Seminars

4 pts. M. Jayakumar

Prerequisites: This is a seminar course in the Psychology Department directed toward upper-level undergraduate students. Prerequisites include Science of Psychology (PSYC UN1001) and one of Cognitive Neuroscience (PSYC UN2430), Cognition: Basic Processes (PSYC UN2210), Cognition: Memory & Stress (UN2220), or equivalent introductory courses in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, and the instructor’s permission. Students with other backgrounds, who think they have the appropriate preparation and motivation are asked to reach out to the instructor for permission to register.

Description: How do we study smarter and not harder? How can we learn better from mistakes? How does stress affect our attention, learning, and memory? Is scrolling through TikTok on our phones while watching a video recording of a lecture a good thing? What does stress do to our cognition and the brain? Do brain training apps really work? These are the kinds of questions we aim to answer in the class UN3211- From lab to life: how cognition research affects everything you do. The goal of the class is twofold: to understand 1) how laboratory research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience can be applied to everyday life, and 2) how observations and research from an applied setting can contribute to our understanding of cognitive processes.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023 (Jayakumar)

4 pts. M. Piccolo

4 pts. M. Miozzo

Course Description: Many of us know a second language. How we use it varies – some use it occasionally, others routinely. Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has shed light on the mechanisms associated with the various types of bilingualism. This research has considerably improved our understanding of how young infants learn the languages spoken in their environment, how one language does not interfere with the other while speaking or reading, or how bilinguals can switch between languages. Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has also shown that using two languages affects a variety of cognitive abilities, starting in infancy and continuing until an old age. The primary findings of recent research in cognitive neuroscience are reviewed and discussed in this course. Bilingualism also has a political facet – governments decide what languages are used in public institutions and taught in schools. This course also evaluates scientific findings on bilingualism for their potential implications on informing parents, educators, and policy makers.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023 (M. Miozzo) 

4 pts. M. Piccolo

Course Description: Music is an important ally when we feel like celebrating and when we are feeling down. It can distract us, make us forget or remember things more easily. Why do songs like “The Scientist” give us a sad vibe while songs like “I Got a Feeling” set the stage for a fun night ahead? Is music training like CrossFit for the brain? How can music engagement (i.e., passive listening or active making of music) support well-being? In this course, we will explore how music modulates our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through the lens of psychological science. We will look at how the brain experiences music and the impact of music and musical training on brain plasticity throughout different stages of development. Finally, using empirical research and case studies, we will discuss how music is applied to daily life and how it has benefited premature babies, individuals with mental disorders (such as depression), as well as conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023 (M. Piccolo) 

3 pts. N. Graham. 

Prerequisites: Some background in psychology and/or neurophysiology is desirable (e.g., PSYC UN1001, UN2230, UN2450, BIOL 3004, BIOL 3005) is desirable. Some background in mathematics and computer science (e.g., calculus or linear algebra, a programming language) is highly recommended. 

Description: The study of human vision--both behavioral and physiological data--within a framework of computational and mathematical descriptions.

Note: Please download the course announcement and then contact Prof. Norma Graham via email if you are interested in this course.

[View course announcement] - 2016 

[View course announcement] - Fall 2020

3 pts. 

Prerequisites: A course in perception, cognition or developmental psychology, and the instructor's permission. 

Description: Analysis of human development during the first year of life, with an emphasis on infant perceptual and cognitive development.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2013 (Shuwairi)

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2019 (Crisafi)

4 pts. K. Kelly. 

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001, plus the instructor's permission.

Description: What does it mean to have a sense of self? Is it uniquely human? Taking a cognitive perspective, we will discuss these questions as well as self-reflective and self-monitoring abilities, brain structures relevant to self-processing, and disorders of self. We will also consider the self from evolutionary, developmental, neuroscience, and psychopathological perspectives.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2014 (Kelly)

4 pts. D. Amso

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 The Science of Psychology or an equivalent introductory psychology course and PSYC UN2280 Introduction to Developmental Psychology or an equivalent developmental psychology course.

Description: What are the agents of developmental change in human childhood? How has the scientific community graduated from nature versus nurture, to nature and nurture? This course offers students an in-depth analysis of the fundamental theories in the study of cognitive and social development.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020 

4 pts. C. Habeck & V. Leavitt

Prerequisites: Courses in introductory psychology and cognitive psychology, and instructor's permission.

Description: Comprehensive overview of various conceptual and methodologic approaches to studying the cognitive neuroscience of aging. The course will emphasize the importance of combining information from cognitive experimental designs, epidemiologic studies, neuroimaging, and clinical neuropsychological approaches to understand individual differences in both healthy and pathological aging. 

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

4 pts. D. Friedman

Prerequisites: Instructor's permission plus PSYC UN1001, or the equivalent. Optimal preparation will include some background in experimental design and statistics.

Description: Memory and executive processing are critical cognitive functions required for successfully navigating everyday life. In lifespan studies, both exhibit relatively long developmental trajectories followed by stasis and then relative decline in old age. Yet, neither memory nor executive function is a unitary construct. Rather, each is comprised of separable components that may show different developmental trajectories and declines or maintenance at older ages. Moreover, memory is malleable and is a reconstruction of past experience, not an exact reproduction. We will discuss a range of topics related to the development, maintenance and potential decline in memory and executive function from infancy through old age. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2021

4 pts. N. Isacoff

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 The Science of Psychology, or an equivalent introductory course in psychology. It is recommended that students have also taken an additional course in Psychology, preferably one focusing on cognition, development, or research methods. Instructor permission is required.

