101.
Developmental Psychology (4)
Lectures cover a variety of topics in the development
of the child, the development of perception, cognition,
language, and sex differences. Prerequisite:
Psychology 60.
102.
Sensation & Perception (4)
Introduction to problems and methods in the study
of perceptual and cognitive processes. Prerequisite:
Psychology 60.
103.
Principles of Behavior (4)
An introduction to principles of conditioning and
their application to the control and modification of
human behavior.
104.
Social Psychology (4)
An introduction and survey of current knowledge
in social psychology. Prerequisite: Psychology
60.
105.
Cognitive Psychology (4)
An introduction to experimental study of higher
mental procedures including pattern recognition, perception
and comprehension of language, memory and problem-solving.
Prerequisite: Junior standing.
106.
Physiological Psychology (4)
Introduction to current knowledge of physiological
factors in learning, motivation, perception, and memory.
107.
Lab/Substance Abuse Research (4)
This lab course examines theory and research design
and methods for substance abuse in adolescent adult
populations. This course serves as preparation
for individual research topics culminating in a paper.
108.
Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (4)
This course covers background history, neuroanatomy, methods, and results from neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies of behavior. Topics include attention, motor control, executive function, memory, learning, emotion, and language.
109.
Lab/Applied Behavior Analysis (4)
This course will provide students with hands-on
training in the application of behavioral research technology
to a clinical population. Students will meet weekly
for lecture, discussion, research article reviews, and
specific technique training. In addition, students will
work on a research project. Prerequisite: Psychology
199 in the Schreibman autism laboratory recommended.
110.
Junior Honors Seminar (4)
Meetings consist of research seminars by a range
of departmental faculty, exposing students to contemporary
research problems in all branches of experimental psychology.
Class discussions will follow faculty presentations.
Evaluation based on assigned papers. Prerequisite:
Admission to the Psychology Honors Program by application
in the fall of the Junior year* - a minimum overall
GPA of 3.3 is required. Offered: winter quarters.
* Application forms are available from the Student
Services Office and due by the end of October.
HDP 110. Brain and Behavior (4)
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students
with basic mechanisms if brain and behavioral development
from embryology through aging. Multiple levels of analysis
will be discussed, including the effect of hormones
on behavior, developmental events at the level of cells,
structures, and neural systems, and the neural basis
of cognition, social, perceptual, and language development.
Prerequisite for Psychology Students: Psych 101,
111A. Research Methods I (6)*
Designed to provide training in the applications
of advanced statistical methods in the context of initial
instruction in experimental design. Emphasis will be
placed on the development of statistical problem-solving
skills, practical computer applications, and scientific
report writing. Prerequisite: Minimum grade of B
in Psych 60 or equivalent and junior standing. Open
to honors students or consent of instructor. Department
stamp required.
111B.
Research Methods II (6)*
Designed to extend the material of Psychology 111A.
Focusing on the techniques developed previously. Participate
in data collection, data organization, statistical analysis
and graphic displays, emphasis placed on developing
scientific report writing, presentations, and critical
thinking about experimental methods. Prerequisite:
Psychology 111A or consent of instructor. Department
stamp required.
114.
Lab/Psychophysical Perspectives on the Social Mind
(4)
Lab course on the use of psychophysiological methods
to investigate "the social mind", or the cognitive
and emotional processes involved in understanding people.
Overview of major research topics and methods. Application
of selected techniques in actual experiments. Students
will engage in developing individual research questions
and will actively participate in designing and conducting
the experiments. Prerequisite: Upper division standing
and consent of instructor. Course may be taken 3x
for credit.
115.
Lab/Cognitive Psychology (4)
Lecture and laboratory work in human information
processing. Prerequisite: Psychology 105 and
111 or consent of instructor.
118A.
Lab/Real-Time Examination of Language Processing (4)
This lab examines the design and methods for the
real-time examination of language processing in normal
and disordered (aphasia, dyslexic, child language impaired,
etc.) language populations. This course serves a preparation
for individual research topics in Psychology 118B. Prerequisite:
A course in language or cognition (see instructor for
exceptions). Permission of instructor required.
Department stamp required.
118B.
Lab/Real-time Examination of Language Processing (4)
This lab is a continuation of Psychology 118A. This
introduction to laboratory methods is now applied to
individual research projects culminating in lab presentations
and paper. Prerequisite: Psychology 118A or consent
of instructor.
119.
Lab/Psycholinguistic and Cognition (4)
Methods and Practicum in experimental study of language,
reading, and related cognitive processes (reasoning,
problem solving) in young adult populations. Prerequisites:
A course in language or cognition, or Psych 118.
