15155 |
PSY 124 Child Development |
Sarah
Dunphy-Lelii LAB: |
. T . Th . . T . . . |
8:30am-9:50am 1:30pm-3:30pm |
OLIN 202 HDR 101A |
SCI |
In
this course we’ll consider development from conception through early
adolescence, with an emphasis on how the changes in children’s minds, bodies,
emotions, and social interactions work together to produce behaviors both
universal to our species and unique to each individual. In considering the
question “What environments promote optimum development for children?” We will
relate empirical findings to the field’s theoretical models of the genetic,
biological, cognitive, and cultural influences on development. A diversity of
writing, speaking, group, and hands-on experiences (including nursery school
observations) will augment readings from the text, popular culture, and
research journals. This class is geared
toward non-majors, and is not appropriate for students who have already taken
Child Development or Developmental Psychology at the 200-level. Class size: 18
15156 |
PSY 141 A Intro to Psychological Science |
Farnaz
Kaighobadi |
. T . Th . |
8:30am-9:50am |
OLIN 204 |
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
15157 |
PSY 141 B Intro to Psychological Science |
Farnaz
Kaighobadi |
. T . Th . |
11:50am-1:10pm |
RKC 115 |
SSCI |
See
above. Class size: 24
15158 |
PSY 141 C Intro to Psychological Science |
Thomas
Hutcheon |
. T . Th . |
1:30pm-2:50pm |
RKC 111 |
SSCI |
See
above. Class size: 22
15020 |
PSY 204 Research Methods in Psychology |
Amy
Winecoff |
. T . Th . |
10:10am- 11:30am |
HEG 204 |
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 which should be
registered separately. Prerequisites:
PSY 141 and PSY 203 Class size: 34
Lab Options: (register
separately)
15499 |
PSY 204 Research Methods in Psychology |
Amy
Winecoff |
. . W . . |
10:30am- 12:30pm |
HDR 101A |
SCI |
Class size: 17
15500 |
PSY 204 Research Methods in Psychology |
Amy
Winecoff |
. . W . . |
1:30pm-3:30pm |
HDR 101A |
SCI |
Class size: 17
15159 |
PSY 211 Child Abnormal Psychology |
Sarah
Dunphy-Lelii |
M . W . . |
10:10am- 11:30am |
OLIN 205 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed:
Mind, Brain & Behavior
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 141 Class size: 24
15160 |
PSY 220 Social Psychology |
Kristin
Lane |
. T . Th . |
11:50am-1:10pm |
RKC 101 |
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
15162 |
PSY 233 Sensation and Perception |
Thomas Hutcheon |
. T . Th . |
8:30am-9:50am |
OLIN 203 |
SSCI |
As
we read a line of text our eyes make a series of short, rapid movements
(saccades) followed by brief pauses (fixations). Yet, we experience reading as a continuous
flow of information. Reading reflects a
fundamental question for the study of sensation and perception: how does our
brain construct a stable representation of the world when provided with ever
changing sensory information? This
course will begin to address this, and related questions, by studying the
anatomy and physiology of sensory structures that receive stimulus information,
with a particular emphasis on the visual and auditory systems. Next, we will move to the cognitive processes
that turn this raw sensory information into our perception of the world. Finally, we will discuss how the same sensory
information can often lead to very different perceptions across individuals and
cultures. Readings will consist of a
combination of textbook chapters and empirical articles. Prerequisite: PSY 141, CMSC 131 or permission
of instructor. Class size: 22
15501 |
PSY 252 Drugs & Human Behavior |
Frank
Scalzo |
. T . Th . |
1:30pm-2:50pm |
OLIN 204 |
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
15498 |
PSY 258 Psychology of Human Sexuality |
Farnaz
Kaighobadi |
M . W . . |
1:30pm-2:50pm |
OLIN
201 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed:
Gender & Sexuality Studies This course is designed to help
students gain a better understanding and appreciation for the amazing
complexity of gender and sexuality. In this course we will examine
psychological, biological, evolutionary, and sociocultural influences on
sexuality. Topics investigated in this course will include but are not limited
to gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, psychology of intimate
relationships, human sexual response, and variations in sexual behavior. From
time to time, we will also discuss the roles religion, law, and public policy
play in sexual expression, sexual health and well being.
