DEPARTMENT OF
PSYCHOLOGY
UNDERGRADUATE
COURSES
SPRING,
2005
Janurary 2005
|
COURSES |
TITLE |
INSTRUCTOR |
TIME |
ROOM |
|
Intro. to
Exp. Psychology |
Shatte' |
MF 2-3:30 |
MeyH B1 |
|
|
Intro. to
Exp. Psychology |
Shatte' |
MF 3:30-5 |
MeyH B1 |
|
|
Intro. to
Exp. Psychology |
Gleitman |
TR 1:30-3 |
Stit B26 |
|
|
Intro. to
Exp. Psychology |
Rozin |
MW 1-3 |
CollH
314 |
|
|
Visual
Neuroscience |
Brainard |
MWF 10-11 |
Stit B21 |
|
|
Drugs,
Brain and Mind |
Peoples |
TR 12-1:30 |
Stit B21 |
|
|
Physiology
of Motivated Behavior |
Grill |
TR 3-4:30 |
Stit B21 |
|
|
Animal
Behavior |
White |
TR 3-4:30 |
Vanc B11 |
|
|
Language |
Dahan |
TR 9-10:30 |
Stit B26 |
|
|
Cognitive
Neuroscience |
Epstein |
TR 12-1:30 |
Vanc B1 |
|
|
Human
Memory |
Kahana |
TR 1:30-3 |
Vanc B1 |
|
|
Abnormal
Psychology |
D.Cruess |
TR
10:30-12 |
Stit B6 |
|
|
Human
Sexuality: An Evolutionary Approach |
Kurzban |
TR 9-10:30 |
Vanc
B11 |
|
|
Social
Psychology |
Green |
TR 10:30-12 |
Vanc B11 |
|
|
Cognitive
Development |
Swingley |
MWF 11-12 |
Vanc B11 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Honors
Seminar in Psychology |
Thompson-Schill/DeRubeis
|
M 4-7 |
PsyL B50 |
|
|
Psychology
of Music |
Narmour |
R 5-8 |
Musx 210 |
|
| Psyc 431-401 | Animal
Cognition |
Cheney |
TR
10:30-12 |
Glab102 |
|
Genetics,
Evolution and Behavior |
|
TR 1:30-3 |
PsyL A30 |
|
|
Animal
Communication |
Seyfarth |
MWF 11-12 |
PsyL C41 |
PERMIT REQUIRED FOR ALL 200 AND
300 LEVEL
COURSES
|
S/T
Motivation |
Peoples |
R |
PsyL D3/4 |
|
| Psyc 243-301 |
S/T
Behavioral
Neuroscience |
Grill |
R
5-8 |
PsyL
C16 |
|
S/T
Cognitive Neuroscience |
Jha |
R 2-5 |
Rm.
326C/3401 Walnut |
|
|
S/T
Behavioral Law and Economics |
Baron |
MW
2-3:30 |
PsyL
C21 |
|
|
S/T Social
Psychology |
Farah |
T 2-5 |
Conf.
Rm./3810 Walnut |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research
Experience in Perception |
|
R |
Rm.
326/3401 Walnut |
|
|
Research
Experience in Animal Behavior |
White |
W 3-6 |
PsyL A30 |
|
|
Research
Experience in Cognitive Neuroscience |
Jha |
T 2-5 |
Rm.
307/3810 Walnut |
|
|
Research
Experience
in Cognition |
Trueswell |
TR 3:30-5 |
3401 Walnut |
|
|
Res. Exp.
in Abnormal Psychology |
Hunt |
R |
PsyL B8 |
|
|
Res. Exp. in Theory of Persons |
Williams |
W 2-5 |
PsyL
B50 |
|
|
Res. Exp.
in Social Psychology |
Sabini/Green |
TR 1:30-3 |
PsyL B50 |
|
|
Res. Exp.
in Social Psychology |
Mason |
TR 3-4:30 |
PsyL C41 |
|
|
Res. Exp.
in Developmental Psychology |
Jaffee |
TR 9-10:30 |
T-McNB 108
|
*Fulfills Research Experience
Requirement
Psyc 362 and Psyc 370-301 are
continued from Fall 2004
UNDERGRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Spring, 2005
|
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 interaction 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.
|
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 interaction 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.
|
Introduction
to Experimental Psychology |
Henry
Gleitman |
Primary emphasis in the areas
of sensation and perception,
learning and motivation, physiological, comparative, and cognitive
psychology.
|
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 1 meets an extra hour (4
hours total)
each week because it includes an in-class "lab. All students must apply
to
the instructor at rozin@psych.upenn.edu to be
admitted into the course.
