Psychology Courses

Program | Faculty | Courses

All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

525 Comparative Psychology

Emphasis on experimental investigations in a wide range of species. Topics include sensory and physiological systems, learning, and early experience.

530 Human Neuropsychology

Introduction to the causes, diagnosis, effects and treatment of human neurological and neuropsychological disorders. Emphasis on inferences that can be made about human brain functions from the effects of neurological disorders. Prerequisite: Psych 330 or equivalent.

535 Drugs and Behavior

The psychobiological foundations of drug behavior interactions. Neural and neurochemical basis of behavior, basic pharmacology, drugs that affect mood and their mode of action, psychological and physical bases of drug dependence and addiction, experimental approaches to psychopharmacology. Prerequisites: Psych 100 and Biol 101; some chemistry recommended.

560 Introduction to Environmental Psychology

Personal space, privacy, social behavior, environmental ethics; how people think of and perceive environments. Social science theory and research paradigms emphasized and related to environmental design issues. A prerequisite to other courses in design evaluation, and to research in environment and behavior.

572 Neurobiology

Biology of nerve cells and cellular interactions in nervous systems. Lectures integrate structural, functional, developmental, and biochemical approaches. Topics include neuronal anatomy and physiology, membrane potentials, synapses, development of neuronal connections, visual system, cerebellum and control of movement, and neural plasticity. Prerequisites: Biol 523 or 560; or both Psych 330 and Biol 101.

580 Clinical Psychology

Introduction to theoretical approaches and methods used in understanding and treating psychologically disturbed individuals. Prerequisite: Psych 380.

581 Applied Behavior Analysis

Part I of set of four courses; must be taken concurrently with Psych 582; sequentially with 583 and 584. Development of competence in applied behavior analysis theory, principles, and procedures. Knowledge of the model, guidelines for selecting ethically responsible and practical behavioral goals, measurement, theory and application guidelines, bases for selecting effective procedures, and knowledge of a series of procedures designed to increase, teach and reduce behavior.

582 Laboratory in Applied Behavior Analysis

Must be taken concurrently with Psych 581. Application of procedures in simulated and actual field experience.

583 Applied Behavior Analysis: Intermediate

Part II of set of four courses; prerequisites are Psych 581 and 582; must be taken concurrently with Psych 584. Knowledge of procedures designed to reduce, maintain and generalize behaviors, group procedures, experimental design procedures and communication methods. Familiarity with current research and application of principles, problem analysis and program design.

584 Laboratory in Applied Behavior Analysis: Intermediate

Must be taken concurrently with Psych 583. Field application emphasis on generality and maintenance.

585 Theories and Practice in Counseling

Theories, techniques, and tests necessary in counseling and guidance. Practice in organization and evaluating relevant data in the analysis of illustrative cases. Prerequisite: Psych 370, 380.

586 Psychology of Persuasion

Psychological processes underlying persuasion. Theory and research of persuasive communication in relation to strategies of belief, attitude, and behavior change. Implications for advertising, voting, and other applied areas. Prerequisite: Psych 100; Psych 360 recommended.

591-595 Seminar in Psychology

For advanced undergraduates and graduate students. A survey and critical evaluation of literature pertaining to selected topics in psychology. Many different topics offered each semester.

605 Advanced Educational Psychology

Psychological principles and concepts as related to educative process and their application to teaching. Primarily for graduate students in education, psychology, and related fields.

607 Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Applications of psychological principles and of research methodology to human problems in industrial and organizational settings. Motivation, attitudes, group behavior, leadership, personnel selection, performance appraisal, and training. Prerequisites: graduate standing with background in social-behavioral sciences.

617 Applied and Basic Cognition and Its Development I

Basic processes in intelligence, including attention, pattern recognition, and perception; their development, and applications in education. Various approaches to the study of intelligence, emphasis on the information-processing approach. Note: may be taken in sequence with Psych 618 or independently.

618 Applied and Basic Cognition and Its Development II

Analysis of knowledge, its use, its development, and application of such knowledge. Topics include semantic and episodic memory, conceptual knowledge, propositional knowledge, schemata, and discourse processing.

620 Learning and Animal Behavior

Survey of learning and behavior from
a biological perspective. Topics include conditioning, generalization and dis-crimination, motivation, language and communication, memory, ethology, behavioral ecology, and sociobiology.

630 Physiological Psychology

Intensive overview of the field. Topics include introduction to neuroanatomy, techniques used in investigations of brain function, physiological bases of emotion, motivation, reward and punishment, species-typical behavior; learning, and memory.

