Psychology Course Descriptions

The nature of personality and the social factors influencing its development.

The neurobiology of sex, hunger, thirst, arousal, sleeping, awakening, and the influence of psychoactive drugs on animal and human behavior.

Fall, spring, summer. Introduction to the biological basis of behavior and the experimental approach to cognition.

Fall, spring, summer. Introduction to social behavior, development, and individual differences.

Fall, Spring. Prerequisites: an intro to psychology course (110, 111, 100 or AP credit) and PSYC 230 are required to enroll in PSYC 200. Introduction to basic methods and design of psychological research in the areas of learning, memory, sensation, perception, personality, and social processes. Laboratory exercises and fundamentals of scientific writing are emphasized.

Theories and research concerned with the development of human cognition, personality, and social behavior from infancy through early adolescence.

Perception of the world through the senses, gathering information about one's surroundings by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and acting.

Descriptions of, explanations for, and treatment of the major adult psychological disorders.

Description, classification, causal factors, and treatment approaches of abnormal behavior in children and adolescents.

A general survey course in social psychology which includes coverage of the following topics: moral development, competition, aggression, attraction and love, prejudice, discrimination, attitude change, and their relevance to contemporary social issues.

Theories and research addressing the nature of higher mental processes, including such areas of cognition as categorization, attention, memory, knowledge representation, imagery, psycholinguistics, and problem solving.

Theory and research relating to the nature of stress and the types of coping strategies that are used to alleviate it. Disorders brought about by chronic stress or failures in coping will be covered.

Examines the remarkable changes infants undergo during the first three years of life. Topics include: pregnancy, child birth, motor skills, perception, brain, memory, language, cognitive, social and emotional development.

An exploration of the major facets of human sexuality including sexual response, sexual desire, sexual development, sexual performance, reproduction, sexual deviance and problems, love, and sex therapies.

Fall, spring. Elementary concepts of probability descriptive and inferential statistics including: central tendency, variability, statistical moments, correlation, linear regression, and parametric and nonparametric inferential techniques.

Problems and issues in psychological test development and evaluation, validation and interpretation of individual and group tests of intelligence, abilities, interests, and personality.

An examination of the legal definitions of insanity and psychological test validity, the courtroom applications of the psychology of perception and memory, and the applied psychologist's law-imposed responsibilities.

Basic concepts from the psychology of thinking (association, logical reasoning, creativity, information processing) and from psychometric testing (intelligence, mental ability, test bias) will be considered in the light of recent research.

Research and theory concerning the way information about the world is acquired and remembered.

The evolutionary basis of learning to adapt to the environment. Detailed analysis of the mechanisms of learning and their evolutionary function.

(Same as Women's Studies 305.) Theories and research examining the development of gender roles from infancy through adulthood.

(Same as Linguistics 309). This course examines the relationship between brain mechanisms and language behavior. Topics include aphasia and language disorders, aphasia in the deaf, critical periods in children, and gender differences in brain organization.

Examines the development of abilities such as thinking, reasoning, learning, remembering, language, spatial skills, categorization, and counting.

Life-span approach to the physical and behavioral development of adolescents. An emphasis is placed on the developmental theories of Erikson and Piaget along with symbolic interactionists and competence theorists.

The effects of conditions such as blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy on information processing behavior and psychological development in children. Complex disorders such as learning disabilities, childhood psychoses, and mental retardation are examined in the light of what has been learned about the simpler disorders.

The application of psychological inventory methods to the study of developmental changes in family dynamics and structures, patterns of family interaction and communication, systems for classifying family "types", and family psychopathology.

(Same as Linguistics 316WR.) Language acquisition in young children. Identifying speech sounds, determining meaning, and comprehending the rules of syntax.

(Same as Biology 320.) Structure and function of animal behavior from a comparative, evolutionary perspective.

(Same as Neuroscience and Behavioral Biologym 321.) Explores hormonal contributions to the development and expression of gender and sexual behavior in animals and human

Biological factors influencing learning and memory with attention to the findings from both animal and human research.

A review of the behavioral and neurobiological actions of all the major psychoactive drugs, focusing on how drugs alter behavior by influencing brain mechanisms.

(Same as Biology 325.) Recent progress in the field of primate social behavior, particularly the role of cognition in complex social strategies.

Key concepts of several major theories of personality and their application to the study of the individual, along with techniques available for the assessment of personality.

Prerequisite: Psychology 110 or equivalent. An in-depth survey of the brain systems and mechanisms involved in perception, memory, awareness, communication, and other cognitive phenomena.

The course will emphasize the psychological factors that contribute to criminal behavior, especially those relating to personality and individual psychodynamics.

The practice of forensic psychology (especially in relation to violent offending) in courtrooms, prisons, criminal investigative agencies, and therapy treatment centers.

Use of principles of behavior to enhance human functioning. Application of basic research and theory from experimental psychology to personal, social, and educational problems.

(Same as Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology 302.) Spring. Prerequisite/co-requisite: NBB 301. This course presents an integrated coverage of work at the intersection of animal behavior, evolution, and cellular/systems neuroscience. The course surveys the major areas of behavioral neuroscience.

Neuropsychological disorders of memory, attention, perception and awareness, and their relation to the brain and to cognitive models of normal function.

A series of special topics of concern to the discipline of psychology. Content will vary in successive offerings. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.

Critically evaluating pseudoscientific, fringe science, and controversial claims in psychology.

(Same as Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology 414WR.) The course examines developmental changes in brain function and organization linked to different aspects of sensory, language, and non-language cognitive processes during the first three years of life.

Study of the neural mechanisms and phenomenology of sleep and dreaming in humans and other animals as a basis for discussing implications for behavior, cognition, evolution, and related philosophical issues.

Theories and research about how the brain interacts with mind in generating perceptions.

(Same as Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology 425.) Application of imaging technology to the study of brain function and anatomy.

(Same as Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology 425.) Application of imaging technology to the study of brain function and anatomy.

(Same as Biology 440S.) Functions, evolution, ecology, and significance of animal communication systems in a wide taxonomic range from insects to primates.

Prerequisite: senior major or consent of instructor. A survey of the evolution of psychology as a natural science beginning with its origins in philosophy. Systems of psychology considered in detail include structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis, and behaviorism.

Selected problems in conditioning and learning covering human and/or animal literature.

Systems of analysis of abnormal behavior, syndrome of abnormal behavior, and therapeutic methods for treatment.

The literature on selected topics related to the development of the young organism, both human and animal.

The literature on selected topics related to the development of the young organism, both human and animal.

The literature on selected topics related to the development of the young organism, both human and animal.

Selected issues in personality theory and research.

Selected issues in physiological and comparative psychology.

Honors Research Seminar. Enrollment limited to psychology majors invited to participate in the departmental Honors Program.

Honors Research Seminar. Enrollment limited to psychology majors invited to participate in the departmental Honors Program.

Credit variable. Psychology majors only, registration by permission of faculty supervisor.

Credit variable. Psychology majors only, registration by permission of faculty supervisor.