Psychology

Lectures and demonstrations that present psychology as a science of behavior and mental processes. Emphasis is on the topics of scientific methodology, learning, memory, thinking, states of consciousness, language, sensation, perception, motivation, emotion, and the nervous system. Basic Psychological Science and Applied Psychological Science are not sequential. Basic Psychological Science may be taken prior to or following Applied Psychological Science.

(Normally offered each semester.)

Lectures and demonstrations that present psychology as a science of behavior and mental processes. Emphasis is on the topics of scientific methodology, development, intelligence, personality description and assessment, psychopathology, psychotherapy, social psychology, and health psychology. Applied Psychological Science and Basic Psychological Science are not sequential. Applied Psychological Science may be taken prior to or following Basic Psychological Science.

(Normally offered each semester.)

The Introduction to Psychological Science course will engage students in a learner-centered approach to the science of behavior and mental processes by synthesizing these areas of psychology: Scientific Inquiry, Biopsychology, Development and Learning, Sociocultural Context, Individual Variations, and Applications of Psychological Science.

An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics as decision-making guides in psychology and related fields. Topics include organization, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of data with emphasis on the hypothesis testing model of inference. Specific procedures include z-tests, t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, and Chi-square tests. A laboratory section is required for computational experience.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 and sophomore standing.

(Normally offered each semester.)

A course designed to introduce and apply the basic research methods of psychology. Emphasis is placed upon problems of research design and analysis in the laboratory and in natural settings. Students conduct investigations applying various designs and methods. Interpretation of findings and preparation of research reports are treated.

Three lectures per week. One 2-hour lab per week.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 and PSYCH-110

(Normally offered each semester.)

A practical introduction to the skills and techniques of counseling in a variety of human service settings. Emphasis is on skill development and application. Includes an overview of different counseling methods and exposure to individuals using these methods in the helping professions.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to the field of health psychology, which is devoted to understanding how people stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond to illness and disease. Topics will be discussed from local, national, and global perspectives, and will include the behavioral aspects of the health care system, exercise and nutrition, health-compromising behaviors, stress, AIDS, and the etiology and correlates of health, disease, and dysfunction.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 

(Normally offered each spring semester)

An investigation of psychological theories and issues relating to the psychology of women from a feminist perspective. Gender bias in traditional psychological theories, research, and practice will be evaluated in relation to women's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. Students will gain a better understanding of women's psychology across the lifespan and how other interacting constructs such as race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, nationality, and disability influence women's experiences. The social and political implications of how we understand women and gender will be explored, and emphasis will be placed on envisioning possibilities for individual (psychological) and social change.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

A course examining the construct of gender. Topics include gender development and socialization, cross-cultural gender differences, institutions affecting gender roles, the social maintenance systems for gender roles, and gender issues in contemporary literature and the arts.

Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing.

An introduction to development from infancy through adolescence. Topics include cognitive, physical, social and personality development, and child-rearing practices.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.  

This class will provide a perspective on the changes that take place during an individual's life from infancy to old age/death. Participants will study and describe the developing person at different periods in the lifespan. The processes of growth and change taking place in early, middle, and late adulthood will be considered as well as the more traditional concern with development in childhood.

A scientific study of the way in which thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people and situational factors. Topics include research methodology, conformity, social cognition, attitudes, persuasion, aggression, prejudice, and interpersonal attraction.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

The application of scientific methods and psychological principles to industrial and organizational behavior. Topics include job analysis, personnel selection, performance appraisal, assessment validity, the legal context for personnel decisions, work motivation, work attitudes, leadership, and occupational health. The ultimate objective of this discipline is to maximize both employee well-being and organizational effectiveness.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

The behaviorist viewpoint and the methodology of experimental analysis is introduced in this course. The emphasis is on theories derived largely from non-human research and applied to everyday human behavior. Topics include an analysis of the basic operations of classical and operant conditioning and the biological constraints on learning. A practical animal lab is used to demonstrate the methods of behavior analysis and modification.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

An overview of the physical and cognitive mechanisms of the different perceptual modalities is presented in this course. The past and current methods of studying the relationship between physical stimuli and the perceptual experience are investigated. The emphasis is on the visual system and the role of the individual in depth perception, perceptual constancies and illusions.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

Recommended: BIO-060.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

An introduction to the theories and research literature pertaining to memory, language, problem solving, creativity, cognitive development, and perception. Cognitive demonstrations on the computer will be involved.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Emphasis is on the psychological and physiological aspects of sleep and dreaming in humans. Topics include comparative studies, developmental changes, physiological and biochemical mechanisms of REM and NREM sleep and arousal, sleep disorders, dream content and dream recall, and functional theories of sleep and dreaming. Some laboratory experience will be required involving electrophysiological methods of sleep recording, and methodologies for analysis of sleep records.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

Recommended: BIO-001 or BIO-060.

(Normally offered each fall of even-numbered years.)

An intermediate-level course designed to treat subject matter not covered in other departmental courses. The title, content, and credit hours will be determined by current mutual interests of faculty and students.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH 101 Introduction to Psychological Science plus additional requirements as may be determined or permission of the instructor.

An intermediate-level course for a student to engage in an individually arranged project supervised by a member of the staff. Special Projects may not duplicate courses described in the catalog.

Pass/Fail only.

Prerequisite(s): Major or minor in psychology and permission of the instructor.

Supervised field experience in settings providing psychological services with opportunities for observation and participation. Reading assignments, written reports, and class meetings typically are included, although the exact nature of a student's responsibilities are individually arranged. Students spend 45 hours per semester in the assigned setting for each hour of the academic credit. Enrollment generally is limited to 1-4 hours of academic credit in any given semester with the possibility of enrollment for a second semester. Approval from the cooperating agency also is required. Enrollment reflects a volunteer experience.

