Courses

Surveys major topics in psychology: perceptions, development, personality, learning and memory, and biological bases of behavior. Students may participate as subjects for several hours in ongoing research. Meets MAPS requirement for social science: general.

Surveys biological bases of learning, motivation, emotion, sensory processes and perception, movement,comparative animal behavior, sexual and reproductive activity, instinctual behavior, neurobiology of language and thought, and neurophysiology and neuroanatomy in relation to behavior. Prereq., PSYC 1001. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: natural science.

Continuation of PSYC 2012. Integrates knowledge and facts presented in PSYC 2012 into current topics in biopsychology. Course no longer taught after fall 2003, except through Continuing Education correspondence. Prereq., PSYC 2012.

Provides and introduction to fundamental concepts in neuroscience. The goal of this first course is to provide a strong foundation in neurobiology--cell biology, physiology of the neuronal membrane, interneuronal communication, neurotransmission, gross anatomy, and how the brain develops. Students will also learn principles of sensory systems functions. The recitation will introduce students to neuronal computational modeling. Restricted to students with 27-86 credits (Sophomores or Juniors). Prereqs., MCDB 1150 and 1151, or EBIO 1210 and 1230, and MCDB 2150 and 2151. Fulfills PSYC 2012 requirement for Psychology majors. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 27-86 credits (Sophomores or Juniors).

Provides students with the opportunity to focus on a specific area of Neuroscience in depth. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Prereq., instructor consent.

Provides an introduction to fundamental concepts in neuroscience. It will also provide a basic understanding of the control of voluntary movement, the neurochemical bases of brain diseases and systems controlling motivation, emotion, learning, memory and sleep. Prereq., NRSC 2100.

Introduces the study of cognitive processes of human beings: sensation, perception, attention, pattern recognition, memory, learning, language, visual thought, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Discusses applications to education, human factors, human computer interaction, law, and other areas of psychology. Prereq., PSYC 1001.

Surveys concepts bearing upon processes of normal psychological adjustment, with emphasis on using theconcepts to understand common human problems in personal growth and relationships with others.

Covers general psychological principles underlying social behavior. Analyzes major social psychological theories, methods, and topics, including attitudes,conformity, aggression, attraction, social perception, helping behavior, and group relations. Prereq., PSYC 1001. Credit not granted for this course and PSYC 4406. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: contemporary societies.

Surveys major psychological processes of childhood and adolescence. Prereq., PSYC 1001.

Surveys psychological theory and research concerning contemporary American women. Deals with such issues as masculine bias in American culture, sex difference in cognitive functioning and personality, psychological conflict for women between career and home, and specific areas pertaining to women's mental health. Prereq., PSYC 1001 or WMST 2000. Same as WMST 2700. Approved for arts and sciences core curriculum: human diversity.

May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours. Pass/fail only. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 0-56 credits (Freshmen or Sophomore) Psychology (PSYC) majors only.

Focuses on research design. Each student prepares an original, detailed research proposal, which can become the honors thesis. Open only to students who have been accepted into the psychology departmental honors program. Prereq., instructor consent.

Introduces cognitive science, drawing from psychology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and linguistics. Studies the linguistic relativity hypothesis, consciousness, categorization, linguistic rules, the mind-body problem, nature versus nurture, conceptual structure and metaphor, logic/problem solving and judgment. Emphasizes the nature, implications, and limitations of the computational model of mind. Prereqs., two of the following: PSYC 2145, LING 2000, CSCI 1300, and PHIL 2440. Same as LING 3005, PHIL 3310, and CSCI 3702.

Three hours of lecture and one two-hour lab per week. Introduces descriptive and inferential statistics and their roles in psychological research. Topics include correlation, regression, T-test, analysis of variance, and selected nonparametric statistics. Recommended prereqs., MATH 1011 or MATH 1150, 1300, or 1081.

Inheritance of behavioral characteristics. Prereq., PSYC 3101.

Provides an introduction to the use of experimental procedures in psychology. Students learn about the logic and design of experiments, the meaning of psychological data, how to analyze and interpret data, and the role of theory in psychology. Prereqs., Psyc 1001 and 3101. Recommended prereq., Psyc 2145.

Three hours lec. and two hours rec. per week. Analyzes major theories of personality and behavioral disorders. Restricted to junior and senior PSYC majors. Prereq. PSYC 1001 or instructor consent. Credit not granted for this course and PSYC 4303. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) Psychology (PSYC) majors only.

Surveys contemporary issues, explores current controversies, and examines in detail selected topics in psychology. Open to juniors and seniors in the department's honors program. Prereq., instructor consent.

Perform neuroscience related empirical research and analysis. Training emphasizes the development of critical thinking skills specific to dealing with ethical dilemmas and the responsible conduct of research. Issues related to animal and human research are covered. Prereq., instructor consent.

Critically reviews some aspect of psychological literature, scholarly analysis of a major psychological issue, and/or empirical research project. See the psychology honors director for further information. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.

Experiencing and learning from affect--emotional value--is a fundamental part of the human experience. When people started thinking of brains as computers, research on emotion fell by the wayside. Recently however, this has changed, and there is an explosion of work on the brain mechanisms of affective value. We will cover recent advances in understanding the emotional brain. Prereqs. for NRSC 4015 are PSYC 2012 or NRSC 2100 or instructor permission, and junior or senior standing. NRSC 4015 and 5015 are the same course. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior).

Integrative course exploring the social, cognitive, neuroscience and physiological aspects of exercise as it relates to mental health. Examines how psychological and neuroscience research have been used to study how participation in regular physical activity affects mental health and how psychological variables influence participation in, adherence to, enjoyment of, and performance in sports and exercise. Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) Psychology (PSYC) majors only. Prereqs., PSYC 2012, 2145 and 2606. Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) Psychology (PSYC) majors only.

Provides a comprehensive treatment of how the brain acquires, stores, and retrieves memories. To do this we will consider (a) the methods used to address these issues, (b) what we know about how brain systems are organized to support memories of different types,and (c) the synaptic mechanisms that are involved. Prereqs., PSCY 2012 or 4052, or LPHY 3730, or NRSC 2100 or 4052, or instructor consent. Restricted to juniors and seniors. Same as NRSC 5032. Formerly PSYC 4032 Prerequisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior).

Intensive survey of the morphological, neurochemical,and physiological aspects of behavior. Prereqs., PSYC 2012-2022 or EBIO 1210-1220, or CHEM 1111-1131, or PHYS 1010-1020, or PHYS 2010-2020. NRSC 4052 and PSYC 4052 are the same course. Same as NRSC/PSYC 5052.