2014-2015 University Catalog archived
Psychology (PSYC)
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The department offers a psychology major leading to either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree. The choice of degree program should be determined after consultation with a member of the department. Both degree programs emphasize research methodology and would be appropriate for students interested in pursuing graduate study in psychology or allied fields. The B.S. program places greater emphasis on experimentation and research than does the B.A. program.
HONORS: An Honors Program in psychology is offered for qualified students; see department head for details no later than the winter term of the sophomore year.
Department Head: Robert E. Stewart
Faculty
First date is the year in which the faculty member began service as regular faculty at the University. Second date is the year of appointment to the present rank.
Megan Fulcher, Ph.D.—(2004)-2012
Associate Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Dan R. Johnson, Ph.D.—(2009)-2009
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
Tyler S. Lorig, Ph.D.—(1988)-1997
Ruth Parmly Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., University of Georgia
Karla K. Murdock, Ph.D.—(2005)-2013
David G. Elmes Term Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., University of Georgia
Robert E. Stewart, Ph.D.—(1997)-2003
Associate Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., University of Virginia
Wythe L Whiting IV, Ph.D.—(2003)-2014
Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology
Julie A. Woodzicka, Ph.D.—(2000)-2012
Professor of Psychology
Ph.D., Boston College
Major
PSYC 111 - Brain and Behavior
FDR: SC
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall, Winter
Open to all class years. An introduction to behavioral neuroscience, including the physiological bases of sensation, learning and memory, motivation, cognition, and abnormal behavior.
Fall 2013:
PSYC 111A: FS: Brain and Behavior (3). First-Year seminar. Prerequisite: First-Year students only. Lorig
PSYC 112 - Cognition
FDR: SC
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
An introduction to human information processing, including an examination of perception, attention, memory, problem solving, and language. Johnson, Whiting.
PSYC 113 - Principles of Development
FDR: SS3
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall, Winter
An introduction to the development of individual capacities from conception through the life span. Analysis of thought and behavior at different stages of growth with special emphasis on the period from infancy through adolescence. Staff.
PSYC 114 - Introduction to Social Psychology
FDR: SS3
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
The scientific study of how individuals’ feelings, thoughts, and behavior are affected by others. Topics include prejudice, the self, interpersonal attraction, helping, aggression, attitudes, and persuasion. Woodzicka.
PSYC 118 - Psychology Mythbusters
FDR: SC
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2015 and alternate years.
Prerequisite: First-year standing. In this course, students learn how to test psychological myths and to determine a status: confirmed, plausible, or busted. We explore a variety of myths, including the existence of the unconscious mind, relationship myths, brain myths, psychology and law myths, social myths, personality myths, and mental-illness myths. Students critically evaluate psychology myths by 1) gathering and writing about empirical evidence; 2) designing, running, and analyzing an experiment on a particular psychology myth; and 3) making class presentations. Johnson.
PSYC 120 - Quantitative Literacy in the Behavioral Sciences
FDR: SS3
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
Students learn the basics of collecting, interpreting, and presenting data in the behavioral sciences. Data from a variety of sources, such as questionnaires, psychological tests, and behavioral observations, are considered. Students learn to use and to evaluate critically statistical and graphical summaries of data. They also study techniques of searching the literature and of producing written reports in technical format. Individual projects include oral presentations, creating technical graphics, and publishing on the World Wide Web. Staff.
PSYC 150 - Psychoactive Drugs and Behavior
FDR: SC
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
An introduction to broad psychological perspectives of drug use, misuse, and abuse. The pharmacological and physiological actions of psychoactive drugs, as well as personality and social variables that influence their use, are considered. Emphasis is given to historically significant and currently popular drugs of abuse. Stewart.
PSYC 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar
FDR: SS3
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Offered occasionally. Each first-year seminar topic is approved by the Dean of The College and the Committee on Courses and Degrees. Applicability to FDRs and other requirements varies.
First-year seminar. Prerequisite: First-year class standing. Topical description when offered.
PSYC 202 - Theories of Personality
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
Prerequisites: Three credits in psychology and at least junior standing. This course addresses the theoretical foundations of the study of personality development and organization. Psychoanalytic, trait, learning, cognitive, humanistic, and positive psychology schools of thought are discussed. Staff.
