Seminars Offered Prior to 2016
This is a list of all seminars offered in the Psychology Department prior to 2016. Syllabi for each course should be listed if available.
Group 1: Perception and Cognition
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
Instructor's permission and PSYC UN1001 or UN1010, or the equivalent.
Description:
Why--despite our best efforts to focus--does attention inevitably falter, allowing unrelated thoughts to distract us? This seminar surveys diverse psychological and neuroscientific approaches to sustained attention and distraction. Students will develop an integrated understanding of this work, culminating in proposals for research that could help advance our understanding of why and how the mind wanders.
3 pts.
Prerequisite:
Some background in psychology and/or neurophysiology is desirable (e.g., PSYC UN1001, UN1010, UN1480, UN2230, BIOL UN3004, BIOL UN3005). Other backgrounds may also be appropriate.
Description:
Space perception and spatial orientation in a three-dimensional physical world will be examined from a viewpoint that integrates neurophysiological and behavioral research: Experiments involve perceptual phenomena and measurement, and electrical and/or mechanical recording in normal and unusual environments (e.g., human centrifuge, zero-g).
3 pts.
Prerequisite:
Some background in perceptual or sensory processes or neurophysiology or physical sciences/math/computer science.
Description:
Reading and discussion of classic articles from the past 60 years providing a foundation for the rapidly expanding fields of visual perception, visual science, and visual neuroscience and their connections with computer modeling (with a sprinkling from research on audition). Primary source articles will be accompanied by secondary source and brief lecture material to introduce each topic.
4 pts. K. Fox-Glassman.
Prerequisites:
PSYC UN2235 or equivalent course on judgment and decision making, and instructor's permission. Students with little psychology coursework but a background in earth science, public policy, or another related field are welcome to enroll, with instructor permission, if space allows.
Description:
This seminar addresses the psychological factors - cognitive biases, heuristics, risk perception, social influences, and past experiences - that together help explain why people tend to under-prepare for potential natural and man-made disasters. Implications for science communication and public policy are discussed.
4 pts.
Prerequisites:
At least two other psychology courses and instructor's permission.
Description:
Discussion of issues and research on the breakdown of basic neurocognitive processes in psychopathology. The focus will be on working memory and cognitive control -- the cognitive processes most vulnerable in many psychiatric disorders, including: Schizophrenia, Major Depressive Reaction, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Substance Abuse. Discussions will focus on issues such as: What can we learn about the neural circuitry involved in a particular psychiatric disorder from studying deficits in cognitive tasks? What can we learn about normal cognition from studying cognitive deficits in psychopathology?
3 pts.
Prerequisite:
Some background in perception is required.
Description:
Topics on the perception of space. Discussions, reviews, and recent literature.
3 pts.
Prerequisite:
Some background in perceptual or sensory processes or neurophysiology or physical sciences/math/computer science.
Description:
Reading and discussion of classic articles from the past 60 years providing a foundation for the rapidly expanding fields of visual perception, visual science, and visual neuroscience and their connections with computer modeling (with a sprinkling from research on audition); primary source articles will be accompanied by secondary source and brief lecture material to introduce each topic.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
UN2440, BC1128, BC 1129, or UN2280 plus instructor permission
Description:
This is a seminar on the acquisition of language by children. We will discuss the acquisition of the sounds of language, the meaning of language, and the structure of phrases and sentences. Although much of the literature on language development involves the acquisition of English, we will also examine, wherever possible, the acquisition of other spoken languages, as well as the acquisition of sign languages. We will discuss both the process of acquisition and the competing theoretical explanations of that process. Particular emphasis will be placed on discovering the mechanisms children possess that enable them to learn language, and the resulting impact of those mechanisms on languages themselves.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
A course in perception, cognition, or the psychology of language, plus the instructor's permission.
Description:
Intensive examination from a social psychological perspective of selected topics relevant to current theory and research on the use of language and other communication behaviors.
Note:
May be repeated for additional credit.
Group 2: Psychobiology and Neuroscience
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
Instructor's permission. (Please see course web site and apply for permission to register.)
Description:
Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of emotion. Emphasis is on research into physiological, expressive, and subjective emotional responses to salient events.
4 pts.
Prerequisites:
At least two other psychology courses and instructor's permission.
Description:
Reproduction encompasses a broad range of behaviors in the life cycle of an organism from mate selection and copulation to parental care. This seminar will examine various aspects of reproduction across species and the neural mechanisms that regulate these behaviors and allow an organism to adapt to environmental change.
4pts. D. Hood.
Prerequisite:
PSYC UN1010 or UN2450, and instructor's permission.
Description:
Techniques for the noninvasive assessment of human brain activity are considered. The use of these techniques in laboratory and clinical science is explored.
4 pts.
Prerequisites:
At least two psychology courses and instructor's permission.
Description:
Evolutionary theory and its application to behaviors such as mating, group formation, and communication in humans and other animals, incorporating concepts and findings from genetics, ethology, neuroscience, and psychology.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
At least two other psychology courses and instructor’s permission.
Description:
An investigation of the uniqueness of the human brain and human behavior from an evolutionary perspective.
3 pts. H. Terrace.
Prerequisite:
The instructor's permission.
