Courses - Fall 2021

Why are people superstitious?  Why do people blush when they are embarrassed?  What is intelligence (and are IQ tests a good way to measure it)?  Why don't psychopaths feel guilty when they harm others?  How reliable are childhood memories?  Why do we laugh?  Do violent video games make people act violently?  Why do some people seem instantly trustworthy and others seem "creepy"?  How do we choose whom to sleep with, date, or marry?  How does stress affect our body?  While questions like these have been asked for centuries, psychology has begun to provide answers to these--and other questions about the human mind--by applying the tools of scientific investigation. In this course you will receive a broad introduction to the science of psychology: from the history of the field and its major advances, to the latest research on topics such as perception, memory, intelligence, morality, sexuality, mental illness, religion, language, and creativity.  You will also learn about the tools and methods psychologists use to investigate the mind, such as observing how the mind of a child changes and develops over time, looking at people across cultures, measuring brain activity, and experimentally manipulating everything from the shape of a figure presented on a computer screen, to the smell of a room, or the attractiveness of the experimenter.

Weekly seminar that may be taken in addition to PSYCH 1101 to provide an in-depth exploration of selected areas in the field of psychology. Involves extensive discussion and a semester paper related to the seminar topic. Choice of seminar topics and meeting times are available at the second lecture of PSYCH 1101.

Introduction to psychology from a biological perspective, which focuses on brain mechanisms of behavior. Topics include the structure and function of the nervous system, physiological approaches to understanding behavior, hormones and behavior, biological bases of sensation and perception, learning and memory, cognition, emotion, and communication.

This course is an introduction to the moral mind from philosophical and psychological perspectives. Many traditional philosophical problems about morality are being illuminated by current work in cognitive science. In this course, we will look at several of these problems. In each case, we will begin with a presentation of the philosophical problems, and we will proceed to examine recent empirical work on the topic. A wide range of topics will be covered, including moral judgment, agency, the self, and punishment.

In a complex environment with many sources of variability, how can one tell with confidence whether a particular observed effect is real? And how much confidence is appropriate? This course introduces the principles of statistical description and inference as strategies to answer these questions, with emphasis on methods of principal relevance to psychology, neuroscience, and the behavioral sciences.

This course explores how cognitive, social & clinical psychology are used in law. Law makes many assumptions about human psychology, and lawyers and judges regularly rely on psychological research in their cases. The course examines the psychology underlying criminal confessions; children's testimony; the insanity defense; risk assessment; judge and jury decision making; criminal punishment; constitutional law; and common law (tort, contract, and property) disputes. The course assesses the use and misuse of psychology in these subjects.  

What is "personality"? How is it scientifically studied and measured? To what extent, do biological, social, and cultural factors shape personality? Is personality an expression of our genetic make up and biology, the culmination of social influences, the interplay of both, or the result of random events? In this course, we will review the major theoretical paradigms of personality psychology, discuss contemporary research, theory, and methodology, and learn about key historical debates in the study of "personality".

Provides students with information and perspectives essential to volunteer fieldwork with human and social service programs in the community. Readings are drawn from the field of community psychology and include analyses of successful programs, such as Head Start, as well as a review of the methods by which those programs are developed and assessed. Although students are not required to volunteer, the instructor provides students with a list of local agencies open to student placements.

This course will introduce students to the basics of research design and will review several methodologies in the study of human development. The focus of the course will be on descriptive and experimental methods. Students will learn the advantages and challenges to different methodological approaches. The course also places an emphasis on developing students' scientific writing and strengthening their understanding of statistics.

Intro to Data Science for Social Scientists using R.

This course will expose students to a wide range of commonly used methods in neuroscience research (theory behind the method, common applications of the method, how data are collected and anylyzed using the method, strengths and weaknesses of the method, etc.). The goal for stuents is that by the end of the course, they will be able to read and critically evaluate primary literature from many areas of neuroscience and to understand how the methods used in the study helped the researches come to their conclusions. This course will explore methods including (but not necessarily limited to): microscopy, methods to visualize neuronal structure and function, electrophysiology, methods to neural activity, methods to measure and manipulate expression of genes/mRNA/protein, machine learning methods for behavioral analysis, and whole brain imaging methods in humans and non-human animals.