PSYC 210 - Principles of Abnormal Behavior
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisite: PSYC 111, PSYC 150, or NEUR 120. This course is an empirically informed exploration of the characteristics, course, and treatment of psychological disorders as they are currently defined. A biopsychosocial framework is utilized to examine the continuum of psychological functioning, from psychopathology to flourishing. Staff.
PSYC 213 - Development of Human Sexuality
FDR: SS3
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Not offered 2013-2014
Prerequisite: PSYC 113. This course examines the fundamentals of the development and practice of sexuality in the human being and the historical, psychological, and psychosocial aspects of human sexuality from childhood to old age. The course covers major theories of the development of sexuality in heterosexual, gay, and lesbian people. Students also explore how sexuality itself may be “constructed” as a result of culture, media, and gender. Primary source material as well as popular media depictions of sexuality are examined. Students engage in the creation of a comprehensive sexual education program which involves contact with parents, teachers, and experts in the field. Fulcher.
PSYC 214 - The Psychology of Humor
FDR: SS3
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2015 and alternating years.
This course focuses on theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding humor, covering traditional and contemporary theories of humor, along with social psychological, developmental, biological, and cognitive perspectives on humor. In addition, humor as a moderator of life stress is examined. Disparagement humor is a central topic, along with nonverbal markers of humor elicitation. Woodzicka.
PSYC 215 - Seminar in Evolutionary Psychology
FDR: SS3
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2015 and alternate years
Prerequisite: PSYC 111, 112, 113, or 114. The purpose of this course is to examine evolutionary theory as a means of explaining human behavior. The main premise is that behaviors such as cooperation, aggression, mate selection, and intelligence exist because individuals exhibiting these behaviors were more likely to produce healthy offspring that perpetuated those behaviors (i.e., natural selection). We evaluate the validity of this argument in a number of areas of human behavior and also discuss how culture has shaped our genes. Evolutionary psychology is not an area of psychology, like social psychology or cognitive psychology, but is instead a lens through which all human behavior can be explained. Though it is tempting to engage in “arm chair” application of evolutionary theory to behavior, this is a science course; all arguments must be backed up with data. Whiting.
PSYC 230 - Contemporary Issues in Child Development
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisites: PSYC 113 and instructor consent. The specific topic in this course will vary from year to year. However, each involves seminars on current problems or issues related to the development of children. Examples include issues in child and family policy; effect of media on children; and effects of poverty on families. Some topics require students to participate in observation and/or testing of children in addition to classroom work. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
PSYC 235 - Effects of Poverty on Families and Children
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: PSYC 113 or POV 101. This course explores the problem of child and family poverty, the issues it raises for psychologists and social policy makers, and the implications that poverty and social policy have for children’s development. This class explores how children’s perceptions of the world, or their place in it, are affected by economically stressed families. Staff.
PSYC 250 - Research Design and Analysis
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisite: PSYC 120. Corequisite: PSYC 250L. Students learn about the design and analysis of psychological research, with particular emphasis on experimentation. Students learn statistical inference appropriate for hypothesis testing, and they use standard statistical packages to analyze data. Laboratory course. Johnson, Whiting.
PSYC 252 - Sensation Measurement and Perception
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisites: NEUR 120 or PSYC 111, and PSYC 250 (as corequisite with instructor consent). Problems associated with sensory encoding, scaling, contextual and social determinants of perception are considered. Special emphasis is placed on the role of the senses in daily life. Lorig.
PSYC 253 - Neural Mechanisms of Motivated Behaviors
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter 2015 and alternate years.
Prerequisites: NEUR 120, or PSYC 111 and 250 (pre- or corequisite). The anatomical, physiological, and neurochemical bases for behaviors are considered. Some examples of behaviors to be discussed include thirst and drinking, ingestion, reproduction, and learning. Stewart.
PSYC 254 - Attention
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisites: PSYC 111, PSYC 112, or NEUR 120; and at least junior standing. An examination of the theories and mechanisms associated with attentional processes. Topics include: selective attention, divided attention, inhibition, working memory, and the application of these processes in human/machine interfaces. The functioning of the above processes in abnormal patient populations is also examined. Whiting.
PSYC 255 - Cognitive Neuroscience
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Winter
Prerequisites: NEUR 120 or PSYC 111; and PSYC 250 (as prerequisite or corequisite). Corequisite: PSYC 255L. An examination of the role of the central nervous system in the production of human behavior. Special emphasis is placed on the contribution of the cerebral cortex to cognitive activity and to the effects of brain injury on psychological processes. Laboratories focus on neuropsychological testing and basic concepts in the brain’s distribution of complex function. Laboratory course. Lorig.