In addition to textbook, other sources such as research articles and book
chapters will be used to provide an overview of history, theories, methods and
current topics in sexuality research. Prerequisites: Introduction to
Psychological Science or consent of the instructor. Class size: 22
15502 |
PSY 271 Judgement & Decision Making |
Kristin
Lane |
. . W . F |
3:10pm-4:30pm |
RKC 111 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: Mind, Brain & Behavior What career will you
choose? Is the person across the street likely to be a criminal? How do public
policies affect decisions to save for retirement, seek preventive medical care,
or conserve environmental resources? John F. Kennedy captured a truth about
human decision-making when he noted that “[t]he
essence of ultimate decision remains impenetrable to the observer - often,
indeed to the decider himself.” In this course, we will heed Kennedy's reminder
that conscious reflection and verbal report often lead to inaccurate
descriptions of the causes of our judgments and decisions. Our focus will be on
trying to ascertain the underlying causes of these mental processes by relying
on contemporary research in fields such as psychology, neuroscience, economics,
political science that offer the systematic study of how people make decisions
given limited time and vast uncertainty. Sources will include empirical
articles as well as review papers, videos, and case studies. We will consider
applications of this work to domains such as finance, politics, the
environment, and medicine. This course is open to students with all
backgrounds, although comfort with algebra will be assumed. Class
size: 22
15169 |
PSY / HR 317 BAD IS STRONGER THAN GOOD |
Stuart Levine |
M . . . . |
3:00pm-6:00pm |
DUBOIS SEMINAR |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: Human Rights A year or so ago a photography/psychology
student discovered, or at least conjectured although not yet proven, that
photographically conveying a sad or negative scene to a viewer was somehow
easier then doing so for a cheerful landscape. Why do we more easily recognize and register
the bad and why is it more salient in our lives than the good? The so-called negative bias that “bad is stronger than good"
has been found across a wide array of psychological literature in both human
and animal life. This
demonstrated from Asch (1946) within his work on impression formation and in
more recent literature surveys [Baumeister (2001); Rozin and Royzman (2001)] This bias moreover is consistent over a myriad of topics
such as: social relations; emotions; mood; learning and even information
processing; physiological arousal; and memory. In this seminar we examine
studies across the domain of psychology and other disciplines to show that the
phenomena is sufficiently ubiquitous so as to reflect and perhaps even explain
the events sensed and perceived in our life space. Observe how the bad
dominates the daily report in the media.
What does this phenomenon mean with respect to the presence or absence
of optimism and associated behavior, or for the conduct of child rearing or the
power of the variable of happiness and other positive life circumstances? Moreover, an effort to find non-confirming
data produces a negative result. No
matter the variable studied bad exists at the center of our focus while good is
relegated to the periphery. This is an
upper college seminar for students of many disciplines. Class size: 10
15165 |
PSY 322 ExecUTIVE Control OF Thought & Action |
Thomas
Hutcheon |
. . . . F |
10:10am- 12:30pm |
OLIN 309 |
SSCI |
Sitting
on a public bus you are immediately reminded of the variety of stimuli confronting
you at any one time: the sound of people talking, the sight of cars passing by,
and the smell of the person next to you.
Now imagine you decide to read a newspaper on that bus. The conversation, the cars, and the person
next to you are now irrelevant sources of information and the newspaper is now
the relevant source of information.
Reading on the bus demonstrates a fundamental function of executive
control: the biasing of information processing in the service of internally
generated goals. This course will
investigate the mechanisms that underlie executive control, with a particular
focus on executive control in situations where individuals must switch rapidly
switch attention among multiple tasks.
Topics will include classic and current computational models, analysis
of task-switching and set-switching paradigms, and recent neuroimaging
results. Readings will consist primarily
of empirical and theoretical articles.
Prerequisites: PSY 141 or CMSC 132 and one of the following courses:
Cognitive Psychology, Neuroscience, Human Memory, Motivation, or Automaticity
of Social Life. Class size: 12
15164 |
PSY 345 Recent DevELOPMENTS IN Pharmacotherapies |
Frank
Scalzo |
. . W . . |
10:10am- 12:30pm |
OLIN 309 |
SSCI |
Cross-listed: Science,
Technology & Society This seminar will examine
newly discovered drug treatments for several mental illnesses. Initial class meetings will focus on in-depth
readings that will provide a background for understanding the methods used for
identifying and testing potential new therapies. Subsequent meetings will consist of
student-led discussions of topics of interest.
This course is open to moderated psychology students and other students
at the discretion of the instructor. Class
size: 15
15166 |
PSY 354 Causes & ConseqUENCES OF Eating Disorders |
Amy
Winecoff |
M . . . . |
1:30pm-3:50pm |
RKC 115 |
SSCI |
Eating
disorders are characterized by a persistent disturbance in eating behavior that
results in poor physical and mental well-being. Using animal models, human
experimental data, and epidemiological studies, this course will provide an
in-depth look at the pathogenesis, disease course, and psychological,
biological, and social consequences of eating disorders. We will discuss
anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and obesity at length; however, we will also
touch on other psychological and medical disturbances in eating behavior such
as binge eating, picky eating, and food allergies. Readings for this course
will primarily be empirical research, theoretical papers, and review articles
drawn from the scientific literature on eating disorders. Assignments will
include original research article presentations, an experiment proposal paper,
and a critical analysis of existing research. While we may touch on some
aspects of treatment, the course will largely focus on causes and consequences
of disordered eating. Prerequisites: one course in abnormal psychology or one
course in neuroscience or consent of the instructor. Class
size: 12
15167 |
PSY DEV Research in Developmental Psychology |
Sarah
Dunphy-Lelii |
. . . Th . |
1:30pm-3:30pm |
PRE |
|
Cross-listed:
Mind, Brain & Behavior
(2 credits) In this course, students
will participate in laboratory research in child developmental psychology.
Special emphasis will be placed on 3- to 5-year olds' social cognition,
perspective-taking, and memory in the context of games. The majority of time in
this course will consist of independent laboratory work and research, and
students will work with young children, parents, and members of the community
to initiate research protocols in our Preston-based laboratory
. 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: 6
15168 |
PSY SOC Social Psychology: Advanced Methodology |
Kristin
Lane |
. . . Th . |
2:30pm-4:30pm |
PRE |
|
(2
credits)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