General Information
Indiana University is the location of the oldest continuing psychology laboratory in America. William Lowe Bryan (pictured below), a future president of the American Psychological Association (1903) and Indiana University (1902- 1937), opened the laboratory in January of 1888. A student of Hermann
Ebbinghaus and G. Stanley Hall, Bryan did his initial work on the relation between reaction time and intensity of stimulation, as well as on the development of voluntary motor ability in children.
However, he is most famous for his classic experiments on human Morse Code learning. Those studies revealed "plateaus" (definite periods of no improvement) in learning curves and suggested that acquisition of a complicated skill involves successive mastery of a hierarchy of habits. The project was one of the first to provide data on the role of automaticity in human learning and memory, a hot topic in contemporary cognitive psychology.
Bryan's studies were the impetus for the strong experimental emphasis that has characterized psychology at Indiana up to the present day. The reputation of the department is based more on traditions of broad empirical investigation than sponsorship of any definite school of psychological thought -- even though leading thinkers like B.F. Skinner, W.K. Estes and J.R. Kantor have been among the members of the faculty.
About Our Location
The Department of Psychology is located at the corner of 10th Street and Walnut Grove between the Kelley School of Business and the Geology building. An addition to the Psychology Building was completed in June of 2002, providing additional space for several research laboratories and offices. Faculty and students working in the areas of developmental and social psychology, which had been working out of the Hillcrest Annex Building for the past ten years, will once again be contained within the main building. The Hillcrest Annex, located two blocks west on Walnut Grove, remains an additional research area for various researchers within the department.
About the IU Campus
The IU Bloomington campus and surrounding areas have much to offer residents and visitors. For those who like spectator sports, IU Bloomington offers top intercollegiate competition. Indiana's athletic teams for men and for women are frequent contenders for the Big 10
championships, most notably in basketball. The men's team has won five NCAA championships. Indiana also has been a strong contender in many other sports such as women's tennis and men's soccer, with several recent NCAA championships.
There are also excellent facilities for those interested in participating in sport activities. The University makes various recreational facilities available to students including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, handball and squash courts, and an 18-hole golf course.
About the City of Bloomington
The city of Bloomington has a population of approximately 60,000 people, and is located in the rolling hills of south-central Indiana. In the fall, thousands of tourists come to see the spectacular autumn colors of the area's numerous state parks and forest areas, as well as the picturesque artists' community of Nashville, Indiana, located approximately 20 miles east of Bloomington. Two large lakes nearby provide opportunities for such sports as water skiing, sailing, and swimming.
Bloomington has a cultural life equal to that of most large cities. The School of Music is often rated first in the country, and provides performances almost daily, ranging from opera to jazz. Many of the productions are presented for free or at a minimal cost. The University attracts many concert artists and theatrical companies each year.
Several large cities are within driving distance of Bloomington. To the north, Indianapolis is only an hour's drive, and an hour and a half to the south, Louisville. Cincinnati can be reached in about three hours, with Chicago less than five hours away.
Certainly, students' decisions on which university to attend will be based mainly on the educational opportunities available. Nevertheless, it is important to note that IU Bloomington students are within reach of a diverse and bountiful array of extracurricular opportunities. For more information about IU and Bloomington, click on the links below:
Bloomington General Information: Maps, tours, etc.
IU News, Media and Weather: Newspapers, television, radio, weather
The Herald-Times: Bloomington online newspaper
HoosierNet: Monroe County information
