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p s y c h o l o g y
Intended for freshmen in the College of Arts and Sciences. Seeks to introduce
freshmen to the liberal arts in general, as well as to familiarize them with
their major; help them develop the academic skills necessary to succeed (e.g.,
analytical ability and critical thinking); provide grounding in the culture and
values of the University community; and help them develop interpersonal
skillsin short, to familiarize students with all skills needed to become a
successful university student.
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PSY 1111
Foundations of Psychology 1
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4 QH |
Surveys the fundamental principles and issues of the major areas of
contemporary scientific psychology. Approaches the study of psychology as a
method of inquiry as well as a body of knowledge. Emphasizes biological bases
of behavior, principles of learning and motivation, psychological testing,
personality dynamics, psychopathology, and therapeutic approaches. Requires
research participation in psychology experiments (or alternative). (Core
Category II)
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PSY 1112
Foundations of Psychology 2
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4 QH |
Continues PSY1111, emphasizing the areas of lifespan development, sensory and
perceptual processes, states of consciousness, cognition, language, memory,
emotion, and social influences on behavior. Requires research participation in
psychology experiments (or alternative). Prereq. PSY1111.
Introduces research methods in psychology such as field research, content
analysis, case research, survey methods, simulations, and laboratory
experiments. Examines issues of research fairness and evaluating research
methods. Explores basic statistical notions including sampling, variability,
and correlation. Prereq. PSY1112.
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PSY 1211
Statistics in Behavioral Science 1
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4 QH |
Introduces descriptive statistics (scales of measurement, frequency
distribution and graphs, measures of central tendency, dispersion and
correlation, standard scores, and the unit normal curve) and probability theory
(permutations, combinations, and the binomial theorem). Prereq. MTH1101 or
MTH1107, and PSY1112, or permission of instructor.
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PSY 1212
Statistics in Behavioral Science 2
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4 QH |
Offers a general presentation of hypothesis testing, including parametric and
nonparametric tests, with emphasis on formulating hypotheses and choosing
appropriate scales of measurement, tests, and confidence levels. Prereq.
PSY1211.
Focuses on the sexual activities of the human male and female from infancy to
adulthood. Considers the importance of sexual factors in the life history of
the individual, statistical surveys of sexual behavior, and direct
observational measures of sexual responding. Explores the nature of love,
responses to pornography, prostitution, bisexuality, male and female
homosexuality, rape, child abuse, and sexual therapy.
Introduces the varied scientific approaches to the study of consciousness and
the diverse theories of consciousness and the mind. Explores biology and
consciousness; drug-induced states of consciousness, dreaming, hypnosis,
meditative states, pain perceptions, and anomalistic psychology (e.g.,
near-death experiences and ESP). Examines data, theory, and methodological and
conceptual problems. Prereq. PSY1112.
Introduces the student with little or no background in psychology to the
current theories and research on the psychology of women. Critically examines
psychological, biological, and social influences on gender differences, gender
roles, and gender stereotypes in the light of scientific evidence and
individual experience. Assesses their consequences for society. Uses the unique
perspective generated in the field of the psychology of women to evaluate
traditional research methods in psychology as well as the major psychological
theories formulated to explain women and the differences between women and men.
Emphasizes critical-thinking skills.
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PSY 1220
Biological Basis of Mental Illness
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4 QH |
Examines current hypotheses of brain dysfunction involved in mental illness.
Explores the field of biological psychiatry including events in the brain that
can be linked to mental disorder. Studies current neurochemical and genetic
theories of diseases such as schizophrenia and depression. Emphasizes recent
research and critically assesses treating mental disorders biologically, such
as with drug therapy.
Searches for universal characteristics of prejudice by examining its expression
toward various minorities, including colonized peoples, culturally Deaf people,
Hispanic and African Americans, women, gays and lesbians, people with
disabilities, and those with status in multiple minorities. Reviews research in
social psychology on stereotyping and ethnocentrism for the insight it gives
into the nature of prejudice. Uses selected films and student minority
advocates to allow class members to hear the authentic voice of targets of
prejudice.
Offers an introduction to the basic learning and motivational principles that
permit humans and animals to adapt effectively to a changing environment.
Emphasizes research and theories of operant and Pavlovian conditioning, with
discussions of discriminations and generalization, avoidance and punishment,
acquired motivational states (for example, addiction), concept formation,
biological constraints on learning and behavior, animal cognition, and other
related topics. Relates learning and motivational principles to the
understanding and treatment of behavioral, affective, cognitive, and
motivational disorders. Prereq. PSY1112, or permission of instructor.
