Psychological and Brain Sciences
The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences offers two undergraduate degrees: a BS in Psychology and a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience. Psychology is the study of mental processes and behavior from multiple perspectives, and Behavioral Neuroscience emphasizes the biological underpinnings of mental processes and behavior. As detailed in the following sections, both degrees prepare students for a variety of possible careers and post-graduate study.
The Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences also offers an Accelerated Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Students begin their graduate study while enrolled as undergraduates and typically complete the BS/MS sequence in a total of five-years.
Throughout their time at Fairfield, students should work with their advisors to refine their interests. Together they can then identify specific courses within and outside of the major that will enrich their understanding of those areas of interest.
- Behavioral Neuroscience Major
- Behavioral Neuroscience Minor
- Psychology Major
- Concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience
- Psychology Minor
- Accelerated Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Note: Students majoring in Psychology may not declare a simultaneous major or minor in Behavioral Neuroscience, but psychology majors can do the concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience.
PSYC 1010 General Psychology 3 Credits
This course introduces the science of mental processes and behavior by addressing a range of questions including: How is brain activity related to thought and behavior? What does it mean to learn and remember something? How do we see, hear, taste, and smell? How do we influence one another's attitudes and actions? What are the primary factors that shape a child's mental and emotional development? How and why do we differ from one another? What are the origins and most effective treatments of mental illness?
PSYC 1110 Lifespan Development 3 Credits
The course encompasses a developmental psychology approach to the growth of the individual from birth to old age, tracing motor, perceptual, language, cognitive, and emotional growth and emphasizing normal development. This course is primarily for nursing majors.
PSYC 1210 Fundamentals of Social Psychology 3 Credits
This course surveys the major areas of concern in social psychology, emphasizing current issues and research in the fields of social influence and conformity, human aggression, prejudice, interpersonal attraction, propaganda, and persuasion. Psychology majors and students who have taken PSYC 2210 may not take this course.
PSYC 1220 Psychology and the Law 3 Credits
Implicit psychological assumptions about human behavior and how it should be controlled form the basis for the legal system, particularly our criminal justice system, from its code to its enforcement. This course examines those assumptions in light of current psycho-legal theory and research. It covers the treatment of traditional psychiatric populations by the justice system in contrast to that received by non-psychiatric populations; clinical issues such as the insanity defense, predicting dangerousness, the validity of psychiatric examinations and lie detectors; and jury selection, eyewitness testimony, decision-making, sentencing, and parole.
PSYC 1310 Psychopathology and Clinical Science for Non-Majors 3 Credits
This course introduces students to the field of abnormal behavior, presenting the classic behavior patterns in the classification system and discussing the possible causes and remediation of such. Psychology majors and students who have taken PSYC 2310 may not take this course.
PSYC 1710 General Neuroscience 3 Credits
This course introduces neuroscience concepts and terminology, such as neuron, glia, and action potential, with explanations to connect with fundamental biological concepts of cell structure. These concepts are then applied to understand techniques used in the advancement of neuroscience. From these techniques, we then explore the neuroscientific understanding of neurologic disorders.
PSYC 1740 Drugs, Brain and Behavior 3 Credits
This survey course discusses the psychopharmacological properties of the more significant drugs used for research and by society in general. Drug classes include alcohol and nicotine, depressants and stimulants, tranquilizers, opium derivatives, and hallucinogenic compounds. The course emphasizes drug action sites in the central nervous system as well as behavioral alteration in controlled and uncontrolled environments.
PSYC 1745L Drugs and Behavior Field Experience Lab 1 Credit
As an optional supplement to PSYC 2740 in fall or spring, this field experience lab includes an observational research study in Fairfield and abroad in Ireland. During initial lab meetings, students will read primary literature and develop a research question about social behaviors in pubs in both locations. After collecting data in Fairfield, students will travel to Ireland to continue their research, analyze major findings, and present results. The course will also include interactive discussions with faculty and students in Neuropharmacology labs abroad. Upon return to Fairfield, a formal paper or research poster will be submitted. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 2110 Child Development 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
Using a research-oriented approach, this course focuses on the principal themes, processes, and products of human development from conception through the start of adolescence. Students who have taken PSYC 2150 may not take this course.
