An introduction to some of the major subfields of psychology, such as developmental, personality, clinical, physiological, cognitive, cultural, and social psychology. Students will explore various theoretical perspectives and research methods used by psychologists to study the origins and variations in human behavior.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Summer; Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes:
The application of statistical concepts and techniques to the analysis of research data in psychological science. As one of the two prerequisites for the research methods course required for the psychology major, emphasis is placed on hands-on work with realistic data. Students will learn to select, conduct, interpret, visualize, write up, read, and evaluate analyses. The course has an accompanying lab component. Students must register for a lecture and lab at the same time.
This course has a required co-requisite laboratory - PSYC 105L.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or NEUR 100 or a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor. Fulfillment of the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the Quantitative Reasoning & Data Literacy requirement. Not open to students who have taken or are taking BISC 198, ECON 103/SOC 190, QR/STAT 150, STAT 160, or POL 299, except for psychology majors and neuroscience majors. Not open to students who have taken PSYC 205.
Instructor: Bahns, Brinkman, Cheek, Deveney, Poston
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Degree Requirements: DL - Data Literacy (Formerly QRF); DL - Data Literacy (Formerly QRDL)
Typical Periods Offered: Fall and Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes:
This is a required co-requisite laboratory for PSYC 105.
Units: 0
Max Enrollment: 13
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or NEUR 100 or a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor. Fulfillment of the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the Quantitative Reasoning & Data Literacy requirement. Not open to students who have taken or are taking BISC 198, ECON 103/SOC 190, QR/STAT 150, STAT 160, or POL 299, except for psychology majors and neuroscience majors. Not open to students who have taken PSYC 205.
Instructor: Bahns, Brinkman, Cheek, Deveney, Poston
Typical Periods Offered: Fall and Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
How do our brains give rise to conscious thought, action, and experience? This is a key question that motivates cognitive science, the interdisciplinary study of the mind. Cognitive scientists integrate approaches from psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, and more, to study this issue. This course will survey the major theories, debates, and findings from cognitive science. Topics covered include perception, memory, decision-making, language, consciousness, and more. We will also consider cognitive science from a historical perspective to understand how the study of the mind has evolved in the past century, and what approaches we can take into the future.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 110
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Bushong
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Human infants and children are simultaneously the most adept learners, yet the least able to care for themselves. This course will wrestle with understanding how children’s development is shaped by human capacities and by the ways in which family, friends, and the larger community influence the maturational process. Through lectures, discussions, activities, and first-hand observations of children at the Child Study Center, we will examine children’s social, cognitive, emotional, perceptual, physical, and language development and try to understand how they relate to one another from conception (or before!) through early adolescence. Special attention will be given to public policy issues related to education, parenting, and children’s rights in the international community.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
Survey of contemporary theories and research in the psychology of adolescents. Topics will include the physical, cognitive, social, and personality development of adolescents.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Poston
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Social psychology examines how individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the social context. The United States is a highly individualistic culture. American society teaches that individual outcomes are the product of what each person has wanted, worked for, and deserved. This course will provide a framework for questioning these assumptions--examining how characteristics of the individual person and the social environment jointly influence human behavior. Through lectures, readings, discussions, and experiments, we will learn about major research areas in the field including attitudes and persuasion, interpersonal attraction, sterotyping and prejudice, and prosocial behavior. We will consider how research informs social and policy issues related to education, healthcare, and the environment.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Akert, Bahns
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
A comparison of major ways of conceiving and studying personality, including the work of Freud, Jung, behaviorists, humanists, and social learning theorists. Introduction to major debates and research findings in contemporary personality psychology.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Kulik-Johnson
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
An examination of major psychological disorders with special emphasis on phenomenology. Behavioral treatment of anxiety-based disorders, cognitive treatment of depression, psychoanalytic therapy of personality disorders, and biochemical treatment of schizophrenia will receive special attention. Other models of psychopathology will also be discussed.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Theran
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
Memory is central to our functioning in everyday life and to our sense of identity. We use memory not only to accomplish routine tasks (e.g., to recall where we parked the car, to remember what items we need to pick up from the grocery store), but also to construct a narrative of our lives populated by the experiences and events that define us. Memories can be transient or lasting, and can operate both within and outside of conscious awareness. This course will examine the mechanisms underlying human memory abilities. We will discuss distinctions between different forms of memory including short-term/long-term memory, episodic/semantic memory, and implicit/explicit memory. We will examine the neural basis and development of memory functions, and will consider factors contributing to forgetting and distortion of memories.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or NEUR 100, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Keane