Examines changes in social relationships, moral reasoning, language, cognition,
sensation and perception, personality, and sex roles that occur with
development from infancy through adolescence. Examines major theories of
development regarding the role of biology, social learning, and peer and
parental influences. Explores individual differences (in attachment and
temperament, for example) and research issues relevant to the study of
children. Prereq. PSY1112.
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PSY 1242
Adult Development and Aging
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4 QH |
Examines theories of adult personality development and views on the stability
of personality over time. Explores changes from young adulthood onward in
sexuality, heterosexual relationships, friendships, and occupational roles as
well as age-related differences in learning, memory, intelligence, and physical
functioning. Attention is also given to issues surrounding family violence,
age-related changes in mental health and suicide rates, death and dying,
ageism, and intergenerational relations. Prereq. PSY1112.
Focuses on the fact that during the first two years of life, the basic
physical, perceptual, cognitive, and emotional capacities emerge and interact
in the development of such complex behaviors as visually guided movement, the
formation of social attachments, and the emergence of language. Provides an
introduction to this critical period of human development; emphasizes how the
infant's biological inheritance interacts with the physical and social
environment in the generation of these important abilities and behaviors.
Prereq. PSY1241 or ED1102.
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PSY 1244
Childhood Mental Illness and Mental Retardation
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4 QH |
Focuses on mental illnesses that are first diagnosed in childhood such as
autism, phobias, conduct disorders, and attention-deficit disorder. Overviews
childhood depression and suicide and disorders of eating and sleeping. Covers
etiological factors in mental retardation (e.g., maternal disease, lead
poisoning, chromosome abnormalities). Describes personality characteristics of
individuals with mental retardation as well as the effects of
institutionalization, mainstreaming, and psychological interventions. Prereq.
PSY1112.
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PSY 1251
Food, Behavior, and Eating Disorders
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4 QH |
Investigates what starts and stops eating behavior. Examines taste, nutrition,
metabolism, the brain, food experiences, and societal factors that control
feeding behavior. Emphasizes the biological/psychological interaction in normal
eating and in pathological eating, such as anorexia, bulimia, and extreme
obesity.
Provides a basic introduction to psycholinguistics. Topics include the nature
and structure of languages, processes involved in the production and
comprehension of language, the biological bases of language, and aspects of
language acquisition. Examines current theories of language processing and
related experimental findings. Prereq. PSY1112 or permission of instructor.
Examines the messages we send by posture, facial expression, voice quality,
gestures, touch, gaze, and interpersonal distance. Examines origins and
consequences of these behaviors as well as differences related to culture,
personality, power, gender, and age. Prereq. PSY1112.
Uses selected films to investigate psychological subjects, including human
development over the life cycle (particularly childhood and adolescence),
family dynamics, sexuality, and psychopathology (trauma, anxiety and eating
disorders, psychosis). Prereq. PSY1112.
Provides an introductory survey of social psychology. Focuses on aggression,
attribution, attitude formation, change and measurement; conformity; impression
formation; and group processes (social facilitation, deindividuation, for
example). Prereq. PSY1112 or permission of instructor.
Offers a systematic study of the normal personality and its development.
Focuses on behavioral, dynamic, and constitutional determinants, assessment of
personality, research; surveys the major theories of personality. Prereq.
PSY1112.
Continues PSY1272. Prereq. PSY1272.
Traces the effects of psychological factors through the course of a trial,
including such issues as accuracy of eyewitness identification, plea
bargaining, jury selection, persuasion tactics in the
courtroom, presumption of innocence, jury size, jury decision rules, and
sentencing and punishment.
Provides an interdisciplinary look at the social, political, and psychological
factors shaping contemporary African-American and white ethnic identity.
Outlines the history of the concept of race in America. Studies ethnic identity
as it has been conceptualized and measured by psychologists. Examines the
psychology of intergroup relations and addresses strategies for reducing
racism.
Focuses on the relation between brain function and human behavior. Examines how
nerve cells function individually and work together both in small networks and
in the nervous system; the structure of the nervous system; how our sense
organs provide the nervous system with information about the outside world; how
the brain controls movement; and how psychological concepts from motivation to
language and memory are represented in the brain. Prereq. PSY1112 or permission
of instructor.
Discusses the acquisition of a first language by children. Covers the
acquisition of speech (the sound system of the language), semantics (the
meaning of words in the language), morphology (the structure of words), and
syntax (the structure of sentences). Additional topics include language
development disorders, the critical-period hypothesis, sign language and
creolization, and animal language. Discusses both the process of acquisition
and the theoretical explanations of that process. Prereq. PSY1262, LIN1118, or
permission of instructor.
