Psychology Dept. to stay intact

The Psychology Department will remain intact, instead of dividing into two separate departments organized by area of specialty. A split would have created a department to cover social psychology and another one to handle neuropsychology. The possibility arose after University administrators decided to replace Psychology's four "antiquated and unsatisfactory psychology buildings" with a single facility, according to department Chairperson Robert Seyfarth. "We wanted a clear statement about the intellectual future of the department," he said. In many Psychology departments across the country, social psychologists have little in common with the neuropsychologists, making a division along those lines more appropriate. But Seyfarth said that's not the case at Penn. "Social psychologists are in contact with the neuropsychologists, and the department is committed to tackling the problems of brain and behavior and doing it as one organized department," he said. College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Rescorla, who is also a Psychology professor, said specialists in both areas benefit from the interaction between them. "We've always felt that the type of cross fertilization that exists between our departments is valuable," he said. Also, a Psychology split would have left the Biological Basis of Behavior major in uncertain territory. Psychology and the Biology Department jointly administer the major. If the Psychology Department had split, the new neuropsychology wing would probably have taken over the major. "BBB is an odd thing," Seyfarth noted. "It is a major without a department." But Rescorla said the major is well run and that students benefit from the knowledge of both departments. Psychology Professor Justin Aronfreed welcomed the decision for the department to remain intact. "I have no reason to want anything else to happen," he said, "Psychology is a pivotal department, and our interdisciplinary reach is great in any case." And Psychology Professor Saul Sternberg said he did not know of anyone who had wanted the split and didn't think anyone ever considered it very seriously. College sophomore Dara Gruen, a research assistant for Psychology Professor Martin Seligman, said it is important to learn about multiple aspects of the discipline. "If you are exposed to both sides, you can make your own decision on how you're going to use that in your career," she said. A number of Psychology departments across the country have divided in recent years, although the the majority still remain together. The University of Rochester's department, for example, is divided between brain and cognitive sciences and clinical and social sciences. In the Ivy League, only Brown and Cornell universities have two departments to handle psychology. Among the schools with separate departments, the divisions vary. Sometimes the split is between the natural and social sciences departments, and in other cases the neuroscience or cognitive science departments separate. "It depends as much on the personalities and intellectual interests of that particular set of people," Rescorla said.