Tabitha Payne

One thing that makes our species unique is our amazing capacity for language and complex symbol use. This course covers basic theory with respect to the evolutionary origins of language, cognitive neuroscience of language, basic psycholinguistics theory and application, nonhuman communication research, and issues of social cognition and language, as well as special cases and conditions in which language capacity or development is disrupted. By the end of the course, students have gained a heightened awareness of just how complex language use really is, along with a richer appreciation of the far-reaching impact it has on their everyday lives. This counts toward the mind and brain requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 110 or AP score of 5. Generally offered every other year.

In this course, students learn the basics of research in psychology. Students participate in research projects conducted across different areas of psychology, which might involve observation and interviewing, psychological tests and measures, physiological measures and computerized tasks. Students learn about issues of reliability and validity in psychological research, as well as ethical issues associated with psychological research. Students further develop techniques for descriptive statistical analysis of their data, and they communicate their research findings both orally and in writing, using the writing style of the American Psychological Association. This course is designed for sophomore and junior students planning to major in psychology. This counts toward the foundations requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 110 or AP score of 5 and PSYC 200. Generally offered every semester.

The goal of this course is to explore the current categories of language disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychology. Aside from learning more about individual differences in intelligence and cognitive processing, highlighted conditions include autistic spectrum disorder, ADHD and dyslexia. Another category of language disorders is specific linguistic impairments (SLIs). Each student researches an assigned impairment with the goal of summarizing findings and highlighting needs for future work. A final category we explore is linguistic patterns associated with mental illness. Students also create a digital story to communicate important findings in the scientific literature regarding the assigned condition. This counts toward the mind and brain requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 250. Generally offered every year.

This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to engage in cognition research. Students will create, design and implement unique experiments in areas of attention, learning, memory, language, and problem solving. Students will acquire fundamental computer programming experience to create assessments. Data collection and analyses techniques will result in actual research findings that will be communicated through an American Psychological Association style paper, as well as a poster presentation. This counts toward the advanced research requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 250 and 301 or 306. Offered as department schedules permit.

Students conducting advanced research in psychology work with a faculty member and possibly a small group of students to conduct research in the faculty member’s research area. Students critically analyze published research in the topic area and collect, analyze and write reports on data they have collected with a small group of students. Students are expected to work independently and collaboratively; the course emphasizes effective written and oral communication. This course is offered only on a credit/no credit basis. Permission of instructor required. Prerequisite: PSYC 250 and related intermediate-level study.

This is the first semester of the two-part sequence required for senior psychology majors. Each section has a different topic, but in every seminar, students read and discuss psychological literature, write and discuss critiques of research articles, review the literature and develop a research proposal on a topic related to the seminar's topic, and make a formal oral presentation to the class. This theoretical framework lays the groundwork for the execution of a project in the second half of the practicum. This counts toward the Senior Capstone requirement for the major. Senior standing and psychology major. Offered every fall.

This is the second semester of the two-part sequence required for senior psychology majors. This class features hands-on experience in creating and conducting research to allow students to learn by doing. We investigate the procedure of generating research from start to finish through the lens of theory learned in the first semester. This course strongly and equally emphasizes strengthening scientific writing skills, generating research designs and quantitative reasoning and application. Along the way we practice evaluating research designs and perfecting APA style. This course is designed to prepare students for a career in research in psychology. This counts toward the Senior Capstone requirement for the major. Prerequisite: PSYC 475. Senior standing, psychology major. Offered every spring

Individual study in psychology allows students the opportunity to pursue research on a topic of special interest. The course is designed in consultation with a faculty mentor. The level of credit can range from 0.25 to 0.5 unit, and students may take more than one semester of individual study. Typically, only juniors or seniors may pursue this option. To enroll, a student must first identify a member of the psychology department who is willing to mentor the project. The student must give the department chair a written description of the project, including the nature of the proposed work and a list of references. The project should include reading and reviewing scientific literature and likely entail a research project in which original data are collected. The student and faculty member are expected to meet, on average, once a week. The final project likely a paper written in the style of the American Psychological Association. Additional assignments may be required, including a public presentation. The amount of work required for the individual study should approximate that required of other 400-level psychology courses. It is possible for students to pursue a group project, but more work is expected for the completed project and each student writes her or his own individual paper. Because students must enroll for individual studies by the end of the seventh class day of each semester, they should begin discussion of the proposed individual study by the semester before, so that there is time to devise the proposal and seek departmental approval.

This is a program for senior candidates for honors in psychology, culminating in a senior honors thesis. The course will consist of a research project in some area of psychology. A student who wishes to propose an honors project must meet each of the following three criteria: (1) the student must have a GPA of 3.7 in psychology and an overall GPA of 3.5; (2) the student must have participated in a psychology department-approved research experience (which might be research in a research methods course, independent study or summer lab work); and (3) the student must have completed a minimum of 4 units in psychology and have taken the appropriate core courses for the proposal before the senior year. To continue in honors, students must earn an A in PSYC 475 during the fall of their senior year to continue in the honors program. Students enrolled in this course who successfully complete PSYC 475 with an A will be automatically added to PSYC 498Y for the spring semester. If at any point during the yearlong process, either the student or the departmental faculty determine that the project should not move forward as an honors project, it will automatically convert to an individual study (IS) for .50 units. If such a change occurs in the spring term, the fall designation for Honors will also be changed to an IS worth .50 units. Permission of instructor and department chair required.

This is a program for senior candidates for honors in psychology, culminating in a senior honors thesis. Students will be required to successfully complete PSYC 475 (earn an A) and PSYC 497Y. If at any point during the yearlong process, either the student or the departmental faculty determine that the project should not move forward as an honors project, it will automatically convert to an individual study (IS) for .50 units. If such a change occurs in the spring term, the fall designation for Honors will also be changed to an IS worth .50 units. Permission of instructor and department chair required.