21:830:101. Principles of Psychology (3)
Scientific study of human behavior, including historical foundations, methodology, physiological basis of behavior, sensation and perception, and cognition.
21&62:830:101 and 102 may be taken in either order.
21:830:102. Principles of Psychology (3)
Scientific study of human behavior, including development, personality, social influences, abnormal behavior, and therapy.
21:830:101 and 102 may be taken in either order.
21:830:301 Psychology Statistics (4)
Basic statistical methods in the psychological sciences, starting with basic probability, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics. Methods are put in the context of basic experimental research in the cognitive and behavioral sciences. Includes such methods as z-tests, t-tests, ANOVA, regression and correlation.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102
21:830:302 Psychology Research Methods (4)
Basic methods and paradigms in the cognitive and behavioral sciences. Research from areas of psychology in psychophysics, learning, memory, and perception are used to illustrate basic paradigms used in the cognitive and behavioral sciences. Students conduct experiments, analyze data, and write reports in standard psychology formats.
Prerequisite: 21:830:301
21:830:304 Cognitive Processes (3)
Introduces the study of human cognition. Topics include perception, attention, memory, knowledge representation, language, problem solving, thinking, and reasoning. How is the world represented and what are the processes underlying those representations? Considers the real-world implications of laboratory findings.
Prerequisite: 21:830:101
21:830:308 Critical Thinking in Psychology (3)
Scientific method in the context of popular ideas about psychology. Examination of the best scientific evidence concerning ESP, astrology, hypnosis, and other claims of paranormal powers. Analysis of controversial topics at the intersection of psychology and public policy, such as child-rearing and the nature/nurture debate.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102
21:830:322 Cross Cultural Psychology (3)
This course will examine the role of one’s culture in various aspects of identity and development. We will examine the role of culture in psychology, look at the way in which psychologists have traditionally examined culture, and explore practices in various cultures throughout the world. This course will emphasize many real-world applications of cross-cultural psychology and will explore topics such as interpersonal relationships, social behaviors, and ethnocentrism.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102.
21:830:323 Developmental Psychology (3)
Child behavior and development; motor abilities, language, intelligence, social and emotional behavior and attitudes; prevention of maladjustment; relevant research findings; practical questions of child care and child rearing.
Prerequisite: 21:830:102
830:324. the Psychology of Adolescence (3)
This course explores all aspects of human development throughout the stage of adolescence. The class will cover adolescent behavior; physical, psychological, cognitive, and social development; family, peer, and environmental influences; and special issues that may be faced by adolescents. The course will include a brief overview of the developmental stages of childhood and emerging adulthood, as well as current research related to adolescent development.
Prerequisite: 830:102
21:830:327 Cognitive Development (3)
Explores patterns of thought characteristic of infants and children, and investigates how those patterns change with age. Covers traditional and current theoretical explanations for pattern of stability and change in children's thinking.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101,102
21:830:330 Psychology of Learning (3)
Explores the key principles and research involved in learning. Learning can be seen as an adaptive strategy to deal with variations in the environment. Learning processes are thus ubiquitous in the human and animal worlds, influencing a host of behavioral and cognitive skills. The course examines behaviorist, cognitive, and neuroscientific approaches to the problem of learning and seeks to integrate these perspectives into a coherent, unified theoretical framework.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101
21:830:335 Social Psychology (3)
Psychological study of the individual`s social interaction; theories of interaction and the empirical research employed in the investigation of topics such as attitude formation and change, group structure and process, motivation, learning, and perception in a social context.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102.
21:830:341 Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination (3)
What is the nature of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination (SPD)? Who expresses SPD? What are the social cognitive processes underlying SPD? How early in development does one express SPD? What are the detrimental effects of SPD on health and education? Finally, can SPD and its detrimental effects be attenuated? These are a few of the fascinating questions that social psychologists ask in their quest to understand SPD. To address these questions, this course will examine SPD-related theories and evidence. Because social psychologists use the scientific method, students will also critically evaluate the merit of social psychological research on SPD. In other words, what differentiates psychological science from “pop psychology” when studying SPD? Finally, throughout the semester, we will link the social psychology of SPD with the real-life experiences of individuals. Prerequisites: 21:830:101 & 21:830:102).
