To study psychology is to understand behavior, both what people actually do and the mental processes underlying their actions. The psychologist's challenging job not only involves studying individuals and groups but also requires the researcher to take into account the environmental, physiological, and cultural factors that influence human behavior. Students of psychology employ a variety of clinical and scientific methods to discover how and why the human mind behaves as it does.

Psychology is a field that includes many vibrant areas of intellectual interest. Clinical psychology studies normal personality as well as mental disorders and their treatment. Social psychology investigates significant social issues, and community psychology explores how community organizations develop to meet the changing needs of our society. Physiological psychology examines the biological bases of behavior, especially those involving the nervous system. Experimental psychology focuses on the basic processes of sensation, perception, learning, memory, thinking, language, emotion, and motivation. Human-computer interaction and computer simulation of psychological processes bring students into the advanced area of artificial intelligence. Developmental psychology looks at patterns of all psychological processes, including meta-cognition and insight, as they occur and change over the life span.

Lewis & Clark's psychology department offers a well-rounded curriculum with faculty members whose expertise and research interests cover each of these academic areas. The psychology curriculum acquaints students with a wide range of psychological theories and methods that form the basis for contemporary psychology. The department also strives to develop the student's competency in conducting and evaluating empirical research. Many opportunities exist for students to gain internship experience and see the practical applications of psychological principles.

Lewis & Clark College
Department of Psychology
0615 SW Palatine Hill Rd
MSC 16
Portland, OR 97219

Location: Bio-Psych 210
Phone: 503-768-7511
Fax: 503-768-7658
Email: psych@lclark.edu
Chair: Yueping Zhang