Psychology Courses

Courses numbered 200-299 are open only to undergraduates. Courses that bear both a 200-level number and a 300-level number are open both to undergraduates and graduates, with the parallel numbers indicating that undergraduates and graduates are held to different requirements. Courses bearing only a 300-level number are open both to undergraduate and graduate students with both groups being held to the same graduate-level requirements. Courses at the 400 level are open only to graduates except by special permission as warranted by an undergraduate's academic needs. Boldface letters in parentheses refer to the areas noted in the preceding Summary of Requirements section. L refers to courses with a laboratory.

200. Fundamentals of Psychology. This course is an introduction to the basic concepts and research in the study of behavior. Principal topics are sensation, perception, cognition, learning, motivation, and personality theories. R. Butler. Autumn.

202. Introduction to Behavioral Research. PQ: Two courses in psychology and an introductory statistics course. Through readings of original papers in the literature and discussions with staff, students are prepared for critical examination of contemporary behavioral research. Staff. Spring.

205. Research Biopsychology. This course involves participation in ongoing laboratory experiments. S. Grossman. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

207. Introduction to Neurobiology (=Biopsy 207, BioSci 244). PQ: Common Core biological sciences. This course is an introduction to the diverse levels of analysis of the nervous system. Topics covered include structure of the nervous system; basic cellular neurobiology, including membrane properties, synaptic transmission, and transmitter-receptor systems; sensory transduction; relationships between nerves and muscles; central pattern generators; sensory systems; developmental neurobiology; and neuroethology. Comparative aspects of neurobiology are stressed, and both vertebrate and invertebrate examples are developed. D. Margoliash, M. Dickinson. Autumn.

210. Introduction to Biopsychology. This survey course introduces students to the history of biopsychology, general principles of neural organization, methods and approaches of biopsychological investigation, and the mechanistic and antecedent factors that govern neurobehavioral phenomena. Special emphasis is given to the biological bases of motivation, emotional reactions, learning, sensory processes, and reproduction. S. Grossman, S. Levy, Staff. Spring. (A)

211. Biological Bases of Behavior. This course is a survey of physiological and neuroanatomical factors involved in learning, motivation, and emotion. S. Grossman. Autumn. (A)

214. Animal Behavior (=BioSci 249). PQ: Common Core biological sciences. This course fulfills the ecology, populations, and behavior requirement for the biological sciences concentration. This course is identical to BioSci 248 except that it does not have a lab. S. Pruett-Jones, J. Altmann. Spring.

215. Brain Asymmetry. PQ: A minimum of one course each in psychology, biology, and statistics; courses exposing students to cognitive psychology, developmental biology or genetics, and basic human neuroanatomy helpful but not required. This course covers the evolution, development, manifestations, and psychological consequences of cerebral asymmetry of function in the human brain, as well as variations in patterns of asymmetry as a function of gender, handedness, and psychological characteristics. This course includes a brief review of the history of mind-brain concepts and basic coverage of the functional anatomy of the human brain. J. Levy. Winter. (A)

217. Developmental Biopsychology (=Biopsy 217, EvBiol 320, HumDev 320). PQ: Psych 200 or Common Core biological sciences. This course is an introduction to biological and physiological analysis of behavior and to principles of neural and endocrine integration. We use a developmental emphasis, with experimental and clinical literature. M. McClintock. Autumn.

219. Foundations of Gender and Gender Differences (=Biopsy 219, BioSci 286, NCD 228). This course examines issues fundamental to an understanding of sex, sex differences, and gender differences. The course begins by considering the significance of the evolution of sexually reproducing species and by studying mechanisms of normal and abnormal embryonic sexual development. The different reproductive roles of males and females in various species are examined to relate sexual dimorphism, mating strategies, and life cycle differences. This is a seminar course involving faculty from different departments. M. Moscona, M. McClintock. Spring.

223. Introduction to Developmental Psychology (=Educ 210/310, HumDev 307). This course is an introduction to developmental psychology, stressing the development and integration of cognitive, social, and perceptual skills. Lectures are given once a week and discussion sessions meet weekly. A. Woodward, S. Hans, D. McNeill. Autumn. (B)

225. Cognitive Development (=Educ 294/394). This course examines the intellectual development of the child. Topics include the growth of the child's understanding of the physical and social world and the development of memory and thought processes. J. Huttenlocher. Winter.

227. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and LISP I (=ComSci 250). This course is an introduction to theoretical, technical, and philosophical issues of AI that looks at natural language processing, planning, problem solving, diagnostic systems, naïve physics, and game playing. LISP and LISP programming are introduced. K. Hammond. Autumn.

228. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and LISP II (=ComSci 251). PQ: Psych 227 or consent of instructor. This is a continuation of the issues and topics introduced in Psych 227. K. Hammond. Winter.

229. Self, Role, Niche, and Adaptation (=Educ 229). This course offers psychological, cross-cultural, and ecological perspectives on person, identity, relationship, role, and group. Readings are drawn from clinical, cognitive, life span development, social, and neuroendocrinological psychology, and from ecological biology, microsociology, and anthropology. An attempt is made to differentiate psychological niche from ecological niche and to focus on the former. F. Lighthall. Autumn.

231. Introduction to Developmental Neuropsychology (=Biopsy 231). This course focuses on research that examines the nature of developmental change by integrating information on the cognitive and neural levels of analysis. A broad range of approaches is considered, including studies of normal children, studies of children with focal brain damage and various learning disabilities, and studies that use modeling to simulate brain/behavior relations during development. S. Levine. Spring.

233. Cognition, Development, and Learning (=Educ 216/316). This course surveys studies on the acquisition, development, and use of knowledge. The emphasis is on how individuals interpret and represent concepts and events and how they undergo conceptual change as a result of learning and development. N. Stein, T. Trabasso. Winter.

234. Cross-Cultural Human Development (=HumDev 311). This course is an evaluation of cognitive-developmental, psychoanalytic, and learning-theoretical accounts of human development. It provides a consideration of the nature of culture and the logic of both the comparative method and developmental and evolutionary explanations. G. Herdt. Autumn. (C)

235. Introduction to Interaction Research. There have been three main interests in recent research on interaction: (1) the expression of emotion, (2) the process of interaction itself--how it is that participants are able to accomplish interactions, and (3) the use of behaviors observed in interaction as indices of the participants' enduring characteristics or transient states. Selected examples of these major types of research are considered in terms of their conceptual framework and their approach to studying the phenomenon in question. The discussion focuses on the nature of interaction and on approaches to studying it. S. Duncan. Winter.

238. Problem Solving and Reasoning. This course covers cognitive research of human problem solving by discussing problems such as riddles, algebra word problems, medical diagnosis, or choosing a career. We analyze ways people understand and solve problems and see how initial representation can affect the solution process and therefore the difficulty of the problem. We cover general and specific strategies people use in solving problems and compare experts and beginners. We examine the conditions that enable us to apply learned solutions to novel problems. We explore "getting stuck" or having a sudden "creative insight." M. Bassock. Autumn. (B)

240. Introduction to Social Psychology. PQ: Third-year standing. This examination of social psychological theory and research is based upon both classic and contemporary contributions. Among the major topics examined are conformity and deviance, the attitude-change process, social role and personality, social cognition, and political psychology. This course is conducted in seminar format. M. Rosenberg. Spring. (C)

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242. Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams (=Fndmtl 229, SocSci 234). Freud understood The Interpretation of Dreams to be his most important work, and few texts have had such significance for contemporary social theory. This course provides an opportunity for a close reading of this text, focusing on Freud's theory of wish and intent as related to personal and collective symbol systems and to theories of thought. B. Cohler. Winter.

243. Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences (=Educ 343, HumDev 393, SocSci 206). This seminar explores the variety of qualitative methods used in social science study, including the Chicago studies of social disorganization "Grounded Theory," ethnography and study of culture, and narrative and life-story approaches to study of person and social life. Attention is devoted to issues of method, such as reliability and validity, implications for philosophy of social science study, portrayal of both person and context or setting, and to both the complex interplay of observer and observed "reflexivity" in human sciences. B. Cohler. Spring.

249. Culture and Cognition: Linguistic Relativity (=Anthro 278, Ling 270). PQ: Knowledge of linguistics or cognitive studies helpful. Understanding language both as a systematic representation of the thinkable and as a systematic way of inhabiting a universe of social action, we review the ways in which modern social and cognitive scientists have dealt with the implications of the formal variability of language. We consider cross-linguistic and cross-societal implications, and the significance of register-based social variability of language within linguistic communities. M. Silverstein. Spring.

256. Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. Viewing the brain globally as an information processing or computational system has revolutionized the study and understanding of intelligence. This course introduces the theory, methods, and empirical results that underlie this approach to psychology. Topics include categorization, attention, memory, knowledge, language, and thought. L. Barsalou. Autumn. (B)

259. Theory and Practice of Measurement (=Educ 259/359). This course is an introduction to the basic ideas of scientific measurement. Practical models for the construction of fundamental objective measurement are deduced from the measurement theories of Campbell, Thurstone, Guttman, Luce and Tukey, and Rasch. Applications in educational and psychological research are discussed. Connections with and improvements on contemporary educational test practice and psychometrics are explained. Practical methods for identifying item bias, equating tests, building item banks, setting standards, and diagnosing irregular test performance are developed, explained, and illustrated. B. Wright, J. Linacre. Winter.

260. The Construction of Fundamental Measures (=Educ 260/360). This course is an introduction to the practice of fundamental measurement in social science research. The mathematical models on which the construction of fundamental measurement is based are explained, discussed, and illustrated. Applications to educational and psychological tests, survey questionnaires, attitude inventories, and social surveys are studied. Students learn to use computer programs to construct and calibrate variables and to make measures and set standards on these variables. Students are helped to apply these methods to their own research data and shown how to prepare their results for a lecture and for publication. B. Wright, J. Linacre. Spring.

270. Judgment and Decision Making. PQ: Two quarters of calculus or consent of instructor. This course is an overview of the psychology of decision making and judgment processes. Specific topics are drawn from the following areas: decision making when goals are in conflict, decision making when the consequences of the decision are uncertain, and predictive and evaluative judgments under conditions of uncertain and incomplete information. Decision models prescribing "optimal" behavior are compared with empirical data and theories of human performance. W. Goldstein. Winter.

274. Psychology of Religion: Classic and Contemporary Contributions. PQ: Consent of instructor. In this seminar, four or five major works are closely examined with special attention to two questions: How do religious experience and belief coordinate with individual psychodynamic processes? How does religion serve in the psychological mediation of social change and the restoration of social stability? Among the works read are William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience; Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion; Erwin Goudenough, The Psychology of Religious Experience; R. H. Tawney, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism; and Kurt Samuelsson, Religion and Economic Action. M. Rosenberg. Autumn.

280. Sensation and Perception (=Biopsy 280). This course centers on visual and auditory phenomena. Aside from the basic sensory discriminations (acuity, brightness, loudness, color, and pitch), more complex perceptual events, such as movement and space, are discussed. The biological underpinnings of these several phenomena are considered, as well as the role of learning in perception. S. Shevell. Winter. (A)

287. Connectionist Modeling I: Techniques. The first in a two-quarter sequence, this course provides an introduction to the computational techniques underlying the field of connectionist modeling. Topics include the Hopfield nets, perceptrons, and recurrent layered networks, together with supervised and unsupervised training algorithms for such networks. Facility in programming and a grasp of basic calculus and linear algebra is helpful, but not required. T. Regier. Winter.

288. Information Theory and Coding. PQ: Knowledge of elementary mathematics. This course introduces students to the mathematical theory of information with emphasis on coding, especially the development of efficient codes. Topics include an introduction to coding, quantification of information and its properties, Huffman codes, arithmetic codes, L-Z and other adaptive coding techniques, and applications. A. Bookstein. Winter.

291. Connectionist Modeling II: Applications. The second in a two-quarter sequence, this course focuses on applications of connectionist modeling techniques. A number of applications illustrating the use of the concepts covered in the first course of this sequence are presented. Students are expected to conceive, design, implement, and present a project applying these modeling concepts. Facility in programming and a grasp of basic calculus and linear algebra are helpful, but arrangements are made for interested students who do not have this background. T. Regier. Spring.

293. Undergraduate Research. PQ: Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Available for either Pass or letter grading. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

294. Honors Paper Preparation. PQ: Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Available for either Pass or letter grading. This course is not a requirement for doing an honors paper. It may be taken for one or two quarters, depending on the magnitude of the project. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

296. Undergraduate Research in Biopsychology. PQ: Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Available for either Pass or letter grading. This course may be taken for one or two quarters, depending on the size of the project. Staff. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

301. Gender and Sexual Development (=HumDev 353). This course is an advanced introduction to basic issues in the theory and methodology of the study of gender identity and the role of sexual development in cultural and psychological perspective. G. Herdt. Winter.

302. Observational Methods in Behavioral Research. PQ: BioSci 248 or 249. J. Altmann. Spring.

306. Seminar in Language Communication. B. Keysar. Winter.

310. Perspectives in Drug Abuse (=PhaPhy 329). This course provides a broad overview of the major classes of abused drugs, including epidemiology, pharmacology, etiological factors, and short- and long-term effects. H. De Wit, L. Seiden, P. Vezina. Spring.

