DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

 FALL, 2004


  September, 2004

COURSES

TITLE

INSTRUCTOR

TIME

ROOM

Psyc 001-001

Intro. Exp. Psyc.

Shatte'

MF 2-3:30

MeyH B1

Psyc 001-002

Intro. Exp. Psyc.

Shatte'

MF 3:30-5

MeyH B1

Psyc 001-003

Intro. Exp. Psyc.

Rozin

TR 1:30-3:30

Stit B6

Psyc 020-301

Probability & Statistics

White

TR 9-10:30

Educ 114

Psyc 107-401

Intro. to Cognitive Science

Ungar/Richards

TR 1:30-3

LevH 101

Psyc 109-401

Intro. to Brain & Behavior

Fluharty

MWF 10-11

LLab 10

Psyc 111-001

Perception

Murray

TR 1:30-3

Vance B11

Psyc 121-001

Learning

Rescorla

MWF 10-11

Stit B21

Psyc 131-401

Animal Behavior

Seyfarth/Cheney

TR 12-1:30

LLab 10

Psyc 149-401

Cognitive Neuroscience

Thompson-Schill

TR 1:30-3

Stit B26

Psyc 151-001

Cognitive Psychology

Trueswell

TR 10:30-12

Vanc B11

Psyc 153-001

Judgments & Decisions

Baron

MWF 11-12

Stit B26

Psyc 155-001

Attention & Memory

Jha

TR 10:30-12

Stit B21

Psyc 160-001
Personality
Williams
MWF 11-12

Vanc B1

Psyc 162-001

Abnormal Psychology

Chambless

TR 12-1:30

Stit B6

Psyc 170-001

Social Psychology

Sabini

MWF 10-11

Vance B11

Psyc 172-001

Biocultural Psychology

Gil-White

TR 3-4:30

Educ 114

Psyc 180-001

Social & Emotional Development

Jaffee

TR 9-10:30

Stit B26






Psyc 400-301

Senior Honors Seminar in Psychology

Thompson-Schill/DeRubeis

M 4-7

PsyL B50

Psyc 459-001

Visual Cognition

Epstein

TR 10:30-12

PsyL B50

Psyc 474-001

Cooperation in Groups

Kurzban

W 1-4

PsyL C41


PERMIT REQUIRED FOR ALL 200 AND 300 LEVEL COURSES


Psyc 211-301

S/T Perception

Swingley

R 1:30-4:30

PsyL A1

Psyc 262-301

S/T Abnormal Psychology

Barber

W 3-6

**Room 4123

Psyc 262-302 S/T Abnormal Psychology S. Cruess
W 12-3
PsyL C21

Psyc 270-301

S/T Social Psychology

Green

TR 3-4:30

PsyL A30

Psyc 270-302

S/T Social Psychology

Norman

T 1:30-4:30

PsyL B50

Psyc 280-301

S/T Developmental Psychology

Jaffee

R 1:30-4:30

McNB 110






Psyc 311-301*

Res. Exp. Perception

Swingley

T 1:30-4:30

PsyL A1

Psyc 327-301*

Res. Exp. Behavioral Neuroscience

Grill

CANCELLED

.

Psyc 335-301*

Res. Exp. Language

Dahan

T 1:30-4:30

Educ 007

Psyc 349-301*

Rex. Exp. Cognitive Neuroscience

Epstein

TR 3-4:30

3810 Walnut

Psyc 362-301*

Res. Exp. Abnormal Psychology

Seligman

W 1:30-4:30

PsyL B50

Psyc 362-302*

Res. Exp. Abnormal Psychology

Hunt

R 1:30-4:30

PsyL B7

Psyc 370-301*

Res. Exp. Social Psychology

Sabini/Green

TR 1:30-3

PsyL A30

Psyc 386-301*

Res. Exp. Developmental Psychology

Mason

CANCELLED

PsyL C41


*Fulfills Research Experience Requirement                             
**4th Fl.,
3535 Market St

                  ROOMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE        



UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

Fall 2004

 

Psyc 001-001

Introduction to Experimental Psychology

Andrew Shatte'


Exploration of the major topics in psychology, including how we receive and interpret information from the world, learning and motivation, the relationship between brain and behavior, development, personality (both normal and abnormal), and the social aspects of our behavior.  The major controversies in psychology provide the binding themes in the course, such as nature versus nurture and theories about the relationship between mind and body.  We will examine some of the ‘grand’ questions that psychologists have posed and investigated – what forces shape our behavior, who do we love and why, what is prejudice and who conforms, and do we think and behave rationally.  These issues are examined at several levels of explanation, from neurotransmitter functioning, through conditioning, and the influence of the group. We will delve into the history of psychology, from the Greeks through to the neuropsychological and pharmaceutical revolutions of today.

