Neil Stillings
Professor of Psychology, Emeritus
School of Cognitive Science, Hampshire College, Amherst,
MA 01002
How I Work With Students
Although I am no longer teaching, this page provides a
summary of the kind of work I did with students on their
concentrations (individualized majors) and undergraduate
thesis projects
Division II
The students I work with in Division II have a strong
interest in cognitive science, psychology, or
neuroscience, or, to put it more topically, in mind,
brain, and behavior. Some do significant work in other
fields, such as music, other arts, or biology. I also work
with students in education and in the Culture, Brain, and
Development Program. Here are the titles of some Division
II committees that I have chaired in recent years:
Why do we do it? The Cognition and Culture of Music
Neuroscience and Music
An Exploration of Cognitive Neuroscience and
Psychology
The Integrated Mind
Literacy and Thought
Cognitive
Neuroscience
and Evolutionary Biology
Psychology and Drama
Human Behavior
Cognition: Language and Perception
Cognitive Science: From Neurons to Qualia
Neuroscience, and Writing
Psychology
Approaches to Cognitive and Social Development in
Educational Settings
Applied Molecular Neurobiology and Cognition
The Development of the Musical Mind
I work with students to define concentrations that (1)
have the depth to support high-quality Division III
projects; (2) have interdisciplinary breadth; and (3)
support post-graduate plans, e.g. graduate school in
psychology.
Division III
I have served on Division III committees in many areas of
cognitive science, psychology, neuroscience, education, and
social/behavioral sciences generally. Most of the students I
work with in Division III collect and analyze empirical data
in either the laboratory or the field. Some recent Division
III titles are
The Influence of Race & Urban Clothing on Implicit
Stereotyping
Music as a Rehabilitative Tool for Cochlear Implant
Users
Metaphor in the Mind
The Effects of Personality on Attitude Change
The Influence of Verb Semantics in Syntactic Ambiguity
Resolution
The influence of category and relationship based
learning on memory in children and adults
Moral Cognition: A dual-process model of moral
judgments
The Use of Intrinsic Motivational Strategies in
Special Education
Investigations of Pitch Contour in Subjects with
Differing Emotional States
Processing English Orthographic Structure: Delayed
Reaction Time to Monosyllables Containing Liquid and
Nasalized Codas
Spatial Cognition in Dancers: A Study in Mental
Rotation Ability
Making a Creative Art Creative: Teaching Music Through
Inquiry
Behavioral and Electrophysiological Correlates of Face
Processing: An ERP Study
A Note About Music
Because I know the literature in the cognitive
neuroscience and psychology of music, have a working
knowledge of computer music and digital audio, know
a fair amount about music theory and several musical
genres (mainly jazz and classical), and have been a
third-rate amateur musician, I can serve on the Division
II or III committees of students whose work combines music
with psychology, cognitive science, or computer science.
It's true, I love music and enjoy talking with music
students, but ... I am not a music faculty member and
therefore cannot serve on Division II or III committees
that only concern music. There has to be serious
cross-over into cog/neuro/psych for me to serve on a
committee.