See instructor for exceptions. Permission of instructor
required. Department stamp required.
120.
Learning and Motivation (4)
Survey of research and theory in learning and motivation.
Includes instinct, reinforcement, stimulus control,
choice, aversive control, and human applications. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing. MUST be taken concurrently
with Psychology 121.
121.
Lab/Operant Psychology (4)
Lecture and laboratory in operant psychology. Prerequisite:
MUST be taken concurrently with Psychology 120.
122.
Aging (4)
An introduction to the psychology of aging (from
age 20 on). This course is designed to extend the developmental
course (101), which focuses primarily on early development.
Lectures cover a variety of topics including behavioral
(functional changes), physiological changes (mainly
associated with the central nervous system), and neuropathological
disorders associated with aging. Prerequisites: Psychology 60 and 101.
124.
Introduction to Clinical Psychology (4)
Introduction to major concepts and models used in
psychology assessment and psychotherapeutic intervention.
Several modalities of psychotherapy (individual, group,
and family) will be reviewed along with research on
their efficacy. Prerequisite: Psychology 16.3
127.
Methods in Applied Social Psychology (4)
Emphasizes learning and experimental and quasi-experimental
methodology applicable to social problems. Students
carry out field research in areas such as the psychology
of the law (judicial decision making), traffic behavior
(risk taking), environmental psychology and other areas
of student interest. Prerequisite: Psychology 60
and Psychology 104.
129.
Logic of Perception (4)
Lectures will cover three topics: 1) tradition
of experimental work on perception that dates back to
Helmholtz; 2) discussion and criticisms of theories
of perception; 3) recent physiological work on the visual
pathways that may give us insights into neural mechanisms
underlying perception. Prerequisite: upper-division
standing.
130.
Delay of Gratification (4)
This course will review the research on delay of
gratification. It will cover what makes it in general
so tough, what situations make it possible, who can
do it, and what the implications of this ability are.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
131.
Personality: Theory and Research (4)
Introduction to major theoretical approaches to
the study of personality constructs and processes. Disturbances
in personality development and functioning will be discussed
and illustrated. The social learning theory perspective
will be emphasized relative to other theoretical frameworks.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
132.
Hormones and Behavior (4)
A survey off the effects of chemical signals (hormones,
neurohormones, and pheromones) on behavior as well as
reciprocal effects of behavior on these chemical systems.
Specific topics covered include aggression, sex and
sexuality, feeding, learning, memory and mood. Animal
studies will be emphasized. Prerequisite: Psychology
106.
134.
Eating Disorders (4)
This course will cover the biology and psychology
of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Abnormal, as well
as normal eating will be discussed from various perspectives
including endocrinological, neurobiological, psychological,
sociological, and evolutionary. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing
135.
Animal Behavior (4)
This course will examine evolutionary, environmental,
and mechanistic forces that shape the behavior of humans
and other animals. Topics include the evolution of sec,
neural and endocrine bases of social behavior, animal
communication, and sociobiology Prerequisite: Psychology
106.
136.
Cognitive Development (4)
This course examines the foundations and growth
of the mind, discussing the development of perception,
imagery, concept formation, memory and thinking. Emphasis
is placed on the representation of knowledge in infancy
and early childhood. (Credit may not be received for
both Psychology 136 and Cognitive Science 113.) Prerequisites:
Cognitive Science 101B or Psychology 105 or 101.
137.
Social Cognition (4)
Social cognition blends cognitive and social psychology
to investigate how people make sense of the social world.
After covering basic concepts, including social perception,
inference, memory, motivation, and affect, we will focus
on understand the self, stereotypes, and cultural cognition.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing; Psychology
104 and 105.
138.
Sound and Music Perception (4)
Topics include the physiology of the auditory system,
perception and pitch, loudness and timbre, localization
of sound in space, perception of melodic and temporal
patterns, handedness correlates, and musical illusions
and paradoxes. There will be a substantial number of
sound demonstrations. Prerequisite: upper-division
standing.
139.
Social Psychology of Sports (4)
This course focuses on the applications of social
psychological principles and finding to the understanding
of sports, Topics include the role of motivation, level
of aspiration, competition, cooperation, social comparison,
and optimal arousal, spectators’ perspective, motivation
and perceptions of success, streaks, etc. Prerequisite:
Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.
140.
Lab/ Human Behavior (4)
Laboratory on the principles of human behavior,
including choice behavior, self-control, and reasoning.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing and Psychology
120 (may be taken concurrently).
141.
Evolution and Human Nature (4)
Can important aspects of human behavior be explained
as a result of natural selection? Focus on sex differences,
selfishness and altruism, homicide and violence, and
context effects in human reasoning. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing and consent of instructor.