318. Social Context of Vertebrate Reproduction (=BioSci 324, HumDev 324). This lecture/discussion seminar focuses on social aspects of reproduction and reproductive behavior. The topic is addressed at several levels of analysis: physiology, behavior, and population structure. Variation within and across species is emphasized. Topics include mating and parental care, gender differences in behavior, sex ratios, levels of selection, neuroendocrine mechanisms, ecology and energetics, timing of reproduction, and cooperation and conflict. M. McClintock, J. Altmann, L. Houck. Winter.

326. Speech Perception. This course provides an introduction and overview of the basic research questions, theoretical issues, and empirical findings concerning the perception and comprehension of spoken language. H. Nusbaum. Autumn.

327. Neuropsychopharmacology (=BioSci 268, Neurbi 327, PhaPhy 327). PQ: BioSci 200 or BchMB 301, or consent of instructor. This course studies the effects of pharmacological agents on behavior with an emphasis on physiological and biochemical mechanisms. A lab component is included. L. Seiden, H. De Wit, P. Vezina. Autumn.

334. Communicative Uses of Nonverbal Behavior (=Educ 443, HumDev 443, Ling 448). This course reviews the literature on nonverbal communication in animals and humans. We consider readings on facial nonverbal behaviors (particularly in relation to the expressions of emotion), spontaneous gestures (those that serve as a primary communication system, as well as those that function as an adjunct system in relation to speech), and conventional sign language systems (the natural languages of deaf communities). S. Goldin-Meadow, D. McNeill. Winter.

343. Topics in Early Socialization. This course focuses on the relationship between the child's interaction with others and various aspects of socialization. The emphasis is on studies of the child's natural (as opposed to experimentally arranged) interactions with others, primarily during the first two years. Among the topics considered are the process of interaction itself, the nature of the child's early interaction abilities, conflict, discipline, peer interaction, self-regulation, emotion, gender issues, moral development, and problematic parent-child interaction. Research methods and conceptual foundations of readings are analyzed in class discussion. S. Duncan. Autumn.

345. Conflict in Early Parent-Child Relationships. Interaction processes in conflicts between parents and young children are examined. Conceptual and methodological issues are considered, including theories of conflict, theories of face-to-face interaction, research approaches to interaction, and studies of family conflicts of various sorts. Conflictual interaction is related to topics of interest in developmental psychology such as compliance, negotiation, discipline, socialization, and self-control. Videotapes made in the homes of families are used to illustrate conflicts. S. Duncan. Spring.

366. Endocrine and Neural Determinants of Sexual Differentiation (=Biopsy 366). PQ: Consent of instructor. Within each mammalian species, males and females characteristically exhibit a variety of endocrine, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical differences. This course examines the precise nature of these differences, when and how they arise during development, and what consequences they have for behavior in adult life. Special attention is paid to humans, specifically to those differences that relate to cognition, gender identity, and sexual preference. H. Moltz. Spring.

367. Introduction to Cognitive Development (=Educ 374, HumDev 367). This course focuses on the origins and developments of thought through verbal and nonverbal modalities. Of special consideration is the study of cognition in different social and cultural contexts. Both the similarities and differences between children and adults are considered. N. Stein. Autumn.

368. Seminar: Language Acquisition. S. Goldin-Meadow, J. Huttenlocher. Spring.

369. Neuropsychopharmacology II (=Biopsy 369, PhaPhy 328). This is the second of a two-quarter series examining the effects of drugs on the central nervous system and behavior. This course is designed to cover the major classes of therapeutic and abused drugs and their effects on the central nervous system and behavior. H. De Wit, L. Seiden, P. Vezina. Winter.

376. Psychology of Language (=Ling 376). PQ: One year of linguistics or consent of instructor. Topics include language production and comprehension, language acquisition and thought, language use, gestures, language in nonhuman species, and language in artificial systems. D. McNeill. Spring.

470-471. Language in Culture I, II (=Anthro 372-1,-2; Ling 311-312). PQ: Consent of instructor. Must be taken in sequence. This two-quarter course presents the major issues of anthropological interest in linguistics, including the formal structure of semiotic systems, the ethnographically crucial incorporation of linguistic forms into cultural systems, and the methods for empirical investigation of "functional" semiotic structure and history. M. Silverstein. Autumn, Winter.

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