The College Catalogue

First-Year Seminars

For a full description of first-year seminars, see the First-Year Seminar section.

10 {1010} b. What’s on Your Mind? An Introduction to the Brain and Behavior. Fall 2012. Matthew Campolattaro.

Introductory Courses

101 {1101} b. Introduction to Psychology. Every semester. The Department.

A general introduction to the major concerns of contemporary psychology, including physiological psychology, perception, learning, cognition, language, development, personality, intelligence, and abnormal and social behavior. Recommended for first- and second-year students. Juniors and seniors should enroll in the spring semester.

Intermediate Courses

210 {2010} b. Infant and Child Development. Fall 2012. Matthew Gingo. Spring 2013. Samuel P. Putnam.

A survey of major changes in psychological functioning from conception through childhood. Several theoretical perspectives are used to consider how physical, personality, social, and cognitive changes jointly influence the developing child’s interactions with the environment.

Prerequisite: Psychology 101.

211 {2020} b. Personality. Every fall. Barbara S. Held.

A comparative survey of theoretical and empirical attempts to explain personality and its development. The relationships of psychoanalytic, interpersonal, humanistic, and behavioral approaches to current research are considered.

Prerequisite: Psychology 101.

212 {2030} b. Social Psychology. Every spring. Paul E. Schaffner.

A survey of theory and research on individual social behavior. Topics include self-concept, social cognition, affect, attitudes, social influence, interpersonal relationships, and cultural variations in social behavior.

Prerequisite: Psychology 101 or Sociology 101.

216 {2040} b. Cognitive Psychology. Every fall. Louisa M. Slowiaczek.

A survey of theory and research examining how humans perceive, process, store, and use information. Topics include visual perception, attention, memory, language processing, decision making, and cognitive development.

Prerequisite: Psychology 101.

218 {2050} a. Physiological Psychology. Every spring. Richmond R. Thompson.

An introductory survey of biological influences on behavior. The primary emphasis is on the physiological regulation of behavior in humans and other vertebrate animals, focusing on genetic, developmental, hormonal, and neuronal mechanisms. Additionally, the evolution of these regulatory systems is considered. Topics discussed include perception, cognition, sleep, eating, sexual and aggressive behaviors, and mental disorders.

Prerequisite: One of the following: Psychology 101, Biology 102 or 109.

251 {2510} b. Research Design in Psychology. Every fall. Paul E. Schaffner. Every spring. Louisa M. Slowiaczek.

A systematic study of the scientific method as it underlies psychological research. Topics include prominent methods used in studying human and animal behavior, the logic of causal analysis, experimental and non-experimental designs, issues in internal and external validity, pragmatics of careful research, and technical writing of research reports.

Prerequisite: Psychology 101.

252 {2520} a - MCSR. Data Analysis. Every fall. Suzanne Lovett. Spring 2013. Matthew Campolattaro.

An introduction to the use of descriptive and inferential statistics and design in behavioral research. Weekly laboratory work in computerized data analysis. Required of majors no later than the junior year, and preferably by the sophomore year.

Prerequisite: Psychology 101, and one of the following: Psychology 251, Biology 102 or 109.

Courses that Satisfy the Laboratory Requirement

260 {2720} b. Abnormal Psychology. Every spring. Spring 2013. Julie Quimby.

A general survey of the nature, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of common patterns of mental disorders. Students participate in a weekly supervised practicum at a local psychiatric unit.

Prerequisite: Psychology 211 and 251.

270 {2740} b. Laboratory in Cognition. Every fall. Louisa M. Slowiaczek.

An analysis of research methodology and experimental investigations in cognition, including such topics as auditory and sensory memory, visual perception, attention and automaticity, retrieval from working memory, implicit and explicit memory, metamemory, concept formation and reasoning. Weekly laboratory sessions allow students to collect and analyze data in a number of different areas of cognitive psychology.

Prerequisite: Psychology 216, 251, and previous credit or concurrent registration in Psychology 252.

274 {2730} b. Laboratory in Group Dynamics. Every fall. Paul E. Schaffner.

Principles and methods of psychological research, as developed in Psychology 251 and 252, are applied to the study of small group interaction. Students design, conduct, and report on social behavior research involving an array of methods to shape and assess interpersonal behavior.

Prerequisite: Psychology 211, 212, 214, or 219; Psychology 251; and previous credit or concurrent registration in Psychology 252.

275 {2750} a - INS. Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience: Social Behavior. Every spring. Richmond R. Thompson.

A laboratory course that exposes students to modern techniques in neuroscience that can be applied to the study of social behavior. Underlying concepts associated with various molecular, neuroanatomical, pharmacological, and electrophysiological methods are discussed in a lecture format. Students then use these techniques in laboratory preparations that demonstrate how social behavior is organized within the central nervous system of vertebrate animals, including humans.

Prerequisite: Psychology 218 or Biology 213; one of the following: Psychology 251, Biology 102 or 109; and previous credit or concurrent registration in Psychology 252 or Mathematics 165.

276 {2751} a - INS. Laboratory in Behavioral Neuroscience: Learning and Memory. Fall 2012. Matthew Campolattaro.

