91137

PSY CLN Clinical Psychology: Advanced Methodology

Beth Gershuny

. . . Th .

1:30 -3:30 pm

Preston

N/A

2 credits This course will provide basic training and direct experience with research in Clinical Psychology in general, and research in the empirical domains of Anxiety- and Trauma-Related Disorders (e.g., Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) in particular. Rudiments of research planning, design, and conduction will be discussed; and relevant ethical issues will be considered. Theoretical paradigms and empirical findings – and relevant books and articles – will be reviewed and critiqued, and these will be used to create bases for the evaluation of existing research questions as well as the creation of new research questions. In addition, existing datasets will be analyzed, and new data will be collected. Ultimately, the goal is that projects – both preexisting and new – will lead to the generation of Senior Project ideas and plans, and ultimately to conference presentations and publications.

91187

PSY COG Cognitive Psychology: Advanced Methodolgy

Barbara Luka

. . . Th .

1:30 -3:30 pm

Preston

N/A

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science (2 credits) This course provides an opportunity for guided research in psycholinguistics. You will contribute to ongoing studies of language comprehension, including preparing stimuli, working with participants, analyzing collected data, reviewing recently published empirical papers, and developing your independent project. Requirements include consistent participation in weekly lab meetings and two short papers (a literature review and a summary of your empirical project). Open to first-year, second-year and junior students with consent of the instructor. (This course may be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.)

91229

PSY NEU Neuroscience: Advanced Methodology

Frank Scalzo

. . . Th .

1:30 -3:30 pm

Preston 101

N/A

(2 credits) In this course, students will participate in laboratory research in developmental psychopharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, neuroanatomy and/or neurobehavioral teratology using the zebrafish as an animal model. Within these general fields, specific roles of neurotransmitter systems in normal behavioral development and the neurobehavioral effects of chemical insults during early development will be investigated. The majority of time in this course will consist of independent laboratory work and research. There will be a weekly laboratory meeting, readings, assignments, two short papers (a literature review and a summary of your empirical project) and student presentations. Open to first-year, second-year and junior students with consent of the instructor (this course may be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits).

91140

PSY 103 A Introduction to Psychological Science

Frank Scalzo

. . W . F

10:10 - 11:30 am

RKC 103

SSCI

How does the mind create the reality we perceive? How do experiences shape the brain, and how do processes in the brain influence thought, emotion and behavior?  This course investigates these and similar questions by studying the science of the human mind and behavior. The course covers topics such as memory, perception, development, psychopathology, personality, and social behavior. A focus is on the biological, cognitive, and social/cultural roots that give rise to human experience. Additionally, the course will consider how behavior differs among people, and across situations.

91006

PSY 103 B Introduction to Psychological Science

Sarah Ketay

. T . Th .

10:10 - 11:30 am

Olin 202

SSCI

See description above.

91504

PSY 103 C Introduction to Psychological Science

Sarah Ketay

M . W . .

3:10- 4:30 pm

Olin L. C. 208

SSCI

See description above.

91136

PSY 203 Statistics for Psychology

Beth Gershuny LAB:

M . W . . M . . . .

10:10 - 11:30 am 1:30 -3:30 pm

Olin L. C. 115 HDR 106

MATC

This course provides an introduction to the concepts and methods of statistics and is aimed at helping the student to gain a fundamental understanding of the tools needed to understand and conduct research in psychology. Topics to be covered include frequency distributions and probability, descriptive statistics, simple correlation and regression, sampling distributions, t-tests and basic and factorial analysis of variance. Non-parametric tests such as Chi-square will also be introduced. The course will focus on the interpretation and communication of statistics, and we will work with the SPSS software package to analyze data.  This course is the first of a two-course sequence in statistics and research methods that is required of all prospective psychology majors. The course is ordinarily taken in the first semester of the sophomore year, and the student should have at least one previous psychology course.  

91528

PSY 210 Development and Psychopathology

Sarah Lopez-Duran

. T . Th .

1:30 -2:50 pm

HEG 102

SSCI

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science This course investigates the early and multiple factors contributing to psychopathology emerging in childhood, as well as the diagnostic and treatment standards now in practice. We will emphasize an empirically-based developmental psychopathology perspective, with an emphasis on the risk and protective factors that shape abnormal and normal developmental trajectories. We will explore various models for understanding maladaptive development (e.g, the role of genes, psychosocial influences) through the examination of current research and diagnostic practices in specific diagnostic areas (e.g., autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Throughout this course, students will be encouraged to relate empirical findings to the field’s theoretical models in considering the genetic, biological, cognitive, and cultural influences on child development. Prerequisite: PSY 103

91139

PSY 224 Child Development

Sarah Lopez-Duran

. T . Th .

8:30 -9:50 am

Olin 204

SSCI

This is a specialized course that prepares students to understand the biological, motor, perceptual, cognitive (including intelligence), language, emotional, social, and gender development of children. The process of human development from conception through early adolescence is studied. Emphasis is placed on what enables children to reach physical, mental, emotional and social maturity, and helps us to address the question “What environments promote optimum development for children?” Child development history, theory, and research strategies will be discussed, as well as the effect of family, peers, media, and schooling. This class would be good for those interested in children, education, or the cognitive and social development of humans. This class is not appropriate for students who have already taken Psych 216 (Developmental Psychology).

91230

PSY 230 Neuroscience

Frank Scalzo

. T . Th .