Provides a basic introduction to human cognition. Topics include pattern
recognition, attention, memory, categorization and concept formation, problem
solving, and aspects of cognitive development. Examines current theories of
cognitive processing and related experimental findings. Prereq. PSY1112 or
permission of instructor.
Focuses on linguistic behavior from a neuropsychological viewpoint. Examines
models of how the nervous system, and the brain in particular, controls the
production, perception, and internal manipulation of language. Considers
localization of cerebral functions and hemispheric lateralization; experimental
and clinical evidence for functional models; aphasia and other language
pathologies; schizophrenic language; evidence from `slips of the tongue'; and
the bilingual brain. Compares speech, sign language,
and writing systems. Also discusses interpretation and translation. Prereq.
PSY1262 or permission of instructor.
Explores patterns of thought characteristics of infants and young children, how
those patterns change with age, and different theoretical explanations for
patterns of change. Seeks to convey the state of the art in cognitive
developmental theory and research, and to provide students with
critical-thinking skills needed to evaluate research in cognitive development.
Supplements lectures with class exercises and demonstrations. Topics include
development of object perception, memory, categorization, reasoning and problem
solving, social cognition, and conceptual change. Discusses theoretically
controversial issues such as the interaction of mind and environment in
development, domain-general versus domain-specific processes, cognitive
development across cultures, and the role of biological constraints in
cognitive development. Prereq. PSY1241, PSY1262, PSY1364, or permission of
instructor.
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PSY 1371
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
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4 QH |
Surveys the psychological fundamentals underlying performance in work settings.
Topics include psychological testing, performance evaluation, training,
motivating, and leading employees, and the social psychology of organizations.
Emphasizes ethical and affirmative action issues. Prereq. PSY1211 and PSY1271.
Surveys the abnormal personality, including systems of diagnoses, defense
mechanisms, and criteria of psychopathology. Examines the symptomatology,
etiology, and dynamics of anxiety disorders (phobia, obsessions, compulsions,
etc.), dissociative disorders (amnesia, multiple personality, etc.), and
somatoform disorders. Examines case histories in detail. Prereq. PSY1112.
Surveys psychological and somatic therapies. Examines the symptomatology,
etiology, dynamics, and therapy of schizophrenia, paranoid disorders, mania,
depression, and organic disorders. Prereq. PSY1373.
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PSY 1375
Clinical Case-Study Development
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4 QH |
Students reflect upon the clinical case-study notes and personal journal
entries made during the preceding clinical co-op experience. Students are
expected to identify and research the psychological, neuropsychological,
systemic, and behavioral aspects of disorders (e.g., mental retardation, eating
disorders, schizophrenia) that they encountered. Evaluates proficiency in
applying theoretical perspectives to research through written and oral reports.
This course fulfills the College of Arts and Sciences experiential education
requirement for psychology majors.
Provides an introduction to the study of our senses, with emphasis on vision,
hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Focuses on how we measure our sensory
abilities and relates findings to the functioning of sensory organseyes, ears,
skin, mouth, and noseand of the sensory nervous system. Prereq. PSY1112;
PSY1351 is highly recommended or permission of instructor.
Offers a study of our awareness of the world around us, with an emphasis on
visual and auditory perception. Covers perception of light, sound, space, form,
motion, auditory scene analysis, and one or more of color, attention, music,
and speech perception. Discusses biological reductionism, Gestalt theory,
Gibson's direct perception theory, and Marr's computational theory. Prereq.
PSY1112 or permission of instructor.
Offers a study of successful projects that have provided effective remediation
and rehabilitation in institutions for the mentally ill, the mentally retarded,
and the developing human (schools). Prereq. PSY1231 or permission of
instructor.
Offers a detailed examination of how people learn and remember. Examines the
different kinds of memory, short-term, episodic, and semantic, with emphasis on
current theories of memory function and related experimental findings. Prereq.
PSY1262 or PSY1364.
Examines interactions between drugs, brain, and behavior. Focuses on such
topics as synaptic transmission, behavioral functions of specific
neurotransmitter systems, pharmacological treatment of mental and neurological
disorders, and drug abuse. Prereq. PSY1351 or equivalent with permission of
instructor.
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PSY 1471
Social/Personality Roundtable
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4 QH |
Develops skills in conceptualization and discourse on current topics in social
and personality psychology. Uses the combination of a speaker series paired
with discussion, readings, and topical papers to promote critical thinking in
psychology. Prereq. PSY1271 or PSY1272.
Provides an overview of issues in the psychology of reading. Topics include the
nature of the reading process as a cognitive activity, eye movement patterns in
reading, stages of reading development, and dyslexia. Examines current theories
of reading and text comprehension. Prereq. PSY1262 or PSY1364.