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Language is central to the human experience. It arises in all cultures and can be learned effortlessly by any child. In fact, children can’t resist it—deprive them of language, and they will invent their own. The organizational power of the human mind and the critical role of human interaction in culture shape the structure of languages and the way they are learned, perceived, and produced. In this class we will apply scientific research methods from cognitive psychology to understand how humans build, use, and acquire language. Throughout, we will view the psychological processes of language through the lenses of cross-linguistic variation, multilingualism, and individual differences.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 216
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or NEUR 100, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Pyers
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
Cognition refers to the processes and systems that enable us to perceive, attend to, represent and understand the world around us, to learn and remember information, to communicate with each other, and to reason and make decisions. This course provides a survey of research and theory in all of these domains.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or NEUR 100, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Bushong
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes:
In a split-second, a curling of lips across a crowded room is registered by one's eyes and translated effortlessly into a vividly three-dimensional, full-color perception of a baby's smile. This and other sensory and perceptual feats, unmatched by any computer, are this course's focus. Topics include consciousness, attention and inattention, data visualization, perceptual learning and development, face perception, 3D depth, color, and brain bases of sensation/attention/perception. Emphasis is given to abnormal and illusory perception. Special topics may include communication via language, music, art, and graphic design. Frequent demonstrations and laboratory exercises will provide insights into class concepts.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or NEUR 100, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Wilmer
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Humans are remarkable beings. We are capable of creating inspiring works of art and dramatic scientific achievements. However, we also engage in harmful behaviors such as violence and prejudice and suffer from debilitating illnesses such as schizophrenia and dementia. This course explores how the 3 lb. structure in our head influences what we think, feel, and do. The course also explores how what we experience and how we behave can change the brain. The course begins with a basic overview of the structure and function of the nervous system and current techniques for studying the nervous system. The latter part of the course examines the biological underpinnings of several behaviors of interest to psychologists including sleep, stress, emotion, cognition, and mental disorders. Throughout the course, students will gain critical thinking skills through evaluating original empirical research and by considering the advantages and disadvantages of the biological perspective on human behavior.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have taken NEUR 200. Not open to students who have taken NEUR 100 except by permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes:
How can cultural values influence the way we process information, recall memories, or express emotion? What contributes to variations in parenting styles across cultures? How do experiences such as biculturalism, immigration, and racism affect mental health? This course will examine these questions with a specific focus on the cultural experiences of Asian Americans. Our aim is to understand how these experiences interact with basic psychological processes across the lifespan, with attention to both normative and pathological development.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Crosslisted Courses: AMST 222
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 or AMST 151; or a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam; or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam; or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Chen
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
This course is designed to provide an overview of Black psychology as a field of study. Both conceptual frameworks and empirical research related to the psychology of individuals of African descent will be presented, with appropriate historical and sociopolitical context. Topics include the Black child, Black youth, achievement and schooling, kinship and family, identity development and socialization, gender norms and behaviors, sexuality, religion and spirituality, wellness, and mental health. The course will also look at the psychology of Black people through the lenses of gender, ethnicity/nationality/culture, and religion. Additionally, this course will explore the legacies of enslavement, racism, discrimination, and racial violence as factors in Black psychology, as well as the role of the Black social movement in the psychology of Black people. The course will incorporate current topics and controversies related to Black psychology, as well as recent advances in the field of Black psychology.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 225
Prerequisites:
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Organizational psychology is the study of human thoughts, feelings, and behavior in work settings. This includes how psychological dynamics affect individual and group performance, and how work environments affect individuals. Students will explore how organizational psychologists work to positively and collaboratively transform human systems. This class will examine both theoretical and applied, real-world aspects of the field of organizational psychology. Topics will include interpersonal dynamics, personality of individuals working in organization, attitudes, group dynamics, company culture, and leadership.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
This course examines the effect of cultural differences on identity and psychological processes by comparing normative behavioral and psychological tendencies associated with membership in diverse cultural groups: East Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern, African American, Latino, and working- and middle-class contexts within the United States. Topics include: self, emotion, cognition, development, relationships, and physical and mental health.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: PSYC 101, a score of 5 on the Psychology AP exam, or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level IB exam, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Chen
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.