PSYC 256 - Neuropharmacology
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter 2014
Prerequisite: Either NEUR 120 or one course from PSYC 111 or 150, with PSYC 250 as a prerequisite or corequisite.
This course combines lecture and seminar elements to explore the physiological bases for drug action in the nervous system with emphasis on molecular mechanisms. The course begins with an overview of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and then proceeds to examinations of major neurotransmitter classes, functional neural circuits, and a survey of recreational drugs, drug abuse, and drug dependence. The course concludes with a consideration of pharmacotherapies for selected disorders of cognition and affect. The role of neuropharmacology in the growth of our understanding of normal neurochemical function is stressed throughout. Stewart.
PSYC 259 - Cognition and Emotion
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
Prerequisite: PSYC 250. This course challenges the notion that cognition and emotion are fundamentally opposing psychological systems and explores how they function together to influence attention, memory, thinking, and behavior in our social world. Coverage includes contemporary theory, research, experimental design, and application on topics regarding both healthy individuals and those with psychological disorders. Johnson.
PSYC 261 - Socioemotional Development
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Not offered in 2013-2014
Prerequisites: PSYC 113; pre-or corequisite: PSYC 250. Exploration of children’s understanding of emotions and how socialization and cognitive development contribute to the creation of different emotional styles and experiences. Examination of the theoretical and developmental aspects of emotions. Topics include understanding emotional states and the role of socialization practices on emotional expression. Fulcher.
PSYC 262 - Gender-Role Development
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisites: PSYC 113, PSYC 250 or WGS 120. This course provides the student with an overview of gender-role development: How do children learn to be boys and girls? What role do biological factors play in different behaviors of boys and girls? Does society push boys and girls in different directions? We discuss children’s evolving ideas about gender, and what can be done to change these ideas (or whether they need to be changed at all). Through the examination of these questions and issues, the course introduces students to the major theories of gender-role development, the research methods used to measure children’s gender-role behaviors and attitudes, and the current research in the field. Staff.
PSYC 265 - Developmental Psychopathology
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
Prerequisites: PSYC 113 and 210; pre-or corequisite: PSYC 250. This course utilizes a biopsychosocial perspective to explore atypical developmental processes. The course examines risk and protective factors that contribute to the development of social, emotional, behavioral difficulties and competencies in childhood and adolescence. Conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of children’s and adolescents’ psychological disorders is also discussed. Staff.
PSYC 269 - Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisites: PSYC 114 and PSYC 250 (as co-req or pre-req) or instructor consent. This course examines cognitive and affective processes involved in stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Causes and social implications of prejudice involving various stigmatized groups (e.g., African-Americans, women, homosexuals, people of low socioeconomic status, overweight individuals) are examined. Participants focus on attitudes and behaviors of both perpetrators and targets of prejudice that likely contribute to and result from social inequality. Woodzicka.
PSYC 280 - Science and Policy
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2014 and alternate years.
Students in this course adopt the role of consultants for a hypothetical legislator who must make a decision on a matter of public policy. A clear understanding of the scientific background and consequences of the policy must inform the legislator’s decision. Each student works as a part of the consulting team and creates a document on a narrow aspect of the science related to the public policy. The policy being evaluated changes each term. Examples include: funding for mental health care, enactment or suspension of motorcycle helmet laws, establishing or abolishing court awards for mental suffering, and similar topics.
PSYC 295 - Current Advances in Psychological Science
Credits: 1, 2, or 3
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisites vary; Determined at time of offering; First-year or sophomore standing. Seminar topics and specific prerequisites vary with instructor and term. These seminars are designed to introduce students to an area of current interest in the field of psychology. Students receive an overview of the experimental research and/or applied practices that have advanced an area of psychological science. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
PSYC 296 - Spring-Term Topics in Psychology
FDR: SS3
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring
Topics and prerequisites vary with instructor and term. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
PSYC 300 - The Pursuit of Happiness
FDR: SS3
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2013 and alternate years
Prerequisite: Junior standing or instructor consent. Students examine and discuss the meaning and significance of happiness, explore pathways and barriers to happiness from scientific, theoretical, and philosophical perspectives, and engage in a thoughtful and proactive process of self-examination with regard to personal ideals, goals, and mechanisms of happiness. Students become immersed in experiential learning opportunities to sample potential pathways to well-being and contribute to the greater good through community service. Murdock.