21:830 342 Approaches to Psychotherapy (3)
An introduction to the practice of psychotherapeutic techniques along with schools of psychotherapy most commonly used in treatment. Specific schools of psychotherapy include Psychoanalytic, Adlerian, Existential, Person-Centered, Gestalt, Behavior, Cognitive-Behavioral, Choice/Reality, Feminist, Postmodern, and Family Systems. We will explore how the aforementioned approaches relate to the modern-day practice of psychotherapy.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102
21:830:346 Psychology of Language (3)
Research investigations of language behavior as an aspect of intellectual functioning; comparative study of human and animal communication; biological and neurological determinants of language; innate versus acquired mechanisms; information theory; encoding and decoding phonological skills; language models and theories evaluated, including mathematical models, learning theorists (e.g., Skinner, Osgood), and the transformational linguistics of Chomsky.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101
21:830:353: Positive Psychology (3)
The growing field of Positive Psychology is having a robust impact on the traditional practice of Western psychotherapy. The Positive Psychology movement began as an attempt to reduce the focus on deficiencies and dominance of the “clinical approach” of “negating the negative” while ignoring human strengths in psychological research and theory. In this class we will review the rapidly growing research on flourishing, a major tenent of Positive Psychology, which includes the factors contributing to: psychological well-being, life satisfaction, positive emotions, everyday happiness, virtues and strengths, optimism, resilience, wisdom and excellence, and vital engagement in everyday life. The primary emphasis will be on practical, applied, positive psychotherapeutic interventions. Prerequisites: 21:830:101 & 21:830:102.
21:830:354 The Psychology of Adulthood and Aging (3)
Psychological, biological, and cultural aspects of the life cycle from young adulthood to the later years; becoming a person and becoming partners; experimenting with lifestyles; deciding about children and how to relate to them; middle years-changes, crises, new opportunities; retirement and leisure compared with the work ethic; facts and fallacies about old age; death and how we deal with it.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102
21:830:358 Introduction to Clinical Psychology (3)
History and development of clinical psychology and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Major theoretical orientations of practice, testing and assessment, and material from clinical interviews will introduce students to normal, creative, and pathological personalities and increasing sensitivity to the situational, psychological, and historical determinants of human personality.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102.
21:830:360 Professional Writing (3):
This course will help prepare students planning on pursuing a graduate degree in Psychology. Students will be required to read and critique peer-reviewed journal articles and to write about subfields of psychology in a professional, clear manner. Students will learn about plagiarism and how to avoid it, literature reviews, and will be given the opportunity to explore a subfield of psychology in depth that is of most interest to their future professional development.
21:830:363 Abnormal Psychology (3)
Psychopathologies, their probable causes, and usual behavioral manifestations; theories of pathology and research techniques employed in the investigation of abnormality.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102.
21:830:369,370 Fieldwork in Psychology (3,3)
Fieldwork at accredited agencies under the supervision of a departmental faculty member and an agency supervisor. Consult the advisers to determine the number of hours required for participation at an agency; advisers have a current listing of accredited agencies participating in this program.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102, junior or senior standing, and permission of instructor.
21:830:371 Psychology of Personality (3)
Major theoretical and experimental contributions to the understanding of normal personality and its development; relative adequacy of different theories in dealing with specific empirical data.
Prerequisites: 21:830:102.
21:830:372 Perception (3)
Classical problems of perception–the constancies, form perception and the illusions, the perception of movement, neutral color, direction, and orientation; important theoretical issues of perception.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102.
21:830:373 Psychology of Women (3)
Psychological roles of women in the human situation, traditional and contemporary; functions fulfilled by, and problems inherent in, the subordination of Eve to Adam; wider social-psychological implications of the new feminism; novels, films, and journalistic, social-philosophic, psychoanalytic, and anthropolitical materials.
Prerequisites: 21:830:102.
21:830:374 Psychopathology of Childhood (3)
At any moment, about 15% to 20% of all children and adolescents are experiencing some form of psychopathological disorder, such as depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity, or autism. Many more experience "sub-clinical" levels of psychopathology, which impact functioning but do not result in a serious degree of impairment. This course will explore three broad issues in understanding psychological disorders in children and adolescents: What are these disorders and how common are they? What are the identified "causes" of these disorders? How can professionals intervene to prevent or treat these disorders? Prerequisites: 21:830:102
21:830:378 Advanced Abnormal Psychology (3)
Current theory and research in abnormal psychology; psychological and biochemical theories of psychopathology; examination of methods and findings of relevant experimental data.