Description: Our human experience is rich: the thrill of falling in love, the spark of a new idea, the zing of table salt, the sharpness of pain. For thousands of years, philosophers, artists, and religious scholars have tried to explain our subjective experience. More recently, neuroscientists and artificial intelligence experts have contributed to this discussion, weighing in on whether we are “more than meat” (as Descartes famously put it), and whether computers can ever be sentient. In this class, we will begin with the big questions and an interdisciplinary overview of consciousness, then delve into psychology’s role. Using literature from perception, memory,
emotion, metacognition, attention, and symbolic development, among other areas of psychology, we will see what empirical evidence can tell us about who we are, what we are able to know, and why we even have an experience of the world at all.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2022

4 pts. A.Spagna

Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. Some basic knowledge of cognitive science and neuroanatomy is desirable, but not necessary.

Description: Discussion of current issues in the scientific studies of consciousness, including the search for the neural correlates of visual awareness, volition, and the various kinds of impairments of consciousness and attention as described in clinical cases. 

Note: Specific topics may vary from year to year. May be repeated for credit. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2021

4 pts. A. Spagna. 

Prerequisites: Open to Ph.D. students in the Psychology department and graduate students in other related departments, with instructor’s permission. Open to advanced undergraduate students who have taken an introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology, with instructor’s permission. 

Description: How do we form a picture of the world around us? Is there a difference between the physical world and our perceptual world? The course explores how light, sound, touch, etc. get transformed into signals in the nervous system (sensation), how the brain processes and interprets those signals (perception), and how some of those signals are further selected (attention) to guide our thought and actions. The course begins with coverage of the evolution and foundations of the new field of Cognitive Neuroscience and the structural and functional brain-imaging techniques that made this field possible. Then, the behavioral and neurocognitive data on such cognitive processes as visual perception, object and face recognition, attention and executive processes are presented in the context of current theoretical frameworks. 

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

4 pts. R. Remez. 

Prerequisite: Two courses in Psychology and instructor's permission.

Description: Topics include phonetic expression, motoric and perceptual organization, speech codes and memory codes, spoken word recognition, phrase formation, and the effects of context in perception and production. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2019

3 pts. N. Graham. 

Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. 

Note: May be repeated for additional credit. Please download course information and then contact Prof. Norma Graham via email if you are interested in this course. 

[Course information]

[Course information] - Fall 2020

4 pts. T. Jerde

Undergraduate students: Undergraduate students should have taken PSYC UN1001 The Science of Psychology or an equivalent introductory psychology course. In addition, some prior coursework or experience in statistics and research methods, as well as cognitive psychology or cognitive neuroscience would be very helpful. The instructor’s permission is also required.

Graduate students: Open to Ph.D. students in the Psychology department and graduate students in related departments such as computer science, neuroscience, and engineering, with instructor’s permission.

Description: This course will survey historical and modern developments in machine intelligence from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and computer science, and from intellectual movements such as cybernetics, artificial intelligence, neural networks, connectionism, machine learning, and deep learning. The emphasis is on the conceptual understanding of topics. The course does not include, nor require background in, computer programming and statistics. A crucial aspect of the seminar is for students to become informed consumers of applications of artificial intelligence.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2022

3 pts. C. Baldassano. 

Description: This seminar will provide a broad survey of how narrative stories, films, and performances have been used as tools to study cognition in psychology and neuroscience

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020

3 Pts. M. Meyer

Description: Success in a social world requires understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings, a process typically referred to as mentalizing. Yet, other people’s mental states are not directly observable: you cannot see a thought or touch a feeling. Nonetheless, humans are quite proficient in inferring these invisible, internal states of mind. How do we accomplish these mentalizing feats? We will try to answer this question from multiple angles, relying heavily on neuroscience and psychology research. We will address questions such as: Do specialized portions of the brain accomplish mentalizing? When do mentalizing skills develop in children and are humans the only species that can interpret minds? Can ‘low level’ biological states—such as inflammation—impact how we mentalize? What leads to biases in mentalizing, such as anthropomorphism (when people attribute mental states to inanimate objects) and dehumanization (when people under attribute mental states to humans)?

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023 

3 pts. H. Terrace

Description: This seminar will consider the evolution of language at the levels of the word and grammar, in each instance, phylogenetically and ontogenetically. Since humans are the only species that use language, attention will be paid to how language differs from animal communication.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2021

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024

4 pts. N. Isacoff

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 The Science of Psychology, or an equivalent introductory course in psychology. It is recommended that students have also taken an additional course in Psychology, preferably one focusing on cognition, development, or research methods. Instructor permission is required.

Description: This seminar explores the relationship between language and thought by investigating how language is mentally represented and processed; how various aspects of language interact with each other; and how language interacts with other aspects of cognition including perception, concepts, world knowledge, and memory. Students will examine how empirical data at the linguistic, psychological, and neuroscientific levels can bear on some of the biggest questions in the philosophy of mind and language and in psychology.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2020

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2021

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023 

3 pts. J. New

Prerequisite: PSYC UN1001  or the equivalent based on instructor assessment, plus permission of one of the instructors.

Description: How did language evolve and why are human beings the only species to use language? How did the evolution of social intelligence, in particular, cooperation, set the stage for the origin of language and consciousness? We will explore how psychologists, philosophers, neuroscientists, anthropologists, biologists and computational scientists, among others, have collaborated during recent years to produce important insights in the evolution of intelligence, consciousness and language. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2017 (New)

3 pts. Woolley

Prerequisites: At least two other psychology courses and instructor’s permission.

Description: The reception, organization and understanding of sounds are crucial functions of the brain. We will study the perceptual rules by which humans and other animals make sense of the acoustic world, what those rules suggest about how the brain forms acoustic percepts, and what is known about the neural basis of auditory perception. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2017 (Brew)

3 pts. J. Metcalfe

Prerequisites for undergraduates: One course in cognitive psychology or cognitive neuroscience, or the equivalent, and instructor's permission.

