Department of Psychology

Undergraduate Courses - Fall 2008

Psychology 001 is the prerequisite for all other Psychology courses 100-level and above

All seminars and research experience courses are listed below.

A department permit is required for all 200 and 300-level courses (except for PSYC 278)

The College of General Studies (CGS) offers the courses below. Please visit the CGS website for detailed course descriptions and locations. You can register for CGS courses through PennInTouch; usually no permit required.

Psyc 001-601: Introduction to Experimental Psychology, M, 5:30-8:30 (Fedotova/Parks)

Psyc 149-601: Cognitive Neuroscience, R, 5-8 (staff)

Psyc 160-601: Personality, W, 5:30-8:30 (staff)

Psyc 162-601: Abnormal Psychology, TR, 5-6:30 (N. Jayawickreme)

Psyc 170-601: Social Psychology, T 6-9 (Royzman)

Psyc 270-601: Special Topics in Social Psychology: Political Psychology, T, 5:30-8:30 (E. Jayawickreme)

Additional courses that count toward the Psych major and minor:

ANTH 104: Sex and Human Nature

BIBB 340: Human Chronobiology and Sleep

MKTG 211: Consumer Behavior

OPIM 290: Decision Processes

The courses above are not cross-listed with Psychology, but yes, they will count toward the Psych major/minor.

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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 to the neuropsychological and pharmaceutical revolutions of today.

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.

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.  This course 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. Prerequisite: Psychology 001

Cross-listed with BIBB109 and BIOL 219. 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 BIBB, Biology or Psychology advisors.  Prerequisite: Psychology 001, or Biology 101, or permission of the instructor

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). Prerequisite: Psychology 001

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.  Prerequisite: Psychology 001

Cross-listed with BIBB 231 and BIOL 231. The evolution of social behavior in animals, with emphasis on group formation, cooperation among kin, mating systems, territoriality, and communication. Prerequisite: Psychology 001

This course describes the nature of human language, how it is used to speak and comprehend, and how it is learned. The course raises and discusses issues such as whether language ability is innate and unique to humans, whether there is a critical period for the acquisition of a language, and how linguistic and conceptual knowledge interact. Prerequisite: Psychology 001

Cross-listed with BIBB 249. The study of neural systems that underlie hunan perception, memory, and language; and of the pathological syndromes that result from damage to these systems. Prerequisite: Psychology 001 or BIBB 109. (N.B. there is no recitation section required)

Cross-listed with PPE 153. Thinking, judgment, and personal and societal decision making, with emphasis on fallacies and biases. Prerequisite: one semester of Statistics or Microeconomics. Note: Psychology 001 is not a prerequisite for this course.

The course will introduce several key theorists in personality psychology.  Students will learn 
and evaluate psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive,  humanistic, and biological perspectives, and 
they will become familiar with  the major methods of personality assessment. The course will 
additionally  review constructs in trait psychology such as self-esteem and  introversion/extraversion. 
Through media, literature, and various  experiential assignments, students will be able to apply course concepts  
toward self-understanding. Prerequisite: Psychology 001

The concepts of normality, abnormality, and psychopathology; symptom syndromes; theory and research in psychopathology and psychotherapy. Prerequisite: Psychology 001

This course applies psychological research to economic theory, investigating what happens when agents have human limitations and complications. The effects of limited cognitive capacities, willpower, and self-interest will be considered. Particular emphasis will be given to strategic interaction. Prerequisites: Microeconomics

An introductory study 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. Topics include aggression, altruism, prejudice, interpersonal attraction, social influence, and the self-concept.

Prerequisite: Psychology 001

Cultural psychology investigates the influence of sociocultural factors on  human thought and behavior.
The course will investigate how several major  psychology concepts and findings might be influenced by 
factors such as  race, ethnicity, gender, and class. It will thus examine issues that link  psychology
 to other fields such as anthropology, economics, political  science, and sociology. Students will 
familiarize themselves with the  characteristics and perspectives of several cultural groups, and 
they will  learn to analyze and integrate knowledge from various sources including  films, readings, 
scientific literature and the popular media. A primary goal  of the course is to appreciate how 
psychology and our world has been viewed  through cultural "lenses," and to explore, articulate, and 
critically  evaluate those lenses in a respectful environment. Prerequisite: Psychology 001

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All seminars and research experience courses are listed below.

A department permit is required for all 200 and 300-level courses (except for PSYC 278)

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, or Psychology 155, or permission of the instructor.

Why are certain clinical syndromes, such as depression and anxiety, overrepresented among women, while others, such as aggression and substance abuse, are more common among men? This course explores gender differences and similarities in emotional socialization and expression, vulnerability to mental illness, and help-seeking behavior. Several forms of psychopathology will be considered, including major depression, eating disorders, traumatic stress, conduct disorder, substance use disorders, and personality disorders. Prerequisite: Psychology 162

Recent national and international events (terrorist attacks of 9-11, the 2004 tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq) as well as elevated rates of interpersonal and community violence, have increased public awareness of psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Great strides have been made in terms of defining trauma and PTSD, identifying risk and resiliency factors, and developing evidence-based treatments. Nevertheless, the field continues to be challenged ny evolving diagnostic criteria and controversy (e.g., the repressed memory debate, multiple personality, and false disability claims). This course explores the meaning of psychological trauma and it impact on the individual and society. Social, psychological, and biological theories will be considered. In addition, we will examine past and current definitions of trauma and PTSD, risk and resiliency factors, various treatment approaches, and current controversies in the field. Prerequisite: Psychology 162

