11679

PSY 103 A Intro to Psychological Science

Sarah Dunphy-Lelii

M . W . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

OLIN 203

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. Class size: 24

11680

PSY 103 B Intro to Psychological Science

Andrew Gallup

M . W . .

11:50 am -1:10 pm

RKC 102

SSCI

See above. Class size: 22

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11672

PSY 204 A Research Methods in Psychology

Barbara Luka

M . W . .

1:30 pm -2:50 pm

RKC 103

SCI

This course is a continuation of Psychology 203. Its objectives are to extend the skills and abilities students acquired in the fall semester, and to provide an introduction to the research methods and data analyses used in the study of psychology. Students will gain an understanding of research methods and design through a combination of readings, lectures, class discussions, and hands-on laboratory experience. Students will work both individually and in groups to design and conduct observational studies, surveys, and experiments. There will be a strong emphasis on learning to present research results in different ways. Ethical issues will be discussed at each stage of the research process, and students will develop their ability to assess research critically. This course has a choice of labs, see above. Class size: 32

PSY 204 Lab Options: (register separately)

11673

PSY 204 LBA Research Methods Lab A

Barbara Luka

. . . Th .

10:30am - 12:30pm

HDR 101A

SCI

Class size: 16

11674

PSY 204 B Research Methods Lab B

Barbara Luka

. . . Th .

1:30 pm -3:30 pm

HDR 101A

SCI

Class size: 16

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11675

PSY 224 Child Development

Sarah Dunphy-Lelii

. T . Th .

8:30 am -9:50 am

HEG 102

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). Class size: 24

11369

PSY 231 Evolutionary Psychology

Andrew Gallup

M . W . .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

OLIN 202

SSCI

Cross-listed: Biology; Mind, Brain & Behavior All species are a product of evolution and Homo sapiens is no exception. Nevertheless, the Darwinian revolution that transformed biology a long time ago is only now taking place for the study of humans. Virtually every human-related subject (e.g., the social sciences, the health sciences, and the humanities) can be approached from an evolutionary perspective. Even better, evolutionary theory is dissolving the traditional disciplinary boundaries, for example by making knowledge of people in relation to their ancestral environments (anthropology, archaeology) essential for understanding the nature of the human mind (psychology) or modern health (medicine). Evolution is truly a passport for the study of all things animate and their productions, therefore all things human, in addition to other organisms. Evolutionary psychology is the scientific study of human nature, based on understanding the psychological adaptations that our ancestors evolved in prehistory to cope with the challenges of survival and reproduction. This course will investigate multiple facets of human behavior and cognition from an evolutionary perspective. While developing an appreciation of the ways in which evolutionary thinking can inform the study of human psychology and behavior, students in this course will also gain experience in understanding and evaluating primary research reports. Class size: 22

11371

PSY 240 Social Psychology

Kristin Lane

M . W . .

10:10am - 11:30am

OLIN 202

SSCI

Cross-listed: Gender & Sexuality Studies; Sociology 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. Class size: 22

11370

PSY 246 Psychology of Good and Evil

Kristin Lane

M . W . .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

OLIN 203

SSCI

Cross-listed: Human Rights Hannah Arendt observed that “The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.” In this course, we will examine why ordinary people can behave in extraordinarily deplorable ways (often, as Arendt notes, without intending to do so), yet at the same time have the capacity for exceptional acts of altruism and even heroism. We will take a social psychological approach to understanding the situational and personal causes of acts of social destruction and humanitarianism. Topics to be covered include aggression, prejudice, and genocide, as well as altruism, volunteerism, and morality. Sources will include empirical articles as well as review articles, videos, and case studies. Class size: 22

11676

PSY 252 Drugs and Human Behavior

Frank Scalzo

. T . Th .

10:10am - 11:30am

ALBEE 106

SSCI

Cross-listed: Mind, Brain & Behavior; Science, Technology & Society This course will explore the biological bases for the behavioral effects of several psychoactive substances including therapeutic compounds, such as antipsychotics and antidepressants, and drugs of abuse. The course will focus on mechanisms of drug action and physiological and behavioral effects. Broader societal issues such as drug addiction, drug policies and drug testing, and controversial therapeutic interventions will be discussed in relation to selected compounds. Prerequisite: An introductory Psychology or Biology course, or consent of the instructor. Class size: 22

11461

PSY 261 Child Survival and Human Rights

Helen Epstein

. T . Th .