~~Psychology 001 is a prerequisite for all other
Psychology
courses~~
|
Visual
Neuroscience |
David
Brainard |
Cross-listed
with BIBB 217
An
introduction to the scientific study of vision, with an
emphasis on the biological substrate and its relation to behavior. Topics will typically
include
physiological optics,
transduction of light, visual thresholds, color vision, anatomy and
physiology
of the visual pathways, and the cognitive neuroscience of vision.
Prerequisites:
Psyc/BIBB 109, COGS 101 or VLST
101.
|
Drugs,
Brain and Mind |
Laura
Peoples |
Cross-listed
with BIBB 370
The course will begin with a
review of basic
concepts in pharmacology including: routes of drug administration, drug
metabolism, the dose response curve, tolerance and sensitization.
Following a brief overview of cellular foundations of neuropharmacology
(cell biology, synaptic and
receptor function) and CNS organization, the course will focus on three
general
topics. First, we will consider the use of pharmacological and
neurobiological research techniques to identify and characterize neurochemical
systems in the
brain, including localization of the chemicals in brain, typing of
receptors
and contribution to normal and abnormal behavior. Second, we will
consider various classes of drugs used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders including,
among others,
depression, schizophrenia and anxiety. Third, we will consider
mechanism
mediating the mind-altering, addictive and neurotoxic effects of abused drugs.
Bibb 109,
269 recommended.
|
Physiology
of Motivated Behavior |
Harvey
Grill |
Cross-listed
with BIBB 227
This course focuses on evaluating
the
experiments that have sought to establish links between brain structure
(the
activity of specific brain circuits) and behavioral function (the
control of
particular motivated and emotional behaviors). Students are
exposed to
concepts from regulatory physiology, systems neuroscience,
pharmacology, and
endocrinology and read
textbook as well as original source materials. The course focuses on
the
following behaviors: feeding, sex, fear, anxiety, the appetite for
salt, and
food aversion. The course also considers the neurochemical control of responses with
an eye
towards evaluating the development of drug treatments for: obesity,
anorexia/cachexia,
vomiting, sexual
dysfunction, anxiety disorders, and depression.
|
Animal
Behavior |
David
White |
Cross-listed
with BIBB 231
The evolution of social
behavior in animals, with special emphasis
on group formation, cooperation among kin, mating systems,
territoriality and
communication.
|
Language |
Delphine Dahan |
Cross-listed
with Ling 135
This
course
describes the
nature of human language, as well as the linguistic knowledge and
mental
processes involved in language use (in production, comprehension, and
acquisition).
|
Cognitive
Neuroscience |
Russell
Epstein |
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.
|
Human
Memory |
Michael
Kahana |
An introduction to the scientific study of human memory,
with a particular emphasis on the interplay between theory and
experiment. Topics will include dual store models and the debate
over short-term memory, recognition memory for items and associations,
the role of time and context in memory formation and retrieval,
theories of association, memory for sequences, the influence of prior
knowledge on new learning, spatial and navigational memory, perceptual
learning, classification and function learning, memory disorders and
developmental changes in memory function.
|
Abnormal
Psychology |
Dean
Cruess |
The
concepts of normality, abnormality, and psychopathology; symptom
syndromes;
theory and research in psychopathology and psychotherapy.
|
Human
Sexuality: An Evolutionary Approach |
Rob
Kurzban |
Cross-listed
with COLL 002
This course will cover topics
ranging from the
anatomy and physiology of the human reproductive system to the
cognitive
systems that underpin human sexual behavior. Throughout, there will be
an
emphasis on the relationship between the features of these physical and
cognitive mechanisms and the evolutionary functions these systems were
designed
to serve.
|
Social
Psychology |
Melanie
Green |
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.
|
Cognitive
Development |
Dan
Swingley |
What infants and
young
children come to know about the world, and how they learn it. Topics will
include changes in children's
thinking, perceptual development, language acquisition, and current
theories of
cognitive development.