PSYC 2120 Adult Development and Aging 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This course examines the theoretical underpinning and current research related to a number of key issues in the field of adult development and aging including physical, cognitive, and social-emotional changes, diseases, and disorders, as well as successful aging and resiliency.
PSYC 2130 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Lifespan Development 3 Credits
This course explores various developmental processes and cultural practices across the lifespan such as rites of passage, marriage, parenting, and gender equality from cultures across the globe. How do different cultures view various developmental milestones? What is similar across cultures? What is different? Ultimately, from a psychological perspective, what exactly is culture? And what variations in the course of development can be traced to the influence of culture?
PSYC 2150 Child Development with Lab 4 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
Although the content of this course is identical to PSYC 2110, it offers psychology majors the opportunity to participate in a laboratory experiential learning component in community partner preschool classrooms. Specific hands-on assignments complement course material. Students who have taken PSYC 2110 may not take this course.
PSYC 2160 Adolescent Development 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
Adolescence is a period of development that has lasting implications. How do people develop knowledge, skills, and relationships that allow them to become successful adults? This course will engage the scientific study of biological, psychological, cognitive, emotional development, personality, and social changes that occur during adolescence. Throughout the course we will discuss the definition of adolescence and explore identity, gender, sexuality, family relationships, peer influence, risk behavior, education, work, and media. Students will use the fundamental concepts taught in this course to critically think about adolescent issues and apply this knowledge to present day problems affecting adolescents.
PSYC 2210 Social Psychology 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This course surveys the major areas of concern in social psychology, emphasizing current issues and research in the fields of social influence and conformity, human aggression, prejudice, interpersonal attraction, propaganda, and persuasion.
PSYC 2220 Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This course will familiarize students with basic and applied social psychological research on stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and minority experience. After considering the cognitive and motivational factors that contribute to stereotyping and prejudice, students will proceed to examine prejudice in the "real world," exploring literature on discrimination-related policies, effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and identity on achievement and status, and prejudice reduction programs. The course will take a primarily empirical approach, focusing on the ways in which scientific methods and empirical evidence can inform our understanding of these emotionally-charged and socially consequential issues.
PSYC 2230 Personality Psychology 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
In what ways do you differ from other people, and in what ways are you similar? How did you come to be that way? The psychology of personality examines how individual differences in tendencies toward attitudes, behavior, and cognition cohere into stable constellations that people recognize as personality. Topics will include personality assessment, personality development, personality stability and change, biological and contextual influences on personality, emotion and motivation, and psychological adjustment. Although we will explore the major historical perspectives in personality research, the course will focus primarily on current empirical research and modern theories of personality.
PSYC 2240 Cultural Psychology 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This course is designed to introduce students to current theories and research about the ways in which sociocultural contexts influence human mind and behavior. Topics will include cultural similarities and differences in basic psychological processes, including human development, personality, motivation, cognition, emotion, health, morality, and social relationships. The course will also explore the role psychology has played in understanding the experiences of culturally diverse groups. It will introduce students to the ways in which psychologists consider culture in the interpretation of personal experience, which will leave students better able to understand and successfully navigate multicultural contexts in our increasingly culturally diverse world.
PSYC 2310 Psychopathology and Clinical Science 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This advanced course in abnormal behavior offers an in-depth analysis of current research and theories of psychopathology. It examines the biological and psychological antecedents of abnormal behavior. The course emphasizes oral and written analysis. Students who have taken PSYC 1310 may not take this course.
PSYC 2330 Gender and Mental Health 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This course will explore the relationship between gender and mental health. Topics to be discussed include gender identity, gender differences in development throughout the lifespan, the impact of social and societal gender expectations on functioning, as well as gender differences in the response to trauma and victimization. The course will also include an in-depth examination of sex differences in clinical disorders such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD, and personality disorders.
