Psychology is the scientific study of the mind, brain, and behaviour. It focuses on building and testing theories to help explain how people interact with each other and the world around them. Psychologists are interested in the way biological and social factors influence how we behave, and how interests and abilities differ from person to person. They also study how we perceive, think, and learn about the world around us. They examine how we communicate verbally and non-verbally, and how and why our mental abilities change across our lives. Psychology is an experimental and observational science, in which evidence from research studies is used to develop and evaluate theories. Our programme has a strong emphasis on developing skills in research methods and statistical analysis, to support our research-led teaching. The University of Edinburgh consistently ranks as one of the top 50 universities in the world for psychology (QS World University Rankings and Complete University Guide). In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014, we were rated first in Scotland and third in the UK as part of a joint submission for psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience.