PSYCH 101 First-Year Seminar: Mental Health Diagnosis and Treatment: Psychological and Economic Themes
While those going into the field of mental health typically think about it as a “helping profession”, there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to the psychological, economic, and political forces that have defined the development of the field. The purpose of this course is to explore some of the historical psychological, economic, and political factors that have shaped the field as it exists today. Before delving into the specifics of the mental health field, the course will begin with a brief detour and explore the important and provocative concept of “choice overload”, along with a consideration of the mental health consequences of choice. Then we will shift to an exploration of the role of state mental hospitals in the U.S. in the early to mid-20th century, and we will examine the political forces that drove the de-institutionalization movement of the 1970s and 1980s.Finally, the course will focus on the evolution of psychotherapy in the modern marketplace, as well as the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (now in its 5th edition), with a particular focus on some of the problems that have emerged from the disease-based framework utilized in the manual. The aggressive way in which the DSM has been marketed internationally will be discussed. Along the way, we will explore critiques of the pharmaceutical industry, the health insurance industry, and modern psychiatry. Some of these themes will also be explored through analysis of popular films and other media.
A survey course reviewing primary psychological research and theories of human behavior. Laboratory experience exposes students to psychology as a research science.
Measurement; descriptive statistics; probability and sampling; T-test, ANOVA, correlation, and regression. Prerequisite: 110; some college mathematics recommended.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
(formerly PSYCH 204) Psychological processes underlying social behavior; topics include social cognition, attraction, aggression, prejudice, and behavior in groups. Prerequisite: Psych110- Introduction to Psychology.
(formerly PSYCH 204) Psychological processes underlying social behavior; topics include social cognition, attraction, aggression, prejudice, and behavior in groups. Prerequisite: Psych110- Introduction to Psychology.
Nature of personality and its development. Modern theoretical interpretations. Biological and social bases of individual differences. Prerequisite: 110.
(formerly PSYCH 212) Designed for students with no prior coursework in neuroscience or biology. Neurophysiology and neuroanatomy; neuroscience of perception, emotion, morality, memory, mental illness, and consciousness.
Introduction to research into mental processes such as memory, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Prerequisite: Psych 110-Introduction to Psychology.
Understanding principles of cognitive psychology, data visualization, and graphic design to present ideas and data in an engaging, clear, and memorable manner. PSYCH 245-0 and COG_SCI 245-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses.
Understanding the nature of psychological, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Emphasis on current evidence regarding causes and characteristics of these disorders. Prerequisite: 110.
Definition and history of clinical psychology, personality theory in clinical psychology, diagnosis and classification of disorders, assessment, psychotherapy, and ethical issues. Prerequisite: 303.
(formerly PSYCH 376) Scientific foundations of cognitive behavior therapy for a wide range of disorders. Focus on the rationale for different treatments and evidence of efficacy and process. Comparisons with other scientifically validated treatments. Prerequisite: Psych 303-Psychopathology.
Survey of social psychological research on attitudes; focus on the formation of attitudes, the relationship between attitudes and behavior, and attitude change. Prerequisite: 213.
Human perception, particularly vision but also hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Biological foundations, development, and disorders of perception. The senses in everyday life. Prerequisite: 110.
PSYCH 330 Special Topics in Cognition & Neuroscience: Infant Development
Where does human knowledge come from? In this course we will explore the origins and development of human knowledge. We will learn about the earliest evidence of our cognitive capacities in infancy and describe what changes and what stays the same over development. This will be a class dedicated to big ideas. Through this process we will gain information critical to understanding cognition in general.
Prerequisites vary. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
Theory, methodology, and empirical data related to the psychological impact of human beauty. Emphasis on both cultural and evolutionary perspectives. Prerequisite: 110.
(formerly PSYCH 339) Examination of sex differences and similarities. Evaluation of explanations for differences. Review of how gender affects achievement, relationships, and mental health. Prerequisite: Psych110-Introduction to Psychology.