Prerequisites for Undergraduates:
See PSYC UN3450.
Description:
A systematic review of the implications of Darwin's theory of evolution and Freud's theory of the unconscious for contemporary studies of animal and human cognition.
4 pts. D. Shohamy.
Prerequisite:
A neuroscience course, such as PSYC UN1010, and the instructor's permission.
Description:
This seminar will discuss recent topics in cognitive neuroscience, and how research in this field is impacting public opinion. We will engage in a critical review of how the media represents research on the brain, with a focus on current issues and controversies related to the use of neuroimaging in the study of brain and behavior in humans.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
The instructor's permission (a course in the psychology of language or linguistics highly recommended).
Description:
This seminar surveys current theories of language production. We will examine psycholinguitsic and neuroimaging studies of word and sentence production conducted with monolingual and bilingual speakers, and individuals with acquired language impairments.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
At least two other psychology courses and the instructor's permission.
Description:
Seminar on recent advances in the neurobiological basis of social behaviors, interactions, relationships and structure. Primary focus will be research conducted in non-human mammalian species, particularly laboratory rodents and primates, but studies of other vertebrates as well as invertebrates will be included. This broad approach will provide an evolutionary perspective on social neuroscience as well as important insights into the applicability of translating animal research to studies of human social neuroscience.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
PSYC UN1010 or UN2450, or equivalent, and the instructor's permission.
Description:
This seminar explores factors that modulate stress reactivity and the impact of stress on the structure and function of the nervous system and behavior. Topics include how developmental stage, sex/gender, time of day, and experience influence how an organism responds to stress at endocrinological, neurobiological, and behavioral levels.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
Basic background in neurobiology (for instance PSYC 1010, 2450, 2460, or 2480) and the instructor's permission.
Description:
Advances in genetics and neuroscience have expanded our understanding of the biological basis of behavior and risk of psychiatric disorder. However, these advances have implications for decision/policy making, legal issues, and society and raise broad ethical concerns. In this seminar course, we will discuss these implications and issues and consider the future challenges that may arise from the evolving study of the genetic and neurobiological determinants of behavior.
4 pts.
Prerequisite:
Basic background in neurobiology (for instance PSYC UN1010, UN2450, UN2460, or UN2480) and the instructor's permission.
Description:
Principles and advanced concepts in basic and applied psychopharmacology. An overview of the neurobiological basis of brain dysfunction, with a focus on drugs used in the treatment of psychiatric and behavioral disorders as well as novel pharmacological approaches to treatment.
Group 3: Social, Personality, and Abnormal
4 pts.
Prerequisite: PSYC UN1001 or UN1010 (or equivalent introductory course), plus instructor’s permission.
Description: This seminar covers recent progress in the growing field of primate social behavior and cognition. Most primate species live in complex social groups, requiring sophisticated knowledge of relationships and social processes in order to survive therein. Topics in this course range from aggression and dominance to affiliation, altruism and cooperation, with a special emphasis on contemporary debates such as the origin of moral systems and the question of animal "culture." Readings, discussions, and assignments will center on various theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of primate sociality, generating new insights and questions for pertinent dimensions of human social psychology.
3 pts.
Prerequisite: Instructor's permission.
Description: The scientific study of how people make sense of others and themselves. Topics include social judgment, attitudes (conscious and unconscious), self-concepts, and the multiple and reciprocal relationships among cognition, emotion, and motivation.
3 pts. J. Shu
This course will provide an overview of theoretical perspectives and research on what emotions are, what functions they serve, and what roles emotions and emotion regulation play in many parts of our lives such asmental health, social relationships, and decision making. The readings will incorporate a wide array of tools that scientists have adopted to understand emotions at different levels of analysis, such as the use of physiological measures (including brain activity), behavioral measures, self-reports of experience, and data acquired through social media.To present different perspectives on the study of emotions, the course will cover research drawn from such fields as social psychology, clinical psychology and developmental psychology, as well as social and affective neuroscience. Concurrently, we will hone a scientific mindset by approaching readings, presentations,and writing assignments with a structured approach to scientific inquiry that helps us identify the major components of the research process when reading and thinking about scientific research.
4 pts.
Prerequisites: Instructor's permission and PSYC UN1001 or UN1010, or the equivalent.
Description: This course centers on understanding the self embedded in the social context. We will integrate knowledge from various areas of psychology (developmental, cognitive, social cognition) with a main focus in social psychology. This course will provide the opportunity to gain an understanding of research in the following areas: the development of self in a social context, the relationship between the self and the broader socio-cultural context, the impact of self-involvement on social/cognitive processes, and contemporary research on individual differences.
4 pts.
Prerequisite: At least two psychology courses and the instructor's permission.
Description: A comprehensive overview of the study of personality in non-human animals. Discussions and readings will cover theoretical principles, methodological approaches, the range of species in which personality-like phenomena are documented, and the intersection between personality, ecology, and evolution.
3 pts.
Prerequisites: Research Methods, statistics, social psychology, and instructor's permission.
Description: Introduction to leading theoretical perspectives employed by social psychologists in the study of close romantic relationships. Exploration of relationship-relevant constructs (e.g., love, commitment, intimacy, breakups) through the lenses offered by these different theories, and with a critical reading of recent research findings in this field.