Courses 200 Level
PSYCH 213W. Experimental Psychology. 2 lec., 4 lab. hr.; 4 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101 and 107 (or 107.3 and 107.1) and ENGL 110 or equivalent. Required: Grade of C or better in PSYCH 107.3 and 107.1. A laboratory course designed to acquaint the student with the application of experimental methods to psychological problems. Experiments are conducted in a variety of areas chosen to give the student an appreciation of the range of current psychological research. Particular emphasis is given to the areas of experimental methodology, psychophysics, and learning. (LPS, SW,SCI)
PSYCH 214. Developmental Psychology: Infancy and Childhood. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. Not open to students who have taken the former PSYCH 224 or 229. A review of the theories, research methods, and empirical findings in the area of behavioral development, focusing on the human infant and child.
PSYCH 215. Developmental Psychology: Adolescence. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. This course will address the theories of adolescent development and will provide a critical review of the relevant empirical data. Adolescence will be discussed from the multiple perspectives of biology, past and present environmental factors, emotional and social development, and cognitive development.
PSYCH 216. Developmental Psychology: Adulthood and Aging. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. Not open to students who have taken the former PSYCH 218. A review of the theories, research methods, and empirical findings relative to the aging process, beginning in young adulthood, through the middle years, into old age. Topics covered include physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development, as well as death and dying.†
PSYCH 217. Life-span Developmental Psychology. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. An introduction to contemporary views on the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional changes associated with age and developmental status throughout the life span; theories of development, particularly those that deal with lifetime processes, rather than only with early development.
PSYCH 221. Psychopathology (Abnormal Psychology). 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. A critical survey and analysis of the field of psychopathology—symptoms, causes, and treatments—with special emphasis upon the interrelationships between physiological, psychological, and sociological factors.
PSYCH 226. Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. An introduction to the psychological principles that can be applied to employee-employer relationships is presented. Such issues as personnel selection, psychological assessments, motivation, performance management, training, teamwork, occupational health, leadership, and measurement of job satisfaction are reviewed from the standpoint of the psychologist in industry. This course is prerequisite to
PSYCH 231. Psychology of Human Motivation. (formerly PSYCH 331) 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. A systematic survey of the problems involved in an understanding of human motivation. Among the problems discussed are the biological and cultural bases of human needs; their development, hierarchy, and patterning; consequences of frustrations, conflicts, repressions, and other ambiguities of needs; the role of needs in the structure of personality; the relevance of personal motivation to an understanding of interpersonal relations and other social phenomena. Experimental findings, anthropological and psychoanalytical data, and other theoretical approaches to these problems are discussed and evaluated.
PSYCH 232. The Psychology of Personality. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. An introduction to the contemporary study of personality processes and individual differences. The course examines research growing out of various perspectives on personality, including psychoanalytic, trait, biological, humanistic, learning, and cognitive approaches.†
PSYCH 238. Social Behavior. (Formerly PSYCH 338.) 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. A critical analysis of basic psychological principles involved in the behavior of individuals in social situations, with emphasis on social perception and interaction and the psychology of attitudes and of communication. Designed for students concentrating in psychology.†
PSYCH 242. Comparative Psychology. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101 or 102. Recommended for juniors and seniors only. Comparison of behavior across phyla and species with a view toward understanding the underlying mechanisms and adaptive features of behavior. Lecture topics will include feeding, reproductive behavior, parental behavior, orientation, communication, social behavior, learning, phylogeny of the nervous system, behavior genetics, and a critical evaluation of the concept of instinct.††
PSYCH 243. Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101 or BIOL 105 or equivalent. A survey of the physiological basis of behavior with special emphasis on the underlying anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the central nervous system, sensory, perceptual, and motor systems, physiological development, and circadian rhythms and sleep. Topics relating to learning, memory, motivation, and emotion are also introduced.
PSYCH 248. History and Systems of Psychology. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. A historical introduction to modern psychology and a critical survey of its chief systems—structuralism, functionalism, psychoanalysis, behaviorism, Gestalt, and others.†
PSYCH 251. Introduction to Learning and Behavioral Analysis. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. Introduction to principles of behavioral analysis, classical and operant conditioning.
PSYCH 257. The Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. The science and professional practice of sport and exercise psychology.
PSYCH 259. LGBTIQ Psychology. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. Introduction to some of the major issues surrounding sexuality and gender diversity, and how these issues shape the experiences and well-being of individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer.
PSYCH 260. Sensation and Perception. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. How the sensory systems code and perceive environmental stimuli. Topics include the visual system, the auditory/vestibular systems, speech perception, the cutaneous senses, and the chemical senses. Similarities and differences across the systems are highlighted and discussed, especially in terms of
how stimuli for each sense are transduced into neuronal signals and how areas in the brain are specifically organized to receive and process these signals. Discussion of this conversion of sensory information to sensory perception is complemented throughout the course by examination of research using multiple techniques such as psychophysics, physiological recording, and brain imaging.
PSYCH 281. VT: Problems in Psychology. 3 hr.; 3 cr. Prereq.: PSYCH 101. PSYCH 281.1, 3 hr. per week, 1 cr.; PSYCH 281.2, 6 hr. per week, 2 cr.; PSYCH 281.3, 9 hr. per week, 3 cr. An exploration of topics, to be announced, that are not covered by the regular course offerings. May be taken more than once provided there is no duplication of topics