Course Descriptions

Courses in Psychology: Unless otherwise indicated, courses are 3 semester credit hours, 3 hours lecture per week.

133. General Psychology
Survey of fundamental principles of behavior, including physiological, perceptual, developmental, learning, motivational, cognitive, social, historical, and methodological perspectives.

143. Psychology of Adjustment
Applications of basic psychological principles to human adjustment and growth, including development, self-concept, coping with stress, abnormal behavior, social influence, and interpersonal relationships, including love and intimacy.

153. Human Sexuality
Psychology of sexual behavior as related to social conduct.

198. Effective Learning
Study of the acquisition of procedural knowledge through the application of human learning theory, cognitive behavior modification and developmental psychology. Generalization and transfer of this knowledge will be emphasized. May not be taken for credit toward a major, 2nd major, or minor in Psychology.

200. Scientific Literacy in Psychology
4 semester hours, 3 hours lecture and 3 hours laboratory per week. Topics include information literacy and APA writing, ethics, introductory concepts in psychological statistics and research methods, and interpretation of data tables and graphs. Foundation course for psychological statistics and research design, preparing students to be better consumers of psychological science. Prerequisite: PSY 133.

300. Experimental Methods in Psychology
Survey of experimental methods in behavioral sciences. Emphasis on helping students become informed consumers of psychological research. Prerequisite: PSY 133.

310. Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Comprehensive study of the use of applied psychology in the areas of business and industry. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

311. Social Psychology
Study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals relate to and are influenced by the presence of others. Topics include conformity, aggression, interpersonal attraction, close relationships, social cognition, attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice, and group and intergroup behaviors. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

330. Psychological Statistics
4 semester hours, 3 hours lecture and 3 hours laboratory per week. Application of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques in processing behavioral data. Includes normative techniques, parametric and nonparametric applications. PSY 330L is a corequisite for this course. Prerequisite: PSY 200. Course fee: $40.

341. Experimental Psychology
4 semester hours, 3 hours lecture and 3 hours laboratory per week. Research methods, emphasizing use of experimental control, and analysis of data for reporting experimental results in the psychological study of human and non-human behavior. Prerequisites: PSY 330 with a grade of C or better; or consent of instructor. Course fee: $40.

350. Biopsychology
Examination of relationships between behavior and underlying physiological mechanisms. Aspects covered include neural conduction, sensory receptor mechanisms, learning and memory, and other aspects of higher cortical functioning in both humans and animals. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

351. Sensation & Perception
Overview of how humans and other animals sense and perceive the world around us. All the senses will be discussed, with a focus on vision. Coverage includes psychophysical and physiological research and how perception applies in our daily lives. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

360. Cognitive Psychology
Introduction to current theory and research in the psychology of thought with an emphasis on human information processing system.Topics include perceptual processes, attention, memory, language, categorization, imagery, problem solving and decision making. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

361. Learning & Conditioning
Principles and research on and use of behavioral techniques in clinical, academic, correctional, and industrial settings. Areas covered include behavioral management of children's disorders, self-management skills enhancement, productivity enhancement, and other interventions. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or above.

375. Abnormal Psychology
Theories and research on the incidence, classification, etiology, and treatment of abnormal behaviors. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

376. Lifespan Development
Examination of development from conception to death. Coverage includes theories and current research on the domains of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, with a focus on how biological and environmental factors interact to influence development in these domains. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

385. Psychology of Aggression
Perspectives on the development of human violence. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above.

398H. Honors Reading and Research
3-6 semester hours. Reading and research for individual honors students in psychology. Amount of credit to be determined by the scope of the project. Prerequisites: 12 semester hours of psychology; consent of faculty supervisor, Department Chair, and Dean of Liberal Arts.

400. Positive Psychology
Focus on strengthening and optimizing positive dimensions of personal life, particularly in the areas of interpersonal relationships, work and leisure. Includes topics such as self-efficacy, optimism, hope, cultural values, motivation, personal strengths and virtues. Prerequisites: Advanced standing.

410. Performance Management
Focus on conducting effective performance improvement projects in organizations. Topics include identifying performance targets worthy of change, developing measurement systems and tracking performance, behavior and performance analyses, behavior change strategies, and evaluation of organizational impact. Prerequisite: Advanced standing.

420. History and Systems of Psychology
Survey of the historical background of psychology, emphasizing its philosophical origins and evolution of the psychological point of view. Contributions of major schools of psychology to modern psychology also emphasized. Prerequisite: Senior standing.

425. Psychology & Law
Study of how psychological research contributes to a greater understanding of the legal system. Topics include an introduction to the legal system, psychology of police, criminal investigations, forensic assessments, the trial process, sentencing phase and corrections. Prerequisite: Advanced standing.

428. Comparative Psychology
Introduction to the study of the behavior and cognition of diverse species. Topics include problem-solving, language, consciousness, perception, memory, reasoning, emotions, culture, and social complexity of animals. Basic methods of animal observation in non-experimental settings also covered. Prerequisite: Advanced standing.

475. Special Problems
One to four semester hours. Individual research on a topic agreed upon before registration by a student and supervising faculty member. May be repeated under a different topic area for a maximum of eight hours credit. Prerequisites: Advanced standing, consent of instructor, and overall GPA of 3.0 or higher.

497. Research Seminar
Capstone course. Students design, conduct, analyze, and write up research for publication/presentation. Prerequisite: Advanced standing and grade of C or better in PSY 341. Course fee: $40.

498. Topics in Psychology
In-depth study of a topic, such as Sports Psychology, Health Psychology, Human Factors, Ecological Psychology, or Existential Psychology. Topics announced prior to registration. May be repeated under a different topic area for a maximum of six hours credit. Prerequisites: Advanced standing or consent of instructor.