640 Statistical Inference in Psychology I

(1st sem)

Application of statistical procedures to analysis of psychological data and to problems of measurement in psychology and related fields. Prerequisites: Psych 100 and 240 or Statis 111.

641 Statistical Inference in Psychology II

Continuation of Psych 640. Introduction to analysis of variance and correlational techniques, related to the general problem of inference in the social sciences. Prerequisite: Psych 640.

642 Correlation and Regression

Reasoning and assumptions underlying correlation and regression analysis, inference; trend analysis and analysis of variance and covariance as special cases of multiple regression analysis; introductions to reliability, factor analysis, causal analysis, and multivariate techniques. Prerequisites: Psych 640 and 641 or the equivalent.

643 Research Methodology

Study and evaluation of research methods and of problems in the major fields of psychology. May be repeated for additional credit; maximum credit, 12.

644 Orientation to Clinical Psychology

Introduction to the clinical psychology program and the nature, history and current issues in the field of clinical psychology, including research-practice models, social cultural considerations, and clinical observation. Required of and limited to entering clinical psychology graduate students.

645 Nature and Methods of Inquiry in Clinical Psychology

Fundamentals of research, the varieties of method, and practicalities of application in clinical psychology research. Generally limited to beginning graduate students in clinical psychology. Required of clinical psychology students. Others by consent of instructor.

650 Brain Development and Behavior

Survey of current literature relating to the physiological and neural bases of psychological development: pre- and post-natal brain-behavior relationships, effects of early experience, early brain damage and behavior, sex differences in brain-behavior development. Prerequisite: course in physiological psychology or neurobiology.

660 Advanced Social Psychology

Overview of theory and experimental research in social psychology. Topics include social perception, attitude structure and change, dyadic interaction, and group processes.

661 Attitudes and Opinions

Theory, methods, and data concerned with the nature and structure of attitudes and opinions, formation of attitudes, and attitude change in response to communication and interpersonal influence.

664 Group Dynamics

Interpersonal and group processes; attraction, influence, group structure, communication, cooperation, leadership, group performance. Focus on theory, experimentation, and special problems of the field. Prerequisite: a course in psychology and statistics.

670 Personality

Basic concepts and principles, including theoretical research issues. Emphasis on recent research in specific areas of personality.

680 Psychopathology

Introduction to alternative views of abnormality; clinical theory and research on psychopathology.

681 Introduction to Psychological Assessment

Introduction to clinical interviewing, observation, and testing. Directed by clinical supervisors. Consent of instructor required.

683 Advanced Psychological Assessment

Projective testing and diagnostic foundations. Directed by clinical supervisors. Consent of instructor required.

684 Behavioral Perspectives in Clinical Psychology

Part of the core course sequence within the Clinical Training Program. A proseminar in generic behavioral therapy, covering theory, research, and practice taking a behavioral-empirical approach to clinical issues. Topics include overview of clinical behavior therapy; specific assessment and intervention procedures for different clinical problems.

685 Psychodynamic Perspectives in Clinical Psychology

Psychological phenomena and pathology, including general processes of clinical diagnosis and treatment. Required of clinical psychology students; others with consent of instructor.

686 Social Ecology Perspectives in Clinical Psychology

Psychological phenomena and pathology, including general processes of clinical diagnosis and treatment. Required of clinical graduate students; open to other psychology graduate students; others with consent of instructor.

691-695 Seminar (Varied Titles)

Selected topics of current significance in psychology. Research studies analyzed and theoretical advances explored. Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

696 Independent Study (Readings)

Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

697 Special Topics

Credit, variable.

698 Practicum

Credit, variable.

699 Master's Thesis

May be repeated for additional credit. Minimum credit, 1; maximum, 10.

704 History and Systems of Psychology

General structure of psychological theory and historical and comparative consideration of the backgrounds, viewpoints on scientific methodology, research interests and techniques, and component variables, hypotheses, and laws of structural, Gestalt, functional, and behavioristic movements.

705 Social Psychology in the Schools

Review and analysis of social psychological literature as it pertains to school and educational issues. Emphasis on social interaction in the classroom.

706 Cognitive Approaches to Instruction

Review and analysis of findings of psychology that pertain to instruction. Emphasis on practical control of learning activities, especially in the classroom.

707 Environment, Behavior and Design Evaluation

Interdisciplinary and problem oriented. Focus on a multifactor approach to design evaluation, including user-based evaluations, as an important component of the design process. Concepts, techniques, and qualitative and quantitative approaches from both the behavioral sciences and design professions. Lectures, discussions, practicum sessions.

711 Sensory Processes

Processes of encoding external stimuli through detailed examination of different sensory systems.