Description: Metacognition and control processes in human cognition. Basic issues include the cognitive mechanisms that enable people to monitor what they know and predict what they will know, the errors and biases involved in self-monitoring, and the implications of metacognitive ability for people's self-determined learning, behavior, and their understanding of self.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2013 (Son)

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2017 (Metcalfe)

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2021 (Metcalfe)

4 pts. K. McCrink. 

Prerequisites for Undergraduates: Courses in introductory psychology, cognitive or developmental psychology, and instructor's permission.

Description: Core Knowledge explores the origins and development of knowledge in infants and children, with an additional emphasis on evolutionary cognition. In this course, we will examine evidence from cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, comparative psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics to look at the child's conception of objects, number, space, language, agency, morality and the social world. We will look at which aspects of knowledge are uniquely human, which are shared with other animals, and how this knowledge changes as children develop.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2017 

4 pts. C. Marvin

What is curiosity and how do we study it? How does curiosity facilitate learning? This course will explore the various conceptual and methodological approaches to studying curiosity and curiosity-driven learning, including animal and human studies of brain and behavior.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

4 pts M. Pincus

Prerequisite: PSYC UN1001 The Science of Psychology or equivalent introductory psychology course and instructor permission

Description: Play is a highly rewarding activity that is considered critical to cognitive, social, and emotional development. How do we define play and how do we study it? How does play help humans and other animals learn about their world and prepare them for adulthood? This course will examine the latest developments in the field of play from various methodological approaches to understand the relationship between play, learning, and normative development.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020 

1-3 pts. 

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1490 or UN2235, and the instructor's permission. 

Description: Discussion of selected topics and issues in human decision making. 

Note: Only the 3 pt. version of this course will fulfill the Group I Requirement of the Psychology Major or Concentration or the P5 Requirement of the Neuroscience and Behavior Major. May be repeated for additional credit. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2011 (Krantz)

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2016 (Fox-Glassman) 

4 pts. J. Wilcox

DescriptionWe all make judgments about what is true or false, probable or improbable. Additionally, we all use these judgments to inform important decisions: who to marry, what career to pursue, where to live, what medications to take, which theories to accept and who to trust, to take a few of countlessly many examples. What differentiates us, however, is how accurate these judgments are: research has shown that some individuals and groups are much more accurate than others, and you might be surprised at which variables do (or do not) correlate with this accuracy. In this course, we will investigate how to understand, measure and improve the accuracy of human judgment. Topics covered include the following: the concept and measurement of judgmental accuracy, studies assessing judgmental accuracy across various domains, the accuracy of our metacognition (that is, of our thoughts about our thoughts), heuristics as potential causes of inaccuracy, evolutionary explanations of the inaccuracy of human judgment and studies revealing means by which to potentially improve the accuracy of our judgments. We will also explore applications to real-world contexts, including law, medicine, geopolitics and the concept of “expertise”.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023

4 pts. K. Fox-Glassman

Prerequisites: PSYC UN2235 or an equivalent course on judgment and decision making, and the instructor's permission.

Course Description: This course reviews current research in the domain of decision architecture: the application of research in cognitive and social psychology to real-world situations with the aim of influencing behavior. For example, designating a certain option as the default choice has been shown to dramatically increase rates of participation in organ-donation programs, retirement savings, vaccination, and many other socially beneficial activities. This seminar will discuss recent and classic studies, both of decision theory and of applied decision research, to explore the effectiveness—as well as the limitations—of a selection of these behavioral “nudges.”

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024 

3 Pts. E. Schoenberg

Prerequisites: PSYC UN2235

Description: A seminar course exploring strategic decision making (also known as behavioral game theory). This course examines the psychology underlying situations in which outcomes are determined by choices made by multiple decision makers. The prime objective will be to examine the use of experimental games to test psychological theories.

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2022

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2023

 

Group 2: Psychobiology and Neuroscience

4 pts. Aly

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or equivalent introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology and instructor’s permission

Description: This seminar will give a comprehensive overview of episodic memory research: what neuroimaging studies, patient studies, and animal models have taught us about how the brain creates, stores, and retrieves memories. 

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2022

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024 

3 pts. H. Terrace

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001, and instructor's permission. 

Description: A systematic review of the evolution language covering the theory of evolution, conditioning theory, animal communication, ape language experiments, infant cognition, preverbal antecedents of language and contemporary theories of language.  

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2021

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024 

3 pts. S. DeMoya

Description: We will spend the first half of the semester gaining a thorough understanding of what working memory is and how the brain supports it. We will begin the semester exploring the history of working memory research, including behavioral paradigms and research techniques. We will investigate the proposed cellular and network underpinnings of working memory. We will then follow the flow of information in the brain from the visual cortex to the prefrontal cortex, to learn how various brain regions support working memory. We will then spend the second half of the semester investigating working memory performance in childhood, in aging, and in various conditions including Parkinson’s, ADHD, and schizophrenia.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023 (DeMoya)

3 pts. Zeifman

Description: What is psychedelic therapy? Does it work and how does it work? This course will explore research on psychedelic therapy as a mental health intervention. We will examine methodological approaches, review outcomes from clinical trials, and explore how psychedelic therapy leads to change.

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2024 

4 Pts. S. Canetta

Prerequisites: This course is open to advanced undergraduate students who have taken an  introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology. Instructor permission is required prior to registration.

Description: The majority of our mental capacities—ranging from basic sensory functions to more advanced social, emotional and cognitive capabilities—take many years to develop and are highly influenced by environmental signals encountered during particular developmental ‘critical periods’.  In this seminar we will explore examples of these periods across diverse brain systems and behaviors, ranging from vision and audition to social, emotional and cognitive development, by considering each example in the context of human brain function and behavior as well as at the level of more detailed neurobiological mechanisms underlying these changes elucidated by studies using non-human animal systems.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023

4 pts. D. Barulli 

Prerequisites: Science of Psychology (PSYC 1001),  or an equivalent Introductory Psychology course is required, plus permission of the instructor. 

