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2023-2024 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Psychology Courses
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Psychology
Psychology
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PSY 113 - Introduction to Psychology 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
An introduction to principles of psychological science and inquiry. Major topics of psychology are covered with consideration of different approaches psychologists take to describe, predict, and explain behavior. Emphasis is placed on theory, research, and application. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 214 - Social Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
Survey of contemporary experimental social psychology. Topics include: attribution theory, social cognition, stereotypes, attitudes, prosocial behavior, aggression, group processes, and applied social psychology. Attention given to interaction between theoretical development and empirical measurement. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 with grade, S, C, or better. Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 115 , SST 115 or STA 209 , with grade, S, C, or better when used as a prerequisite.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 220 - Decision-Making 4 credits (Spring)
An examination of cognitive biases and heuristics that describe how people think about information when making decisions under uncertainty. We examine social, emotional, and behavioral influences across laboratory and real-world situations such as medical decisions and jury verdicts, and tools for helping people make better decisions (e.g., computers, formulas, and decision trees).
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 , SST 115 , or STA 209 , with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 222 - Industrial Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
An investigation of individual differences, learning, and motivation in the context of the work setting. Topics include testing theory, training techniques, and motivational theories.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 , SST 115 , or STA 209 , with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lopatto -
PSY 225 - Research Methods 4 credits (Fall and Spring)
This course describes experimental designs and attendant statistical techniques. Students learn to use quantitative methods to pose meaningful questions to data. Topics include between-group and within-group designs, analysis of variance for main effects and interactions, the adaptation of statistical inquiry to less than optimal situations, and critical thinking about research methods.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 , SST 115 , or STA 209 , with grades S, C, or better.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 231 - Sensation and Perception 4 credits (Fall)
This course pursues the psychological questions of how the body detects sensory information and of how the mind integrates this information into a coherent interpretation of experience. This course will showcase psychological questions of perception that enlist approaches and perspectives possibly including, but not limited to, the physiology and behavior of natural systems (e.g., us), appreciation of art and music, the engineering of smart devices (e.g., robots), and remaining challenges. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 with grade S, C, or better. Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 115 , SST 115 or STA 209 , with grade S, C, or better when used as a prerequisite.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 232 - Human-Computer Interaction 2 credits (Fall or Spring)
See CSC 232 .
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PSY 233 - Developmental Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
This course explores psychological development from the prenatal period through adolescence. Major theoretical perspectives on the nature of developmental change are considered with a focus on empirical research and application of each perspective. Topics include physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 with grade S, C, or better. Prerequisite or co-requisite: MAT 115 , SST 115 , or STA 209 , with grade S, C, or better when used as a prerequisite.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ellis -
PSY 243 - Behavior Analysis 4 credits (Spring)
The course studies behavior as it occurs in its environmental context. Topics in learning and motivation are analyzed through the experimental approach of behavior analytic psychology. Topics include classical and operant learning, choice, self-control, and extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 , SST 115 , or STA 209 , with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lopatto -
PSY 246 - Brain and Behavior 4 credits (Fall)
This course examines the interaction of brain and behavior. Topics include: (a) general introduction to neuroanatomy and neurophysiology; (b) neuroregulatory systems, stress, and emotion; (c) sensory and motor systems; and (d) processes of learning, memory, and cognition.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 with grade S, C, or better. One semester of biology is recommended.
Instructor: Rempel-Clower, Tracy -
PSY 248 - Psychopathology and Clinical Science 4 credits (Spring)
The study of psychopathology. Framed around the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Domain Criteria, emphasis is given to experimental models and the interactions among psychological, neurobiological, social, and environmental processes that inform mental disorder. Some attention is given to treatments and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 with grade S, C, or better. MAT 115 , SST 115 , or STA 209 is recommended.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Ralston -
PSY 250 - Health Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
In this course we will explore psychological and social processes that contribute to physical health and wellness across the life span. Topics include health compromising and health promoting thoughts and behaviors, such as expectancies, risk taking, and physical activity, the contributions of stress, coping, and thriving to physical health.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 with grade S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ellis -
PSY 260 - Cognitive Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
This course explores the experimental research on human thinking, knowing, and remembering. Topics include attention, memory, reasoning, problem-solving, language, and individual and cultural differences in cognition. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 113 and MAT 115 , SST 115 , or STA 209 , with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Conway -
PSY 311 - History of Psychological Theories 4 credits (Fall)
Historical and philosophical origins of contemporary schools of psychology are considered. The student analyzes the nature of psychological theory and the methods used to disconfirm theories, as well as the reasons for the emergence and decline of schools of psychological thought.
Prerequisite: Two psychology courses numbered 200 or above, and MAT 115 /SST 115 or STA 209 , with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Lopatto -
PSY 315 - Advanced Social Psychology: Cross-Cultural Differences in Self-Construal 4 credits (Spring)
This seminar focuses on the construction of independent versus interdependent selves in cultures descendent from East Asian versus Western European historical and philosophical traditions. We will consider sources of these differences, as well as a variety of social consequences. This will provide the foundation for examining lay theories about the causes of behavior and considering the extent to which behavior is differentially determined by the person or the situation in different cultural contexts.