PSYCH 350 Special Topics in Psychology: Psychology & Weird Beliefs
Lots of people have beliefs that other people think are just plain weird. Why do people have these beliefs? We'll look at "weird" beliefs within our culture as well as some cross-cultural examples, and try to understand what leads people to develop and maintain these beliefs. Another issue is that one person's "weird" belief may be another person's firmly held conviction. From this perspective, we'll also try to understand which beliefs are rational. Among the topics we may cover are: superstition, parapsychology, conspiracy theories, ghosts, witchcraft, alien abduction, evolution vs. creationism, and repressed memories of abuse. Students will use a wide variety of academic and popular media resources (including empirical research articles, ethnographic descriptions, philosophical arguments, popular press books, and documentary films) to explore the bases for these beliefs and practices.
PSYCH 350 Special Topics in Psychology: Using R for Psychological Research
(formerly PSYCH 314) R is open source statistical system that has become the lingua franca of statistical data analysis. R is both a statistical system for processing data using traditional and modern statistics and a programming language for developing new methods. This course will introduce you to R with an emphasis in using R for psychological research. Time will be spent using standard R packages for data analysis including regression, factor analysis, test construction, and multilevel modeling. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of programming in R and will be shown how to modify existing packages to be more useful for their own work. No prior experience in programming is required, although a willingness to learn is essential. Prerequisites vary. May be repeated for credit with different topic.
(formerly 323) PSYCH 354 Deception: Processes and Detection Multiple perspectives on truth and deception. Exposure to clinical and psychophysiological work on lying, malingering, and styles of deceit. Theories and methods in lie detection.
Prerequisite: PSYCH 110-Introduction to Psychology
Analysis of the causes and consequences of stereotyping and prejudice, as well as methods used to study these issues. Students conduct original research. Prerequisites: 213, 205.
(formerly PSYCH 377) Major forms of psychopathology present during childhood, including disorders exclusive to childhood and those that may appear during any developmental period. Developmental models of the etiology and course of major psychopathologies. Prerequisites: 205; 244 or 303.
(formerly PSYCH 360) Study of brain processes underlying cognition. Analysis of brain structure and function. Introduction to imaging techniques including fMRI, PET, and ERP. Prerequisites: 205; a course in cognition and/or neuroscience (e.g., 221, 228, 322-1, 328; COG SCI 210) or consent of instructor.
(formerly PSYCH 335) Human decision making from both descriptive and prescriptive perspectives. Theories and models of decision making applied to a variety of contexts. Prerequisites: 205, 228.
(formerly 368) PSYCH 374 Human Memory Scientific study of human memory, including memory systems of the brain, amnesia, remembering, forgetting, encoding, consolidation, memory suppression, and memory distortion. Emphasizes original research reports in cognitive neuroscience.
Prerequisites: PSYCH 205-0- Research Methods and either PSYCH 328 - Brain Damage and the Mind (formerly PSYCH 361) or PSYCH 378 - Images of Cognition (formerly PSYCH 363) Interdisciplinary Distro - See RulesNatural Sciences Distro AreaSocial & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
This course will explore the psychology of food and eating. We'll look at evolutionary, social, cultural, cognitive, and biological perspectives on eating behavior and food choice. Among the issues that we'll explore are: why we eat, what we eat, how much we eat, what we won't eat, and why we sometimes eat too much. Since this is an upper-level research course, we will focus on psychological theories, methodological issues, and empirical research in this area. Students will also engage in designing, conducting, analyzing, and writing up an empirical research project during the quarter. NOTE: We will NOT be covering eating disorders. This course is about normal processes and influences on eating behavior and food choice.
PSYCH 387 Consumer Psychology & Marketing Research
Application of psychological theories, findings, and methodologies to marketing research questions and problems. Students conduct a marketing research project for an actual client. Prerequisite: 205.
