College of Psychology

HISTORY AND STAFF
School of Psychology of Southwest University is derived from the former Psychology Research Institute of Southwest China Normal University, which come into existence on February 23, 1988 on the leadership of Professor Xiting Huang. On the beginning of Psychology Institute, there was only 1 professor and 3 young researchers (Qinglin Zhang, Jinfu Zhang, and Shulin Zhang) with one unit to confer Master`s degree. On the efforts of the staff, Department of Psychology of Southwest Normal University set up in March, 1994 on the basis of the Psychology Research Institute with 1 professor, 3 associate professors, 5 lectures, 2 assistants, and 5 secretary staff. On the guideline of “Comity, Democracy, Factualism, Innovation” advanced by the department head, Professor Xiting Huang, we made great progress on all aspects. On April 2003, School of Psychology of Southwest China Normal University came into existence. On July 2005, School of Psychology of Southwest University was set up on the basis of School of Psychology of Southwest Normal University with the foundation of Southwest University.

At present, there are 46 employees in our school (3 bi-engaged professors), including 18 professors and associate professors, 16 lectures and assistants, and 12 secretary staff, in which over 95% had MA or higher degree. We have 1 member of State Department Degree Committee Subject Evaluation Group, 1 member of Psychology Teaching Committee of Chinese Psychological Society, 3 main leaders of worldwide learning associations, 2 professors of National Talent Project in the New Millennium, 1 professor with National Top Teaching Award, and 2 backbone teachers in Chongqing.

PRESENT DEVELOPMENT
At present, our school has achieved great success in discipline construction. We have a National Key Discipline in basic psychology, authorization to confer doctoral degree in psychology as first-class principle, post-doctoral program in psychology, Psychology and Social Management Research Center of Chongqing key research station of humanities and social science, authorization to doctoral degree in confer basic psychology, developmental and educational psychology, and applied psychology as second-class principles, authorization to confer master’s degree in three disciplines, and four national or province department class key disciplines and key labs.

The great success was made on the leader of Professor Xiting Huang who is a famous psychologist in China, sponsor of State Department Degree Committee Subject Evaluation Group, committeeman of China Psychology Terms Examination and Certification Committee. Meanwhile, we also have many famous specialists, for example Professor Qinglin Zhang, Hong Li, Dajun Zhang, Jinfu Zhang, Yong Zheng, Lingli Zhao, Qiwen Qin and Hong Chen et al. as backbones. Furthermore, many young postgraduates for doctor and mater degrees have also made great contributions to the development of our school.

In the courses of more than ten years, we lay stress on the combination of teaching and scientific research. On the encouragement of our school, we have taken in charge with 13 national, 35 province department class, and 7 international cooperation research assignments. Moreover, more than 400 scientific paper have published on “Cognitive Development”, “Memory and Cognition”, “Eating Behaviors”, “Body Image”, “Chinese Science”, “Psychological Acta”, “Psychological Science”, and “Applied Scientific Acta” et al., in which over 70 paper were cited by PA, SCI, and EI, and over 30 achievements have been given national and province department rewards. Meanwhile, we also have fine relations with some foreign psychology institutes, such as Yale University, University of California Berkeley, West-Virginia University, London University, and Toronto University et al.

STUDENTS EDUCATION
For undergraduates’ education, on the direction of educational revolution and development, we have made great efforts on this. We make all students (no matter arts or science backgrounds) 4-year-study on psychology as first-call discipline; in the first two years, all students should learn fundamental and public courses, while in the later two years, students could confirm major as psychology (normal) or applied psychology (un-normal) on the basis of market and interest. After graduation, they have chances to go on their studies for master even doctor degree by entrance examination. By the end of September 2005, we have 512 undergraduates, 182 postgraduates for mater degree, 49 postgraduates for doctor degree, 8 advanced visiting scholars, and 6 postdoctoral researchers. We want to have 100 undergraduates, 80-100 postgraduates for mater degree, 20 postgraduates for doctor degree, and 3-5 postdoctoral researchers every year in the future.

Furthermore, in order to conform to the trend of the educational reform and provide management personnel for educational institutions, we got the authorization of enrolling teachers at job on the study of postgraduate class. Since 1991, we have cultivated more than 3000 backbone middle school teachers for over 200 middle schools, such as Chongqing No.1 Middle School, Bashu Middle School, Chongqing Nankai Middle School, Shishi Middle School, and Quxian Middle School and so on. In addition, we also have more than 2000 applied psychology, mental health education undergraduates studying by self-examination or on internet.

In the new century, with the great efforts of all teachers in our school and in the direction of “Comity, Democracy, Factualism, Innovation”, we have set a goal to be comprehensive in curriculums and research-oriented with distinctive future, aiming to be well-known and first-class psychology school in our country!