This seminar will focus on controversial issues in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. We will review evidence and arguments for and against issues such as dissociative identity disorder (formerly known as multiple personality disorder), gender identity disorder, recovered memories, and other interesting controversial topics. Students will be expected to read and critically evaluate selected articles and contribute to an active discussion in class. The first few topics and readings will be selected and presented by the instructor but subsequent ones will be chosen by the students, who will engage the class in a discussion and debate. There will also be one paper assignment, based on a topic covered in class. Prerequisite: Psychology 162

This seminar explores various aspects of emotion and mood as they relate to interpersonal interaction, intimate relationships, nonverbal and verbal expressions of emotion, performing arts, altered states of consciousness, commonly recognized and some uncommon and unusual emotions, and issues relating to diversity and culture of the above. Prerequisite:  Psychology 170

This seminar will use three major categories to organize the domain of religion: Believing (faith, avowal, the sources of religious understanding, etc.), Behaving (obedience, ritual, moral conduct; consistency, self-deception, hypocrisy, etc.) and Belonging (voluntary and involuntary membership, “fellowship,” conversion, excommunication, proselytization, etc.).  A fourth category, Benefit, describes the reward or expected outcome of religious life.   We will use this model to explore how psychology, broadly construed to include aspects of other social and biological sciences, engages with important aspects of religious life. Readings will include sources from Western and Asian religions and a variety of psychological viewpoints.  Each student will develop a substantial term paper for the course in addition to completing weekly question sets on the assigned readings. Prerequisite:  Psychology 170

Decisions to have children are influenced by cultural norms and economic constraints.  Cultural and economic conditions have changed drastically, and, as a result, recent years have seen a sharp, nearly worldwide decline in birth rate, and exceedingly low birth rates in contemporary Europe and Japan.  The history, causes, and consequences of this "fertility transition" are the central topics of this seminar.  Historical topics include the emergence of the concept of deliberate family size restriction, which fostered birth rate declines in some countries long before the introduction of efficient contraceptives.  Causes include the escalating cost of rearing children.  Consequences include population aging and resultant difficulty funding pensions for retirees.  (The “social security crisis” is much worse in Europe and Japan than in the USA.)  This seminar also considers contemporary women's career-family conflicts, which illustrate some of the psychological, sociological, and economic factors with which the seminar is concerned.  Additional information is available at  http://psych.upenn.edu/~norman/syl278p05.htm.  Non-BFS students do not need special permission to enroll.

Language Acquisition: How do children learn language? Infants and toddlers, not generally known for their intellectual prowess, are excellent language learners. Those of us who start learning a language in adulthood may never reach the level of attainment of the average 5-year-old, at least in some respects. Why is that? In this seminar, we will examine how language learning works in early childhood. Topics will include perceptual development, babbling and early talking, word learning, syntax, and second-language learning. Students will read and present primary source material. Prerequisites: any one or more of the following - Psychology 181, 151, 135, or 111; Linguistics 001, 105, 106, 135, 330, or similar.

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. Prerequisites: Psychology 151 or 135, and one semester of statistics.

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 Dr. Hunt including your experiences in psychology, why you are interested in the course, and how the course fits in to your overall career planning. Prerequisite: Psychology 162 and one semester of statistics.

This course will help you gain an understanding of the ways in which clinical psychologists study the etiology, course, and treatment of various forms of psychopathology. Students will be encouraged to develop their own topics of interest, to collect and analyze data, and to write up and present their findings. The course will focus on developing students' understanding of methods in clinical psychology research. Class meetings will largely be devoted to discussing student's research questions and progress. Prerequisites: Psychology 162 and one semester of statistics

What predicts professional and academic success? In this course, students will work together in groups of 2 to 4 on research projects directed at this question. In particular, we will test the importance of personality, motivation, interest, and ability to achievement in high school, in college, and in business. The course members meet 6 hours per week (formally and informally); an additional 4 hours of work per week will be completed outside of the lab. Honors students and others interested in extending their research into the spring may be able to do so as a 399-level independent study student. Prerequisite: PSYC 160 and Statistics 111, or permission of the instructor.

In this course students will, in consultation with the instructor, develop hypotheses and then design, carry out, and write up original research in evolutionary psychology. Topics will focus on adaptations for social life, including: social categorization, cooperation, social exclusion, mating, friendship, and so on. Prerequisites: Psychology 170 and one semester of statistics

Perceptual Learning. In this course, we will create original experiments on perceptual learning. Topics may include categorization, phonological rule learning, word learning, or sentence understanding. Skills to be taught and practiced may include experimental design, audiovisual display editing, and coding of behavior, among others.  The learning problems addressed will be motivated by research on infants and children, though experiments may test adults.  Prerequisites: previous coursework in perception, cognition, cognitive development, or language required, and Statistics 111.

Open only 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. Permission of the instructor and admission to the Honors program required.

Cross-listed with BIBB451
This course will cover basic principles of human and animal behavior genetics, including the genetics of normal variation as well as extreme phenotypes represented by behavioral, psychiatric and neurologic disorders.  The course will focus on methods necessary to critically evaluate research findings on normal and abnormal human behavior.  Animal models will also be reviewed.

Cross-listed with BIOL 442 This advanced course focuses on the current state of our knowledge about the neurobiological basis of learning and memory. A combination of lectures and student seminars will explore the molecular and cellular basis of learning in invertebrates and vertebrates from a behavioral and neural perspective.