Description: This course will explore the theory and methods underlying lifespan development: the cognitive and neural changes that we undergo from even before birth until the end of life. Each week will focus on a different broad time period in the life of a person, and introduce a major research method used in the study of human development. Topics will range from prenatal development and epigenetics to late-life brain changes and neuroimaging.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2016 (Barulli)

4 pts. E. Duman 

Course Description: The aim of this course is to examine the biological bases of individual differences in behavior. We will start by examining how individual differences in behavior and health are shaped by gene-environment interactions. We will complement these studies with the endophenotype approach and discuss its role in our contemporary views of complex disorders. We will then introduce behavioral epigenetics studies that are suggested to mediate the effects of gene- environment interactions at different levels of analysis. We will continue by discussing how these topics shape and are shaped by developmental programming. We will end the semester by discussing the major debates around these topics as well as their implications in real life and public policies.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023 (E. Duman)

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024 (E. Duman)

3 pts. T. Jerde

Prerequisites: Science of Psychology (PSYC 1001), or equivalent introductory psychology course. Students who have not taken one of these courses may also be admitted with instructor permission.

Description: This course investigates the ways in which research in human neuroscience both reflects and informs societal issues. Topics include how neuroscience research is interpreted and applied in areas such as healthcare, education, law, consumer behavior, and public policy.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020 (J. Reinen)

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2023 (T. Jerde)

3 pts. L. Davachi 

Description: This class will broadly explore the science of memory with a focus on how memory is studied across species. The semester will allow us to cover several domains of memory including neural coding of experience in the medial temporal lobe, memory for sequences and the difference between conscious and unconscious memory.

3 pts. H. Terrace

Prerequisites for undergraduates: The instructor's permission.

Description: Seminar concerning a nonverbal animal's use of internal representations of past experience as a basis for action. Topics include how representations are formed, what aspects of experience are encoded, how information is stored, and how it is used later to guide behavior.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 1997

4 pts. D. Shohamy.

Prerequisites: Courses in introductory psychology and/or neuroscience, and the instructor's permission.

Description: What are the neural mechanisms that support learning, memory, and choices? We will review current theories in the cognitive neuroscience of human learning, discuss how learning and decision making interact, and consider the strengths and weaknesses of two influential methods in the study of human brain and behavior--functional imaging and patient studies. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2012

4 pts. Aly

Description: The past decade has produced an extraordinary amount of evidence that challenges the classic view of a “medial temporal lobe memory system”, namely, the idea that the medial temporal lobe plays a necessary role in long-term memory but not other cognitive functions. This course will introduce these challenges to the traditional perspective by exploring functions of the so-called memory system in domains outside of long-term memory.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2022

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024

3 pts.

Prerequisite: PSYC UN1001 plus UN2450 or equivalent, plus permission of the instructor.

Description: Examines current topics in neurobiology and behavior. [This course may be repeated for credit.]

Topic: Nobel prize: the glory and the gory

Previous Topics Offered: 

Topic: Applications of Neuroimaging in Aging and Disease

Topic: Neurosex & Neurosexism

Topic: Neurobiology of Emotion

Topic: Plasticity of the Nervous System

Topic: Stress & the Brain

Topic: Prenatal Drug Exposure & Cognition

Topic: Autism Research

 

Prior Year Topics

4 pts.

Prerequisites: The course is open to undergraduate students who have taken an introductory psych course (e.g., PSYC 1001), a research method and/or one staRsRcs course, and a course in neuroscience or neuropsychology (e.g., UN2430/2450/2470). Graduate students in the Psychology department or other related departments interested in learning the basics of human neuroimaging can also enroll. Instructor permission is required to be officially enrolled in the course, by either emailing Dr. Spagna or Dr. He. 

Description: Fundamentals of human brain imaging is a new advanced course open to undergraduates students from the Psychology, Neuroscience, Engineering, and StaRsRcs Departments, that traces the key steps of the recent “neuroimaging revoluRon”, and introduces the various methodologies and associated analyRc approaches that are now available in the field of cogniRve neuroscience. Specifically, the course develops around three main quesRons, currently under-represented in our undergraduate curriculum: 1) What is the advantage to study human cognition using correlational methodologies (e.g., EEG, MEG, fMRI)? 2) What is the contribution of each method in the understanding of brain/behavior relationship? 3) Which are the most common ways to approach the analyze the neuroimaging data? By promoRng an inclusive environment and implemenRng acRve learning strategies, this course sRmulates criRcal thinking and fosters collaboraRon among students from different departments. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024 (Spagna) 

4 pts. A. Spagna 

Description: Visual Mental Imagery (VMI) is perceptual processing in the absence of direct sensory input – a quintessentially human faculty. It is our “Mind’s Eye” - the faculty we use to relive our memories, enjoy a novel, create a painting, or predict whether our car will fit in a parking spot. As William Blake famously stated: “The imagination is not a state: it is the human existence itself”. In short, VMI simulates the content of perceptual experiences, perhaps by translating conceptual knowledge into a visual format. Nobody has yet provided a convincing theory as to how to explain the subjective nature of our mental lives in objective physical terms. In this seminar, we will get a detailed understanding of the underlying neural processes responsible for conscious processing and awareness - one of the hottest topics in contemporary neuroscience. Discussion will be related of current issues in the scientific studies of mental imagery, particularly in the visual modality, including the search for the neural correlates of visual imagination, and the various kinds of impairments of VMI in clinical and non-clinical cases. A crucial aspect of this seminar is to help students develop their ability to critically read and evaluate the latest published research in this field.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023

4 pts. M. Miozzo

Prerequisite: UN2430 (Cognitive Neuroscience), or equivalent introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology. Course in research methods or statistics strongly recommended.