10:10 - 11:30 am

Olin 204

SSCI

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science The ability to express thoughts and emotions, and to interact with the environment, is dependent in large part on the function of the nervous system. This course will examine basic concepts and methods in the study of brain, mind and behavior. Topics include the structure and function of the central nervous system, brain development, learning and memory, emotion, sensory and motor systems, the assessment of human brain damage, and clinical disorders such as schizophrenia, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. Prerequisite: Introduction to General Psychology, Introduction to Developmental Psychology or Introduction to Biology.

91505

PSY 240 Social Psychology

Sarah Ketay

M . W . .

11:50 – 1:10 pm

Heg 102

SSCI

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies Social Psychology is the scientific study of human thought, behavior, and feelings in their social contexts. This class will survey many of the processes that influence and are influenced by our interactions with others, such as attitude formation and change, conformity and persuasion. We will also use principles of social psychology to understand the ordinary origins of benevolent (e.g., altruism, helping behavior) and malevolent (e.g., aggression, prejudice) aspects of human behavior. Throughout the course, we will emphasize the influence of culture, race, and gender on the topics addressed. Students should have completed Introduction to Psychology or its equivalent.

91185

PSY 248 Human Memory

Barbara Luka

M . W . .

6:20 -7:40 pm

Olin 202

SSCI

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science Memory is fundamental to all aspects of learning and behavior in all animal species. However, the study of human memory presents a special case because humans use language. Language provides a unique mechanism for encoding and retrieving memories, but language also biases memory. This course is an overview of classic theories and current research in human learning and memory. We will evaluate models of memory, including debates on the cognitive representations of knowledge. We will also examine the role of awareness in memory, false memory, the biological bases of memory, diseases and disorders of memory, and methods for brain imaging. Prerequisite: 100 level course in Psychology or Biology or permission of the instructor.

91186

PSY 339 Cognitive and Neural Bases of Metaphor Comprehension

Barbara Luka

. T . . .

10:10 -12:30 pm

HDR 302

SSCI

Cross-listed: Cognitive Science A fundamental assumption of language processing research is that the meaning of a sentence arises from the sum of the meanings of the constituent words that comprise the sentence. Figurative expressions, in contrast, convey meaning that extends beyond the literal meanings of the words in the utterance, for example: literature is a gold mine; you are the sunshine of my life; her laughter is sparkling champagne. In each of these examples, a novel domain is invoked to illuminate a comparison and to bring out a relevant characteristic that is salient between the two domains. Because the comprehension of figurative language is not simply compositional, models of language processing predicted that metaphor comprehension would require more cognitive effort, and would require a longer period of time for a listener to infer the speaker’s intended meaning compared to the time needed to interpret literal language expressions. Surprisingly, research instead supports the conclusion that even novel metaphorical expressions are understood quickly and easily. In this course, we examine both the cognitive and neurological characteristics that make this paradoxical accomplishment possible. We examine current theories of metaphor, including approaches of Cognitive Linguistics and cognitive science. We also examine how new research technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging are contributing to our understanding.

91138

PSY 348 The Work and Legacy of Stanley Milgram

Stuart Levine

M . . . .

1:30 -3:50 pm

Library

SSCI

Cross-listed: Science, Technology & Society ; related interest: Human Rights The title for this course is taken from the title of a recent biography of Stanley Milgram authored by Thomas Blass, a professor of social psychology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County campus. It has now been forty years since the original work of Stanley Milgram demonstrated the remarkable and unpredicted finding that large numbers of individuals in multiple samples of American men and women studied were willing to punish another person when ordered to do so by an experimenter. The prominence of the initial work and the continued salience of such study in social psychology cannot be over-stated. In a review of the personal and situational determinants of obedient behavior in the "Milgram design" format, Thomas Blass (1991) lists as many as 200 references. It could well be that 100 more have appeared since the Blass review. Beside the volume of studies conducted and the attempts at review and theorizing, the domain of the "Milgram" study is worthy of continuing interest not only because of the vastness of both criticism and praise to which the work was subjected but because of events of our current time. These suggest that the continuing study of obedience phenomena is necessary and that social scientists should likely find a way to safely and ethically investigate the conditions which promote destructive obedience. This is an upper college seminar which serves as a Research Conference for psychology majors but is not limited to psychology or even social studies majors. The single criterion for membership is a willingness to read with care. A portion of the work contained in the body of the obedience literature will be reviewed from the perspective of trying to assess the continuing status of the phenomenon and the explanations and understandings that have been brought to light.

91135

PSY 351 The Psychology of Sexual Behavior: Clinical Considerations

Beth Gershuny

. T . . .

10:10 - 12:30 pm

RKC 200

SSCI/DIFF

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies Sex and sexuality are integral to life and health, and often are topics of discussion and concern within the broad context of psychology in general and the specific contexts of clinical science and psychotherapy in particular. Though sexual dysfunctions may comprise diagnosable “disorders” that are amenable to treatment, a multitude of non-diagnosable sexual issues also are pertinent (e.g., sexual side effects from medications, relation between sexual activity and general psychological well-being). A consideration and balance of sexual ethics also often are at play in the therapeutic relationship. As such, this course will provide an in-depth empirical, conceptual, and theoretical examination of sexual behavior and its relevance to clinical science and psychotherapy. Topics will include, but are not limited to: sexual ethics and boundaries in the therapeutic relationship; “healthy” sexual functioning; sexual disorders (e.g., sexual desire disorders such as premature ejaculation and female orgasmic disorder, paraphilias such as exhibitionism and fetishism) and their treatment; the controversial and questionable veracity of sexual addiction as a diagnostic category; and sexual trauma. Prerequisites: PSY 210 (Development and Psychopathology), PSY 241 (Abnormal Psychology), or PSY 264 (Adult Psychopathology).