If You Need Help: Interesting Dissertation Topics in Psychology
You’ve made it far in pursuit of your PhD in Psychology, and before you embark on the next phase in the journey you want to be sure you devote the next year working on a dissertation topic that will be well-received, be interesting to both you and your advisory committee, and allow you to showcase the skills and knowledge you have gained in your academic career.
Easier said than done, right? Well, here are a few dissertation topics that might help you get started on your own project:
- Bipolar Disorder.
What are the neuro-cognitive effects of resolving interference for patients who suffer from this disorder?
- Healthy Aging.
So far physical exercise is the only thing proven to increase the cells in your brain, how does a general healthy lifestyle, diet, and rest affect brain function?
- Anatomy of Speech and Language.
How does understanding the development of the posterior temporal lobe in the brain help us understand comprehension and processing of secondary languages?
- Angular Gyrus.
This area of the brain allows us to associate multiple types of information related to language (e.g., visual, auditory or sensory). Does deterioration of this area or loss of cells contribute to problems with language in dementia patients?
- Creativity.
This is an aspect of personality that is characterized by novel and relevant ideas, processes and objects. Yet its mystery is one reason we have not been able to program computers, for instance, to be creative. What else can be learned by exploring this elusive characteristic?
- Depression and Dysphoria.
More and more people are diagnosed with a type of depression or dysphoria today than they were 20 years ago. What other mental disorders related to emotions have emerged that could have some relationship to the rising trend?
- Neurologic Disorders.
Neurologic illnesses result in different patterns of behavioral and emotional changes depending on what types of brain are affected. How has the recent surge in sports safety opened the doors for new research in this area?
- Executive Functions Disorders.
The frontal lobe area of the brain accounts for 40% of the entire brain yet was late to develop in the evolution of humans. Damage to this part of the brain increases a loss in administrative control. How does this account for brain function differences in animals without this brain portion?
As you can see, this is far from an exhaustive list. And each one that is listed can be explored in dozens of different ways. Hopefully, these can get your creative juices flowing so that you can develop your own interesting dissertation topic to impress your advisory committee.