Description: The effects of brain lesions provide a primary source of evidence for understanding the organization of human brains. Students in this course observe the spelling deficits presented by individuals with brain damage resulting from stroke and conduct a study to determine the causes of their spelling deficits. The interaction with these individuals provides a unique opportunity to investigate brain lesions and understand the scientific value of this method.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020 

4 pts. W. Fifer.

Prerequisite: PSYC UN1001, a course in developmental psychology, and the instructor's permission.

Description: The focus of the seminar is on human development during the fetal period and early infancy. We will examine the effects of environmental factors on perinatal perceptual, cognitive, sensory-motor, and neurobehavioral capacities, with emphasis on critical conditions involved in both normal and abnormal brain development. Other topics include acute and long term effects of toxic exposures (stress, smoking, and alcohol) during pregnancy, and interaction of genes and the environment in shaping the developing brain of "high-risk" infants, including premature infants and those at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023

4 pts. T. Kao

Description: This seminar provides an overview of the mechanisms and behaviors associated with neural plasticity. Students will obtain a basic working knowledge of the different types of neural plasticity, and how these affect cognition and behaviors. Topics will vary weekly, and different scientific literature from different journal articles that are associated with the weekly topics will be interpreted and discussed. The topics to be addressed range from developmental, to structural, functional, and to injury and activity induced plasticity. The journal articles will encompass data collected from both human and non-human models. Upon successful completion of this seminar, students will be better able to evaluate and critique scientific literature. In addition, this course will prepare students to approach scientific questions with vigor and validity, and therefore, be better at objective, critical and analytical thinking.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2019

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024

*Previously titled GU4440 Topics in Neurobiology and Behavior: Plasticity of the Nervous System

4 pts. D. Mobbs

Prerequisite: PSYC UN1001 plus UN2450 or equivalent, plus permission of the instructor.

Description: This seminar explores the neural systems and behaviors that underlie human, and sometimes animal, emotions. Question will include: why we have emotions, what is their survival value, why do we find funny jokes rewarding, and why we envy, feel guilt or joyfully embrace love. We will review some of the latest literature on these topics and discuss implications for understanding human behavior. We will finally discuss disorders such as depression, anxiety, aggression, and psychopathy that are associated with disruptions to the neural systems that regulate healthy emotion.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2014

4 pts. N. Tottenham

Prerequisite: Courses in developmental psychology, and either research methods or affective neuroscience, and instructor's permission. 

Description: Introduction to leading theoretical perspectives employed by developmental psychologists in the study of affective neuroscience. Exploration of the developmental brain and behavior relationships in humans and animal models of typical and atypical emotional behavior, with a critical reading of recent research findings in the field. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2018

4 pts. 

Prerequisite: The instructor's permission. Basic knowledge of biology and neuroscience is recommended. 

Description: Explores the concept of inheritance and the mechanisms through which inheritance is mediated. Will focus on the generational transmission of physiology and behavior, but will also consider the inheritance of culture and language.

4 pts. B. Marlin 

Prerequisites: Basic background in neurobiology (for instance PSYC UN1010, UN2450, UN2460, UN2480, or GU4498) and the instructor's permission.

Description: This course will provide an overview of the field of parental and social biology, with an emphasis on changes in the adult rodent brain surrounding childbirth and caretaking behavior. We will explore how the experience of parenthood prepares the brain for survival of offspring. We will also discuss the dynamic between caregivers and parents in order to provide the structure necessary to rear young. This course will illustrate the fortitude of molecular, behavioral and circuit level investigations in concert to unveil mechanisms of social learning.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2022

4 pts. J. Blaze

Prerequisites: Basic background in neurobiology (for instance PSYC 1010, 2430, 2450,
2460, 2470, 2480, or GU4498) and the instructor's permission.

Description: This course will use clinical studies and experimental research on animals to
understand the impact of stress during various periods of development on brain function
and behavior. We will address the long- and short-term consequences of stress on
cognition, emotion, and ultimately psychopathology through investigating how various
stressors can induce neurobiological and behavioral outcomes through genetic,
epigenetic, and molecular mechanisms in the brain.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2021

3 pts. M. Spann

Prerequisites: This course is open to advanced undergraduate students who have taken UN2430 (Cognitive Neuroscience), UN2450 (Behavioral Neuroscience, UN1010 (Mind, Brain, & Behavior) or an equivalent introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology. Instructor permission is required prior to registration.

Description: In this course we will examine and discuss some of the multiple interactions among the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems, and the  consequences of these interactions for health and behavior, using both the human and animal literatures. Topics include the role of the immune system in neural circuit formation and function, cognition and emotion, neuroendocrine-immune interactions during stress, and the effects of infection, stress, or toxin exposure during critical life stages on health vs. disease throughout the lifespan. We will consider current events related to COVID19 in these topics as well. The critical role of the immune system in brain development and the potential role of early-life inflammatory events in the etiology of psychopathology (autism, schizophrenia), allergies and autoimmunity, and neurodegenerative conditions (Parkinson's, Alzheimer's) will be highlighted.

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2021

4 pts.  J. Blaze

Prerequisite: Basic background in neurobiology (for instance UN2450, UN2460, UN2480, and GU4499) and the instructor's permission.

Description: This course will provide an overview of the field of epigenetics, with an emphasis on epigenetic phenomena related to neurodevelopment, behavior and mental disorders. We will explore how epigenetic mechanisms can be mediators of environmental exposures and, as such, contribute to psychopathology throughout the life course. We will also discuss the implications of behavioral epigenetic research for the development of substantially novel pharmacotherapeutic approaches and preventive measures in psychiatry.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

 

Group 3: Social, Personality, and Abnormal

3 pts. A. Gruszka Summer Term

Prerequisite: The instructor's permission.