PSYC 2340 Theories in Psychotherapy 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 2310.
This course explores similarities and differences across a wide range of psycho-therapeutic endeavors by means of lectures and videos. The course covers traditional psychoanalytic techniques and more recent innovations.
PSYC 2360 Human Neuropsychology 3 Credits
Human neuropsychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on functional structures and systems of the human brain and how they support various higher-order psychological processes (e.g., learning, attention, executive functioning, higher-order thinking, memory, language, emotion, and motor skills). This course thus concentrates on the brain-behavior relationships beyond the cellular-molecular level, with an emphasis on typical lifespan development and common neuropathological syndromes (e.g., strokes, dementia, and traumatic brain injury) in relation to functional structures and systems of the human brain. Assessment and treatment interventions of neuropsychological disorders are addressed within this context.
PSYC 2370 Community Mental Health 3 Credits
This course provides an overview of the social and psychological foundations of community behavioral and mental health practice. Using psychological knowledge of healthy human development across the lifespan, major community mental health issues will be explored. Particular emphasis will be placed on identifying risk and protective factors relevant to the development of effective preventative and remedial interventions to address important community behavioral and mental health problems such as individuals living with chronic mental illness, depression and anxiety, addiction, as well as attention to the issues related to specific populations such as the LGBTQ community, individuals living in violent neighborhoods, veterans and military families, immigrants, and the elderly.
PSYC 2380 Psychology of Sports, Exercise, and Performance 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This course examines various psychological principles underlying sport, exercise and high performance. Emphasis is placed on both theoretical foundations (e.g., personality, motivation, stress, anxiety, arousal, attribution, neuropsychology and mental health) and empirically-based applications (e.g., mindfulness, imagery training, self-talk and goal-setting techniques) to achieve peak performance, reduce anxiety, enhance mental skills, improve self-efficacy, and increase self-confidence to achieve optimal performance for those in high-performance domains, such as athletes, musicians, dancers, business leaders and military personnel.
PSYC 2390 Psychology of Diversity 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
Diversity is an important and enriching aspect of our lives. This course will examine various aspects of diversity (e.g., discrimination, stereotypes, stigma, bias, culture, power, immigration) and how these aspects interact with each other. We will explore how diversity is manifested in real-world contexts and consider evidence-based strategies for reducing social bias. Students will also investigate areas of personal interest through student-led presentations, discussions, and connecting research to lived experiences.
PSYC 2510 Cognitive Psychology 3 Credits
How can we study the mind? This course surveys topics in cognitive psychology, including attention, memory, thought, imagery, language, problem solving, and decision making. Through lectures, readings, demonstrations, and exercises, students learn about how we think and about scientific explorations of the mind.
PSYC 2520 Learning and Applied Behavior Analysis 3 Credits
This course focuses on the environmental determinants of behavior and behavior change. The first two-thirds of the course highlight current concepts and research in Pavlovian and operant conditioning, reinforcement, discrimination, extinction, punishment, avoidance learning, etc. The remaining third of the course emphasizes applied behavior analysis (aka: behavior modification); that is, how these learning concepts and principles can be successfully applied to education, parenting, therapy, medicine, and everyday life.
PSYC 2540 Psycholinguistics 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This course explores the phenomenon of language in the mind and brain, including: How do children learn their first language(s) and why is it such a different experience for an adult to learn a language? What about second language acquisition? What are language disorders? Is spoken language processed differently from written language? What about sign languages? Class will include discussions, presentations, and hands-on analysis of language data.
PSYC 2610 Behavioral Neuroscience 3 Credits
Understanding the brain is one of the last and most challenging frontiers of science. Our brain functioning determines what we see, hear, know, think, or feel. Starting with the molecular and cellular machinery of neurons and the anatomy of the nervous system, the course proceeds through the neural basis of sensation, perception, memory, emotion, language, sexual behavior, drug addiction, depression, schizophrenia, etc. The enormous strides made by neuroscience in the last several decades show every sign of continuing and increasing; this course provides the foundation upon which a thorough understanding of brain-behavior relationships can be built.