PSYC 304 - History and Systems of Psychology
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisites: Twelve credits in psychology, psychology major, and at least junior standing. A seminar examining the evolution of modern psychology from its origins in philosophy and natural science to contemporary systems and theory, with special emphasis on fundamental psychological issues. Stewart.
PSYC 353 - Advanced Methods in Systems Neuroscience Research
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed research on a variety of topics in systems neuroscience. May be repeated for credit with department head permission. Stewart.
PSYC 354 - Advanced Methods in Attention Research
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed research on a variety of topics in attention and memory. May not be repeated. Whiting.
PSYC 355 - Advanced Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience Research
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Not offered in 2013-2014
Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed research on a variety of topics in human neuropsychology. May not be repeated. Lorig.
PSYC 359 - Advanced Methods in Cognition and Emotion Research
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall
Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed research on a variety of topics in cognition and emotion. May not be repeated. Staff.
PSYC 362 - Advanced Methods in Developmental Psychology Research
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter.
Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed research on a variety of topics in developmental psychology. May not be repeated. Staff.
PSYC 365 - Advanced Methods in Developmental Psychopathology Research
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter.
Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Directed research on a variety of topics in developmental psychopathology. May not be repeated. Murdock.
PSYC 369 - Advanced Methods in Social Psychology Research
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
Prerequisites: PSYC 269. Directed research on a variety of topics in social psychology. May not be repeated. Woodzicka.
PSYC 395 - Special Topics in Psychology
Credits: 1, 2, or 3
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
These seminars are designed to help the advanced student integrate his or her knowledge of specific fields into a comprehensive view of psychology, both as a science and as a profession. Specific topics vary and are determined, in part, by student demand. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
PSYC 403 - Directed Individual Study
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall, Winter
Prerequisites: Six credits in psychology, senior standing, and consent of the head of the department. This seminar involves independent reading and/or research and is taken by all majors during their senior year. Students are expected to prepare a detailed research proposal based on their independent work. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
PSYC 431 - Tutorials in Psychology
Credits: 1
Prerequisites: Six credits in psychology and instructor consent. Advanced reading, study, or internships directed by a member of the staff to meet the needs of the individual student. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
PSYC 432 - Tutorials in Psychology
Credits: 2
Prerequisites: Six credits in psychology and instructor consent. Advanced reading, study, or internships directed by a member of the staff to meet the needs of the individual student. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
PSYC 433 - Tutorials in Psychology
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and instructor consent.
Prerequisites: Six credits in psychology and permission of the head of the department. Advanced reading, study, or internships directed by a member of the staff to meet the needs of the individual student. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. Staff.
PSYC 443 - Honors Thesis Proposal
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Fall, Winter
Prerequisite: Honors candidacy. Conferences, directed reading, and exploratory research culminating in the preparation of a proposal for honors thesis research, which will minimally include a clear statement of the problem being studied, a comprehensive literature review, and a feasible, detailed plan for the research. Must be taken no later than spring term of the junior year. Staff.
PSYC 451 - Internship
Credits: 1
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department. Supervised off-campus experience in a local agency, research organization, or other venues approved by the department. Requires a research paper in addition to off-campus activities. Murdock.
PSYC 453 - Internship
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: permission of the department. Supervised off-campus experience in a local agency, research organization, or other venues approved by the department. Requires a research paper in addition to off-campus activities. Murdock.
PSYC 456 - Internship
Credits: 6
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.
Prerequisite: permission of the department. Supervised off-campus experience in a local agency, research organization, or other venues approved by the department. Requires a research paper in addition to off-campus activities. Murdock.
PSYC 473 - Senior Thesis
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter
Prerequisites: PSYC 403, senior standing, and consent of the department head. Taken in the winter term of the senior year by all psychology majors seeking a Bachelor of Science degree. Students conduct a research project and prepare a thesis based on that research. Staff.
PSYC 493 - Honors Thesis
Credits: 3-3
Planned Offering: Fall-Winter
Prerequisites: Senior standing and PSYC 443. Laboratory research culminating in an honors thesis. Honors candidates also present a public summary of their work. Staff.
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