Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• GRS PS 711: Statistics in Psychology I
  General linear models including multiple regression and logistic regression; multilevel models; survival analysis; interaction effects.
• GRS PS 712: Statistics in Psychology II
  Graduate Prerequisites: GRS PS 711; or consent of instructor.
  Statistical analysis with latent variables including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation models, latent growth models, psychometrics.
• GRS PS 716: Psychological Research Methods
  The methodological foundations of psychological research, including issues in general scientific practice, research design, measurement, methods of data collection, and practical and ethical problems arising in the conduct of psychological research.
• GRS PS 718: Advanced Quantitative Methods
  Advanced quantitative methods commonly used in the psychological sciences and related fields are covered. Topics include mixed effects models, the analysis of multivariate data with latent variables, power analysis, nested data structures, and developing analytic plans for grant proposals. Pre-req: GRS PS711 and GRS PS712 or consent of instructor
• GRS PS 720: Neurobiology of Animal Cognition
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor.
  Graduate Prerequisites: graduate standing.
  Explores the nature of cognition across the animal kingdom. Synthesizes concepts from cognitive science, machine learning and neuroethology to better understand human cognition through the lens of animal behavior. Selected topics include decision-making, collective behavior, reinforcement learning, and mental simulations.
• GRS PS 730: Major Perspectives in Psychology: History and Systems
  Provides exposure to the history of major perspectives in psychology, increases understanding of contemporary literature on fundamental issues in psychology, and promotes an integrated understanding of the link between psychological theories and applied psychological principles.
• GRS PS 734: Psychopharmacology for the Behavioral Scientist
  Basic principles of pharmacology, drugs used in treatment of mental illness, drugs having abuse potential. Current issues in psychopharmacology.
• GRS PS 735: Concepts of Motivation
  Major theories of human motivation (including biological, psychoanalytic, and cognitive) are compared and related to empirical research on important human goals and activities such as achievement, power, and intimacy. Students identify a research focus and design an empirical study.
• GRS PS 750: Mind and Language
  Graduate Prerequisites: CAS PS 525 or CAS PS 545 or CAS PS 546; or equivalent; or consent of instructor.
  Seminar examines how language influences cognition. Surveys cognitive, developmental, psycholinguistic, and primate psychology literatures to explore whether cross-linguistic differences cause cross-cultural differences in cognition, and whether possession of a language faculty influences the nature of thought.
• GRS PS 761: Major Issues in Social Psychology
  Empirical and theoretical approaches to selected areas of social psychology. Includes interpersonal behavior, attitude formation and change, social comparison processes, and group behavior.
• GRS PS 770: Ethics in Psychology
  Designed for graduate students in psychology and related fields who plan to be engaged in some form of the practice of psychology. Topics include ethics of clinical and consulting practice, of teaching, and of psychological research.
• GRS PS 772: Clinical Psychological Assessment of Adults
  Graduate Prerequisites: PS Clinical PhD students only.
  Theoretical and empirical bases for diagnostic and structured interviews, standardized cognitive tests, psychopathology rating scales, projective methods, and tools for evaluating community systems and epidemiology. Administration, scoring, and general principles of clinical interpretation of representative measures (WAIS, MMPI, Social Networks Inventory, Rorschach).
• GRS PS 774: Clinical Psychological Assessment of Adults Practicum
  Graduate Prerequisites: PS Clinical PhD students only.
  This course is the applied practicum course for Clinical Psychological Assessment of Adults (PS 772). It is designed to provide a comprehensive, applied experience in psychological assessment report writing and the administration, scoring, cognitive/intellectual and personality functioning.
• GRS PS 791: Psychology of Social Oppression
  Primary focus on academic research and theoretical models as applied to people of color. The psychologist in minority settings, program development, cross-cultural research issues; alternative models of traditional psychological theories.
• GRS PS 822: Visual Perception
  Theory and data relating to contemporary problems in visual perception.
• GRS PS 824: Cognitive Psychology
  This class provides an in-depth introduction to major contemporary issues related to cognitive psychology and human information processing, including acquisition of information from stimuli, feature integration, and top-down effects on perception and recognition.
• GRS PS 829: Principles of Neuropsychology
  Central nervous system processes underlying memory, language, cognition, emotion, sensory functioning, and motor function in normal and pathological conditions. Theory, experimental findings, and reference to clinical cases.
• GRS PS 840: Developmental Behavioral Genetics
  This course provides an overview of human behavioral genetic theory, methods, and research as they relate to behavioral development and other psychological issues. Current research examining genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in behavior will be discussed and critically evaluated.
• GRS PS 843: Life Span Development
  Examines human development throughout the life span and focuses on numerous domains of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development in order to gain a better understanding of the multifaceted constructs and transitions between developmental stages that characterize human development.
• GRS PS 844: Theories of Development
  Comparative examination of theories of psychological development and their usefulness in interpreting behavioral phenomena. Major consideration to theories of Freud, Piaget, and Werner.