PSYCH 390 Advanced Seminar in Personality, Clinical, or Social Psychology: The Psychology of Life Stories
Over the past 15 years, psychologists of many different persuasions have turned their attention to the psychology of life stories, collecting narrative data from research participants and explicitly conceptualizing human experience as a story that is told and lived. This discussion-based and research-oriented seminar considers the different ways that personality, developmental, clinical, cognitive, and cultural psychologists examine the stories people tell about the most important events in their lives. Topics of interest include the evolution of the storytelling brain, the origins of autobiographical memory, the development of self-storytelling in children and adolescents, autobiographical reasoning, narrative identity, the psychological role of master cultural narratives, stories of redemption and contamination in human lives, narrative and the life course, the role of narrative in psychotherapy, and strange cases in which people are unable or unwilling to construe their lives in narrative terms. For the research component of the course, students will collect data on life stories and learn how to code and analyze the data.
PSYCH 390 Advanced Seminar in Personality, Clinical, or Social Psychology: Child Maltreatment
In this class, we will learn about child maltreatment and the context in which it occurs. We will consider the risk factors associated with child maltreatment from the macrosystem to the microsystem (cultural factors, historical factors, social policy, to the proximal issues that inform caregiving). We will examine the consequences of maltreatment across developmental domains and over time. Finally, we will look at prevention and intervention, taking on both clinical and policy lenses. The class will build uponPsych205, so you will need a reasonable command of research methods to read the assigned articles and to write your research proposal.
PSYCH 390 Advanced Seminar in Personality, Clinical, or Social Psychology:Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology
(formerly PSYCH 357) We will explore a number of practices, beliefs, and diagnoses related to clinical psychology, some of which have a sound scientific basis and some of which are purely pseudoscience. One of our primary goals will be to understand the difference between these two categories of practices/beliefs and the foundations upon which they rest. Prerequisites: PSYCH 205-0 Research Methods; PSYCH 303-Psychopathology strongly recommended.
PSYCH 391 Advanced Seminar in Cognition or Neuroscience: Creative Problem-Solving & the Brain
This course will examine how the brain creatively solves problems, with a particular focus on sudden insight - the Aha! or Eureka! moment. We will explore this specific topic in depth, as a model for cognitive neuroscience methods and theoretical approaches. We will link to other topics, potentially including attention, mental illness, intuition, complex language processing, and visual perception (gestalt). The course will be taught in a mix of lecture, student presentations, and experiment design and data collection, depending on the enrollment.
Discussion and critical analysis of research methods and findings in psychology. Interdisciplinary focus, often spanning natural and social science aspects of psychology. Topics vary. May be repeated for credit with different topic. Prerequisite: 205; additional prerequisites may apply.
This practicum will cover the theory, history, emprical evidence, and clinical techniques on the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders, emphasizing cognitive-behavioral approaches.
PSYCH 420 History, Ethics & Diversity in Clinical Psychology
This course considers many of the ethical and diversity issues that clinical scientists and therapists encounter; it also considers the historical bases of current psychological research and practice. Two-quarter sequence. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.
Research and theories on the origins of various forms of psychopathology. Topics include schizophrenia, addictive disorders, psychopathy, personality disorders, eating disorders, psychosexual disorders, depression, and anxiety disorders. Also, issues regarding classification of psychiatric disorders. Two-quarter sequence.
PSYCH 453 Linear Models: Correlation and Regression
Linear models approach to design and analysis of experiments and quasi-experiments. Basic concepts in correlation and regression: partial and semipartial correlation, matrix notation, least squares methods, and dummy variables.
This course is designed to help prepare graduate students in psychology for the role of classroom instructor. Topics that will be discussed include course design, lecturing, using demonstrations, ethics, and teaching writing in psychology.
PSYCH 460 Topics in Cognition: Presenting Research
Collaborative and iterative design process. Ideation and sketching, storyboarding, essentials of graphic design. Data visualization, for both your own analytics and clear communication to your audience. Engaging and memorable storytelling about your research; from elevator pitches to talks to papers.
Where does human knowledge come from? In this course we will explore the origins and development of human knowledge. We will learn about the earliest evidence of our cognitive capacities in infancy and describe what changes and what stays the same over development. This will be a class dedicated to big ideas. Through this process we will gain information critical to understanding cognition in general.