Psyc 001-002

Introduction to Experimental Psychology

Andrew Shatte'


Exploration of the major topics in psychology, including how we receive and interpret information from the world, learning and motivation, the relationship between brain and behavior, development, personality (both normal and abnormal), and the social aspects of our behavior.  The major controversies in psychology provide the binding themes in the course, such as nature versus nurture and theories about the relationship between mind and body.  We will examine some of the ‘grand’ questions that psychologists have posed and investigated – what forces shape our behavior, who do we love and why, what is prejudice and who conforms, and do we think and behave rationally.  These issues are examined at several levels of explanation, from neurotransmitter functioning, through conditioning, and the influence of the group. We will delve into the history of psychology, from the Greeks through to the neuropsychological and pharmaceutical revolutions of today.

Psyc 001-003

Introduction to Experimental Psychology

Paul Rozin


Approaches to the understanding of the mind and behavior of humans and animals.  Emphasis in the text is on the current state of knowledge and  in the lectures on the process of discovery and critical thinking.  Topics covered include explaining behavior and mind, the scientific approach, brain and behavior, dreams and psychoanalysis, learning, sensation and perception, memory, thinking, appetite, interpersonal interaction and cultural influences on behavior and mind.  NOTE:  Dr. Rozin's Psychology 001 meets an extra hour (4 hours total) each week because it includes an in-class "lab."


 PSYCHOLOGY 001 IS A PREREQUISITE FOR ALL OTHER PSYCHOLOGY COURSES

Psyc 020-301

Probability and Statistics

David White


An introduction to statistics, statistical methods, and probability theory.  The course will cover: the nature of statistical data; estimation and hypothesis testing; concepts of statistical inference; measures of central tendency and variability; elementary probability; ANOVA; regression and correlation; non-parametric methods.  Emphasis will be placed on application to research in the behavioral sciences.  In addition, there will be an introduction to some of the most popular computer-based statistical programs.

Psyc 107-401

Introduction to Cognitive Science

Lyle Ungar/Virginia Richards

Cross-listed with COGS 001, CSE 140, LING 105 & PHIL 044

 

Cognitive Science is founded on the realization that many problems in the analysis of human and artificial intelligence require an interdisciplinary approach.  The course is intended to introduce undergraduates from many areas to the problems and characteristic concepts of Cognitive Science, drawing on formal and empirical approaches from the parent disciplines of computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy and psychology.  The topics covered include Perception, Action, Learning, Language, Knowledge Representation, and Inference, and the relations and interactions between such modules.  The course shows how the different views from the parent disciplines interact, and identifies some common themes among the theories that have been proposed.  The course pays particular attention to the distinctive role of computation in such theories, and provides an introduction to some of the main directions of current research in the field.  It is a requirement for the BA in Cognitive Science, the BAS in Computer and Cognitive Science, and the minor in Cognitive Science, and it is recommended for students taking the dual degree in Computer and Cognitive Science.

Psyc 109-401

Introduction to Brain and Behavior

Steve Fluharty

Cross-listed with BIBB109 and BIOL219

Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system, including the physiological bases of sensory activity,  perception, drive, motor control and higher mental processes.  This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior.  Additional information about background needed can be obtained from BBB, Biology or Psychology advisors.  Prerequisites: Psychology 001, Biology 101 or permission of the instructor

Psyc 111-001

Perception

Richard Murray


How do we use light and sound to perceive important facts about our immediate environment? In this course we will discuss the mechanisms of human vision and audition. We will approach these problems both from a biological point of view, discussing the brain areas and pathways that underlie our perceptual abilities, and also from a computational point of view, investigating what information we extract from the stimuli that reach our eyes and ears. Topics include: visual perception of shape, colour, depth, and motion; visual object recognition; auditory perception of pitch, loudness, and direction.

Psyc 121-001

Learning

Robert Rescorla


Elementary learning processes.  Topics include how organisms learn about events per se (e.g. habituation), how they learn relations among events (e.g. Pavlovian Conditioning), and how they learn relations between their own behavior and events (e.g. instrumental learning).
 