Morality seems to be a universal feature of human thinking.  People across time, place and culture have a strong sense that certain things are right or wrong, that some people are good and some are evil.  Where does this moral sense come from?  Why do some people disagree so strongly about what is right and wrong?  How did evolution shape this moral sense?  How does it develop?  Are there any universally agreed upon moral rules?  The goals of this course are to offer an introduction to the science behind our moral sense.

Focuses on how the scientific study of human memory interfaces with the theory and practice of law.

Covers comparative and evolutionary approaches to the study of the relationship between peripheral hormones and neuroendocrine mechanisms in vertebrates, including humans, with sexual behavior, affiliative bonds and social grouping, parental behavior, aggression, mating systems, stress, learning and memory, and biological rhythms.

This course is designed to provide an introduction to experimental research on the neural basis of behavior and cognition in animals. Topics will include basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, neural and hormonal control of behavior, and learning and memory. Students will gain extensive hands on experience with a variety of laboratory techniques, and animal species, and behaviors.

Composed of three components that form an intensive undergraduate field practicum. First, students spend three to six hours a week at local mental health agencies, schools, or nursing facilities working directly with children, adolescents, or adults; supervision is provided by host agency staff. Second, the instructor provides additional weekly individual, clinical supervision for each student. Third, seminar meetings cover issues of adult and developmental psychopathology, clinical technique, case studies, and current research issues. Students write one short paper, two final take-home exams, and present an account of their field experience in class.

We will encounter stress in life, whether from the decisions we make, the relationships we pursue, or the society in which we live.  Stress has a significant impact on our cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal functioning.  This seminar provides an in-depth understanding of the theoretical and empirical work related to the ways in which stress affects the mind and body, and effective strategies for coping with everyday stress.  We will cover a variety of topics related to negative life events, psychological stress, physiological stress, coping, and resilience.  These topics will be considered from social, personality, developmental, cognitive, and biological perspectives.

This course will familiarize you with the basic experimental social psychology research that investigates how our thoughts and beliefs (stereotypes), evaluative attitudes (prejudice), and behavioral responses (discrimination) toward individuals shift as a function of their group membership.  We will explore how empirical research developed from primarily examining explicit (blatant) prejudice in the 20th century to recent examinations of implicit forms of stereotyping and prejudice.  We will explore how stereotyping and prejudice can arise from basic perceptual and categorical processes, discuss strategies for minimizing expressed bias in interpersonal situations, and examine the experience of high status - and the consequences of losing it.  The ultimate aim is to enhance your ability to evaluate and analyze the scientific merit of this research and apply it to real world social issues.

Seminar on the essential features and qualities of culture and how it impacts human endeavors.  Because understanding culture necessarily requires interaction across multiple areas of study, this interdisciplinary seminar will be based on discussions of recent research at the interface of cognitive science and the humanities.  Topics may include: animal cultures, the evolution of language, the symbolic revolution, knowledge acquisitions, play, rituals and the arts. 

Covers the major topics in the psychology of music treated from a scientific perspective. Presents recent developments in the cognitive science of music, including perception and memory for pitch and rhythm, performing music, the relationship between music and language, musical abilities in infants, emotional responses, and the cognitive neuroscience of music.

A seminar series examining current and classical ideas in human sciences and the humanities.  Themes vary from semester to semester.

New technologies are changing our world at a rapid pace.  In many cases, the society does not fully understand the impact of technology and is not prepared for the speed of the change that is occurring. This seminar will explore a few of these new technologies and investigate their effects on the users and on the society at large. The topics that will be explored include face recognition, virtual reality, violence in media, general AI, and the technological singularity. We will look at the ways in which these technologies affect our lives, with a focus on education, entertainment, employment, politics, and the future of humanity.

Practice in planning, conducting, and reporting independent laboratory, field, and/or library research.

Advanced experience in planning, conducting, and reporting independent laboratory, field, and/or library research. One, and preferably two, semesters of PSYCH 4700 is required. The research should be more independent and/or involve more demanding technical skills than that carried out in PSYCH 4700.

