DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY 

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

  FALL 2007

PSYCHOLOGY 001 IS A PREREQUISITE FOR ALL PSYCHOLOGY COURSES 100-level and above

MW 2-3:30

* two-semester course continued in the Spring

SEMINARS AND RESEARCH EXPERIENCE COURSES

DEPT. PERMIT REQUIRED FOR ALL 200 AND 300-LEVEL COURSES below

(senior and junior majors are given preference)

PsyL C16

 * 2-semester course continued in the Spring

 ROOMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Fall 2007

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.

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.

  PSYCHOLOGY 001 IS A PREREQUISITE FOR ALL PSYCHOLOGY COURSES 100-level and above

Freshman Seminar

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 .)  The 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.

Fulfills the College Writing Requirement

Freshman Seminar

Exploring the Nature of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.  Although the negative psychological impact of traumatic events has been long recognized, several recent events have increasingly brought this issue into public concern, including the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and U.S.  Pentagon of 9/11, mental health problems among veterans returning from war in Iraq, and the Asian tsunami in December of 2004.  In this semester, we will explore scientific research on the nature and psychological impact of trauma to understand the psychological effects of explsure to traumatic events, the factors that may serve as a risk factor or protective factor for the development of serious psychological difficulties following exposure to a traumatic event, and the effectiveness of psychological and psychiatric treatments for ameliorating chronic posttrauma reactions.  The goal of this seminar is to help students not only understand the nature and impact of traumatic events, but to understand how knowledge about these topics is acquired and to improve critical thinking skills.

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 BIOL219

Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system, including the physiological bases of sensory activity,  perception, drive, motor contro,l 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

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

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 & BIOL 231

The evolution of social behavior in animals, with special 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 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.  

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.  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 or Game Theory, or instructor permission.

An overview of theory and research in social psychology.  Topics will include social influence (e.g. conformity), effects of persuasive messages, aggression, altruism, prejudice, and interpersonal attraction. Prerequisite: Psychology 001

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. (.5cu per semester)

SEMINARS (senior and junior majors are given preference)

* A Department Permit is Required for ALL 200-Level Courses *

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.

Recent advances in neuroscience have given us a new set of tools for understanding human behavior, and these tools are increasingly used outside the ivory tower.  The proliferation of “neuro”-suffixed fields – from neuroaesthetics to neurotheology – calls attention to the many new applications of neuroscience.  In this seminar we will learn about the uses of neuroscience in law, business, education and mental health policy, as well as the implications of neuroscience for religion, morality and the psychology of art.  For each of these domains of application we will ask:  What is known? What is the reality:hype ratio?  How do the neuroscience-based approaches differ from more conventional approaches?  And considering all of the different applications together we will ask:  How are neuroscience approaches distinctive, in terms of what they can tell us and in terms of how we think about them?
 
Prerequisites: Psych 109 or 149 or the equivalent.

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:  Microeconomics, or Psychology 153, and  Permission of Instructor needed.

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

Emotion: 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

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.

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.

Perceptual Learning in Infancy and Early Childhood.  In this course, we will create original experiments 
on perceptual development.  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 infant and child behavior, among others.  
Prerequisites:  Previous experience with children encouraged but not mandatory; previous coursework in 
perception, cognition, cognitive development, or language required, and Statistics 111.