remember.
Dr. Joh: Our program is unique because it’s
designed as an intensive, immersive, junior
Ph.D. program.
Dr. Goedert: We are really trying to get students
experience with the technologies that will
make them effective, either in a Ph.D. program
or professionally.
Dr. Lloyd: This is an incredibly hands-on
program.
Working in the animal laboratory with a rat
model, where you might study something like
alcohol use and developmental effects.
We also have an eye-tracking lab, in which
we can, in real time, see where people’s
eyes are moving.
Ciara: We use that in order to help find more
information about ways in which people are
looking when they’re trying to make causal
judgements.
Dr. Joh: Some of our research involves how
children learn to think about spacial events.
One way we study that is by asking children
to make a guess about where they think an
object dropped into a tube might come out.
When students enter the program, in addition
to taking classes, they get involved in research
right away.
Dr. Lloyd: We don’t see them simply as people
who exist to collect more data on our own
ideas, but instead we work together to develop
ideas that are moving the field forward in
a collaborative manner.
Pat: The faculty in this university are
by far the greatest resource of this program.
They go above and beyond to be committed to
their students, whether it be in the classroom,
outside of the classroom, in office hours,
or even on outside projects.
Vicki: It’s really exciting when, like,
you go to an office and you’re like, “Hey,
I have this idea,” and someone really values
your input enough that they stop everything
and they pull up the data.
Dan: They don’t really see you as students,
they kind of see you as colleagues.
Ciara: Whether that’s asking you to write
an article with them, or introducing you to
other professionals in the field at conferences,
it really helps me to develop as a researcher
and a professional.
Kerry: These are really cool people, like,
these are really nice humans who want us to
succeed in this program, and they genuinely
like each other.
One of the things I really like about Seton
Hall is the campus, I think it’s a gorgeous
campus.
Johnathan: The thing I love most about Seton
Hall are the facilities and organizations
around here.
Dan: I feel like this place kind of has its
own heartbeat, and it’s, like, cool to be
a part of that rhythm.
Dr. Goedert: About half of our students leave
our program and go on for Ph.D.s, and about
another half choose not to go for a Ph.D.,
but to go directly into
a research-intensive field.
Ciara: I’m hoping to continue my research
in cognitive psychology at the doctorate level.
Jonathan: Ultimately I would love to teach.
I love the expression on a student’s face
when there’s an epiphany based off of what
I’ve lectured or what I’ve said.
Pat: If I were to describe the program in
one word, it would be ambitious.
Kerry: Practical.
I think it’s really going to help you in
the future.
Jonathan: I would describe the program as
expansive.
Ciara: Challenging.
Vicki: Community.
Dan: Stimulating.