3:10 pm -4:30 pm

OLIN 201

SSCI

Cross-listed: Human Rights In Africa, Asia and Latin America some eight million children under five die annually, the vast majority from causes that cost little to prevent or cure. In Western countries, child deaths are very rare except in cases of severe congenital abnormality, premature birth, or accident. But this was not always the case. One hundred years ago, death rates among children in New York were higher than they are in even the poorest countries today, and many who survived were physically and mentally stunted by the effects of poverty. What can our own past experience tell us about how to address the child mortality crisis in developing countries today? This issue is timely because 2015 is the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, set by the UN in 2000. The fourth of these Goals calls for a 60% decline in child mortality in 60 developing countries compared to 1990 levels, and some $20 billion dollars is now being spent annually by government aid agencies and foundations on programs aimed, in part, at meeting it. This course will describe efforts past and present by governments, health agencies and foundations to prevent child deaths and promote healthy child development in the West and in developing countries, and explore why some efforts have been more successful than others. Topics covered will include infectious diseases including malaria, polio and AIDS; nutrition; and the discovery of the cognitive and emotional needs of small children. The importance of prevailing social attitudes towards children and women, as well as the political and economic imperatives that drive government action, will be emphasized. Class size: 22

11462

PSY 331 Grounded Cognition and the Representation of Knowledge

Barbara Luka

. T . . .

10:10am - 12:30pm

RKC 111

SSCI

Cross-listed: Mind, Brain & Behavior Grounded Cognition” proposes that cognitive systems evolved to support action, so that perceptual systems (neural structures that encode physical and sensory information) are the foundation of concepts in memory. Recent advances in neuroimaging methods, including event-related potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging, provide strong support for this new perspective, driving a re-evaluation of many long-held assumptions regarding the representation of concepts, processes of memory, and the role of language in cognition. In this course we examine these new theories on the “embodiment” of knowledge in the context of prevailing paradigms. We will also explore laboratory demonstrations of non-invasive imaging techniques used to study embodiment, including eye-tracking and electrophysiology. The structure of this course encourages the development of analytic and empirical skills, with an emphasis on both writing and research methods. Each participant will prepare a literature review (a synthesis of theoretic perspectives) and a proposal for independent research (a creative design for future investigation). Prerequisite: Moderated students or consent of instructor. Class size: 12

11677

PSY 348 The Work and Legacy of Stanley Milgram

Stuart Levine

M . . . .

3:00 pm -6:00 pm

LB3 302

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. Class size: 8

11678

PSY 391 Psychobiology of Stress and Mental Illness

Frank Scalzo

. . W . .

1:30 pm -3:50 pm

OLIN 309

SSCI

Cross-listed: Mind, Brain & Behavior Recent advances in the understanding of the neurobiology and physiology of stress have changed the way stress is viewed, both as a primary phenomenon and as a secondary factor that precipitates or causes a variety of psychiatric disorders. The latter include phobias, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and schizophrenia. This research conference will examine

recent findings on the mechanisms and biological consequences of stress and will explore links between these effects and psychiatric disorders as reported in journal articles. Students will be expected to read and develop critiques of these articles as well as make class presentations. This seminar is intended for students who have moderated in psychology or biology, but is open to students with suitable background. Class size: 12

11681

PSY NEU Neuroscience:Advanced Methodology

Frank Scalzo

. T . . .

1:30 pm -3:30 pm

PRE 101

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). Class size: 10

11372

PSY SOC Social Psychology: Advanced Methodology

Kristin Lane

. T . . .

1:30 pm -3:30 pm

PRE

This course provides hands-on experience in the practice of Social Psychology. Students will work individually and in teams on ongoing research projects in the Social Psychology Laboratory. The realm of topics to be studied includes the roots of unconscious bias, the gender disparity in the sciences, and behavior change. Students will participate in all phases of the research process, including developing stimuli, programming studies, conducting experimental sessions, and coding and analyzing research data. Requirements include attendance at weekly lab meetings, two papers, a lab presentation, and other assignments throughout the semester. Enrollment is open to first-, second-, and third-year students with the permission of the instructor. Students are expected to enroll for two consecutive semesters. (This course may be taken for a maximum of eight credits.) Class size: 6