Prerequisite: PSY 214 and PSY 225 , with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 317 - Personality Psychology 4 credits (Spring)
A survey of classical and contemporary approaches to understanding healthy adult personalities. Emphasis will be placed on the trait approach, the coherence of personality across time and situations, beliefs about the self, social aspects of personality, and empirical research methods used to study personality. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two additional psychology courses numbered 200 or above, with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 332 - Advanced Developmental Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
An advanced investigation of substantive topics in developmental psychology. Emphasis is placed on theory and research. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 , PSY 233 , and one additional psychology course numbered 200 or above, with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ellis -
PSY 334 - Adult Development 4 credits (Fall)
A consideration of human development during adulthood with emphasis on models and empirical work that illustrate factors that constrain and optimize development. Topics covered may include memory, dementia, personality, and social roles. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two psychology courses numbered 200 or above, with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ellis -
PSY 335 - Psychology of Food and Eating 4 credits (Fall)
This course looks at eating behavior from a variety of psychological perspectives. Topics include biological regulation of food intake, hunger and fullness, food preferences, cultural and social influences on eating, early life experience, learned behavior, and the interaction of physiology and the food environment. We will focus on critical analysis of methodologies, empirical evidence, and theoretical approaches through examination of the primary literature. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 , and PSY 246 or NRS 250 plus one additional psychology course numbered 200 or above, with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Tracy -
PSY 336 - Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience 4 credits (Spring)
A laboratory-centered introduction to advanced topics in behavioral neuroscience and basic research techniques used to investigate brain-behavior relationships. Participants will gain experience in stereotaxic neurosurgery, psychopharmacology, and various behavioral measures. A research-team approach is used for both the literature discussion and the laboratory activities each week.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 246 , with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Rempel-Clower -
PSY 337 - Psychological Measurement and Psychometrics 4 credits (Fall)
Students will learn about methods of test development, the statistical analysis of test data, and social implications of testing. In lab, students will develop testing instruments and learn multivariate data analysis. Topics covered include theories of reliability and validity and the application of psychometric techniques toward the development of tests and the evaluation of reliability, validity, and utility.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two additional psychology courses numbered 200 or above, with grades S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ralston -
PSY 345 - Psychopharmacology 4 credits (Spring)
An investigation of the biological mechanisms and behavioral effects of psychoactive substances. Topics covered will include principles of pharmacology, research methods in psychopharmacology, mechanisms of drug action, drug abuse and addiction, and clinical applications. Required laboratory work using animal models will focus on the use of behavioral tools to characterize drug effects and the use of pharmacological tools for understanding brain-behavior relationships.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 246 or NRS 250 , with grade, S, C, or better
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Tracy -
PSY 346 - Neural Plasticity 4 credits (Fall or Spring)
Students in this course will examine how changes in the brain, in conjunction with cognitive and behavioral processes, result from the interactions between an organism and the environment throughout the life span. Topics will include neural and functional consequences of environmental deprivation or enrichment, sensory system plasticity, language learning, recovery from stroke, and cognitive enhancement.
Prerequisite: PSY 246 or NRS 250 and PSY 225 , with grades, S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Rempel-Clower -
PSY 348 - Behavioral Medicine 4 credits (Fall)
This course describes psychophysiological and behavioral principles and methods in the context of the biopsychosocial model of health and illness. Topics include behavioral pathogens, stress, pain, psychoneuroimmunology, and behavior management. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 243 , with grades, S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available.
Instructor: Lopatto -
PSY 349 - Counseling Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
A survey of major counseling theories and techniques, with emphasis on the key concepts, the role of the counselor, therapeutic goals, and the main techniques derived from each theory. Issues pertaining to the ethical application of counseling approaches to diverse populations will be a major focus throughout. Class time will focus on the merits of each approach through review of research literature. Further, students will learn basic counseling skills through observation, case study, and supervised role-plays. Laboratory work may be required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 248 , with grades, S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Ralston -
PSY 355 - Psychology of Language 4 credits (Fall)
This course investigates experimental psycholinguistics. Students will learn about the cognitive processes that underlie the capacity to produce, perceive, and comprehend language. Topics include language acquisition and development, the role of attention and memory in language processing, language disorders, and sociocultural aspects of language. Within each area, the course will focus on theories, methodologies, and critical findings in psycholinguists. Laboratory work is required.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 260 , with grades, S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 360 - Advanced Cognitive Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
An in-depth examination of primary research on variable topics within cognitive psychology. Past offerings of this course concerned applying the working memory model, specifically central executive functions, to issues concerning reasoning, attention, language, metacognition, aging, prospective memory, frontal lobe functioning, and mental disorders.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and PSY 260 , with grades, S, C, or better.
Note: Plus-2 option available. Not offered every year.
Instructor: Conway -
PSY 370 - Multicultural Psychology 4 credits (Fall)
This course surveys the psychological research on culture, ethnicity, race, and minority status in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on developing an understanding of the experiences of non-white ethnic minorities through the study of empirical research. Topics will vary and may include: racial identity, racism, acculturation, health disparities, and mental health issues.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two additional psychology courses numbered 200 or above, with grades, S, C, or better.
Note: Not offered every year.
Instructor: Staff -
PSY 495 - Senior Seminar 4 credits (Spring)
A critical exploration of topics of both historical and contemporary significance in psychology with intense interrogation of the field’s diverse perspectives and methods.
Prerequisite: Senior psychology majors.
Instructor: Staff
Special Topics-Fall
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PSY 395-01 - Advanced Special Topic: The Neural Basis of Consciousness 4 credits (Fall)
The emergence of consciousness remains as one of the big unanswered questions in psychology. Although the experience of being conscious of something is qualitatively distinct and self evident, it is still unclear how consciousness arises at a neuronal level. This course explores the issues, limitations, and approaches to studying the neural basis of consciousness and introduces the major current theories on how consciousness arises through the discussion of recent primary literature on the topic.
Prerequisite: PSY 225 and two additional psychology courses numbered 200 or above, with grades, S, C, or better.
Instructor: Papaioannou
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