Instructor:
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes: Mandatory Credit/Non Credit.
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.
Instructor:
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes: Mandatory Credit/Non Credit.
Participation in a structured learning experience in an approved field setting under faculty supervision. Does not count toward the minimum major or minor in psychology.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 30
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. Two units above the 100 level that are most appropriate to the field setting as determined by the faculty supervisor (excluding PSYC 205).
Instructor: Staff
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes: Mandatory Credit/Non Credit. PSYC 299 is repeatable for credit one time. Students who receive two units of credit for PSYC 299 may not receive credit for PSYC 299H.
The Psychology Practicum in Child Development allows students to gain hands-on experience in the field of psychology and acquire course credit through their participation in non-paid teaching internships at the Child Study Center. Students are expected to spend 4-5 hours per week teaching at the Child Study Center, do periodic readings, keep a weekly journal, and attend three, mandatory supervision meetings. Does not count toward the minimum major or minor in psychology.
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 25
Crosslisted Courses: EDUC 298H
Prerequisites: PSYC 101. Permission of the instructor is required.
Instructor: Morgan
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes: This course is repeatable once for additional credit. Mandatory Credit/Non Credit.
Topic for 2024-25: From Perceptrons to ChatGPT: How Computational Models Help Us Understand the Mind
Topic for 2024-25: From Perceptrons to ChatGPT: How Computational Models Help Us Understand the Mind
Cognitive scientists have used mathematical and computational methods to understand human cognition since at least the 1940s. Similarly, the study of human neuroscience and cognition has influenced the development of artificial intelligence systems. Beginning in the early 2010s, massive increases in computational power and the accessibility of large databases have resulted in the rapid rise of human-like artificial intelligence systems, culminating in well-known public AI tools like ChatGPT. To what degree are these models a reflection of human intelligence, and can they help us understand human cognition? Are human-like cognitive biases also present in these models, and does this present ethical issues with their use? This course will cover the history of computational modeling in cognitive science, from early debates about modularity, interactivity, and the nature of representation; to the modern development of deep neural networks not only as practical systems, but as models of human cognition.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 300
Prerequisites: Open to Juniors and Seniors who have taken one of the following - PSYC 215, CLSC 216/PSYC 216, PSYC 217, PSYC 218, PSYC 219, LING 114, PHIL 215, or CS 111; or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Bushong
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes: This is a topics course and can be taken more than once for credit as long as the topic is different each time.
An introduction to research methods appropriate to the study of human development. Individual and group projects. Laboratory. Observations at the Child Study Center required.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205, and PSYC 207, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Pyers
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes: Ann E. Maurer '51 Speaking Intensive Course. This course does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
This course examines theory, research, and practice in three schools of psychotherapy: psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic. Topics to be covered include underlying assumptions of normalcy/pathology, theories of change, methods/techniques, and relationship between therapist and client.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250 and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
An introduction to research methods appropriate to the study of the psychology of personality and adjustment. Student projects investigate individual and group differences in personality traits, values, and dimensions of self-concept, and will include exploration of subclinical expressions of clinical conditions that are significant in psychological adjustment. Laboratory.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205, and either PSYC 212 or PSYC 213, and permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Norem
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes: This course does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
An introduction to research methods appropriate to the study of social psychology. Topics will include attitudes and persuasion, interpersonal attraction and relationships, sterotyping and prejudice, aggression and prosocial behavior. Individual and group projects on selected topics. Laboratory.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205, and PSYC 210, and permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Bahns
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes: This course does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
Students will learn techniques for conducting personality and social psychological research using paid, crowd-sourced participants. We will cover correlational and experimental methods, as we explore personality and social topics such as individual differences in goals, and traits, aspects of self-concept and identity, stereotyping and prejudice, and group processes. Students will learn how to evaluate the reliability and validity of psychological measures. After developing specific hypotheses, students will work together to design ways of testing those hypotheses by administering on-line study protocols, and collecting empirical data. We will learn how to analyze the different kinds of data collected, and students will write up a research report following the conventions of the field.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 210 or PSYC 212, and either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205, and permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Norem
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
An introduction to research methods appropriate to the study of personality psychology. Student projects investigate individual and group differences in personality traits, values, goals, and dimensions of self-concept. Laboratory.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205, and either PSYC 212 or PSYC 210.
