Psychology (PSYC)
A general introduction to the systematic study of behavior and mental processes in humans and animals.
An overview of Positive Psychology - a field of psychology that applies behavioral science methods to improving mental health, life satisfaction and biopsychosocial well-being.
Human psychological development from birth to death. This course covers social, emotional and intellectual development across the lifespan.
An introduction to the university including academic policies and procedures, campus resources, and requirements for the major. Instruction in time management, study skills, and test-taking skills will be provided. Careers and specialty areas within behavioral science will be explored. An introduction to behavioral science epistemology including the process of knowledge generation and comparison of behavioral science with other core disciplines such as the physical sciences and humanities with respect to foundations, scope and validity of knowledge. An examination of ethical theories and professional codes relevant to the behavioral sciences.
This course covers the essential elements of establishing a therapeutic relationship, including active listening skills, empathy and confrontation. Students both explore their potential to be congruent and authentic as counselors and demonstrate counseling skills with voluntary, involuntary and crisis counselors.
Introduction to basic statistical methods of analyzing psychological data. Emphasis is placed on statistical inference, e.g., t-tests, F-tests and selected non-parametric tests. This course provides students with basic statistical concepts and skills necessary for laboratory and survey work, and for understanding psychological literature, and introduces them to statistical analysis on the computer.
An examination of the basic research methods employed in the social sciences with emphasis on the experiment. Topics: Epistemology, laboratory experiments, field experiments, survey construction, correlational research. Students will each participate as a subject and an experimenter, collect data, analyze data, and write a laboratory report according to the editorial style of the American Psychological Association. Laboratory assignments require use of computer applications for experimental purposes, including running experiments and collecting data, analyzing results, creation of appropriate figures, and communication of results in text and oral presentations with slides.
Topics include attitude formation and change, interpersonal attraction, aggression, altruism, conformity and environmental psychology.
Systematic introduction to behavioral concepts and techniques. Self-management applications and behavioral assessments in applied settings serve as practical lab experiences.
This course is a systematic investigation of the identification, dynamics and treatment of deviant and maladaptive behavior.
Psychological development of the child through adolescence. Social, emotional and intellectual development are covered, with consideration of genetic, prenatal and postnatal influences.
This course examines the theory, techniques and practice of group counseling. Students will become familiar with basic group process, theoretical perspectives and their application to group counseling.
The study of physically, intellectually and socially exceptional children and adolescents, inlcuding their characteristics and unique educational needs.
Research in psychology under the direct supervision of individual faculty members. Recommended for students considering graduate school. May be repeated once for a max of 6 credits.
Students are provided practical experience in the use of psychological theory and research in an applied setting. May be repeated for a max of 6 credits.
This course will introduce students to a diverse array of theoretical and empirical issues related to the study of human emotion and brain function. It is specifically designed to enable students to develop the ideas and skills necessary to generate, adapt, and implement affective psychology and neuroscience research. Students will learn now to design, program, and conduct basic computer-based experiments in the field, and how those methods can be applied to studying mental illness.
An introduction to the theory and research of learning. Factors are examined that influence the acquisition and performance of behaviors in classical and instrumental learning paradigms. The laboratory will provide undergraduate research experiences that are closely related to the lecture content using live animal behavioral experiments and/or computer simulations, data collections, analysis, and reporting of results in APA style.
This course surveys the major psychological theories used to conceptualize, treat and research personality issues.
This course covers psychoneuroimmunology and stress as they impact on human health and disease as well as psychological interventions which promote physical well being and healing.
This course applies a systems framework to the understanding of family dynamics and introduces structural perspectives and modalities for family intervention.
This course has two parts. Part one covers measurement theory, the properties of the normal curve, reliability, validity and measurement statistics. Part two reviews major tests used by researchers, educators, clinicians, counselors, addictions counselors and industrial psychologists.
Students develop a senior research topic through the review of scholarly literature and weekly meetings with psychology faculty and students engaged in senior research under the supervision of that faculty member. Key elements of the research process will be strengthened including experimental design, statistical analysis, and scientific communications. Different career paths in psychology will be explored along with guidance in pursuing graduate school. At the conclusion of this course, students will obtain approval from the faculty member who will serve as their senior research project advisor and declare which psychology track they will complete for their degree.
An examination of persons, events, theories, schools and systems that influenced and define contemporary psychology.
A survey of recent findings on cognition in humans. Topics include learning, memory, problem solving, language and complex perceptual processes. The laboratory will provide undergraduate research experiences that are closely related to the lecture content consisting of experiments and/or computer simulations, data collection, analysis, and reporting of results in APA style.
This course is an introduction to the neurophysiological structures of the brain and their functions as regulators of animal and human behavior. Experiential learning activities related to the lecture content consisting of experimental techniques, computer simulations, data collection, analysis, and reporting of results in APA style are included.
This may take the form of either a research project or a program of directed reading on a specific topic. One to four credits over a period of one or two semesters may be granted according to the nature of the student's project. May be repeated up to a total of six credits. (1-4) 1-4
A practicum under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The student will complete the senior research project proposal and secure approval from the appropriate ethics board/committee.
A practicum under the guidance of a faculty mentor. The student will conduct an empirical research project based on the proposal submitted by the student in PSYC494.
The study of methods employed in gathering data for research purposes including direct observational techniques and self-report measures. Students will also learn to use the computer to gather data, analyze data and present data graphically; and will develop a research prospectus.
Issues in the development and implementation of an empirical research project, including design, statistical analyses, ethical review, and modes of presentation.