142.
Psychology of Consciousness (4)
This course will survey research on consciousness
from an experimental psychology perspective. Special
emphasis will be placed on cognitive, neuroimaging,
and clinical/psychiatric investigative techniques, and
on the scientific assessment of the mind-body problem.
Prerequisites: Recommended Psychology 1 (or
equivalent) and 60. Psychology 105 and/or 106 are useful
but not necessary.
143.
Control and Analysis of Human Behavior (4)
An overview of the behavioral approach including
basic principles, self-control, clinical applications,
and the design of cultures. Prerequisite: Psychology
major or consent of instructor.
144.
Memory and Amnesia (4)
This course will review basic research into the
nature of memory. It begins with an examination of historical
milestones in the study of memory and then considers
research concerned with contemporary models of memory
and amnesia. Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
145.
Psychology of Language (4)
Introduction to research on language comprehension
and production. Focus on brain basis of language, language
origin and universal structure, language disorders (aphasia
dyslexia), animal language, linguistic community differences,
and the mental processes underlying normal language
processing. Prerequisite: a course in
language, cognition, or philosophy of mind recommended.
148.
Psychology of Judgment and Decision (4)
Broadly defined, the filed of judgment and decision
making examines preferences and subjective probability,
and how they are combined to arrive at decisions. The
course will cover history and current topics. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing
149.
Social Psychology of Theater (4)
Exploration of the relationship between social psychology
and drama, focusing on the use of psychological principles
in plays (by playwrights) and their performance (by
directors, actors, and choreographers). Prerequisite:
upper-division standing, major in psychology or theater,
or permission of instructor.
151.
Tests and Measurement (4)
This course provides an introduction to psychological
testing presented in three components: 1) psychometrics
and statistical methods of test construction; 2) application
of psychological tests in industry, clinical practice,
and other applied settings; and 3) controversies in
the application of psychological tests. Prerequisite:
Psychology 60.
152.
Conceptions of Intelligence (4)
This course will examine the concept of intelligence
from several perspectives: its historical development
its measurement in terms of IQ test, and its role in
practical affairs. Also included will be its role in
comparative psychology and attempts to analyze intelligence
in terms of more fundamental cognitive processes. Prerequisite:
Psychology 111 or consent of instructor.
153.
Psychology of Emotion (4)
This course will cover past and current findings
and theories on emotion. Topics will include facial
expressions of emotion, psychophysiology, evolutionary
perspectives, and specific emotions such as anger, fear,
and jealousy. Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
154.
Behavior Modification (4)
Extension of learning principles to human behavior,
methods of applied behavior analysis, and applications
of behavioral principles to clinical disorders and to
normal behavior in various settings. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing.
155.
Social Psychology and Medicine (4)
Explores areas of health, illness, treatment, and
delivery of treatment, and social psychological perspectives
in the medical area. Prerequisite: Psychology
60 or equivalent and 104.
156.
Cognitive Development in Infancy (4)
Examines perception and cognition in the first year
of life. The focus is a critical evaluation of different
theories of cognitive change in infancy and methodological
issues. Prerequisite: Psychology 60 and 101.
157.
Happiness (4)
This course will address the psychology of happiness.
The discussions and readings, consisting largely of
original research articles, will explore such questions
as: What is happiness? How do we measure it, and
how do we tell who has it? What is the biology of happiness
and what is its evolutionary significance? What makes
people happy -- youth, fortune, marriage, chocolate?
Is the pursuit of happiness pointless? Prerequisite:
upper-division standing.
158.
Interpersonal Relationships (4)
A seminar-style course to examine theories and empirical work pertaining to interpersonal relationships; attraction, jealousy, attachments, love.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
159.
Physiological Basis of Perception (4)
A survey of sensory and perceptual phenomena and
the physiological mechanisms underlying them.Prerequisite:
Psychology 102 or consent of instructor.
160.
Groups (4)
Causes and consequences of gregariousness, stress,
validating attitudes, improving efficiency, consolidating
power, permitting loafing, rejecting deviates, and insulating
group members from unpleasant outside influence. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing.
161.
Introduction to Engineering Psychology (4)
Surveys human perceptual and cognitive limitations
and abilities important in designing “user-friendly”
computers and devices, improving aviation and traffic
safety, and other engineering challenges. Topics include:
human vision as it bears on display design (including
virtual-reality); short-term memory limitations; leaning
and practice, effects of noise and stress; causes of
human error and their minimization. Acceptable as elective
for ECE and ESE students. Prerequisite: upper-division
standing.