|
Psychology
of Music |
Eugene
Narmour |
Cross-listed with
MUSC 090
This course brings together two seemingly
very different subjects, the art of music and the science of
psychology. Parallel theories, empirical evidence, and demonstrations of how fundamental
psychological processes are used in the musical repertory will explore common
convergences between the two fields. Major subjects covered include
psychophysics; perception and cognition of melody, rhythm, harmony, and timbre;
musical structures; learning, memory, tonality, and musical style; development;
emotion, affect, and aesthetics; performance; social psychology; neural
processing; and the biological orgins of music.
| Psyc 431-401 |
|
Dorothy Cheney
|
|
Genetics,
Evolution and Behavior |
Frank
Norman |
Cross-listed with BIBB 441
Genetic and
environmental components of IQ, personality, and psychopathology.
Evolutionary psychology; basic evolutionary theory; evolution of
altruistic, cooperative, and competitive behavior. The course
develops and makes extensive use of elementary mathematical and
statistical models. Non-BFS students do not need special
permission to enroll. Additional information is available at http://psych.upenn.edu/~norman/441syl_current.htm.
|
Animal
Communication |
Robert
Seyfarth |
This course will
review
recent research on communication in animals, with particular emphasis
on the
vocalizations of birds, dolphins, whales, monkeys, and apes. We will
consider
the neural mechanisms that underlie signals, the information they
provide to
listeners, and we will examine how communication functions in social
interactions.
We will also discuss the possible parallels that may exist between the
communication and human language. Prerequisite:
Psychology
131/BBB 231/Bio 231 or permission of the instructor.
HONORS SEMINAR
|
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
~~Department Permit is
required for all
200-level courses~~
|
Special Topics in Motivation |
Laura Peoples |
Cross-listed with
BIBB 423
Neurobiology
of Drug Addiction. Drug
addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder that is caused by effects of
addictive drugs on the brain. The seminar will consider 4 major
drug addictions,
including cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine.
|
Special Topics in Behavioral
Neuroscience |
Harvey Grill |
Obesity is arguably one of our most pressing health
problems. Currently, there are no effective treatments for this
disease. Several new and potentially effective drug treatments on
the horizon, however. The rationale for this drug development
comes directly from basic research findings using animal models. The
course focuses on current research on the neurobiology of food intake
and energy balance. Readings from the current scientific
literature will provide the background for class
discussion. Prerequisite:
Physiology of Motivated and Emotional Behaviors (Psyc
127/ BIBB 227), Neuroendocrinology (Psyc 139/ BIBB 260) or Chemistry of
the Brain (BIBB 269), Intro. to Brain and Behavior (Psyc109/BIBB209)
or permission of the Instructor.
|
Special Topics in Cognitive Neuroscience |
Amishi Jha |
As well as being an ancient spiritual practice central
to many religious traditions, /meditation/ has recently been reported
to result
in improved psychological and physical health. Meditation is defined as
“paying
attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and
nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). In this course, we consider the
hypothesis
that meditation’s beneficial effects may be mediated by entraining the
human
attention system. We will read and discuss the cognitive neuroscience
of
attention and the neural bases of meditation. In addition, students
will be
introduced to mindfulness-based meditation techniques increasingly used
in
combination with traditional medical and psychotherapeutic
interventions.
Students are required to read journal articles and book chapters as
well as
participate in classroom discussions. Students are also required to
write several
short papers. This seminar course is open only to advanced psychology
majors. Prerequisite:
Psychology 149, Psychology 155, or permission of the Instructor.
|
Special Topics in Behavioral Law and Economics |
Jon Baron |
Cross-listed with PPE
253
Economic theory has invaded
legal
scholarship and law schools, in the form of "Law and economics."
But the psychology of judgments and decisions has invaded economic
theory,
showing that people do not follow the classic model of economic
rationality. Many legal scholars, such as Cass Sunstein,
claim to have started a new field called "Behavioral law and
economics," which explores the implications of psychology for legal
theory. This seminar will review basic readings in law and
economics and
then the recent literature on the relevance of psychology. Topics
include
risk regulation, liability, and regulation of political behavior.