Psyc 131-401

Animal Behavior

Robert Seyfarth/Dorothy Cheney

Cross-listed with BIBB 231 & BIOL 231


The evolution of social behavior in animals, with special emphasis on group formation, cooperation among kin, mating systems, territoriality and communication. 

Psyc 149-401

Cognitive Neuroscience

Sharon Thompson-Schill

Cross-listed with BIBB 249

The study of the neural systems that underlie human perception, memory and language; and of the pathological syndromes that result from damage to these systems. Prerequisites: Psychology 001 or BIBB 109.
 

Psyc 151-001

Cognitive Psychology

John Trueswell


Analysis of mental processes in adult humans: Attention, Pattern recognition, Imagery, Memory, Action, and Language. Mental architecture. Decomposition of reaction-time and accuracy data. Computer demos of classic experiments.
 

Psyc 153-001

Judgments and Decisions

Jon Baron


Thinking, judgment, and personal and societal decision making, with emphasis on fallacies and biases.  Note:  Psychology 001 is NOT a prerequisite for this course.

Psyc 155-001

Attention and Memory

Amishi Jha


A study of topics in human memory and attention including an overview of current experiments investigating: multiple memory systems, attentional selection, the interrelationship between memory and attention, dysfunction due to disease states and aging, exceptional functioning, and strategies to improve memory and attentional processes. Particular emphasis is given to the neural basis of cognitive processes.  Prerequisite: Psychology 001 or BIBB 109.


Psyc 160-001

Personality

David Williams


This course will integrate current formulations of the way people think about themselves and decide their issues, large and small.  Unconscious (Freud, Jung), evolutionary/biological (Wright, Pinker), humanistic/positive (Maslow, Frankl), rational (Skinner, Irwin), cognitive (Kelly, Adler) and experiential (Rogers, Perls) influences will be emphasized, while communicational aspects of personality will be explored through a web-based interactive encounter.

 

Psyc 162-001

Abnormal Psychology

Dianne Chambless


Examination of the major themes in clinical psychology, including the concepts of normality versus abnormality, and models of psychopathology from Freudian analysis, behaviorism, the cognitive model, to biological/neuroanatomical theories.  We will explore the major mental disorders including major depression, bipolar, anorexia and bulimia nervosa, the anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and psychosexual dysfunction.  In so doing, we will assemble bio-psycho-social explanations for the etiology and treatment of abnormal behavior.

Psyc 170-001

Social Psychology

John Sabini


An overview of theories and research across the range of social behavior from intra-individual to the group level including the effects of culture, social environment, and groups on social interaction.

 

Psyc 172-001

Biocultural Psychology

Francisco Gil-White

This course will present human psychology and behavior as viewed by cultural psychologists on the one hand, and by evolutionary psychologists on the other. The presuppositions of each approach will be deeply examined in order to separate tendentious disciplinary controversy from useful contributions that each side makes to an understanding of human behavior. Students will be challenged to construct a synthetic view of human behavior that causally articulates---rather than merely meshes---these two approaches in order to achieve a better understanding of the causes of human behavior, the distribution of ideas in social systems, and their historical trajectories.  

Psyc 180-001

Social and Emotional Development

Sara Jaffee


This course will cover theory and research related to the development of attachment, emotional regulation, peer and intimate relationships, personality, moral reasoning, and emotional and behavioral disorders. The course will emphasize the degree to which family, peer, and community contexts influence development from infancy into adulthood.  Efforts will be made to integrate biological and environmental accounts of development across the lifespan.
 

Psyc 459-001

Visual Cognition

Russell Epstein


This course examines the interaction of vision with higher-order cognitive processes.  In plain terms: once the visual system has recovered a set of surfaces from the surrounding scene, what does the brain then do with that information to make it useful?  Possible topics will include: object and face recognition, attention, awareness, mental imagery, spatial cognition, and action. Particular emphasis will be placed on cognitive neuroscientific work that addresses these topics.
 

Psyc 474-001

Cooperation in Groups

Rob Kurzban

Humans are unique in their abilities to cooperate in large groups of non-kin. In this course, we will explore the evolutionary origins of this phenomenon, and look at relevant theory research in social psychology, anthropology, and economics.   Prerequisites:  Psychology 170.