162.
Psychology and the Law (4)
Studies the psychological factors in the legal system,
applying psychological theory and methods to the criminal
justice system, identifying crime and criminals, eyewitness
reliability, bail setting, plea-bargaining, sentencing,
and parole. An original research project will be required
as part of the course. Prerequisite: Psychology
60 and 104.
163.
Abnormal Psychology (4)
Surveys origins, characteristics and causes of abnormal
behavior and the biological and environmental causes
of abnormality. Prerequisite: upper-division
standing.
164.
Mathematical Ideas in Psychology (4)
This course will survey how mathematical ideas have
been applied in modeling psychological processes and
in analyzing psychological data. Topics include signal
detection theory, perceptual encoding, scaling techniques,
and neural models of perceptual and cognitive processes.
Prerequisite: Calculus: one quarter, linear algebra
desirable.
166.
History of Psychology (4)
Surveys major trend and personalities in development
of psychological thoughts. Emphasis given to such topics
as mind-body problem, nativism vs. empiricism, and genesis
of behaviorism. Prerequisite: three previous
upper-division courses in psychology.
168.
Psychological Disorders of Childhood (4)
Explores different forms of psychological deviance
in children (psychosis, neurosis, mental retardation,
Language disorders and other behavior problems). Emphasis
on symptomatology, assessment, etiological factors,
and various treatment modalities. (Offered every other
year.) Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
169.
Brain Damage and Mental Functions (4)
Studies neural mechanisms underlying perception,
memory, language, and other mental capacities. What
happens to these capacities when different parts of
the brain are damaged? What can we learn about the normal
brain by studying patients? Prerequisite: upper-division
standing.
171.
Neurobiology of Learning & Memory (4)
This course will cover the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, from cognitive to molecular neuroscience, including human, animal, and cellular, and molecular studies of memory. Topics will include amnesia, mental retardation, exceptional intelligence, aging, and Alzheimer's disease.
Prerequisite: Psychology 2 or Psychology 106, or consent of instructor.
172.
The Psychology of Human Sexuality (4)
Important issues in human sexuality including sex
and gender, sexual orientation, reproductive technology,
and sexual dysfunction. Prerequisite: upper-division
standing.
175.
Psychology and the Arts (4)
An interdisciplinary course focusing on theoretical
ideas and empirical research that relate contemporary
psychology (social and cognitive, psychophysiology,
motivation and emotion) to issues in various aesthetic
and artistic domains, as visual arts, music, literature,
criticism, and the performance arts. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing; major in Psychology, Music,
Visual Arts, Communications, or Literature, or permission
of instructor.
178.
Organizational Psychology (4)
Examines human behavior in industrial and organizational
settings. Psychological principles are applied to selection,
placement, and training. The effectiveness of individuals
and groups within organizations, including leadership
and control, conflict and cooperation, motivation, and
organizational structure and design, is examined. Prerequisite:
upper-division standing.
179.
Drugs, Addiction, and Mental Disorders (4)
Considers the use, abuse, liability, and psychotherapeutic
effects of drugs in humans. Lectures are supplemented
by guest lecturers from clinical experts in psychology
and psychiatry. Prerequisite: one lower-division
psychology course (1, 2, 3, or 4) or upper-division
standing.
180. Adolescence (4)
This course will examined evolutionary, environmental,
and mechanistic forces that shape the behavior of humans
and other animals. Topics include the evolution of sex,
neural and endocrine bases of social behavior, animal
communication, and sociobiology. Prerequisite: Psychology
106.
181.
Drugs and Behavior (4)
Psychological effects, brain mode of action, patterns
of use of psychoactive agents, including stimulants,
sedative/hypnotic, hallucinogens, marijuana, alcohol,
over-the- counter drugs, cognitive enhancers, antianxiety
agents, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and basic principles
in psychopharmacology. Prerequisite: upper-division
standing.
182.
Illusions and the Brain (4)
This course explores the bases of illusions in terms
of perceptual and cognitive principles, and the underlying
brain mechanisms, extensive demonstrations are included.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
184.
Choice and Self-control (4)
Experimental analysis of choice behavior, with an
emphasis on the types of choice involved in self-control.
Focus on conditions under which decision-making is optimal.
Prerequisite: upper-division students in psychology,
biology, economics, or consent of instructor.
185.
Applied Developmental Psychology (4)
Seminar on how developmental psychologists conduct
scientific studies that have direct practical implications
for children's well being. Major issues to be discussed
are: child witnesses, literacy, school violence, impact
of media on child development, and developmental psychopathology.
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
186.
