PSYCH 101 First-Year Seminar: Mental Health Diagnosis and Treatment: Psychological and Economic Themes
While those going into the field of mental health typically think about it as a “helping profession”, there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to the psychological, economic, and political forces that have defined the development of the field. The purpose of this course is to explore some of the historical psychological, economic, and political factors that have shaped the field as it exists today. Before delving into the specifics of the mental health field, the course will begin with a brief detour and explore the important and provocative concept of “choice overload”, along with a consideration of the mental health consequences of choice. Then we will shift to an exploration of the role of state mental hospitals in the U.S. in the early to mid-20th century, and we will examine the political forces that drove the de-institutionalization movement of the 1970s and 1980s.Finally, the course will focus on the evolution of psychotherapy in the modern marketplace, as well as the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (now in its 5th edition), with a particular focus on some of the problems that have emerged from the disease-based framework utilized in the manual. The aggressive way in which the DSM has been marketed internationally will be discussed. Along the way, we will explore critiques of the pharmaceutical industry, the health insurance industry, and modern psychiatry. Some of these themes will also be explored through analysis of popular films and other media.
A survey course reviewing primary psychological research and theories of human behavior. Laboratory experience exposes students to psychology as a research science.
Measurement; descriptive statistics; probability and sampling; T-test, ANOVA, correlation, and regression. Prerequisite: 110; some college mathematics recommended.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
Methods of psychological research; experimental design; reliability and validity; review and application of statistics; execution and reporting of psychological research. Prerequisite: 201.
(formerly PSYCH 204) Psychological processes underlying social behavior; topics include social cognition, attraction, aggression, prejudice, and behavior in groups. Prerequisite: Psych110- Introduction to Psychology.
Nature of personality and its development. Modern theoretical interpretations. Biological and social bases of individual differences. Prerequisite: 110.
(formerly PSYCH 212) Designed for students with no prior coursework in neuroscience or biology. Neurophysiology and neuroanatomy; neuroscience of perception, emotion, morality, memory, mental illness, and consciousness.
Introduction to research into mental processes such as memory, reasoning, problem solving, and decision making. Prerequisite: Psych 110-Introduction to Psychology.
Understanding principles of cognitive psychology, data visualization, and graphic design to present ideas and data in an engaging, clear, and memorable manner. PSYCH 245-0 and COG_SCI 245-0 are taught together; may not receive credit for both courses.
Understanding the nature of psychological, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Emphasis on current evidence regarding causes and characteristics of these disorders. Prerequisite: 110.
Survey of social psychological research on attitudes; focus on the formation of attitudes, the relationship between attitudes and behavior, and attitude change. Prerequisite: 213.
Human perception, particularly vision but also hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Biological foundations, development, and disorders of perception. The senses in everyday life. Prerequisite: 110.
(formerly PSYCH 335) Human decision making from both descriptive and prescriptive perspectives. Theories and models of decision making applied to a variety of contexts. Prerequisites: 205, 228.
This course will explore the psychology of food and eating. We'll look at evolutionary, social, cultural, cognitive, and biological perspectives on eating behavior and food choice. Among the issues that we'll explore are: why we eat, what we eat, how much we eat, what we won't eat, and why we sometimes eat too much. Since this is an upper-level research course, we will focus on psychological theories, methodological issues, and empirical research in this area. Students will also engage in designing, conducting, analyzing, and writing up an empirical research project during the quarter. NOTE: We will NOT be covering eating disorders. This course is about normal processes and influences on eating behavior and food choice.
PSYCH 391 Advanced Seminar in Cognition or Neuroscience: Creative Problem-Solving & the Brain
This course will examine how the brain creatively solves problems, with a particular focus on sudden insight - the Aha! or Eureka! moment. We will explore this specific topic in depth, as a model for cognitive neuroscience methods and theoretical approaches. We will link to other topics, potentially including attention, mental illness, intuition, complex language processing, and visual perception (gestalt). The course will be taught in a mix of lecture, student presentations, and experiment design and data collection, depending on the enrollment.
This practicum will cover the theory, history, emprical evidence, and clinical techniques on the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders, emphasizing cognitive-behavioral approaches.
PSYCH 453 Linear Models: Correlation and Regression
Linear models approach to design and analysis of experiments and quasi-experiments. Basic concepts in correlation and regression: partial and semipartial correlation, matrix notation, least squares methods, and dummy variables.
This course is designed to help prepare graduate students in psychology for the role of classroom instructor. Topics that will be discussed include course design, lecturing, using demonstrations, ethics, and teaching writing in psychology.
PSYCH 460 Topics in Cognition: Presenting Research
Collaborative and iterative design process. Ideation and sketching, storyboarding, essentials of graphic design. Data visualization, for both your own analytics and clear communication to your audience. Engaging and memorable storytelling about your research; from elevator pitches to talks to papers.
PSYCH 470 Topics in BBC: Brain Bases of Self Control
How do we control our thoughts and actions? Self-control is central to how we interact with the world and carry out our goals. This class will discuss the neurobiological bases of attention and other forms of goal-directed cognition. We will discuss the insights gained from multiple types of studies, ranging from those conducted in non-human animals to neuroimaging, EEG, and behavioral paradigms. Jointly, this work will highlight potential neural mechanisms of self-control at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The course will be centered on readings and discussion of relevant material.
Overview of the conceptual and practical aspects of experimental research in social psychology, including design, questionnaire development, validity and reliability, and ethical issues.
This course will focus upon social psychological research and theory concerned with the self and issues of identity. This course will focus predominantly on the ‘citation classics’ with a few current readings and crucial updates. When you leave the course, you will have gained a useful ‘outline’ of the basic issues, core questions, and classic theories concerning the study of the self, including issues related to the self-concept and self-knowledge, self-esteem, self-regulation and self-presentation. As this course is a seminar, much of class time will be spent in discussion. Each week will start with a brief lecture, to place the papers/issues in historical context. This will be followed by a student discussion team who will then lead the rest of the class. Discussion leaders should come prepared to raise issues and themes that stimulate discussion, organized around the weekly readings and the discussion questions submitted by their classmates. Grading will be based upon the quality of class discussion/discussion questions (30%), the quality of the three reaction papers (30%), and the final research proposal (40%).
First Quarter: Introduction to assessment, interviewing, mental status exam, DSM-III, and objective personality test (MMPI). Second Quarter: Intellectual/neuropsychological assessment, including intellectual and achievement tests and report writing. Third Quarter: Projective assessment, including Rorschach, TAT, miscellaneous projective techniques, and report writing.
Column: A = social/personality/clinical; B=cognitive/neuroscience; C=cross-cutting/integrative
Row: 1=foundation courses; 2=upper-level research courses
Psychology and Cognitive Science majors and minors can preregister for most courses through CAESAR the week prior to registration. Times are announced by the Registrar's Office. You can preregister for a maximum of 2 courses.
For Psych 397 and 399, download an application from the department website (you can find it here). Fill it out and have it signed by the professor with whom you will be working. Then, return it to the department office to receive permission to take the course. Psych 398-1,2,3 is sequential with 398-1 offered in Fall quarter, 398-2 in Winter, and 398-3 in Spring.