SENIOR HONORS SEMINAR

Psyc 400-301

Senior Honors Seminar in Psychology

Sharon Thompson-Schill/Rob DeRubeis


Open to senior honors candidates in psychology. A two-semester sequence supporting the preparation of an honors thesis in psychology. Students will present their work in progress and develop skills in written and oral communication of scientific ideas 


SEMINARS

**** Permit Required for ALL 200-Level Courses ****

Psyc 211-301

Special Topics in Perception

Dan Swingley

 
Speech Perception and Language Learning.  Infants begin learning language by discovering how the sounds of language work; then, young children become increasingly 
skilled at recognizing words and understanding sentences.  How do they do it?  In this seminar, we will take an intensive look at the available infant and adult data, as well
as computational models of perceptual category learning. Students will read and present primary source material.  Prerequisites: at least one of the following: Psychology
181, 151, 135, or 111; or, any Linguistics, Computer Science, or Engineering course covering phonology or speech, such as Linguistics 330.
 

Psyc 262-301

Special Topics in Abnormal Psychology

Jacques Barber


Systems of Psychotherapy.
In this seminar, we will explore many of the important models of psychotherapy from psychoanalysis to behavior therapy, from Gestalt to couples therapy. Although, our main emphasis is the study of treatments, we will also need to pay attention to what is "normative," "acceptable" or "desirable" according to these models in order to learn what is in "need of treatment." Similarly, we will also need to understand how the different theorists view the development of psychopathology. Finally, we will attempt to understand how different psychotherapies work by studying what theorists claim to be doing in therapy and by examining the empirical literature. We will also develop our own hypotheses by observing video tapes of different systems of therapy. Each week students will write a brief paper related to the readings, the tapes or session transcripts and to the class discussion. Students will also submit a final paper summarizing a major therapeutic approach or theorist not covered in the course. Prerequisites: Psychology 162, basic statistics course, and permission of the instructor.

Psyc 262-302

Special Topics in Abnormal Psychology

Stacy Cruess


Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches in Psychotherapy.  Cognitive-behavioral therapy approaches have been successfully utilized to treat a variety of psychological disorders.  This seminar will be an introduction to the theory, methods, and outcomes associated with cognitive and behavioral treatments.  We will begin by discussing cognitive-behavioral theories of abnormality and how they differ from alternative perspectives, and the general principles and techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy.  We will then delve into specific disorders and the empirically supported cognitive behavioral interventions utilized to treat those disorders (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, eating disorders, etc).  The seminar will attempt to strike a balance between encouraging and facilitating critical review of the outcome literature, and introduction to the clinical practices used by cognitive behavioral therapists today.  Students will be expected to be active participants in all aspects of class discussion and will also be required to write several papers during the course.   This seminar is open only to advanced psychology majors. Prerequisite:  Psychology 162 or permission of the instructor

Psyc 270-301

Special Topics in Social Psychology

Melanie Green


Political psychology draws on psychological theory to enrich our understanding of phenomena in the political sphere, and at the same time, uses insights gained in the political domain to clarify our understanding of psychological theory.  We will discuss empirical and theoretical articles focusing on key issues in this emerging subdiscipline.  Topics include the way political attitudes and beliefs develop, the influence of group identification on political behavior, emotion and politics, psychological underpinnings of political participation, and other related issues.   Prerequisite:  Psychology 170.

 

Psyc 270-302

Special Topics in Social Psychology

Frank Norman


Reproductive Decisions. 
Will an individual try to have children?  If so, how many?  Such decisions are among life's most important, and they are strongly influenced by cultural and economic factors, as well as mate availability and preferences.  Cultural and economic situations have changed drastically, and, as a result, recent years have seen a sharp worldwide decline in birthrate, and exceedingly low birthrates in contemporary Europe and Japan.  This "fertility transition" and its consequences are the central topics of this seminar.  In spite of the momentous personal, social, political, and economic implications of the fertility transition, psychologists have had remarkably little to say about it, so much of the reading in this seminar is drawn from history, sociology, and demography.  Special topics are the history of contraception in this country, and contemporary women's career-family conflicts.  A preliminary syllabus is posted at http://psych.upenn.edu/courses/psych270hrd/syl270p04.htm

 

Psyc 280-301

Special Topics in Developmental Psychology

Sara Jaffee


Family Functioning and Children’s Development. 
This seminar will explore how family functioning affects children’s development.  Topics will include the role of that parent psychopathology, family poverty, marital conflict and divorce, family violence, and teen parenthood play in influencing children’s well-being.  It is recommended that students take Psychology 180:  Social and Emotional Development before enrolling in this course.