Description: A review of current research on intergroup perceptions, attitudes, and behavior. Emphasis on cognitive processes underlying stereotyping and prejudice. 

[View syllabus] - Summer 2017

3 pts. M. Naft 

Description: This course seeks to illuminate the pathways through which stigma adversely impacts people’s lives.  Conceptualizing stigma as a multilevel construct, we will examine both psychological and structural mechanisms through which stigma harms its targets and contributes to population-level inequalities. While our investigation will focus primarily on research from social psychology, the course will consider work from several disciplines, including clinical psychology, sociology, neuroscience, public health, and law. 

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023 

4 pts. G. Downey

Prerequisites: UN2280, UN2620, or UN2680 (or an equivalent course), and instructor's permission. 

Description: Considers contemporary risk factors in children's lives. The immediate and enduring biological and behavioral impact of risk factors.

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4 pts. H. Hoch

Prerequisites: At least two of the following courses: PSYC UN1001, UN2280, UN2620,UN2680, UN3280; and instructor’s permission.

Description: Developmental psychopathology posits that it is development itself that has gone awry when there is psychopathology. As such, it seeks to understand the early and multiple factors contributing to psychopathology emerging in childhood and later in life. We will use several models (e.g., ones dominated by biological, genetic, and psychological foci) to understand the roots of mental illness. 

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2009 (Monk)

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2022 (H. Hoch) 

S. Kaufman

Description: Is it possible to make sense of something as elusive as creativity? Yes, it is. This seminar will review the latest science of creativity, and how creativity is relevant to everyday life, society, and the good life. A wide variety of perspectives within the field will be highlighted, including different theories of the creative process and ways of assessing creativity.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

3 pts. J. Cohen Summer Term 

Prerequisites: Science of Psychology (PSYC 1001) or Mind, Brain, & Behavior (PSYC 1010) or similar introductory psychology course. A prior course in research methods is recommended, although not required. 

Description: A seminar for advanced undergraduate students exploring different areas of clinical psychology. The specific focus within clinical psychology may differ each time the course is offered, so it is possible for the course to be retaken for additional credit. 

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2022

4 pts.

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 The Science of Psychology or an equivalent introductory course in psychology. Instructor permission is required.

Description: A seminar for advanced undergraduate students exploring different areas of clinical psychology. This course will provide you with a broad overview of the endeavors of clinical psychology, as well as discussion of its current social context, goals, and limitations.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2019 (Hoch)

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2019 (Cohen)

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2020 (Barahmand)

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2021 (Hoch)

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023 (Felsen) 

4 pts. R. Auerbach

Description: Adolescence is a peak period for the onset of mental disorders and suicidal behaviors. The seminar is designed to enhance understanding of topics including, prevalence, etiology, risk factors, mechanisms, prevention and treatment approaches, and ethical considerations related to clinical research.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2021

3 pts. E. McCaskill

Prerequisite: An introductory course in Neuroscience, like UN2430 or UN2450, and the instructor's permission. 

Description: Analysis of the assessment of physical and psychiatric diseases impacting the central nervous system, with emphasis on the relationship between neuropathology and cognitive and behavioral deficits. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2018

3 pts. A. Conley 


Prerequisites: Introductory Statistics for Behavioral Sciences (PSYC 1610) or equivalent statistics course and Science of Psychology (PSYC 1001) or equivalent introductory psychology course, and Social Psychology (PSYC 2630) or equivalent introduction to social psychology, and Instructor permission

Description: Specific topics in this course will imbue students with the theoretical and technical tools needed to design and analyze field experiments that investigate questions on the frontiers of Social Psychology. This course confronts methodological shortcomings and common procedural errors that lead to biased estimations of social psychological mechanisms. As a suggested remedy, this course instructs researchers to employ modern design tools and to integrate social psychology questions into established and reliable research methodologies. Instruction on experimental compliance, randomization inference, and attrition will teach students how to avoid and defeat common threats to experiments. Readings and assignments are concerned with ecologically valid, ethical, and (sometimes) free methods of pursuing research questions at the frontiers of contemporary Social Psychology.

[View Syllabus] - August 2017 

3 pts. T. Ben-Shahar

Description: The aim of the course is to introduce students to the field of happiness studies. Drawing on research from the field of psychology, systems thinking, psychology, neuroscience, and other disciplines, the course explores key components of personal, interpersonal, and societal happiness. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2020

 

3 pts F. Pinelli

Description: The course is meant to survey the main motivational theories and to examine the internal forces or influences that direct individuals towards goal attainment in everyday life. In class we will scientifically examine the forces that have traditionally directed individuals towards goals attainment. The main focus will be on social-cognitive processes and how situational factors trigger various responses that can then drive behavior. The course explores theories on cognitive determinants of motivation (e.g., goal setting, mindsets, control beliefs), affect processes (e.g., emotions both giving rise to and arising from progress or hindrance in goal pursuit) and valuation mechanisms (e.g., values influence motivation via the processes of goal content, goal striving, and identity development). In addition, we investigate the sociocultural level of motivation. We expand the conceptualization of motivational drive to include external factors such as culturally based knowledge and social interaction as potential motivators.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2022

3 pts. K. Ochsner. 

Prerequisites: At least two of the following courses: PSYC UN1001, UN2430, UN2630, UN3410; and instructor’s permission.

Description: An introduction to the emerging interdisciplinary field of social cognitive neuroscience, which examines topics traditionally of interest to social psychologists (including control and automaticity, emotion regulation, person perception, social cooperation) using methods traditionally employed by cognitive neuroscientists (functional neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessment).