Instructor: Norem
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes: Does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
An introduction to research methods appropriate to the study of abnormal psychology. Topics will include affective and personality disorders, substance abuse, and stressful life events. Individual and group projects. Laboratory.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205, and PSYC 213.
Instructor: Theran
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes: This course does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
Introduction to research methods appropriate to the study of human cognition (i.e., how people take in, interpret, organize, remember, and use information in their daily lives). Individual and group projects. Laboratory.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205 and one of the following - PSYC 215, PSYC 216, PSYC 217, PSYC 218, PSYC 219, and permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Keane
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes: This course does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
Introduction to research methods used to study how different people's minds work differently; for example, how they think, perceive, attend, judge, learn, prefer, notice, scan, search, choose, quantify, calculate, read, remember, communicate, navigate, or mind-read differently, and how they process faces, words, depth, beauty, scenes, numbers, or colors differently. Includes dual focus on human variation methods and experimental methods. Individual and group projects. Laboratory.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: Either PSYC 105 or PSYC 205 and one other PSYC 200-level unit, excluding PSYC 250 and PSYC 299.
Instructor: Wilmer
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes: Does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
Children around the world acquire their first language, spoken or signed, with seemingly little effort. By the end of their first year, they are saying their first words, and a mere two years later they are speaking in full sentences. What are the biological, cognitive, and environmental factors that play into children’s rapid language learning? What do special cases of language acquisition, such as bilingualism, disordered language development (e.g., autism, dyslexia), and sign language tell us about the human capacity to learn language? We will consider all of these questions and more. In addition, we will spend time observing children of different ages to witness language acquisition in action.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Crosslisted Courses: CLSC 316
Prerequisites: Two 200-level courses in PSYC (excluding PSYC 205) or LING, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Pyers
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
This course will provide students with a background on the biological underpinnings of the major psychiatric disorders and discuss emerging trends in the field. Course topics include: (1) the techniques used to study nervous system functioning in psychiatry; (2) the nervous system abnormalities observed in several major psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, unipolar and bipolar disorders, and anxiety disorders) in childhood and adulthood; (3) recent changes in how the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders is being studied; and (4) interactions between the brain and the environment. Students will investigate individual topics of interest and will present their findings in a formal class presentation and a final paper.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken PSYC 219 or NEUR 200, and one additional 200-level PSYC course excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299.
Instructor: Deveney
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
For thousands of years, humans have used substances to alter their mental states for medicinal, religious, and recreational purposes. Many of these substances have been used to ameliorate the symptoms of severe mental illnesses. However, the illegal and/or inappropriate use of many substances has had profound costs to individuals and to society at large. This course provides an in-depth examination of how legal and illicit drugs influence our neurochemistry to produce changes in behavior, feelings, and cognition. Other course topics include basic pharmacological principles, the drug development process, and controversies in the field of psychiatric treatment. During the course, students will connect the technical aspects of drug mechanisms to larger clinical and societal issues and gain skills communicating complex psychobiological concepts in a clear fashion.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken PSYC 219 or NEUR 200, and one additional 200-level PSYC course excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299. Not open to students who have taken NEUR 332.