Explores current research and theories in the neurobiology of learning and memory by examining the modular organization of the brain with an emphasis on a brain systems-level approach to learning and memory, using both lectures and laboratory work. Memory is not a unitary phenomenon, rather, different parts of the brain are specialized for storing and expressing different kinds of memory. In addition to discussing contemporary research, students use modern neuroscientific methods in the laboratory to demonstrate how different memory systems can be dissociated. Techniques include behavioral, neurosurgical, and histological analysis in vertebrate species.

Prerequisite: Psychology 218 or Biology 213; one of the following: Psychology 251, Biology 102 or 109; and previous credit or concurrent registration in Psychology 252 or Mathematics 165.

277 {2710} b. Research in Developmental Psychology. Every spring. Spring 2013. Kimberly J. Robinson.

The multiple methods used in developmental research are examined both by reading research reports and by designing and conducting original research studies. The methods include observation, interviews, questionnaires, lab experiments, among others. Students learn to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Prerequisite: Psychology 210, 213, or 215; Psychology 251; and previous credit or concurrent registration in Psychology 252.

Advanced Courses

303 {3025} b. Health Psychology. Fall 2012. Kimberly J. Robinson.

Examines the relationships between psychosocial and behavioral factors and physical health. Specific topics include stress and coping, health behavior theory, personality and health, patient/provider relationships, and adjustment to chronic illness. Seminar meetings involve discussion of theories, empirical findings, and real-world applications.

Prerequisite: Psychology 251 and 252.

309 {3020} b. Psychotherapy, Psychology, and Philosophy. Every fall. Barbara S. Held.

Many clinical psychologists are returning to psychology’s roots in philosophy for guidance on how to best understand the nature and purposes of psychotherapy. Considers the clinical, scientific, and underlying philosophical issues that pertain to different systems of psychotherapy. In exploring different approaches to psychotherapy, particular attention is given to such questions as the nature of personhood and the self, methods of obtaining self-knowledge and warrant for claims about self-knowledge, whether humans have free will, the nature of therapeutic change, and the nature of human happiness or well being. Current debates about a proper science of psychotherapy are emphasized.

Prerequisite: Psychology 211, 251, and 252.

315 {3050} a. Hormones and Behavior. Every other fall. Fall 2012. Richmond R. Thompson.

An advanced discussion of concepts in behavioral neuroendocrinology. Topics include descriptions of the major classes of hormones, their roles in the regulation of development and adult behavioral expression, and the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for their behavioral effects. Hormonal influences on reproductive, aggressive, and parental behaviors, as well as on cognitive processes are considered.

Prerequisite: Psychology 218 or Biology 213; one of the following: Psychology 251, Biology 102 or 109; and Psychology 252 or Mathematics 165.

316 {3051} a. Comparative Neuroanatomy. Every other fall. Fall 2013. Richmond R. Thompson.

An advanced discussion of concepts in vertebrate brain organization. The primary emphasis is upon structure/function relationships within the brain, particularly as they relate to behavior. Topics include basic neuroanatomy, brain development and evolution, and the neural circuitry associated with complex behavioral organization. Studies from a variety of animal models and from human neuropsychological assessments are used to demonstrate general principles of brain evolution and function.

Prerequisite: Psychology 218 or Biology 213; one of the following: Psychology 251, Biology 102 or 109; and Psychology 252 or Mathematics 165.

317 {3040} b. The Psychology of Language. Every spring. Louisa M. Slowiaczek.

An examination of psychological factors that affect the processing of language, including a discussion of different modalities (auditory and visual language) and levels of information (sounds, letters, words, sentences, and text/discourse). Emphasis is on the issues addressed by researchers and the theories developed to account for our language abilities.

Prerequisite: Psychology 216, 251, and 252.

[320 {3010} b. Social Development.]

[321 {3011} b. Cognitive Development.]

[322 {3059} a. Clinical Neuroscience: From Lab to Clinic to Public.]

323 {3013} b. Moral Development. Spring 2013. Matthew Gingo.

Brings together the major theoretical approaches to moral reasoning and moral development, with a range of new lines of psychological investigation. Readings and discussion examine the fundamental issues of development, including how morality is acquired (origins), how it changes over time (sequence) and is expressed throughout the lifespan (ontogenesis), and the role of culture and context in moral development. The development of judgments relating to rights, justice, autonomy, as well as resistance and subversion serve as the central topics.

Prerequisites: Psychology 210, 251, and 252.

328 {3030} b. Psychological Studies of Creativity. Every spring. Paul E. Schaffner.

Explores the nature, origins, processes, and consequences of creative activity in the arts and sciences, in public affairs, and in daily living. Examines psychological processes that support creative thought and action by individuals and collaborative groups, and ways that sociocultural contexts stimulate, recognize, and sanction such work. Readings and seminar discussions address aspects of personality, aptitude, cognition, motivation, self-regulation, and psychopathology in relation to creativity; and the influences of family and education in developing and expressing creative potential.

Prerequisite: Psychology 251 and 252.

Independent Study and Honors

291–294 {2970–2973} b. Intermediate Independent Study in Psychology. The Department.

299 {2999} b. Intermediate Collaborative Study in Psychology. The Department.

401–404 {4000–4003} b. Advanced Independent Study and Honors in Psychology. The Department.

405 {4029} b. Advanced Collaborative Study in Psychology. The Department.