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2013

4 pts. Rossignac-Milon.

Prerequisites: Introduction to Social Psychology (PSYC 2630) and/or Introduction to Social Cognition (PSYC 2640), a Research Methods course, and instructor permission. Students who have taken none of the pre-requisites but who have other relevant background may be admitted with instructor permission.

Course Overview: What makes people ‘click’? How do close relationships influence our thought processes, behaviors, and identities? How do our conversations with relationship partners change our memories of events and our perceptions of reality? And finally, what are the implicit and explicit cognitive mechanisms underlying these processes? The primary objective of this course will be to provide you with the relevant literature, theoretical background, methodological proficiency, and critical thinking and communication skills to articulate your own answers to these questions, and to propose future studies in the field.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2019

3 pts. K. Zee

Description: Stress is an inevitable part of life. For better or worse, our experiences of stress rarely happen in a vacuum. Instead, they are embedded in our social environments and interpersonal relationships. This course explores the bidirectional interplay between stress and interpersonal context, with a specific focus on dyadic relationships in adulthood. Through class readings, discussions, and assignments, you will gain an overview of theories and empirical research that examine the ways in which interpersonal relationships can affect negative psychological and biological effects of stressors, as well as the ways in which stressors can impact relationships. Course themes will consider (a) why studying interpersonal relationships, and dyads in particular, is necessary for understanding the stress process, (b) whether and under what conditions relationships enhance vs. undermine efforts to cope effectively with stressors, (c) how experiencing stressors might undermine vs. strengthen relationships or social bonds, and (d) what opportunities and challenges are involved in studying stress within an interpersonal context.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2020

3 pts. N. Antebi-Gruszka Summer Term 

Description: Seminar reviewing seminal and current theoretical and empirical writings about the psychology of sex, sexuality, and gender. We will review and discuss readings across various fields in psychology, such as clinical, developmental, social, and health psychology. 

Prerequisites: Science of Psychology (PSYC 1001) , or equivalent introductory psychology course. Students who have not taken one of these courses will require instructor permission. A prior course in research methods is highly recommended, but not mandatory. If you do not have a psychology background and are interested in this course, please contact me to determine fit and obtain permission before enrolling. 

[View Syllabus] - Summer 2019

4 pts. A. Sorett 

Prerequisites: An introductory course in psychology, sociology, African American studies, Human rights, or political science is recommended by not required. Permission of instructor required.

Description: Frontiers of Justice is designed to encourage students and equip them with the skills to become active and effective “Change Agents” within their academic institutions and larger communities. Oriented by the question, What does justice look like?, this course aims to raise political and social awareness and engagement with the challenges facing New York City and strengthen ties between Columbia University, disadvantaged communities, and city government agencies and community organizations. Through sharing ideas about how to make structural and systemic change in ways that integrate science, law, politics, history, narrative and community engagement, the course is intended to support students in working to break down racial and ethnic barriers and toward a more fair and just society.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020 (Downey and Sorett)

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023 (Sorett)

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024 (Dixon)

4 pts. V. Purdie Greenaway

*Note that for the Spring 2024 semester this course is open to grad students only*

Prerequisite: The instructor's permission. Some basic knowledge of social psychology is desirable.

Description: A comprehensive examination of how culture and diversity shape psychological processes. The class will explore psychological and political underpinnings of culture and diversity, emphasizing social psychological approaches. Topics include culture and self, culture and social cognition, group and identity formation, science of diversity, stereotyping, prejudice, and gender. Applications to real-world phenomena discussed. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2015

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024

4 pts. M. Wheaton

Description: This seminar course will focus on the etiology and phenomenology of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and OCD-related disorders, as well as their evidence-based treatments.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

3 pts. S. Komissarouk

Prerequisite: Open to psychology graduate students and advanced undergraduate psychology majors with instructor's permission. 

Description: Critical review and analysis of basic and enduring issues in personality theory, assessment, and research. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2020

3 pts. R. Hassin 

Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. Some basic knowledge of social psychology is desirable.

Description: Discussion of the unconscious mind from the perspective of social cognition, with an emphasis on both theoretical and empirical background, as well as current issues in measuring automatic processing. Topics include: implicit memory systems; unconscious attitudes, goals and behavior, emotions, and decision making; the activation and deactivation of knowledge systems; and priming. 

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2016

4 pts. S. Komissarouk

Prerequisite: Some knowledge of Research Methods, Statistics, and Social Psychology, plus Instructor's Permission.

Description: Reviews and integrates current research on three important topics of social psychology: culture, motivation, and prosocial behavior. Discussions and readings will cover theoretical principles, methodological approaches, and the intersection of these three topics. Students will write a personal research proposal based on the theories presented during the seminar.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020

S. Oishi 

Description: This course explores the ways in which socio-ecological factors such as residential mobility, density, and geography affect individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and actions, and the way in which individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and actions help create particular socio-ecological conditions. 

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2020

3 pts. T. Higgins

Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. 

Description: Comparison of major theoretical perspectives on social behavior. The nature of theory-construction and theory-testing in psychology generally. Exercises comparing the predictions of different theories for the same study are designed to acquire an appreciation of how to operationalize theories and an understanding of the various features of a good theory.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2022

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024 

4 pts. L. Solomon

Prerequisite: Two courses in psychology, with at least one focusing on statistics and/or research methods in psychology, and permission of the instructor.

Description: Review of theories and current research on moral cognition and behavior. Topics include definitions of morality, the development of moral cognition, the role that other aspects of human experience (e.g., emotion, intentions) play in moral judgments, and the relationship between moral psychology and other areas of study (e.g., religious cognition, prejudice and stereotyping, the criminal justice system).

