Since 1883, when the first psychological laboratory in America was founded at Johns Hopkins University, our department has been investigating the most fundamental questions of behavior, mind, and brain. Dedicated to research, not clinical training, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins has one of the top-ranked psychology departments in the world.

Psychological and brain sciences are concerned with understanding the biological and psychological processes underlying animal and human behavior, and with the effects of environmental influences on behavior at all stages of development.

The undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor’s degree is intended to provide students with a sound background in psychological and brain sciences and, at the same time, to prepare them for advanced study.

The program for doctoral students in psychological and brain sciences is scientifically oriented and emphasizes research methodology. The broad aims of the graduate program are to train students to become scientists rather than practitioners, and to provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to help solve the problems of contemporary society.

The intimate size of the department gives students and faculty significant flexibility to design individual training programs, and promotes an atmosphere of exceptional collegiality. At the same time, the department has at its disposal all the resources of a major research university, as well as the advantages of its connection to one of the world’s leading medical institutions.

Professor Cynthia Moss uses bats to study how humans and animals take in information from the environment and use that information to guide their behavior.