RESEARCH EXPERIENCE COURSES

***A permit is required for all 300-level courses***

Psyc 311-301

Research Experience in Perception

Dan Swingley


Perceptual Learning in Infancy and Early Childhood.
  In this course, we will design and create original experiments on perceptual development. Topics will include categorization, phonological rule learning, word learning, and sentence understanding. Skills to be taught and practiced include experimental design, audiovisual display editing, and coding of infant and child behavior, among others.  By instructor permission.  Experience with children, and coursework in perception, cognition, or language, encouraged.

Psyc 327-301

Research Experience in Behavioral Neuroscience

Harvey Grill


CANCELLED
The incidence of obesity has risen dramatically, but currently there are no effective drug treatments. There is an intense effort to identify new and potentially effective drug targets for the treatment of obesity and other pathologies of body weight regulation. Such developments require an  understanding of the neural circuits and neurochemical signals that control food intake and energy expenditure. This course focuses on the current literature on energy balance. Students conduct hands-on supervised experiments with animals throughout the week.  Class also meets weekly to consider progress in the laboratory and to discuss assigned readings.  Research topics come from current issues in the neurology and  pharmacology of food and nutrient intake. Prerequisites Psychology  127 or permission of the instructor.  

Psyc 335-301

Research Experience in Language

Delphine Dahan

 
This course will focus on how to conduct research in psycholinguistics,and more precisely, on the comprehension of spoken language, using behavioral methods such as
the monitoring of eye movements during listening. Students will be involved in designing an experiment, constructing materials, testing, as well as analyzing the data. 
Prerequisite: Psychology 151 or 135 or permission of the instructor.
 

Psyc 349-301

Research Experience in Cognitive Neuroscience

Russell Epstein


Brain imaging, particularly functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), is a promising state-of-the-art tool used to study specialized human brain regions that are involved in cognitive functions.  In the first half of the course, we will review the basics of the fMRI technique, current experimental design and analysis strategies, and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of neuroimaging as a tool for cognitive neuroscientists.  In the second half of the course, students will form into groups and propose a new experiment.  As a team, you will program the experiment, acquire the fMRI data, and analyze your data.  Each student will submit a paper describing the project and each group will give a presentation of their research.  Prerequisites:  Psychology 149 or permission of the instructor.  

Psyc 362-301

Research Experience in Abnormal Psychology

Martin Seligman


Positive Psychology will discuss the converse of the disease model:  what is known about positive human traits such as optimism, courage, flow, interpersonal skill, and future mindedness.   Each student will also get practicum training in Positive psychology coaching and will design and carry out an empirical research project.  Prerequisites:  Psychology 162 or permission of the instructor. 

Psyc 362-302

Research Experience in Abnormal Psychology

Melissa Hunt


This is a two (2) semester course open to Junior and Senior psychology majors only: Are you interested in expanding our understanding of anxiety and affective disorders?  If you'd like to work hard for nine months, qualify for honors and have a publishable paper at the end of the year, this may be the course for you.  Offering more support and structure than an independent study, this course will still allow you to make an original contribution to one of several research areas, including phobias, depression, panic disorder and PTSD.  By Instructor permission only.  E-mail application essay to mhunt@psych.upenn.edu including your experiences in psychology, why you are interested in the course, and how the course fits in to your overall career planning.

Psyc 370-301

Research Experience in Social Psychology

John Sabini/Melanie Green


In this two (2) semester course students alone, or in small groups, will, in consultation with the instructors, design, carry out, and write up original research in social psychology. Some topics of that research are likely to be: embarrassment, envy, person perception, regret, and human sexual behavior. Other possible topics include the persuasive impact of narratives, the effects of labeling a communication as fact or fiction, and the relationship between media use (Internet, television) and individuals' social relationships and civic participation. But other topics might be considered as well. Prerequisites: Psychology 170, Statistics 111 (or it's equivalent) or permission of the instructors.  

Psyc 386-301

Research Experience in Developmental Psychology

Kathryn Mason

CANCELLED
This class will focus on observational methods of studying development, with attention to the entire scope of the research process. 
Readings and class discussion will be aimed at supporting the research projects.  Working individually or in groups, students will define a research question relevant to some issue in Developmental Psychology, develop an appropriate observational measure, use the measure to observe subjects in a naturalistic setting, and analyze and interpret the findings.  Prerequisites:  Psychology 180 and Statistics 111 (or it's  equivalent) or permission of the instructor.