This course will explore psychopathology by pairing literary descriptions of common disorders with psychological research. By examining mental illness through the lens of popular writing, we will explore the shifting cultural understanding and interpretations for disorders. We will also explore how writers' accounts of mental illness adhere (purposely or not) to DSM diagnostic criteria and empirically validated research. Authors include William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, William Styron, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Eugene O'Neill, and John Updike.

The focus of this course is on discussion and critical analysis of selected articles from very recent issues of the best social psychological journals.  Readings are chosen for their importance, their coverage of contemporary topics in social psychology. Students write brief "thought papers" before each class in which they offer suggestions for class discussion based on their close reading of the day's assigned articles. They also write a term paper (details at first class meeting).

This course is designed to introduce first-year graduates to the Psychology Department faculty through a weekly series of presentations of current research.

This course enhances the graduate experience and prepares first-year psychology graduate students admitted to the program for success.  We address departmental expectations and standards by providing a formal introduction to departmental expertise and capabilities, a platform on which to enhance professional development, and a forum for conceptualization and formulation of research projects and grant proposals.

This course will expose students to a wide range of commonly used methods in neuroscience research (theory behind the method, common applications of the method, how data are collected and anylyzed using the method, strengths and weaknesses of the method, etc.). The goal for stuents is that by the end of the course, they will be able to read and critically evaluate primary literature from many areas of neuroscience and to understand how the methods used in the study helped the researches come to their conclusions. This course will explore methods including (but not necessarily limited to): microscopy, methods to visualize neuronal structure and function, electrophysiology, methods to neural activity, methods to measure and manipulate expression of genes/mRNA/protein, machine learning methods for behavioral analysis, and whole brain imaging methods in humans and non-human animals.

Covers the major topics in the psychology of music treated from a scientific perspective. Presents recent developments in the cognitive science of music, including perception and memory for pitch and rhythm, performing music, the relationship between music and language, musical abilities in infants, emotional responses, and the cognitive neuroscience of music.

Graduate seminar coupled with the Psychology Colloquium series. For 6-8 of the speakers, we read readings designated by the speaker in advance of their arrival, and meet with the speaker in the Thursday seminar. Intended for graduate students in the Field of Psychology who may register for this course without permission, all others please ask for permission from the instructor. Registration in both semesters is required.

Course explores current issues in Psychology.  Topics vary by section.

New technologies are changing our world at a rapid pace. In many cases, the society does not fully understand the impact of technology and is not prepared for the speed of the change that is occurring. This seminar will explore a few of these new technologies and investigate their effects on the users and on the society at large. The topics that will be explored include face recognition, virtual reality, violence in media, general AI, and the technological singularity. We will look at the ways in which these technologies affect our lives, with a focus on education, entertainment, employment, politics, and the future of humanity.

The focus is on discussion and critical analysis of selected articles from very recent issues of the best social psychological journals. Readings are chosen for their importance, their readability, and the likelihood that they will generate stimulating discussion. Students write brief "thought papers" before each class in which they offer suggestions for class discussion based on their close reading of the day's assigned articles. They also write a term paper on a social psychological topic of their own choosing. No exams.

A graduate research seminar in biopsychology.

A graduate research seminar in human experimental psychology.

A graduate research seminar in social psychology and personality.

Covers comparative and evolutionary approaches to the study of the relationship between reproductive hormones and sexual behavior in vertebrates, including humans. Also hormonal contributions to other social behavior (parental behavior, aggression, mating systems) stress, learning and memory, and biological rhythms.

First semester of a year-long discussion-seminar course intended to give graduate students an in-depth understanding of current research and theory in social psychology. Emphasizes social cognition, but other topics, such as group dynamics, social influence, the social psychology of language, and emotional experience, are covered.

A graduate seminar on doctoral thesis research in biopsychology.

A graduate seminar on doctoral thesis research in human experimental psychology.

A graduate seminar on doctoral thesis research in social psychology and personality.

This course offers a jump-start on planning your experience in the College of Human Ecology.

