Courses

• CAS PS 101: General Psychology
  Basic introduction to field of psychology; topics include theories and findings governing learning, memory, perception, development, personality, social and abnormal psychology. Three hours large lecture and one hour discussion section or three hours of small lecture class with no discussion sections. Requirements vary. Students are required to participate as subjects in psychology studies. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS PS 211: Introduction to Experimental Design in Psychology
  Introduction to logic and methodology of univariate statistics with relevance to psychology. Topics include descriptive statistics, data representation, statistical inference, probability and significance, correlation and regression, and non parametric analyses. Does not count toward nine principal course requirement for majors.
• CAS PS 212: Introduction to MATLAB Programming for Research in Psychological & Brain Sciences
  Teaches computer programming concepts, core statistical concepts, and related skills via MATLAB. Process-simulation, data-analysis cycles, with examples from neuroscience, promote "constructive" understanding of descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g., linear regression models, model-specific anovas, confidence intervals). Briefly treats numerical integration. Also offered as CAS NE 212.
• CAS PS 222: Perception and Behavior
  Why do things look as they do? This question is examined with particular emphasis on experiments that clarify the relative contributions of nature and nurture, and structural and experiential factors. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS PS 231: Physiological Psychology
  Students will receive credit for CAS PS 231 or CAS NE 101, but not for both. Analysis of the central nervous system: information processing and decision making; emphasis on physiological aspects of perception, attention, learning, and memory. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS PS 234: Psychology of Learning
  Survey of theory and techniques in learning and their applications in different settings. Topics include problem solving, memory, reward and punishment, and reinforcement schedules as studied in animals, normal classrooms, and remedial settings. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Also offered as CAS NE 234.
• CAS PS 241: Developmental Psychology
  Students will receive credit for CAS PS 241 or CAS PS 243, but not for both. Critical review of research and theories pertaining to intellectual and social development of infants and children. Role of early experiences and biological factors in later formation of personality, intellectual and motivational behaviors; theories include Erikson, Piaget, and Freud. Term paper may be required. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS PS 251: Psychology of Personality: Theories and Application
  Students may elect either CAS PS 251 or PS 252, but not both. The historical development of personality theories and their application to social and clinical concerns are emphasized. Classic theories of personality (e.g., psychoanalytic, behavioral, trait, humanistic, cognitive, and social roles) are explored and evaluated through lectures, readings, case materials, and films. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS PS 261: Social Psychology
  Provides an understanding of how behavior, feelings, and thoughts of individuals are influenced and determined by characteristics of the situation. Topics: attraction, attitudes, prejudice, social roles, aggression, person perception, and groups. Readings cover theories, experimental research, and application. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
• CAS PS 322: Experimental Psychology: Physiological
  Laboratory course in physiological psychology. Emphasis on neuroanatomical mechanisms involved in behavior. Experiments are performed on rodents and resulting data are analyzed. Research reports required.
• CAS PS 323: Experimental Psychology: Learning
  Methodology, results, and interpretation of respondent and operant conditioning. Experimental analyses of selected topics in learning within the context of reinforcement theory. Required reports of instructor- planned and student-planned experiments using a virtual rat. Course includes two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory work a week. Also offered as CAS NE 323.
• CAS PS 324: Experimental Psychology: Developmental
  Human development selected for experimental study; live subjects. Class discussion and practical experience with observational, assessment, and experimental techniques, and review of statistical concepts. Focus varies. Independent research and paper required. Courses include two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory work a week. Two 2-hour lectures per week.
• CAS PS 325: Experimental Psychology: Personality
  Systematic approaches to the study of personality. Experimental and observational investigations of selected aspects of personality. Demonstration of experimental procedures; student participation in laboratory and field studies. Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory work a week.
• CAS PS 326: Experimental Psychology: Social
  Supervised experience in formulating, carrying out, interpreting, and critically evaluating social-psychological research. Students conduct research on such topics as attraction, impressions and stereotypes, helping, aggression, conflict, etc. Variety of research techniques examined. Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory work a week.
• CAS PS 327: Experimental Psychology: Perception
  Introduces psychophysical methods and their use in the study of perceptual processes: Students learn to think critically about the relation between theory and experiment, conduct perception experiments, and write experimental reports. Also offered as CAS NE 327.
• CAS PS 328: Experimental Psychology: Memory & Cognition
  An overview of standard experimental paradigms and computational modeling approaches used in the study of memory and cognition. Methods are illustrated in the laboratory where students perform experiments using themselves as subjects and analyze and model their data using computers. Also offered as CAS NE 328.
• CAS PS 332: Behavioral Medicine
  Examines applications from the social and behavioral sciences and allied health professions as they are integrated in the practice of traditional medicine. Examples of interventional strategies, treatments, and procedures, including biofeedback and hypnosis.
• CAS PS 333: Drugs and Behavior
  Comprehensive survey of drug influences on behavior; introduces a neuroscience approach to behavior. Several classes of drugs discussed, including abused and addictive substances and psychoactive and therapeutic agents. Also offered as CAS NE 333.
• CAS PS 336: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
  Provides an introduction to basic topics and research issues relevant to cognitive psychology. Emphasis placed on understanding how we perceive, attend, and remember information. Related topics include language, problem solving, and intelligence.
• CAS PS 337: Memory Systems of the Brain
  Survey of investigations into the brain systems and neurobiological mechanisms of memory. Includes experimental studies of amnesia in humans and experimental models of amnesia in animals. Focus on evidence for multiple forms of memory and distinct brain systems that mediate them. Also offered as CAS NE 337.

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