PSYC 2620 Sensation and Perception 3 Credits
How do we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell? What about individual differences? This course explores basic sensory mechanisms and perceptual processing, including color, depth, pattern, and motion perception. An experiential learning component facilitates student comprehension of individual differences in sensation and perception. Students will also complete an integrative final project to reinforce their understanding of the vast range of sensory and perceptual concepts addressed throughout the course.
PSYC 2810 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences 4 Credits
Corequisite(s): PSYC 2810L.
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
This introductory course in statistical methodology and analysis includes descriptive statistics such as frequency distributions, central tendency, variability, and correlation as well as an introduction to probability, sampling theory, and tests of significance including the t-test, chi-squared, ANOVA, and non-parametric statistics. This course is open to majors in the behavioral, biological, and physical sciences. The lab complements the course by giving students supervised computation and problem-solving exercises. Note: This course does not fulfill any core requirements.
PSYC 2820 Research Methods in Psychology 4 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 2810.
Building on PSYC 2810, this course teaches students to read, evaluate, design, conduct, and report psychological research. The course emphasizes critical thinking and effective oral and written communication. Students work through several different research projects.
PSYC 2830 Research Methods in Behavioral Neuroscience 4 Credits
This course is designed to build your skills to be able to read, evaluate, design, conduct, and report research. Although research spans disciplines, the research techniques and topics in this course focus on behavioral neuroscience in humans and laboratory animals. As such, the responsible conduct of research following appropriate ethical guidelines is essential.
PSYC 2900 Special Topics (Shell) 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010 or PSYC 1610.
This intermediate level course focuses on a specific issue or topic in one of the major areas of psychology, including but not limited to social, cognitive, clinical, developmental, or biological psychology. In successive offerings, the content of this course will vary considerably. Thus, students may take more than one section of the course provided the content is different.
PSYC 2950 Supervised Research: Psychology 1 Credit
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010.
The course provides research training experience in a supervised setting in which students work closely with a faculty mentor on various research projects. Such work may include assisting in designing and running lab research, data analysis, field experience, and library research. This hands-on experience enhances students' understanding of issues in research design and analysis and prepares them for more advanced research opportunities should they choose to pursue them. Student researchers are expected to spend 3 hours per week in the lab and attend a weekly lab meeting. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 2955 Supervised Research: Behavioral Neuroscience 1 Credit
The course provides research training experience in a supervised setting in which students work closely with a faculty mentor on various research projects. Such work may include assisting in designing and running lab research, data analysis, field experience, and library research. This hands-on experience enhances students' understanding of issues in research design and analysis and prepares them for more advanced research opportunities should they choose to pursue them. Student researchers are expected to spend 3 hours per week in the lab and attend a weekly lab meeting. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 3380 Clinical Psychology Assessment 3 Credits
This course offers an introduction to the principles of psychological test construction, administration and interpretation, and reviews the roles that these tests have in broad clinical assessment and research. Specific evaluation of test reliability and validity are applied to test construction and to various published tests of intelligence, achievement, personality, and neuropsychological functioning.
PSYC 3610 Cognitive Neuroscience 3 Credits
This course provides an introduction to cognitive neuroscience: the study of how the brain enables a variety of cognitive processes. We will begin with a review of the human nervous system and an in-depth examination of the variety of cognitive neuroscience tools employed to understand the structure and function of the human brain. We will then cover the neural processes that support sensation, perception, attention, memory, motor control, language, executive control, and emotional and social functioning. Along the way, we will discuss various diseases, disorders, and illusions from the cognitive neuroscience perspective.