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PSY 1681
Seminar in Sensation and Perception
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4 QH |
Students present their topic findings, such as how perceptions are organized,
formed, and modified by sensory, attentional, motivational, and cognitive
factors; how our sensory systems extract information from the environment in a
consistent manner, despite large changes in environmental conditions; and how
to account for this in physiological terms. Prereq. PSY1351 and PSY1381 or
PSY1382.
Directed Studies and Honors Courses
Directed Studies and Honors Courses
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PSY 1711
Perspectives in Psychology 1 (Honors)
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4 QH |
Honors equivalent of PSY1111. (Core Category II)
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PSY 1712
Perspectives in Psychology 2 (Honors)
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4 QH |
Honors equivalent of PSY1112.
For details contact the undergraduate coordinator in the psychology department,
125 Nightingale Hall.
Draws upon the student's approved experiential activity and integrates it with
study in the academic major. Prereq. Restricted to those students who are using
it to fulfill their experiential education requirement.
Offers empirical research under the direction of the psychology department,
usually on a laboratory or field-based research project under the supervision
of a faculty member. Requires a research paper, oral presentation, or poster
presentation of the student's work. Interested students should consult directly
with the research faculty member, or with a departmental adviser for guidance,
at least one quarter before the directed study is undertaken. Prereq.
Permission of instructor.
Junior/Senior Honors Program
For details, contact the honors office.
Offers supervised experiences in the application of psychology in
instructional, clinical, or other settings. Prereq. Junior or senior psychology
major, minimum QPA of 3.0, and approval by department chair.
Offers a reading course for the student who wants guidance in the archival
exploration and in-depth study of a topic of interest. Conducts study through a
series of individual tutorials or discussions with a faculty member that
typically involves an extensive, analytical review of the literature.
Interested students should consult directly with the relevant faculty member,
or with a department adviser for guidance in locating the most appropriate
faculty person, at least one quarter before the study is undertaken. Prereq.
Permission of instructor.
A student, under the guidance of a faculty member, may work on any of the
following projects with a minimum time commitment of three hours per week: Part
1 of the experiential education requirement; continue the academic exploration
of a previous course subject; develop specialized skills or materials related
to career goals. Prereq. Permission of instructor.
Laboratories
Laboratories
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PSY 1511
Experimental Design in Psychology
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4 QH |
Focuses on the experimental method in the design, execution, analysis, and
reporting of psychological investigations of humans and animals. Prereq.
PSY1112 and PSY1212.
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PSY 1530
Experiments in Learning and Motivation
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4 QH |
Gives students the opportunity to assess the generality, specificity, and
robustness of learning and motivational principles, primarily through field
experiments with free-ranging feral animals. Involves designing and conducting
experiments and writing reports on operant and Pavlovian conditioning,
adjunctive behavior, biofeedback, and related topics. Focuses on the
theoretical and clinical implications of experimental findings. This course
does not use laboratory animals. Prereq. PSY1211 and PSY1231.
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PSY 1531
Learning and Motivation Laboratory
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4 QH |
Gives students the opportunity to gain proficiency, through direct experience,
in lab analysis of behavior and in evaluating common generalizations about
human behavior. Expects students to design and perform experiments in animal
and human learning, memory, decision processes, concept formation, and other
topics of individual interest. Prereq. PSY1212 and PSY1231.
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PSY 1551
Laboratory in Psychobiology
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4 QH |
Introduces the methods of research in psychobiology. Expects students to work
in small groups, conducting three to four hands-on laboratory exercises under
supervised conditions. Expects students to read selections of the relevant
scientific literature, analyze the collected data, and write experimental
reports. Prereq. PSY1351 or permission of instructor.
Offers students the opportunity to examine key concepts and principles by
conducting field studies at a local zoological park or facility following a
broad survey of the animal kingdom to identify similarities and differences in
the behavioral processes by which individuals and species adapt to their
environments. Addresses, through individual or group research projects, such
issues as adaptive specializations in learning; the advantages of living in
social organization; animal communication; mechanisms of reproduction;
cooperation and aggression; ontogeny of behavioral characteristics; and the
adaptive roles of male-female differences. Introduces students to the skills of
animal-behavior research using a variety of field observation techniques that
involve collecting and analyzing data and writing scientific reports on the
projects. Prereq. PSY1112 and PSY1211 or permission of instructor.
Provides students the opportunity to acquire first-hand experience in
conducting research on issues in the psychology of language. Focuses on
classical experiments and their implications for broader issues of language
processing. Involves students in all aspects of each experiment, including
collecting and analyzing data and preparing lab reports. Prereq. PSY1212, and
PSY1262 or PSY1364.