714 Perception

Primarily vision and audition. Stress on perceptual process, as opposed to sensory processes. Perception of form, space, depth; perceptual development and learning, etc. Prerequisite: Psych 310 or equivalent.

721 Conditioning

Fundamental principles and findings of classical conditioning. Topics include contemporary and traditional theories of conditioning, critical evaluation of relevant research literature, and physiological bases of conditioning.

723 Learning

Presentation of major concepts and findings from research on basic learning processes, and exploration of their implications for complex behavior. Basic processes include classical and operant conditioning, stimulus control, reinforcement, and aversive control. Complex behaviors include attention, memory and dysfunctional behavior. Topics may vary with student interests.

731 The Neuroanatomical Basis of Behavior

Structure and function of the mammalian nervous system as related to sensory-motor and motivational systems. Prerequisite: Psych 330 or equivalent.

732 Neurochemistry

In-depth survey of the biochemistry of the mammalian nervous system. Brain energy metabolism, brain lipids and myelin, blood-brain barrier, axonal transport, and major neurotransmitter systems. Prerequisites: biochemistry and either physiological psychology or neurobiology.

733 Psychopharmacology

Basic principles of pharmacology, behavioral pharmacology, review of neurotransmitter systems, psychotropic drugs and psychopathology, abused drugs, and theories of addiction. Prerequisite: Psych 330, or equivalent.

740 Topics in Quantitative Psychology

Topics vary. Some possibilities: regression analysis, experimental design, mathematical models of behavior. Prerequisites: Psych 640 and 641. May be repeated for credit.

750 Learning and Memory Processes in Children

Theoretical and experimental approaches to topics in learning and memory.

751 Cognitive Processes in Children

Piagetian, behavioristic, and information-processing approaches to research in conceptual development.

752 Perceptual Development in Children

Introduction to theories of perceptual development, consideration of sensory and perceptual capabilities of the infant, and analysis of developmental changes in perception in the infant and older children.

753 Personality and Social Development in Children

Review and analysis of literature on personality development and socialization process in children. Prerequisite: Psych 370 or equivalent.

762 Social Cognition

Attribution and other social judgment processes. Implicit causal theories in the interpretation and explanation of own and others' behavior. Motivational and cognitive biases in social cognition. Prerequisite: Psych 660.

763 Social Learning

Theories of social learning, analysis of effectiveness of social reinforcement and observational learning. Prerequisite: Psych 620 or equivalent.

765 Affect and Cognition

Topics include the biological bases of emotion; the interface between emotion and cognition; cultural variation in emotion; and individual differences. Prerequisite: advanced graduate standing in psychology or related fields.

789 Clinical Practicum

Practice in application of psychological techniques to clinical settings and counseling. Taught with staffs of cooperating institutions and agencies. Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

791-795 Seminar (Varied Titles)

Selected topics of current significance in psychology. Research studies analyzed and theoretical advances explored. Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

796 Independent Study (Readings)

Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

797 Special Topics

Credit, variable.

798 Teaching Practicum in Psychology

Recommended for all doctoral candidates. Experience in procedures, leading discussion groups and teaching labs. Close supervision by faculty members. Meets once a week to discuss problems in teaching. Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

891-895 Seminar (Varied Titles)

Selected topics of current significance in psychology. Research studies and theoretical advances. Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

896 Independent Study (Readings)

Credit, variable; may be repeated for additional credit.

897 Special Topics

Credit, variable.

898 Clinical Internship

Year-long, full-time clinical experience. Intensive practical experience necessary for professional work. A requirement for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology; must be done at an internship facility accredited by the American Psychological Association or one approved by the Clinical faculty. Student eligibility must be certified by the Director of Training before acceptance of an internship. Prerequisites: successful completion of all required course work for the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, completion of a Master's degree, a comprehensive project, and approval of a doctoral dissertation proposal.

899 Doctoral Dissertation

Credit, 10.

Related Courses

Biology

550 Animal Behavior

565 Vertebrate Physiology

567 Experimental Physiology

569 Experimental Endocrinology

580 Developmental Biology

750 Advanced Animal Behavior

755 Systematics and Evolutionary Mechanisms

Education

705 Psychological Assessment

735 Advanced Theory and Practice of Testing I

806 Seminar in Evaluation Methodology

Entomology

511 Insect Behavior

Linguistics

601 Intensive Introduction to Transformational Grammar

711 Psycholinguistics: Language Acquisition

712 Psycholinguistics: The Perception of Linguistic Form

Sociology

704 Advanced Sociological Theory

715 Survey Design and Analysis

726 Complex Organizations

728 Social Movements

780 Collective Behavior