Courses - Spring 2021

This course provides an introduction to the science of the mind.  Everyone knows what it's like to think and perceive, but this subjective experience provides little insight into how minds emerge from physical intities like brains.  To address this issue, cognitive science integrates work from at least five disciplines: Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Philosophy.  This course introduces students to the insights these disciplines offer into the workings of the mind by exploring visual perception, attention, memory, learning, problem solving, language, and consciousness. 

This section is highly recommended for students who are interested in learning about the topics covered in the main course through writing and discussion. 

One of four introductory courses in cognition and perception. A comprehensive introduction to current thinking and research in developmental psychology that approaches topics from both psychobiological and cognitive perspectives. We will use a comparative approach to assess principles of development change. The course focuses on the development of perception, action, cognition, language, and social understanding in infancy and early childhood.

This section is highly recommended for students who are interested in learning about the topics covered in the main course through writing and discussion. 

Provides an introduction to the psychology of language. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the scientific study of psycholinguistic phenomena. Covers a broad range of topics from psycholinguistics, including the origin of language, the different components of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics), processes involved in reading, computational modeling of language processes, the acquisition of language (both under normal and special circumstances), and the brain bases of language.

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.

This course is modeled after "Great Books" literature courses in the humanities, but with two important differences: we read non-fiction books in the social sciences rather than the humanities, written by highly prominent contemporary social scientists. The course title refers to the fact that the books are new, hence their potential greatness has yet to be confirmed by the test of time. We choose living authors to give students a unique opportunity: to interact with each of the six authors in Q&A sessions in person or via video conferencing. This fall some of the authors will appear in person for Q&A and the others will Skype with the class.

Introduction to research and theory in social psychology. Topics include social influence, persuasion, and attitude change; social interaction and group phenomena; altruism and aggression; stereotyping and prejudice; everyday reasoning and judgment.

Writing in the Majors section of PSYCH 2800. In addition to attending all the lectures in PSYCH 2800, students will attend an additional weekly seminar and all assessment is based on writing instead of exams. This course is an introduction to research and theory in social psychology, covering the same material as in PSYCH 2800 (social influence, persuasion, and attitude change; social interaction and group phenomena; altruism and aggression; stereotyping and prejudice; everyday reasoning and judgment).

Effective judgments and decisions are critical to success in every avenue of life. This course will explore research on the principles of sound judgment and decision making, and on the ways in which people's judgments and decisions are prone to bias and error. The course aims to improve students' critical thinking skills and to enable them to make better judgments and decisions in an increasingly complicated world. The course is taught by a team of psychologists and economists who draw on recent research in psychology and behavioral economics that can benefit the lives of students.

This course states and motivates the observation that cognition is fundamentally a computational process and explores the implications of this idea. Students are introduced to a variety of conceptual tools for thinking about cognitive information processing, including statistical learning from experience and the use of patterns distilled from past experience in guiding future actions. They learn to apply these tools to gain understanding of perception, memory, motor control, language, action planning, problem solving, decision making, reasoning, intelligence, and creativity.

Multidisciplinary discussion of the causes, effects, and treatments of human obesity. Topics include the biopsychology of eating behavior, the genetics of obesity, the role of activity and energy metabolism, the psychosocial determinants of obesity, anorexia nervosa, therapy and its effectiveness, and social discrimination.

Lab course designed to introduce students to experimental methods in auditory perception and cognition. Students complete a short computer-based course on experimental design and statistical analysis. Each student conducts an independent research project. This includes a review of the relevant literature, the collection and analysis of data, and a presentation of the findings. The projects are most frequently on a topic related to music but may also be related to speech or environmental sounds.

A theoretical and empirical approach to the biological, psychological, and social (including cultural and historical) aspects of adult psychopathology. Readings range from Freud to topics in psychopharmacology. The major mental illnesses are covered, including schizophrenia as well as mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. Childhood disorders are not covered.

Continues the field practicum experience from PSYCH 3270.

Surveys the approaches that have been or are currently being used in order to understand the biological bases for learning and memory. Topics include invertebrate, "simple system" approaches, avian song learning, hippocampal and cerebellar function, research using MRI in humans. Many of the readings are from primary literature.

Our present technology allows us to transmit and display information through a variety of media. To make the most of these media channels, it is important to consider the limitations and abilities of the human observer. The course considers a number of applied aspects of human perception with an emphasis on the display of visual information. Topics include "three-dimensional" display systems, color theory, spatial and temporal limitations of the visual systems, attempts at subliminal communication, and "visual" effects in film and television.