Prerequisite: Some
background in judgments and decisions, political psychology,
philosophy, economics or political science. Permission of Instructor.
|
Special Topics in Social Psychology |
Martha Farah |
Ethical issues in the behavioral and neural sciences. The more we understand about how the mind and brain work, the more we are able to monitor and control them. This
in turn, raises profound ethical questions about whether and when we SHOULD monitor or control them. Our class has two goals: To educate you about some of the more
ethically loaded scientific developments (you will learn about behavior genetics, brain imaging, and psychopharmacology) and to help you formulate a view of whether and
when such work should proceed (through reading and discussion of relevant literature in bioethics and history/sociology of science). Prerequisite: Any course that satisfies
the Psychology Department's "Neural Basis of Behavior" requirement.
|
Special Topics in Social Psychology |
Francisco Gil-White |
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE COURSES
~~Department Permit Required
for all 300-level Courses~~
|
Research Experience in Perception |
Richard Murray |
Students will learn how to carry out experiments in
visual perception. The course will cover both practical laboratory
methods,
such as how to display carefully controlled stimuli on computer
monitors, and
current topics of research in vision science that are of interest to
students
in the class. The course will be centered around a substantial
laboratory
research project of each student's choosing. Prerequisite: Psychology 111,
117 or permission of the Instructor.
|
Research Experience in Animal Behavior |
David White |
Students will learn how to study
scientifically the behavior of animals. We will take an evolutionary
and
ecological approach to studying several different types of behavior
across
different species in both laboratory and field environments. Students
will gain
experience designing and conducting animal behavior experiments as well
as
analyzing results and presenting their findings. Prerequisite:
Psychology 131 (cross-listed as BIOL 231 and BIBB 231) or permission of
the Instructor.
|
Research Experience in Cognitive Neuroscience |
Amishi Jha |
Brain imaging, paticularly 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. Prerequisite: Psychology
155 or permission of the Instructor.
|
Research Experience in Cognition |
John Trueswell |
In this course, you will gain
experience
in the designing and running of behavioral studies having to do with
language,
memory, attention and perception. We will accomplish this by
studying how
humans rapidly understand and produce spoken language. One of
the
central themes of this course will be the examination of language use
in
natural situations, using experimental
techniques
like the monitoring of eye movements during listening. Prerequisite:
Psychology 107 or 135 or 149 or 151, plus Introduction to
Statistics. The
instructor will consider waiving prerequisites on a case-by-case
basis.
| Psyc 362-301 |
Research Experience in Abnormal Psychology |
Melissa Hunt |
(This is a
continuation of Psyc 362-301 taught Fall 2004 and
is therefore only available to students who were enrolled in that
course.)
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 inependent 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.
|
Research Experience in the Theory of Persons |
David Williams |
People exist in both public and private
worlds. The methodologies by which psychologists explore these worlds
are quite
different. This seminar will compare and contrast data from
representative
methodologies, using concepts that theoretically intersect. In
particular, we
will compare data provided by tests and inventories derived from
humanistic
personality theory with data developed from a tutorial program that
uses
Skinnerian principles of behavioral analysis to teach the concepts of
humanistic personality theory on an individualized basis. Throughout
the
semester, members of the class will provide the data, and privacy will
be fully
respected. Prerequisite: Psychology 160, 164 or
permission of the Instructor.
|
Research Experience in Social Psychology |
John Sabini/Melanie
Green |
(This is a
continuation of Psyc 370-301 taught Fall 2004 and
is therefore only available to students who were enrolled in that
course.)
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. Prerequisite:
Psychology 170 or permission of the Instructors.
|
Research Experience in Social Psychology |
Kathryn Mason |
This seminar will focus on observational
methods
of studying social psychological phenomena.
|
Research Experience in Developmental
Psychology |
Sara Jaffee |
Longitudinal Research Methods: Longitudinal studies collect data on
individuals over
time. This course will cover issues related to the design and analysis
of
longitudinal data in the social sciences. Students will spend the
semester
learning how to analyze data from longitudinal studies and how to write
up the
findings from these analyses. Students will be expected to complete a
research
project using longitudinal data that will be made available in
the course
and will be required to submit a research paper on this project at the
end off
the semester. Prerequisite: One semester of
Statistics and Psychology 180 or permission of the Instructor.