Courses at the 300-level
Statistical methods and research design as they are used in psychological investigations are examined. Topics include measures of central tendency, variance, probability, and statistical tests. (Formerly Introduction to Psychological Methods.)
4 credit hours
- or equivalent
Development, from conception to early adolescence, is studied, with an emphasis on biopsychosocial factors.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 221
- PSYC 230
- or equivalents
Significant factors in adolescent development are studied. Emphasis is on adjustment to adolescent roles and the search for self-identity .
4 credit hours
- PSYC 221
- PSYC 230
- or equivalents
Theories and research on family structure, functioning, and development, are examined. Discussion includes the interdependent relationships between an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and the family system.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 221
- PSYC 230
- or equivalents
Theory and research relating to psychological processes in adulthood and old age are addressed. Topics include behavior-biology interactions and perceptual, cognitive, and intellectual functioning.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 221
- PSYC 230
- or equivalents
The variables that determine what we perceive are explored, including input from sensory systems and the effects of attention and past experience. Included are experimental techniques used to investigate perceptual phenomena.
4 credit hours
- or equivalent
Traditional theories and contemporary models of learning are examined. Emphasis is on relationships between theories and observed phenomena.
4 credit hours
- or equivalent
Neural and chemical bases of behavior are examined, including the relationship between anatomical, neurophysiological, and behavioral data. General principles of sensory functioning, control of movement, and rhythms are also considered.
4 credit hours
- or equivalent
Historical and contemporary views of cognitive functioning are introduced, with emphasis on current interpretations of a wide range of cognitive phenomena. Included are information-processing theories.
4 credit hours
- or equivalent
Psychosocial factors relating to human diversity, such as gender, socioeconomic class, and race/ethnicity, are presented. Included are historical and contemporary effects of discrimination and methods of reducing intergroup conflict. (Formerly PSYC 451: Race, Class, and Gender.)
4 credit hours
- PSYC 110 (or 215)
- PSYC 221
The growth of psychology from its philosophical roots to its current status is surveyed. Emphasis is on the great historical questions and controversies and on the people involved with them.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 221
- PSYC 251
- or equivalents
Traditional and contemporary approaches to the understanding and treatment of a wide range of abnormal behaviors, both in children and in adults, are studied.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 221
- PSYC 251
- or equivalents
Documented sex differences from biological, biosocial, and social-psychological perspectives are analyzed. Included are theories and research findings relating to personality, self-concept, and mental health.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 215
- PSYC 221
- or equivalents
Classical and contemporary theoretical and empirical approaches to how individuals think about and understand the social environment are examined, including attribution processes and social inferences, and attention and memory processes.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 215
- PSYC 221
- or equivalents
Contemporary issues and developments in the field of psychology are explored. Recent research and theoretical literature are considered. Topics vary. This course may be repeated for credit with a change in content.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 221
- Consent of department chair
Students select a topic and undertake concentrated research under the supervision of a faculty advisor.
3 credit hours
- PSYC 221 or equivalent, 6 credit hours of 300-level psychology courses, and consent of department chair and dean
This is a continuation of PSYC 390.
3 credit hours
- PSYC 390 and consent of department chair and dean
Topics of current interest are selected from psychological literature. Under the supervision of the instructor, students conduct investigations into these topic areas. One class per week is devoted to problems of research design and methodology.
4 credit hours
- PSYC 473 or 475 or 477 and consent of department chair and dean