Humans are said to be "social animals." This seminar provides an in-depth exploration of what it means to be social. Examples of topics to be covered include the fundamental need to belong and the affiliative system underlying cooperation; attachment and the proclivity to form strong affective ties throughout the life span; the biological bases of attraction and relationship formation; and the various consequences of thwarted relational needs, including the end of relationships through break-up, divorce, or death, and social alienation and chronic loneliness. We will focus on people's most intimate relationships – with partners, parents, and close friends – but will explore how our social nature is expressed in diverse ways – with unknown others, in social networks, and with political leaders, celebrities, and objects. These topics will be considered from diverse theoretical perspectives including work from social neuroscience, social, personality, developmental, cognitive, and evolutionary psychology, as well as drawing from work in communications, information science, sociology, and political science. Articles will be a combination of theoretical, review, or perspective pieces as well as empirical papers.

Although the hippocampus has been the subject of intense scrutiny for nearly 50 years, there remains considerable disagreement about functional contributions the hippocampus makes to learning and memory process. This seminar will examine the diverse functions attributed to the hippocampus with an eye toward integrating the differing viewpoints in the literature. After a brief historical overview, students will discuss cutting-edge literature on the hippocampal role in spatial navigation, learning, and memory, and context processing.

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

This is a capstone seminar for seniors who are interested in graduate or professional study in scientific disciplines that focus on human behavior and social interaction. The intent is to provide seniors with an opportunity to summon, integrate, and apply insights that they have acquired over the course of their undergraduate education, and give prospective graduate students the opportunity to lead discussions in a large introductory lecture course, "Six Pretty Good Books". Each seminar member is part of a two or three-person team that leads the discussion together, under the supervision of a graduate teaching assistant. Seminar meetings are devoted to building lesson plans for leading an effective discussion of each of the six books. The authors vary from year to year but include Malcolm Gladwell, Michelle Alexander, Nate Silver, and Nicholas Christakis. All authors have agreed to participate in a "Q&A" session with the students which seminar members are required to attend.

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 builds on the first graduate statistics class for social sciences offered in falls. It will cover the general linear model as a data analytic tool. The focus will be on applied regression models.

Research methods are the tools that allow psychologists to test the validity of hypotheses. This course provides a survey of the methods used by scientists in personality and social psychology as well as related behavioral sciences to empirically test hypotheses. Specifically, this course will discuss the following topics: (1) philosophy of science; (2) research designs and methods; (3) data collection, analysis, and validity; (4) report writing; and (5) recurrent and emerging trends and issues in the field of research methods and quantitative analysis. The final project consists of writing a research proposal and giving a short oral presentation.

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 states and motivates the observation that cognition is fundamentally a computational process and explores the implications of this idea. Students are introduced to a variety of conceptual tools for thinking about cognitive information processing, including statistical learning from experience and the use of patterns distilled from past experience in guiding future actions. They learn to apply these tools to gain understanding of perception, memory, motor control, language, action planning, problem solving, decision making, reasoning, intelligence, and creativity.

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.

Although the hippocampus has been the subject of intense scrutiny for nearly 50 years, there remains considerable disagreement about functional contributions the hippocampus makes to learning and memory process. This seminar will examine the diverse functions attributed to the hippocampus with an eye toward integrating the differing viewpoints in the literature. After a brief historical overview, students will discuss cutting-edge literature on the hippocampal role in spatial navigation, learning, and memory, and context processing.

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

Our present technology allows us to transmit and display information through a variety of media. To make the most of these media channels, it is important to consider the limitations and abilities of the human observer. The course considers a number of applied aspects of human perception with an emphasis on the display of visual information. Topics include "three-dimensional" display systems, color theory, spatial and temporal limitations of the visual systems, attempts at subliminal communication, and "visual" effects in film and television.

This course builds on the first graduate statistics class for social sciences offered in falls. It will cover the general linear model as a data analytic tool. The focus will be on applied regression models.

Research methods are the tools that allow psychologists to test the validity of hypotheses. This course provides a survey of the methods used by scientists in personality and social psychology as well as related behavioral sciences to empirically test hypotheses. Specifically, this course will discuss the following topics: (1) philosophy of science; (2) research designs and methods; (3) data collection, analysis, and validity; (4) report writing; and (5) recurrent and emerging trends and issues in the field of research methods and quantitative analysis. The final project consists of writing a research proposal and giving a short oral presentation.

A graduate research seminar in biopsychology.

One of four introductory courses in cognition and perception. A comprehensive introduction to current thinking and research in developmental psychology that approaches problems from both psychobiological and cognitive perspectives. We will use a comparative approach to assess principles of development change. The course focuses on the development of perception, action, cognition, language, and social understanding in infancy and early childhood.

A graduate research seminar in human experimental psychology.

Lab course designed to introduce students to experimental methods in auditory perception and cognition. Students complete a short computer-based course on experimental design and statistical analysis. Each student conducts an independent research project. This includes a review of the relevant literature, the collection and analysis of data, and a presentation of the findings. The projects are most frequently on a topic related to music.

A graduate research seminar in social psychology and personality.

Second 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.