Psychology and Social Policy (4)
This course will examine social policy issues from
the psychological point of view. Each social policy
issue will be discussed in a descriptive manner and
will include (with student input) an array of both pro
and con arguments. The psychological (behavioral) assumptions
in the pro and con arguments will then be identified
and the empirical evidence for these assumptions will
be analyzed. Prerequisite: Psychology 60 and
104.
187.
Development of Social Cognition (4)
This course will examine reasoning about people
from a developmental perspective. Topics will include
emotional understanding, achievement motivation, peer
relations, social categories, and culture. Prerequisites:
upper-division standing. Department stamp required.
188.
Impulse Control Disorders (4)
Problems of impulse control are important features
of major psychiatric disorders but also of atypical
impulse control disorder such as: pathological
gambling, compulsive sex, eating, exercise, shopping.
Focus: development, major common features, treatment,
and neurobiological basis of impulse control disorders.
Prerequisites: upper-division standing.
191.
Psychology of Sleep (4)
Topics will include basic physiology, evolutionary models of the
purpose of sleep, the role of sleep in learning/creativity, dreams, and sleep disorders. Prerequisites:
upper-division standing.
193. Topics in Psychology
Selected topics in the field of Psychology. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
Fall 2008
TOPIC: Social Neuroscience. This course examines research in the emergent field of social neuroscience, in which a variety of methods such as functional MRI, event-related potentials, and studies of patients with focal brain lesions or psychiatric disorders are utilized to investigate how the brain mediates social processes and behavior. The neural basis of numerous processes will be covered, including emotion recognition, mental state attribution, and social group dynamics.
Winter 2009
TOPIC: Criminology. Criminology as a discipline is concerned with the causes of crime as well as with the criminal justice and correctional systems. Our goal in this course is to scientifically study the making of laws, the breaking of laws, and society’s reaction to breaking the laws. Criminologists have adopted methods of study from all the social and behavioral sciences. Criminology involves analyzing crime over time and place, and the characteristics of criminals and their crimes. The course will cover the measurement of crime and the major theories that have been advanced to account for criminal behavior. Questions of interest will include: Is criminal activity a learned behavior? To what extent is criminal behavior genetically determined? Does exposure to media violence increase the probability that a person will become a criminal offender? How do social structure, social processes, and social organization affect criminal propensities? The course will also survey the characteristics of violent offenses, the relationship between drugs and crime, and the effect that different types of penalties have on recidivism. Finally, the course will also cover the psychological effects of incarceration and the death penalty.
Spring 2009
TOPIC: Cognitive Control and Frontal Lobe Function. This course explores a rapidly evolving topic in cognitive neuroscience; the most "human" and recently evolved region of the brain--the frontal lobes. Crucial for all high-order functioning, it is only in humans that these parts of the brain are so highly developed. They hold the key to our judgment, our social and ethical behavior, our imagination, indeed, to our "soul." The course provides a background to frontal lobe anatomy and neuroscience methods, along with case histories and descriptions of neuropsychiatric disorders. Students will learn how the frontal lobes enable us to engage in complex mental processes, how vulnerable they are to injury, and how devastating the effects of damage often are, leading to chaotic, disorganized, asocial, and even criminal behavior.
194A-B-C.
Honors Thesis (4-4-4)
Students will take part in a weekly research seminar.
In addition, they will plan and carry out a three-quarter
research project under the guidance of a faculty member.
The project will form the basis of the senior honors
thesis. Prerequisite: acceptance to the Honors Program
in the junior year (110A-B) (GPA 3.3), in addition
one laboratory course (114-127) or two 199s which
culminate in a research paper (by petition only) and
Psychology 110, 111A&B and consent of instructor.
195.
Instruction in Psychology (4)
Introduction to teaching a class section in a lower-division
psychology course, hold office hours, assist with examinations
and grading (P/NP grades only). This course counts only
once towards the major. Prerequisite: junior or senior psychology major with GPA of 3.0, an A or A- in the course, and consent of instructor.
196
ABC Research Seminar (4-4-4)
Weekly research seminar, three-quarter research
project under faculty guidance, which culminates in
a thesis. Prerequisite: One laboratory, 3.3
GPA, and/or consent of instructor, and Departmental
stamp.
199.
Independent Study (2 or 4)
Independent study or research under direction of a member
of the faculty. Prerequisite: GPA 2.5 and 90
units completed. (P/NP grades only.) Not counted for
credit towards the major. See Section on 199 information
2XX. Graduate Seminar
We encourage juniors and seniors meeting the suggested
criteria of an overall 3.0 GPA to enroll in Graduate
Seminars. Check the schedule of classes and contact
the Student Services
Office on how to enroll.
