Why Iowa?
Iowa has been at the forefront of psychological research and training for a century, and we still lead today. Our students learn about the field in the classroom and laboratory, and out in the community, developing skills that help them stand out among their peers.
DeLTA* Center
*Development and Learning from Theory to Application
Profiles and research
The department's commitment to research excellence is matched by a commitment to providing outstanding research and professional training for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs.
Ece Demir-Lira investigates why some children thrive and others fall behind
Ece Demir-Lira studies how children’s brains, environments, and relationships shape learning, with the goal of better understanding why children follow different developmental and academic paths.
Big questions, complex brains: how one psychological and brain sciences faculty member seeks to understand what makes us human
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Jan Wessel has always been fascinated by the brain and how humans think. Now, he conducts his research in a collaborative approach unlike any other.
The close link between artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning in pigeons is no flight of fancy
This article about the history of AI highlights Ed Wasserman's research on pigeon cognition.
PBS researchers receive NSF funding to understand how speech perception relates to reading and language skills
Bob McMurray, professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences receives funding to further understand how children and adults hear and distinguish speech sounds.
PBS assistant professor awarded $3 million NIH grant to study the psychology and neuroscience behind social behavior
Dorit Kliemann, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, was awarded a multimillion dollar grant by the National Institutes of Health for her research on social cognition.
Exploring a novel approach for treating Parkinson's disease
Cheol Soh is driven to improve the lives of people living with Parkinson’s disease. As a postdoctoral researcher, Soh’s research focuses on the brain regions related to movement stopping.
News and announcements
Ece Demir-Lira investigates why some children thrive and others fall behind
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Ece Demir-Lira studies how children’s brains, environments, and relationships shape learning, with the goal of better understanding why children follow different developmental and academic paths.
Preschool teacher turned researcher: Isaac Petersen's quest to understand childhood behavior problems
Friday, August 28, 2026
CLAS researcher Isaac Petersen draws on his experience as a preschool teacher to better understand children's behavioral issues and improve early prevention efforts.
UI researchers reveal deeper workings of brain’s information hub
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
In a new study, CLAS researchers demonstrate how the frontoparietal cortex handles uncertainty in decision-making and organizes and coordinates responses in the brain and body.