Prerequisites: 21:830:363
21:830:405 Psychology of Emotions (3)
Examines the nature of emotions, where and how they arise, and the functions that they serve. The class examines how emotions are defined, and their evolutionary, physiological, cultural, and developmental roots. The class also explores how emotions affect memory, thinking, problem solving, coping and communication, and social relations. The nature of specific emotions, including hostility, disgust, fear, and love, is discussed.
Prerequisites: 21:830:102.
21:830:411 Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (3)
Evidence from cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, behavioral neuroscience, and brain imaging used to investigate brain systems and mental representations underlying sensation and perception, movement, memory, and language. Brain anatomy, neurophysiology, and relation of brain and cognitive states to our experience of the world.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101
21:830:412 Neuroscience of Decision-Making
Introduction to research on behavioral and neural mechanisms involved in how we make decisions. The class is organized into four basic sections covering the integration of ideas from psychology, neuroscience, and economics that inspire research in the new discipline of neuroeconomics.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101
21:830:413 Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology is the study of the brain basis of behavior, and in particular how brain damage can lead to impaired behavior. Starting with a historical overview of the field, an initial review of the basics of neurochemistry and the methods used to study the brain follows. We will then learn about the organization of brain functions, how they change over time, and how they are affected by brain damage.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101
21:830:420 Infancy (3)
Humans grow and change more during infancy than any other time of life. Because this period provides the foundation on which all subsequent development is built, psychologists have long been fascinated with infancy. However, understanding creatures who do not talk, who are often incompliant, and who have their own behavioral agendas is highly challenging and perhaps as a result, highly controversial. During this class, we will survey classic and current research and theory in the study of infant development, including physical, neurological, perceptual, cognitive, communicative, emotional and social development.
Prerequisites: 21:830:102, 323.
21:830:423 History and Modern Viewpoints in Psychology (3)
Critical study, with historical background, of several schools of psychological thought and theory; behaviorism and learning theory, psychoanalysis, Gestalt psychology, cognitive psychology, existentialism, and Russian psychology.
Prerequisites: 21:803:101, 102.
21:830:424 Health Psychology (3)
Psychological influences on health, illness, and the improvement of the health care system. Impact of judgments, attitudes, and beliefs on health; emotions and emotional control on health and coping; effects of gender, culture, and individual differences; interpersonal and organizational conflict in health care settings; patient-practitioner interaction; management of chronic illness.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102.
21:830:431 Media Psychology (3)
This course will introduce students to the emerging field of media psychology. The course is designed to explore media research in each of the major schools of thought in psychology. As an interdisciplinary field of study, it includes cultural media studies and neuroscientific research on the biological systems and media and technology. The course covers the history and research methods of media effects, Critical Theory of the media, and neuroscience.
21:830:434 Attachment Theory (3)
Effects of early childhood rearing on subsequent cognitive abilities, interpersonal and romantic relationships, coping styles, separation, loss, and mourning. Attachment theory examined from psychological, psychoanalytic, evolutionary, and ethological perspectives.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102.
21:830:469 The Psychology of Sexual Orientation (3)
This course will examine the development and psychological implications of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexuality.We will examine psychological research on these topics and compare and contrast scholarly work with popular media depictions of these topics. We will also examine how the implications of culture, gender, and race intersect with sexual orientation and sexuality.
Prerequisites: 21:830:102.
21:830:484 Behavioral Neuroscience (3)
Physiological basis of behavior; basic structure and function of the nervous system; physiological basis of motivation and emotions; relations between hormones and behavior; physiological aspects of perception and learning; organization of the cerebral cortex; psychosomatics.
Prerequisites: 21:830:101
21:830:409 & 489 Special Topics in Psychology
Prerequisites: 21:830:101, 102
21:830:491,492 Research in Psychology (BA,BA)
Work on faculty research project under supervision; learning how to do research by means of firsthand experience.
Permission of instructor.
21&62:830:493,494 Individual Study in Psychology (BA,BA)
Exploration of contemporary and classical problems in psychology through planned readings and discussions with a faculty member; emphasis on going beyond textbooks and learning to think about psychological issues in depth. Choice of participating in either a seminar class or reading independently and preparing a written report.
Permission of instructor.
21:830:495 Research in Cognitive Neuroscience (BA,BA)
Work on neuroscience faculty research project under supervision; learning how to do research by means of firsthand experience.
Permission of instructor.
21&62:830:496 The Emotional Brain (3)
What are emotions? Neural substrates examined from neurobiological perspectives. Individual and social functions of emotions, emotional intelligence.
Prerequisites: 21&62:830:101
21&62:830:497/499 Senior Thesis I & II
Permission of instructor.