Introduces students to the basic concepts, theories, and research in human development as they explain prenatal development and development in infancy and childhood, including physical, cognitive, and social/emotional development. The focus is on individual development from an interdisciplinary perspective with an emphasis on psychological development, but also drawing from the fields of sociology, history, biology, anthropology, neuroscience, and education.

Introduces students to theories and research in adult development and aging. Describes biological, psychological and social changes from early through late adulthood. Identifies strategies to promote healthy aging at the individual and societal level.

Children who grow up in multilingual environments have a profoundly different experience compared to monolingual children. In this course, we examine the nature and impact of this experience on the socio-emotional, cognitive, and linguistic development of young children, focusing on the complex multilingual and multicultural reality in Israel as our main case study. Specifically, we explore the multilingual development of children from several minority and immigrant groups in Israel: Arabs, Former Soviet Union (FSU) and Ethiopian immigrants, Israeli-born children of labor migrants, deaf communities, among others.

What is "personality"? How is it scientifically studied and measured? To what extent, do biological, social, and cultural factors shape personality? Is personality an expression of our genetic make up and biology, the culmination of social influences, the interplay of both, or the result of random events? In this course, we will review the major theoretical paradigms of personality psychology, discuss contemporary research, theory, and methodology, and learn about key historical debates in the study of "personality".

This course explores how cognitive, social & clinical psychology are used in law. Law makes many assumptions about human psychology, and lawyers and judges regularly rely on psychological research in their cases. The course examines the psychology underlying criminal confessions; children's testimony; the insanity defense; risk assessment; judge and jury decision making; criminal punishment; constitutional law; and common law (tort, contract, and property) disputes. The course assesses the use and misuse of psychology in these subjects.  

Provides students with information and perspectives essential to volunteer fieldwork with human and social service programs in the community. Readings are drawn from the field of community psychology and include analyses of successful programs, such as Head Start, as well as a review of the methods by which those programs are developed and assessed. Although students are not required to volunteer, the instructor provides students with a list of local agencies open to student placements.

This course will introduce students to the basics of research design and will review several methodologies in the study of human development. The focus of the course will be on descriptive and experimental methods. Students will learn the advantages and challenges to different methodological approaches. The course also places an emphasis on developing students' scientific writing and strengthening their understanding of statistics.

Intro to Data Science for Social Scientists using R.

Educational psychology is the application of psychological principles and concepts to cases of teaching and learning. We study behavioral, cognitive, embodied, and social-cultural perspectives on learning and thinking, and we use them in planning and reflecting on weekly fieldwork outside the classroom. In the process, we become more mindful and skilled learners ourselves and better facilitators of others' learning.

Focuses on how the scientific study of human memory interfaces with the theory and practice of law.

Composed of three components that form an intensive undergraduate field practicum. First, students spend three to six hours a week at local mental health agencies, schools, or nursing facilities working directly with children, adolescents, or adults; supervision is provided by host agency staff. Second, the instructor provides additional weekly individual, clinical supervision for each student. Third, seminar meetings cover issues of adult and developmental psychopathology, clinical technique, case studies, and current research issues. Students write one short paper, two final take-home exams, and present an account of their field experience in class.

This course explores psychological research on gender, examining the interactions between biology and social learning, gender identity, stereotypes, gender non-conformity, and discrimination. We will critically evaluate sex-related comparisons in cognition, attitudes, leadership, close relationships, psychological development, achievement, communication, and health. We will engage with course material using an intersectional approach that acknowledges that gender development and expression are deeply impacted by race, social class, sexuality, and culture.

Takes a comprehensive look at current research and theory in the emerging field of Positive Psychology. Students become familiar with theories, methods, and empirical research pertaining to the psychology of human strengths, virtues, abilities, and talents.

For study that predominantly involves data collection and analysis or laboratory or studio projects.

For study that involves both responsible participation in a community setting and reflection on that experience through discussion, reading, and writing. Academic credit is awarded for this integration of theory and practice.

For study that includes assisting faculty with instruction.

Reviews theory and research on stress, emotions, and health. This course offers opportunities for students to develop new ways to integrate theory and research on stress and health with the advances in the science of affect and emotion. In this course, undergraduate students attend a weekly lab meeting for 1.5 hours per week, read pertinent papers, write reaction responses, and work 10.5 hours per week in the laboratory completing tasks that contribute to ongoing research studies.