Instructor: Deveney
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
This course explores the neural underpinnings of human cognition and behavior by considering behavioral evidence from individuals with brain damage and behavioral/neuroimaging evidence from healthy individuals. The first part of the course provides an overview of major neuroanatomical systems. The remainder of the course is organized around student-led discussions of current issues in the literature about how the brain gives rise to behavior.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, including either PSYC 219 or NEUR 200, and excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299.
Instructor: Keane
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Adolescents are developing socially, cognitively, and civically in their online and offline worlds, transforming how formal and informal learning takes place. Students in this course will digest research findings and reflect on their own experiences about how social technologies (e.g., Instagram, gaming, mobile phones) can influence wellbeing during the tween and teen years. Harnessing personal narratives that appeal to different stakeholders, we will develop timely and accessible strategies to inform adolescents, educators, families, youth workers, and policymakers about the implications of these findings. This interdisciplinary course spanning education, psychology, media studies, and health communication fields involves transforming research into digestible, brief, non-academic pieces intended for the general public and provides opportunities for students to explore their own interests. Sample assignments include a policy brief, op-ed, e-newsletter, 2 minute podcast, social media messaging campaign, and strategic writing for UX design. Each week, fellow classmates critique each other’s work in a friendly, constructive environment while guest writing coaches and industry professionals provide useful tips to hone each piece to its creative potential.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Crosslisted Courses: PSYC 322,PSYC 322
Prerequisites: Open to Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors.
Instructor: Charmaraman
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Other Categories: CSPW - Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing; CSPW - Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Fall
Notes:
An introduction to research methods appropriate to the study of individual and group differences in sexual attitudes and behavior. Student projects use archival and new survey data to investigate topics such as sexual motivation and attraction, sexual self-esteem and identity, intimacy in romantic relationships, and gender and cultural differences in sexuality. Laboratory.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 10
Prerequisites: PSYC 105 or PSYC 205, and one of the following - PSYC 208, PSYC 210, PSYC 212, PSYC 213, or PSYC 219, and permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Cheek
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes: Does not fulfill the laboratory requirement.
Thoughtful communication about adolescents’ sexual health is a complex and often fraught issue. Many people have strong feelings and deeply held beliefs about what is right and wrong, what should be taught, and why. In this Calderwood Seminar, we will utilize small groups and collaborative editing to tackle how to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences. We will explore ways to translate evidence-based research for a general population. All course assignments will consist of writing for public audiences, such as an op-ed, newspaper article, a blog for a teen or parent magazine, and an interview profile of a professional in the field. Students will learn about psychological research and evidence-based practice in health-promoting and developmentally appropriate communication with adolescents about sex and relationships.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Crosslisted Courses: EDUC 324
Prerequisites: This course is limited to juniors and seniors. Students must have completed at least two 200-level courses in Psychology, Education, or Women's and Gender Studies.
Instructor: Grossman
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Other Categories: CSPW - Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Because of the explosive changes happening during adolescence, it presents a period ripe for targeted prevention and intervention efforts to increase the health and success of our youth and to promote their early and sustained positive development. Drawing on current, strength-based theories and scientific research about adolescent development, we will examine how our earlier conceptions about adolescence may not best meet the needs of and promote positive development among youth today. We will explore the fundamental changes of this developmental period (e.g., biological, cognitive, social) and how their interactions with context (family, peers, school, out-of-school time settings, media, culture) can better inform prevention and intervention efforts that target diverse subgroups of adolescents.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Description, etiology, and developmental patterns of behavior problems of children, adolescents, and their families. Topics include theories of child and adolescent psychopathology, externalizing problems such as conduct disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, internalizing problems such as depression, anxiety, and children's experiences of trauma, and developmental disorders such as mental retardation, risk and protective factors for child psychopathology, and child and family interventions.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Theran
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
An examination of psychological approaches to individual and group differences in sexual attitudes and behavior. This course draws upon theory and research from the fields of personality psychology and social psychology. Topics include: sexual motivation and attraction; sexual self-esteem and identity; intimacy in romantic relationships; and gender and cultural differences in sexuality.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Cheek
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Why do some people have a keen memory for names or faces, a great sense of direction, or a remarkable ability to do two things at once? And why are some people only average (or even below average) in these areas? We will critically evaluate a broad range of perceptual and cognitive abilities (and disabilities) by drawing upon the fields of cognitive neuroscience, behavioral genetics, development, and human variation. We will address three kinds of questions: What broad combination of nature and nurture, and what specific genes and experiences, contribute to differing abilities? What are the neural and cognitive bases of such abilities? And how can we or should we apply such knowledge to ourselves, our families, our communities, and our countries?