Provides students the opportunity to acquire first-hand experience in
conducting research on issues in human cognition. Focuses on classical
experiments and their implications for broader issues of cognitive functioning.
Involves students in all aspects of each experiment, including collecting and
analyzing data and preparing lab reports. Prereq. PSY1212, and PSY1262 or
PSY1364.
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PSY 1571
Laboratory in Social Psychology
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4 QH |
Provides an introduction to the methods of social-psychological research.
Assists students in developing the ability to read published social research
with a critical eye, to pose questions in a testable manner, to apply
experimental methods to social research, and to express themselves in APA
journal style. Prereq. PSY1212 and PSY1271.
Provides an introduction to the methods and areas of personality research.
Discusses problems of measurement, control, and interpretation. Critically
examines representative published experiments. Expects students to design,
collect data for, assess, and write up several experiments, including one
original research project. Prereq. PSY1212 and PSY1272.
Students reflect upon real-world obstacles in conducting independent field
research in communities in and around Northeastern during the quarter. Student
reflections are used to guide research design, to evaluate theory, and to
problem-solve social problems. Research topics may focus on battered women,
HIV, student stress, perceptions of the media, church involvement in dealing
with stress, or topics affecting large minority populations. Evaluates student
performance through class discussions and written research reports. Fulfills
the College of Arts and Sciences experiential education requirement for
psychology majors.
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PSY 1581
Sensation and Perception Laboratory
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4 QH |
Focuses on experiments involving precise measurements of both physical and
psychophysical phenomena, including auditory function, color vision and
aftereffects, muscular sensation, tactile sensitivity, and adaptation to
perceptual distortions. Prereq. PSY1212, and PSY1381 or PSY1382.
Seminars
Seminars
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PSY 1410
Systems and Theories of Psychology
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4 QH |
Presents in a historical context the core ideas and theoretical positions
encountered by students in previous courses. Examines different systematic
orientations, such as structuralist, functionalist, Gestalt, psychoanalytic,
behaviorist, cognitive, and humanistic psychology, to demonstrate the extent to
which the systems influence contemporary American psychology. Prereq. Junior or
senior psychology major or permission of instructor.
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PSY 1610
Seminar on Ethics in Psychology
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4 QH |
Students identify and reflect upon ethical concerns (e.g., related to
confidentiality, animal use, racism, designing and applying research) that they
encountered in their prior co-op/research experiences. Considers historical,
psychological, philosophical, sociological, and spiritual perspectives.
Students use reflective conversation to guide their ethical thinking, research,
and problem solving. Evaluates research projects through written and oral
reports. Fulfills the College of Arts and Sciences experiential education
requirement for psychology majors. Prereq. Any laboratory course in psychology
and research or co-op experience in psychology.
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PSY 1614
Seminar on Heredity and Society
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4 QH |
Focuses on the origins of the intelligence-testing movement and the movement's
relation to eugenics and to behavior genetics. Studies history, methods,
substantive findings, and social implications of psychological measurement and
testing. Examines the extensive research literature on intelligence testing and
the nature/nurture problem in areas such as psychopathology, criminality, and
alcoholism. Prereq. Permission of instructor.
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PSY 1632
Seminar in Behavior Modification
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4 QH |
Discusses topics in behavior modification in a seminar format. Prereq. PSY1231,
PSY1531, or permission of instructor.
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PSY 1651
Seminar in Neuropsychology
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4 QH |
Offers intensive study, discussion, and practice in lab studies of
physiological variables. Covers evolution of the nervous system, sensory and
motor mechanisms, motivation and emotion, sleep, attention and perception,
learning, and memory. Prereq. PSY1351 or permission of instructor.
Offers intensive study and discussion of issues in the psychology of language.
Specific topics vary by quarter. Prereq. PSY1212, and PSY1262 or PSY1364.
Offers intensive study and discussion of issues in cognitive psychology.
Specific topics vary by quarter. Prereq. PSY1212, and PSY1262 or PSY1364.
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PSY 1671
Seminar in Social Psychology
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4 QH |
Expects students to examine and present in class their findings on a particular
topic in social psychology, such as attribution, aggression, conformity,
attitude-behavior relationship. Prereq. PSY1271 or permission of instructor.
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PSY 1672
Seminar in Clinical Psychology and Personality
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4 QH |
Focuses on theory and treatment methods of psychotherapy, as well as outcome
research. Provides an overview of clinical psychology: history, ethical and
legal issues, the therapeutic relationship, cross-cultural issues, and the
process of change. Students write and present on a topic of interest. Prereq.
PSY1374 (may be taken concurrently).
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