PSYC 3720 Hormones and Behavior 3 Credits
This upper level course in psychology will provide students with an overview of behavioral neuroscience, with an emphasis on behavioral endocrinology (hormones and behavior). Topics include the description of major classes of hormones, the techniques used in behavioral neuroscience, and the discussion of hormone-mediated behaviors including male and female reproductive behaviors, stress and fear, memory and cognition, parental behaviors, ingestive behaviors, and circadian rhythms. After weekly mini-review sessions of the relevant text, this course will emphasize primary research (journal) articles with student-led discussions.
PSYC 3740 Pharmacology and Mental Disorders 3 Credits
Building on a foundational knowledge of Behavioral Neuroscience and Drugs and Behavior, this course provides a more in-depth exploration of the field of Psychopharmacology, focusing on more advanced principles of pharmacology, chemical signaling in the brain, and current treatments for anxiety, mood disorders, schizophrenia and other select conditions (e.g., ADHD, substance use disorder). We will consider the neural systems and disease mechanisms that are thought to underlie various mental disorders. The student will also learn about the drug discovery and development process including leading examples of experimental therapeutics currently in clinical development.
PSYC 3760 Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 3 Credits
Building on a foundation of introductory neuroscience, this course aims to provide a more in-depth exploration of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in neural signaling, synaptic transmission, neural development, and neuroplasticity. The student will learn about the structural, biochemical, and biophysical properties of neurons and their dynamic regulation by genetic and environmental factors. We will also explore how aberrations in molecular and cellular mechanisms can lead to the development of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
PSYC 3950 Supervised Research: Psychology 3 Credits
The course provides research training experience in a supervised setting in which students work closely with a faculty mentor on various research projects. Such work may include assisting in designing and running lab research, data analysis, field experience, and library research. This hands-on experience enhances students' understanding of issues in research design and analysis and prepares them for more advanced research opportunities should they choose to pursue them. Student researchers are expected to spend 9-10 hours per week in the lab and attend a weekly lab meeting. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 3955 Supervised Research: Behavioral Neuroscience 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 2810 (concurrency allowed).
The course provides research training experience in a supervised setting in which students work closely with a faculty mentor on various research projects. Such work may include assisting in designing and running lab research, data analysis, field experience, and library research. This hands-on experience enhances students' understanding of issues in research design and analysis and prepares them for more advanced research opportunities should they choose to pursue them. Student researchers are expected to spend 9-10 hours per week in the lab and attend a weekly lab meeting Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 3980 Psychology Teaching Practicum 3 Credits
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1010 or PSYC 1610.
This practicum experience, open to advanced psychology majors, affords students an opportunity to explore teaching psychology as a profession. Under the direct supervision of a faculty mentor, students engage the issues of curriculum development, methods of classroom instruction, selection and use of media resources, test construction, and strategies for the academic and practical motivation of students. Interns observe participating faculty engaged in the profession of teaching and share in some instructional activities. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 4110 Senior Seminar: Current Issues in Developmental Psychology 3 Credits
This seminar engages with current issues in developmental psychology research, with a particular emphasis on child development. Although the specific topics covered in the course will vary from semester to semester, the course will be structured to present an overview of each topic domain (through review articles and seminal empirical articles) followed by more contemporary readings on the topic and a discussion of current debates and open issues. Students will apply insights from developmental psychology research to educational, clinical, and policy contexts, with an emphasis on promoting children's learning and well-being across diverse settings. Open to senior Psychology majors.
PSYC 4210 Senior Seminar: Current Issues in Social Psychology 3 Credits
This seminar engages with current issues in social psychological research. Although the specific topics covered in the course will change from semester to semester, the course will be structured to present an overview of each topic domain (through review articles and seminal empirical articles) followed by more contemporary readings on the topic and a discussion of current debates and open issues. Throughout the course, students will focus on applying insights from social psychological research to "real world" issues such as increasing individual well-being, supporting and maintaining healthy social relationships, creating more just and equitable communities, and improving judgment and decision-making. Open to senior psychology majors. Permission of instructor is required for junior psychology majors.
