Experimental Psychology is a fundamental subfield of psychology that studies human behavior, cognitive processes, and emotional mechanisms using scientific methods. This field goes beyond observational explanations and aims to understand how the human mind works through controlled experimental designs and quantitative analysis methods. Experimental psychologists systematically examine processes such as perception, attention, learning, memory, decision-making, motivation, and social cognition in a laboratory setting.

The Experimental Psychology Approach at Mersin University

At the Mersin University Department of Psychology, experimental psychology is a fundamental component of psychology, both in undergraduate education and research. This field aims to develop students' scientific thinking skills and to teach them how to objectively measure and interpret behavioral and cognitive processes. Our undergraduate curriculum is enriched with research techniques and the fundamentals of experimental psychology. Faculty members specialized in experimental psychology play an active role in familiarizing students with scientific research processes and developing their skills in experimental design and data analysis.

Research Areas

Studies in experimental psychology combine classical methodological rigor with contemporary cognitive, social, and motivational approaches.

The main themes of interdisciplinary research conducted in this area or in related fields in our department are:

• Perception and attention processes

• Learning, memory, and decision-making mechanisms

• Motivational processes and reward sensitivity

• Social cognition, facial expressions, and social cues

• Food perception and eating behaviors

These research areas offer a multi-level perspective that contributes to both fundamental and applied dimensions of psychology.

Experimental Psychology Laboratory and Facilities

The Experimental Psychology Laboratory within the Mersin University Department of Psychology has a comprehensive technical infrastructure for behavioral measurement, cognitive task design, and data collection.

The laboratory utilizes experimental software such as PsychoPy, E-Prime, and MATLAB, and conducts behavioral measurements such as reaction time, accuracy, decision-making performance, and motivational responses.

The laboratory is also open to interdisciplinary studies. Through collaboration with researchers from fields such as psychology, biology, neuroscience, computer engineering, and nutrition, cognitive processes are studied from a multifaceted perspective.

Students have the opportunity to experience the stages of scientific research by taking part in projects carried out in this laboratory.