Introductory laboratory-based course focusing on basic foundations in translational research on decision making across the lifespan. The course introduces students to hands-on applications of research skills in the context of research on decision making, spanning basic and applied research in law, medicine, behavioral economics, and policy. It focuses on such topics as human subjects protection, working with populations across the lifespan (e.g., children, seniors), database development, working with external partners and stakeholders (e.g., schools, hospitals), and basic concepts and techniques in decision research. Students participate in weekly laboratory meetings in small teams focused on specific projects as well as monthly meetings in which all teams participate. During laboratory meetings, students discuss ongoing research, plans for new studies, and interpretations of empirical findings from studies that are in progress or have been recently completed. New students work closely with experienced students and eventually work more independently. In order to fully grasp how the research projects fit into the broader field, students read relevant papers weekly and write reaction responses. Because several projects are ongoing at all times, students have the opportunity to be involved in more than one study and are assigned multiple tasks such as piloting research paradigms, subject recruitment, data collection, data analysis, and data entry. Students attend a weekly lab meeting for 1.5 hours per week, read pertinent papers, write reaction responses, and work 10.5 hours per week in the laboratory completing tasks that contribute to ongoing research studies.

Laboratory-based course focusing on basic foundations in translational research on the neuroscience of human memory and memory development. Students attend a weekly lab meeting for 1.5 hours per week, read pertinent papers, write reaction responses, and work 10.5 hours per week in the laboratory completing tasks that contribute to ongoing research studies.

This course will explore psychopathology by pairing literary descriptions of common disorders with psychological research. By examining mental illness through the lens of popular writing, we will explore the shifting cultural understanding and interpretations for disorders. We will also explore how writers' accounts of mental illness adhere (purposely or not) to DSM diagnostic criteria and empirically validated research. Authors include William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, William Styron, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Eugene O'Neill, and John Updike.

As a supplement to their immersive learning experience working on faculty research projects, students in this course will engage with actors and ideas from across the youth development research and practice communities, learn about research methods and dissemination to various audiences, and begin to see the world from a translational research perspective.

As a supplement to their immersive learning experience working on translational research projects led by CHE faculty, and building on their experience in HD4850 (Professional Development in Translational Research), this course will provide opportunities for students to put their learning into practice by proposing and implementing a translational research project in collaboration with community partners.

This hands-on laboratory course will develop research skills in the context of risk and rational decision making in human development from multiple disciplinary perspectives and with respect to different kinds of decision-making under risk and uncertainty.  Topics will depend on student interests but may include decisions about war, terrorism, cancer control and prevention (e.g., screening tests), personal behaviors that involve risk (e.g., HIV prevention), and other public health risks (e.g., vaccinations), law enforcement (e.g., use of a weapon), and legal decision making (e.g., jury deliberations). Students will read the research literature, discuss the latest empirical findings and scientific theories of risk and rationality, and engage in group work and peer review to hone their skills.  Students will then design research projects and engage in research activities as well as read additional references tailored to their interests.

Focuses on how the scientific study of human memory interfaces with the theory and practice of law.  Students study relevant areas of memory research and memory theory.

Designed as an orientation to the department and the university. Activities include attendance at research presentations, visits to departmental research laboratories, relevant informational sessions (e.g., Institutional Review Board for Human Participants, proposal writing), and guidance in preparing a public research presentation to be made at the end of spring semester.

This is a course on networks and text in quantitative social science. The course will cover published research using text and social network data, focusing on health, politics, and everyday life, and it will introduce methods and approaches for incorporating high-dimensional data into familiar research designs. Students will evaluate past studies and propose original research.

This course provides an overview to the etiology, manifestation, diagnosis, course, and treatment of the most commonly presented DSM-V psychological disorders.

For study that predominantly involves library research and independent study.

For study that predominantly involves collection and analysis of research data.

For study that predominantly involves field experience in community settings.

For students assisting faculty with instruction. Does not apply to work for which students receive financial compensation.

For advanced graduate students who independently develop and teach an undergraduate topics course under the supervision of a faculty member.