PSYCH 470 Topics in BBC: Brain Bases of Self Control
How do we control our thoughts and actions? Self-control is central to how we interact with the world and carry out our goals. This class will discuss the neurobiological bases of attention and other forms of goal-directed cognition. We will discuss the insights gained from multiple types of studies, ranging from those conducted in non-human animals to neuroimaging, EEG, and behavioral paradigms. Jointly, this work will highlight potential neural mechanisms of self-control at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The course will be centered on readings and discussion of relevant material.
PSYCH 470 Special Topics in Brain, Behavior, and Cognition: Mind and Brain
This course will introduce students to the interdisciplinary approaches of cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience. Lectures will illustrate how methodological and theoretical approaches from across traditional disciplines have been integrated to answer fundamental questions in mental and neurocognitive structure and function. Topic areas will include vision, language, memory, learning, reasoning, cognitive control, and consciousness.
Overview of the conceptual and practical aspects of experimental research in social psychology, including design, questionnaire development, validity and reliability, and ethical issues.
Analysis of the psychological causes and consequences of stereotyping and prejudices with a focus on recent developments in the field of social psychology.
This course will focus upon social psychological research and theory concerned with the self and issues of identity. This course will focus predominantly on the ‘citation classics’ with a few current readings and crucial updates. When you leave the course, you will have gained a useful ‘outline’ of the basic issues, core questions, and classic theories concerning the study of the self, including issues related to the self-concept and self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-regulation and self-presentation. As this course is a seminar, much of class time will be spent in discussion. Each week will start with a brief lecture, to place the papers/issues in historical context. This will be followed by a student discussion team who will then lead the rest of the class. Discussion leaders should come prepared to raise issues and themes that stimulate discussion, organized around the weekly readings and the discussion questions submitted by their classmates. Grading will be based upon the quality of class discussion/discussion questions (30%), the quality of the three reaction papers (30%), and the final research proposal (40%).
PSYCH 489 Topics in Social Psych: Moral and Political Psychology
Despite claims about “the end of ideology” (Daniel Bell, 1960) and “the end of history” (Francis Fukuyama, 1989), today’s world is saturated in ideology, and consensus surrounding the primacy of liberal democracy is teetering. In the United States, partisanship has surged in recent decades, especially in terms of disdain for the “other party.” Although such trends are complex and multiply determined, psychology affords a particularly expansive vantage point for making sense of them. This course provides a graduate-level survey of moral and political psychology to help us understand today’s politicians and the body politic. By the end of the course, students should be knowledgeable about, and capable of generating original research in, this research space.
PSYCH 489 Topics in Social Psych: Diversity Science Seminar
PSYCH 489 is a grad-level seminar course designed to frame and engage the concept of “diversity science” in psychological research. Topics will include: (1) the WEIRD history of psychology; (2) psychometric and other validity issues in studying diverse populations; (3) qualitative approaches to studying diverse populations; (4) levels of analysis in studying diversity (e.g., individual-level versus group-level phenomena); (5) oppression and privilege as topics of psychological investigation; (6) strategies for understanding and redressing social inequities.
PSYCH 489 Topics in Social Psych: Applied Social Cognition
In this seminar, we will examine the practical side of research on attitudes and social cognition. The major journals of this field strongly emphasize the development of basic theory, the applied value of such theories often is merely assumed rather than documented. Given the urgent problems facing contemporary society, such as global warming & environmental degradation, racial and gender disparities & injustices, and the toxic, hyper-partisan political atmosphere, among many others, examining the applied value of social cognition theory should be a higher priority than it has been. We will focus especially on the more implicit and automatic mental processes that may provide leverage points for tackling the psychological aspects of major social problems.
First Quarter: Introduction to assessment, interviewing, mental status exam, DSM-III, and objective personality test (MMPI). Second Quarter: Intellectual/neuropsychological assessment, including intellectual and achievement tests and report writing. Third Quarter: Projective assessment, including Rorschach, TAT, miscellaneous projective techniques, and report writing.