PSYC 4220 Senior Seminar: Health Psychology 3 Credits
This course provides an in-depth survey of the discipline of health psychology, framed within the context of sociocultural factors such as ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Among the topics covered: stress, coping behaviors, biomedical and biopsychosocial models of health and illness, health behaviors, patient-provider communication. The students explore new ways to integrate theory and research with the advances in the science and practice of health psychology and present their work in a final independent project. Open to senior psychology majors. Permission of instructor is required for junior psychology majors and non-majors.
PSYC 4310 Senior Seminar: Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 3 Credits
This course provides a survey of the theory and research in the field of clinical psychology related to children and adolescents. More specifically, the seminar explores: the diagnostic characteristics of the major types of child psychological disorders, the etiology of each disorder from the different theoretical perspectives, and effective approaches to treatment and prevention. Open to senior psychology majors. Permission of the instructor required for junior psychology majors.
PSYC 4320 Senior Seminar: Current Issues in Clinical Psychology 3 Credits
This course provides an in-depth exploration of current research and practice in the field of clinical psychology. Factors that contribute to the etiology, maintenance, identification and treatment of psychological distress will be discussed. The course will also include an in-depth examination of clinical disorders including mood, anxiety, psychotic, eating, traumatic stress, and personality disorders. Treatment, resilience and coping will also be discussed. Open to senior psychology majors. Permission of the instructor required for junior psychology majors.
PSYC 4510 Senior Seminar: False Memories 3 Credits
Can people repress memories for childhood trauma? How accurate are eyewitnesses at reporting what they saw? Although most of the time, our memories serve us quite well, many of the strategies and mechanisms that help us remember accurately can also lead to errors. This course examines various types of memory distortions and what they can tell us about the mechanisms of memory. Through readings and class discussions, students will explore research addressing confusions between real and imagined memories, the reliability of eyewitness recollections, children's suggestibility, as well as clinical issues such as repression and dissociation from a cognitive perspective. Open to senior psychology majors. Permission of instructor is required for junior psychology majors.
PSYC 4610 Senior Seminar: Current Issues in Behavioral Neuroscience 3 Credits
This senior seminar will provide students with an overview of current research in behavioral neuroscience, with particular emphasis on behavioral endocrinology (hormones and behavior). After a brief overview of a particular topic, including discussion of brain areas involved and techniques used to examine them, this course will emphasize current research articles in neuroscience. Specifically, how is behavioral neuroscience used to examine mechanisms behind certain behaviors and to treat anomalies? Areas of focus include clinical conditions (Alzheimer's, autism, post-partum depression) and addictive behaviors/drugs of abuse (alcohol, cannabis, anabolic androgenic steroids). Open to senior psychology majors and behavioral neuroscience majors. Permission of the instructor required for junior psychology and behavioral neuroscience majors and non-majors.
PSYC 4620 Senior Seminar: Integrative Neuroscience 3 Credits
This course explores neuroscience through in-depth analysis of high-impact publications in the field. The course is structured such that the initial lectures will provide a refresher on foundational neuroscience concepts and techniques. Subsequent sessions are student-led discussions of published research articles across a number of conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, sleep, stress, substance use disorders), model organisms (e.g., humans, rodents, cephalopods, crustaceans), and research approaches (e.g., behavior, EEG, microscopy). Open to senior psychology majors and behavioral neuroscience majors.
PSYC 4650 Neuroanatomy and Behavior 3 Credits
Corequisite(s): PSYC 4650L.
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 1610.
This hands-on laboratory course in behavioral neuroscience will introduce students to comparative neuroanatomy using rat, sheep, and human brain specimens. Students will participate in animal handling, brain sectioning, small animal surgeries, and drug administration, and will gain experience with rodents on a number of behavioral assays, including tests for spatial memory and reproductive behaviors. In small group exercises, students will become proficient in critiquing and presenting scientific literature, and will help in all stages of an experiment, from design to data collection to analysis and the writing up and presentation of results. In addition, students may work on a service-learning project with a community partner during the semester. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 4650L Neuroanatomy and Behavior Lab 1 Credit
Corequisite(s): PSYC 4650.
