The program will train eight researchers, at the predoctoral level, across the broad spectrum of health-relevant behavioral science. The program is housed in an experimentally oriented (non-clinical) Department of Psychology, covering as research areas cognition (with emphasis on language), psychobiology (with emphasis on psychopharmacology), sensory processes (with emphasis on vision), and social-personality. The trainees, with baccalaureate degrees in psychology or a related science, are recruited from among Ph.D. candidates in Northeastern's Department of Psychology, and typically require from 4 to 5 years of training. Fully equipped laboratories in each area are available, together with supporting; technical and office staff. Two distinctive features of the program are: 1) The Department has had considerable success in recruiting outstanding African-American and Hispanic students into its Ph.D. program. The mechanisms are in place to ensure that a substantial proportion of trainees will be from among groups currently underrepresented in scientific research. 2) Two Department faculty are the Co-Directors of the University's Center for the Advancement of Scientific Education, committed to the examination of 'the ethical concerns and dilemmas about the process by which scientific knowledge is acquired, taught, and used.' The courses and programs of the Center, and its extensive resources, are utilized to ensure that trainees are equipped to bring ethical perspectives to bear upon their scientific activities.
