Nexus Scholar alumni profile: Jacqueline Allen ’23
"I got a taste of what neuroscience research is really like."
Read more
In the Department of Psychology we focus on the investigation of behavior and its cognitive, neural and hormonal underpinnings in the full range of environmental situations. Our strengths lie in four broadly defined areas of development, cognition, neuroscience, and social and personality psychology. We develop and conduct theoretical and translational research to advance health and well-being.
Currently, we offer two majors and minors for undergraduate students. The Psychology major and minor are offered through the College of Arts & Sciences while the Human Development major and minor are offered through the College of Human Ecology. We also offer graduate degrees in the field of Psychology through the College of Arts and Sciences and the field of Human Development through the College of Human Ecology.
Explore the Department
Born at Cornell, embraced by policymakers
Cornell University helped pioneer the collaborative field of behavioral economics, where economists and psychologists work side by side to uncover how human behavior drives decision-making in markets and beyond.
Click here to read more about the impact of our behavioral economics research
Department News
Right or left, low-quality news links popular on social media 
The spread of dubious headlines on social media isn’t just a right-wing thing – it's a social media thing, according to new research from psychology professor David Rand ’04.
Read more
Combining humanities and tech for research gains
An interdisciplinary project involving faculty, staff and graduate students is sparking collaborations among those interested in computational, digital and data-driven approaches to the study of history, languages and culture.
Read more
To disclose or not to disclose good deeds, that is the do-gooder dilemma
A new study explores how people feel about sharing their good deeds.
Read more
Nobel laureate Richard Thaler delights in the human side of economics
Richard Thaler, a Nobel laureate who was a professor at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management from 1978 to 1995, spoke Oct. 17 at the Alice Statler Auditorium.
Read more
Native American stereotypes, as seen by Native Americans
A Cornell-led study centered the voices of teenage citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as they gain awareness of stereotypes. Adam Hoffman, Assistant Professor of Psychology, is the first author of an article published Sept. 25 in the journal Youth & Society describing the study.
Read more
Nobel-winning behavioral economist Richard Thaler to speak Oct. 17
Thaler won the Nobel Prize in 2017 for work done in the 1980s at Cornell. He is now the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago.
Read more
Behavioral economics: Born at Cornell, embraced by policymakers
Economists and psychologists work together to understand how human behavior impacts people's decision-making in the marketplace.
Read moreExplore Academic Opportunities
Preparing undergraduate students for the future of psychological research and practice
Undergraduate students develop critical thinking skills, emphasizing the foundational nature of the science of psychology.
Learn at the nexus of graduate level scientific inquiry
The Department of Psychology embraces multidisciplinary and translational research and graduate training, viewing psychology as a “hub science” at the nexus of many other areas of scientific inquiry.
A cross disciplinary approach to research
The Department of Psychology embraces a “big tent” approach to methods, techniques and analysis that can be used to expand the frontiers of psychological science.