PSYC 4710 Senior Seminar in Neuroscience of Human Memory 3 Credits
Memory is a critical component of the human experience. We frequently rely on our ability to store and retrieve information, whether it be to login to our computer, remembering that you need submit a paper by noon, or reminiscing about a favorite vacation. This course will explore the neural underpinnings of different types of human memory, including long-term memory, memory failure, working memory, and implicit memory. We will also consider diseases of memory, how memory interacts with other cognitive processes, how memory differs across species, and the intersection of neuroscience, memory, and the law. Open to junior and senior psychology and behavioral neuroscience majors or by permission.
PSYC 4900 Special Topics: Senior Seminar 3 Credits
In this seminar, students undertake an in-depth study of a current topic in psychology, using mostly primary sources. Coursework emphasizes discussion and writing. Open to junior and senior psychology and behavioral neuroscience majors or by permission of instructor.
PSYC 4950 Research Thesis in Psychology 4 Credits
In this course, students engage in an advanced research project, under the mentorship of a faculty member. This can include conducting a literature review, developing hypotheses, designing and implementing a research protocol, and analyzing and interpreting data. Students write a thesis in APA-style, including an introduction with a thorough review of relevant literature, a detailed description of methods and procedure, as well as the results and a discussion about the conclusions and contribution of the project. Permission from the professor supervising the project is needed prior to registering for this course, and a research proposal is often required prior to acceptance, so early planning is essential. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 4955 Research Thesis in Behavioral Neuroscience 4 Credits
In this course, students engage in an advanced research project, under the mentorship of a faculty member. This can include conducting a literature review, developing hypotheses, designing and implementing a research protocol, and analyzing and interpreting data. Students write a thesis in APA-style, including an introduction with a thorough review of relevant literature, a detailed description of methods and procedure, as well as the results and a discussion about the conclusions and contribution of the project. Permission from the professor supervising the project is needed prior to registering for this course, and a research proposal is often required prior to acceptance, so early planning is essential. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 4981 Internship in Applied Psychology 1-3 Credits
Senior psychology majors gain practical, career-related experience in a variety of supervised field settings through the internship program. Student interns choose from a wide selection of placements in traditional psychology-related programs: mental health, social service, school psychology, early child and special education, probation, and hospital administration. Intern placements in related disciplines include human factors engineering, human resource development, advertising, and public relations. Internships emphasize the integration of learning, both cognitive and experiential. Interns may register for one or two semesters, depending on the availability of appropriate placement sites and qualified supervisors. Interns spend a minimum of 10 hours per week in on-site work and complete the required academic component specified by the faculty coordinator. Enrollment by permission only.
PSYC 4982 Internship in Applied Psychology 1-3 Credits
Senior psychology majors gain practical, career-related experience in a variety of supervised field settings through the internship program. Student interns choose from a wide selection of placements in traditional psychology-related programs: mental health, social service, school psychology, early child and special education, probation, and hospital administration. Intern placements in related disciplines include human factors engineering, human resource development, advertising, and public relations. Internships emphasize the integration of learning, both cognitive and experiential. Interns may register for one or two semesters, depending on the availability of appropriate placement sites and qualified supervisors. Interns spend a minimum of 10 hours per week in on-site work and complete the required academic component specified by the faculty coordinator. Enrollment by permission only.
Professors
Andreychik
Harding
Henkel
McClure
Associate Professor
Karanian
Associate Professor of the Practice
Tomlin
Assistant Professors
Bragard
DeLuca
Goger
Haber
Hughes
Lin, M.
Rakowitz, Chair
Schmidt, K.
Vardsveen (Visiting)
Assistant Professors of the Practice
Fitzgerald
Peloso
Lecturers
Amico
Claydon
Cooper, J.
Fitchenholtz
Heitzman
Faculty Emeriti
Gardner
Primavera
Salafia