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2021

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023

4 pts. R. Brotherton

Prerequisites: An introductory psychology course and a course in research methods and/or statistics, along with the instructor’s permission.

Description: This seminar will explore what psychology (mostly social and cognitive) can tell us about politics. The class aims to provide a broad introduction to ideas and methods in the field of political psychology, as well as a deep understanding of a few specific topics.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2020

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2024

 

4 pts. L. Solomon

Prerequisites: Two courses in psychology, with at least one focusing on statistics and/or research methods in psychology, and permission of the instructor.

Description: Review of basic psychological research that is relevant to questions people frequently encounter during the course of everyday life. Potential topics for this seminar include research on decision-making, emotion, and/or interpersonal relationships.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2021

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2023

3 pts. K. Ochsner

Prerequisite: For graduate students, course equivalents of at least two of the following  courses:  UN1001, UN2430,  UN2630, UN3410, UN3480, UN3485; and/or instructor's permission.

Description: An introduction to the emerging interdisciplinary field of social cognitive neuroscience, which examines topics traditionally of interest to social psychologists (including control and automaticity, emotion regulation, person perception, social cooperation) using methods traditionally employed by cognitive neuroscientists (functional neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessment).

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2017

4 pts. C. Schneider

Prerequisites: Science of Psychology (PSYC 1001), or equivalent introductory psychology course, as well as a prior course in research methods/statistics. A prior course related to social, applied, and cultural psychology or decision making will be helpful. If you do not have a psychology background and are interested in this seminar, please contact the
instructor to determine fit. Instructor permission is required for all students.

Description: Seminar course exploring individual, social, and cultural barriers and levers for behavior change, with a focus on social issues, such as motivating pro-environmental action, encouraging positive health behavior change, and promoting charitable giving.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2019

3 pts. G. Downey

Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. 

Description: Reviews and integrates current research on the role of social factors in psychopathology. The immediate and long-term effects of chronic and traumatic stressors originating outside the family (e.g., natural disasters, chronic poverty) and inside the family (e.g., family violence, divorce, parental psychopathology) on psychopathology.

4 pts. U. Barahmand

Description: This course is an exploration of the psychology of close human relationships. Our main purpose
will be on learning about the life cycle of adult intimate (i.e., romantic) relationships, ranging
from stages of initial attraction and relationship initiation to growth and maintenance of the
relationship, and in some cases, dissolution. Although other close relationships such as close
friendships, family, and work relationships will also be addressed and integrated into the
course, they will be of secondary importance.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2019

4 Pts. K. Thorson 

Prerequisites: one course in introductory psychology, one course in research methods or statistics, one course in social psychology, and/or instructor permission.

Description: In this seminar, we will read and discuss current literature in psychology related to social interaction. We will examine fundamental processes involved in social interaction, consider how social interaction varies as a function of people’s social identities (e.g., gender, social class, and race), and discuss how social interaction influences close relationships, intergroup attitudes, and well-being. We will pay close attention to how these topics are studied (e.g., to methods, samples, and researcher identities) and to the broader implications of the research.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2022

Integrative and Applied Seminars

4 pts. A. Sorett 

Prerequisites: An introductory course in psychology, sociology, African American studies, Human rights, or political science is recommended by not required. Permission of instructor required.

Description: Frontiers of Justice is designed to encourage students and equip them with the skills to become active and effective “Change Agents” within their academic institutions and larger communities. Oriented by the question, What does justice look like?, this course aims to raise political and social awareness and engagement with the challenges facing New York City and strengthen ties between Columbia University, disadvantaged communities, and city government agencies and community organizations. Through sharing ideas about how to make structural and systemic change in ways that integrate science, law, politics, history, narrative and community engagement, the course is intended to support students in working to break down racial and ethnic barriers and toward a more fair and just society.

[View Syllabus] - Fall 2020 (Downey and Sorett)

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2023 (Sorett)

4 pts. D. Amso

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 The Science of Psychology or an equivalent introductory psychology course and PSYC UN2280 Introduction to Developmental Psychology or an equivalent developmental psychology course. Children at Risk PSYC 3615 would also be helpful preparation for understanding experiential influences on developing children.  (The courses do not overlap in content.) Instructor permission is required.

Description: This course is designed to examine emotional and cognitive development through the lens of existing financial, social, and educational policies.  We will examine the influence- on child development - of inequities in education, household socioeconomic status and poverty, neighborhood socioeconomic status and poverty, access to prenatal care, parental incarceration rates, and systemic racism.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2021

 

Supervised Individual Research

1-3 pts. 

Description: Special research topics arranged with instructors of the department leading toward a senior honors paper.

Note: This course is open only to students in the honors program. Except by special permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and UN3920. May be repeated for additional credit. No more than 12 points of UN3920 may be applied toward the honors program in psychology.
 

1-3pts. N. Tottenham 

The Psych/Neuro Senior Thesis Research Intensive is a restructured version of what was formerly the Psychology department’s Honors program. This new program is meant for students who have strong interests in psychological/neuroscientific research and are able to participate in the three consecutive semesters (spring - fall - spring) that are required in the program. 
 

For more information on what this Psych/Neuro Senior Thesis Research Intensive program requirements include, please visit the Research Intensive webpage at https://psychology.columbia.edu/content/psychneuro-senior-thesis-research-intensive. In addition to working in a research lab and completing an independent research project, students in this program are required to take PSYC UN1920 The How-To’s of Research and three semesters of PSYC UN3930 Psychology/Neuroscience Senior Thesis Research Intensive Seminar.

[View Syllabus] - Spring 2022

1-4 pts. 

Prerequisite: Instructor's permission. 

Description: Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

Note: Except by special permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and UN3920. No more than 8 points of UN3950 may be applied toward the major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. May be repeated with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Sign up for a section of UN3950 with an individual faculty member.