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Two 200-level units, (excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299), one of which should be PSYC 215, PSYC 216, PSYC 217, PSYC 218, PSYC 219, or NEUR 200, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Wilmer
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes: Ann E. Maurer '51 Speaking Intensive Course.
An examination of how individuals develop and change over the life course. Particular emphasis on experiences associated with entry into adulthood, middle age, and older adulthood. Topics include: age-related changes in personality, emotion, and cognition; work and relationships (including marriage and parenting); life's transitions (e.g., divorce, menopause, and retirement); influence of culture and history on crafting adult lives. Different models of the life course will be discussed.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Poston
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
What do we want, why do we want it, and how do we get it? Do we all want the same things? How much control do we have over our own behavior? These questions drive psychologists who study motivation and personality. We will review major perspectives on motivation from personality and social psychology. Within each perspective, we will consider ways in which individual differences at different levels of analysis (e.g., neural networks, hormonal processes, traits, emotional dispositions, family background, social and cultural contexts) are intertwined with motivation and goal pursuit. We will consider ways in which students might apply what psychologists have learned to the pursuit of their personal goals.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken either PSYC 210 or PSYC 212 and one other 200-level unit, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Norem
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
Current approaches to the psychological appraisal of individual differences in personality, intelligence, and special abilities will be investigated through the use of cases. Tests included in the survey are MMPI®, CPI®, WAIS®, Rorschach®, and the TAT®. Special emphasis will be placed on test interpretation, report writing, and an understanding of basic psychometric concepts such as validity, reliability, and norms. Useful for students intending to pursue graduate study in clinical, personality, occupational, or school psychology.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units in PSYC, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
A discussion-based examination of social psychological theory and research on prejudice and discrimination with applications to current social issues. Topics include racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, and many other forms of intergroup bias, with an emphasis on the psychological mechanisms that underlie all prejudices. We will address two primary questions: Why do people have prejudices? What factors may reduce intergroup bias?
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level courses, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250 and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Bahns
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
This course focuses on a major topic in social psychology: attitude formation and change. Techniques of social influence that we encounter in everyday life will be explored, with a particular emphasis on advertising. The findings of empirical research and theory will be used to understand persuasive messages. Topics include how emotion, gender, and culture are used to maximize the effectiveness of advertisements, and how stereotypes are both perpetuated and refuted in advertising.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken PSYC 210 and one other 200-level unit, excluding PSYC 205, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Akert
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Narrative psychology explores the human propensity to create and use stories about significant figures and events in the process of identity formation. Topics will include an exploration of mermaids and related figures as cultural images, metaphors for personal transformation, and archetypal symbols of the collective unconscious. The Little Mermaid and La Sirene of Haitian Vodou will be examined as representations of men's fear of, and attempts to control, women's spirituality and sexuality. The personality theories of Jung and Reich provide the framework for the seminar.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units in PSYC, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299; or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Cheek
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Take a step back from your psychology major and learn how to transfer your expertise to the public. This Calderwood Seminar challenges upper-class students in an intimate workshop setting to grow as psychologists and writers. Throughout the semester, students will build a writing portfolio that might include op-eds, book reviews, journal article reviews, coverage of public talks, Wikipedia entries, articles for middle school STEM magazines, and interviews with research psychologists. Classes will include collaborative editing workshops, guest lectures from experts, and activities to build a strong writing foundation. In keeping with the structure of the Calderwood seminar, students choose areas of psychology to study in depth, and weekly deadlines are firm so as to allow classmates time to reflect and comment on each others' work. You have learned how to write for college, now learn how to write for life.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: Open to Junior and Senior Psychology majors who have taken two 200-level courses, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: Gleason
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Other Categories: CSPW - Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
An examination of the uses and types of imagination in both childhood and adulthood. This course will touch on the mechanics of mental imagery and discuss the ways in which imagery is manifest in cognition and particularly in management of social relationships. Emphasis will be placed on the connections between imagination and emotion, such as in children's enactment of scary or nurturant pretend play. How imagination affects interpersonal interactions will be considered, as will other topics such as children's creation of imaginary companions, imagination as pathology, and individual differences in imagination, imagery of individuals deprived of particular senses, and the influence of imagination on memory.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level courses, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299.