Pass/Fail only.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

A survey of leading theories of personality and supporting research. Includes consideration of psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, trait, humanistic, and interactionist approaches. Important historical figures in personality theory, current day applications, personality testing, and basic methods of personality research will be explored.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

A survey of the field of art therapy in its various applications and theoretical orientations. Taught by a registered art therapist through lectures, readings, and experiential methods.

Prerequisite(s): 9 hours of psychology, including PSYCH-101, and 9 hours of art, or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to neurophysiological bases of general behavior, sleep, perception, emotion, learning, cognition, and mental disorders. The relevance of these topics to applied problems in psychology will also be considered, as will the methods for investigating the relationship between brain and behavior.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 and BIO-050.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

Psychopharmacology is a course intended to introduce the student to the effects of drugs on human behavior. The course will cover routes of drug administration, how drugs affect society, and the physiological mechanisms by which drugs produce their effect(s). The course will investigate the major drug categories (i.e., stimulants, sedatives, narcotics, hallucinogens, and psychotropics). For each drug, the student will learn about its historic background, modes of action in the brain, use and abuse, and ways to treat addiction.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

An introduction to the theory, construction, administration, and interpretation of standardized psychological tests. Tests considered include IQ assessments, general interest surveys, personality inventories, and projective techniques. General methodological and statistical issues in testing and measurement are also covered.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101.

Recommended: PSYCH-110.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

A course that emphasizes how the scientific methods and theories of social psychology are used to better understand and solve real-world social issues and problems. The course will include methodological topics such as reliability, validity, establishing causality, and attitude measurement. These methods along with the theoretical content of social psychology will be applied to topics such as persuasion, prejudice, violence, conflict, terrorism, politics, the law, the environment, and health.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 and PSYCH-140, or permission of the instructor.

(Normally offered each spring semester.)

This course is designed to explore religious thought and behavior from a psychological perspective. Examination of the empirical research and predominate theories related to the function and structure of religiosity will be explored. General topics to be considered will include the nature of religiosity through the lifespan, the psychological understanding of religious phenomena such as conversion and mysticism, and the relationship between religiosity and coping, mental illness, personality, and social interaction.

A critical study of the history of psychology, prominent contemporary schools of thought, and the philosophy of science as it relates to psychological theory. Research paper included.

Prerequisite(s): 12 hours in psychology.

Recommended: Senior standing.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

An investigation of the symptoms, etiology, and treatment of mental disorders including those associated with anxiety, moods, psychosis, dissociation, somatoform reactions, personality, substance use, sexual dysfunctional/deviance, eating, aging, child/adolescent development, and brain dysfunction. Students are encouraged to enroll concurrently in PSYCH-232.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 or permission of the instructor.

(Normally offered each semester.)

A survey of the assessment and treatment procedures utilized in clinical and counseling psychology, along with a discussion of professional issues in the field. Students are given rudimentary training in interviewing and case study of a nonclinical population.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-231.

(Normally offered each fall semester.)

A course designed to treat subject matter not covered in other department courses or to provide advanced study of subject matter introduced in other courses. The title, content, and credit hours will be determined by current mutual interests of faculty and students.

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-101 plus additional requirements as may be determined.

An opportunity for a student to engage in supervised reading of specialized literature not covered in other courses.

Pass/Fail only.

Prerequisite(s): Major or minor program in psychology and permission of the instructor.

In preparation for the psychology major's senior research project, the Introduction to Senior Research class allows the student to explore potential topics, to evaluate the literature within the student's topic of choice, to identify appropriate measurement instruments for the senior research project, and to write a research proposal using APA style. Small group collaboration and peer review will be encouraged. Typically taken the semester prior to PSYCH-299.

Prerequisite(s): Major in psychology and PSYCH-111.

A reflection upon the field of psychology in general and selected issues in particular. The relationships of psychology to the larger academic community, to society, and to an individual philosophy of life are considered. Informal discussion and student presentation are featured.

Prerequisite(s): A major in psychology or permission of the instructor.

An opportunity for a student to engage in an individually arranged research project supervised by a member of the faculty. Independent Study may not duplicate courses described in the catalog.

Pass/Fail only.

Prerequisite(s): Major or minor program in psychology and permission of the instructor.

An opportunity for a student to engage in an individually arranged project supervised by a member of the faculty. Special Projects may not duplicate courses described in the catalog.

Pass/Fail only.

Prerequisite(s): Major or minor program in psychology and permission of the instructor.

Supervised field experience in settings providing psychological services with opportunities for observation and participation. Reading assignments, written reports, and class meetings typically are included, although the exact nature of a student's responsibilities are individually arranged. Students spend 45 hours per semester in the assigned setting for each hour of the academic credit. Enrollment generally is limited to 1-4 hours of academic credit in any given semester with the possibility of enrollment for a second semester. Openings are limited to advanced psychology majors who meet the prerequisites set by the department and by the cooperating clinical or research agency. Approval from the cooperating agency also is required. Enrollment reflects a volunteer experience.

Pass/Fail only.

Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior standing and permission of the instructor.

This is an empirical research investigation in which each student majoring in psychology formulates his or her own research topic, collects and analyzes the data relevant to that topic, and prepares a formal report of the investigation consistent with the publication style of the American Psychological Association. Either laboratory or field research is acceptable. Normally taken during the fall semester of the senior year, although selection of the research topic may be done during the second semester of the junior year in Introduction to Senior Research (PSYCH-292).

Prerequisite(s): PSYCH-110, PSYCH-111, PSYCH-292, and permission of the instructor.