Facilities
The Department of Psychology hosts state-of-the-art facilities and resources to support empirical and quantitative work of the highest caliber.
Cognitive and Behavioral Testing
All faculty have individual laboratory space on campus. Most of the behavioral research with nonclinical adult human subjects is conducted in laboratory suites in Wilson Hall. These laboratories include computer stimulus presentation and response collection capabilities, a vast array of computers for data analysis and computational modeling, and specialized research equipment (including several eyetracking systems, optics benches, acoustical analysis systems, acoustically dampened testing environments, and various kinds of custom experimental hardware and electronics). We also hold a well-maintained database of potential participants for research projects. We conduct research with special populations in laboratories in Wilson Hall, in laboratories in the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, and at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Functional Imaging and Neuromodulation
The Department of Psychology conducts research using functional brain imaging (3T and 7T functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI, scanners) in the Institute for Imaging Science, a short walk from Wilson Hall. Our research using Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Positron Emission Tomography is conducted in specialized laboratory space at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. We conduct animal research in a secure facility on the ground floor of Wilson Hall which includes animal housing quarters; laboratories with extensive computer, physiological monitoring, and stimulus presentation equipment; and an aseptic surgical suite. All laboratories are located on the main Vanderbilt campus and the Vanderbilt Medical Center and are within 10 minutes walking distance of one another.
Computational Modeling and Data Science
For our work in complex computational modeling, monte carlo simulations, and data analysis, we partner with Vanderbilt’s Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education (ACCRE). Their high-performance computing cluster employs massively parallel processing to drastically reduce the time required to crunch large amounts of data and perform complex modeling.
Clinical Facilities
We partner with various Vanderbilt entities to conduct our clinical research. The Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Adult Psychiatry Clinic serves as a primary treatment and referral site for patients. Clinical staff includes psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, research assistants, and secretarial staff, who conduct a number of ongoing clinical trials and other research projects. Research with individuals with developmental disabilities is made possible through the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Recruitment of special populations can be facilitated by resources available through VUMC and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.
Animal Research Facilities
Wilson Hall contains an AAALAC-accredited animal care facility with dedicated and experienced staff to support husbandry, enrichment, and surgery for species used in basic research.
Research Centers
The department’s discoveries are greatly enhanced by a number of affiliated research centers that host advanced, state-of-the-art research equipment and services.
Providing high-throughput computing resources for data analysis and simulations.
Providing collaborations, workshops, and educational events supporting next-generation big-data mining, visualization, and analysis approaches.
Providing state-of-the-art imaging support for functional MRI, PET, focused ultrasound, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and more.
Providing rich resources and an intellectual neuroscience community that bridges molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience approaches to understand complex behavior.
Supporting research of persons with disabilities.
Providing a community of leading vision science researchers with state-of-the-art methodologies.