Instructor: Gleason
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
Humans are supremely adept mind readers. Our daily interaction depends on accurately assessing what other people are thinking and feeling. In fact, much of what entertains us centers on the drama that surrounds what people think and know. Lies, deceptions, and mistaken beliefs are major plot devices in novels, plays, and television shows. This seminar will trace the development,from childhood to adulthood,of a "theory of mind", the understanding of our own and others' intentions, desires, and beliefs. Topics include the development of lying, the effect of language experience on theory of mind abilities, cross-cultural variation in theory of mind development, the challenge of theory of mind for autistic children, and the role of theory of mind in art and fiction. Observations at the Child Study Center (outside of class time) will be required.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken PSYC 207 and one other 200-level course, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299.
Instructor: Pyers
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
This seminar examines ways in which cultural factors interact with basic emotional processes. We will integrate theoretical and empirical research from different areas of psychology (e.g., developmental, social, clinical), and will also include readings from other disciplines (e.g., anthropology and applied linguistics). Topics will include culture and emotion regulation, emotion and language, and socialization of emotion in the family.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299, or permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have taken PSYC 322.
Instructor: Chen
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes: Ann E. Maurer '51 Speaking Intensive Course.
This seminar is meant to serve as a way of scientifically exploring questions about close relationships from a social psychological perspective. “Close relationships” are interpersonal relationships in which one person perceives the self to have a sense of intimacy (e.g., physical, emotional) with another person. There will be a focus on romantic relationships, along with parent-child relationships, friendships, and other close relationships. Although these relationships are commonly a topic of everyday, layperson discussions, this seminar will utilize a scientific approach to understanding them. The goal of this course is to provide students with an overview of the major social psychological theories and research findings on close relationships and to understand how these topics are connected to cognition, emotion, motivation, social behavior, health, well-being, the self, and more. By the end of the course you should be able to think critically about questions related to understanding relationships and be able to use scientific rationale to back up your reasoning. We will discuss not only research on these topics, but also how this research might relate to students’ everyday lives and their future careers.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Two 200-level courses in PSYC.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Every other year
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
No other species can communicate complex meanings as flexibly and efficiently as humans can. This course examines the cognitive and neural basis of our communication system, providing a comprehensive overview of what we do and don’t know about it. We will cover topics such as gesture, turn-taking in conversation, miscommunication, language and the role of prediction in communication. The course will introduce core concepts, terminology and skills through reading research papers that probe the architecture of our communication system from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, with a focus on ecological validity in communication research.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Crosslisted Courses: CLSC 348
Prerequisites: Open to Juniors and Seniors who have taken one of the following - CLSC 216/PSYC 216, PSYC 217, PSYC 218, PSYC 219, LING 114, PHIL 215, or permission of instructor.
Instructor: Staff
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
An examination of the use of nonverbal communication in social interactions. Systematic observation of nonverbal behavior, especially facial expression, tone of voice, gestures, personal space, and body movement. Readings include scientific studies and descriptive accounts. Issues include: the communication of emotion; cultural and gender differences; the detection of deception; the impact of nonverbal cues on impression formation; nonverbal communication in specific settings (e.g., counseling, education, interpersonal relationships).
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Open to juniors and seniors who have taken two 200-level units, excluding PSYC 205, PSYC 250, and PSYC 299.
Instructor: Akert
Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. Open to juniors and seniors.
Instructor:
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.
Instructor:
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes:
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the department.
Instructor:
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: PSYC 360 and permission of the department.
Instructor:
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.