Courses

An introduction to the principles of psychology as emerging from the areas of physiological, sensation and perception, development, learning, cognition, and memory, social, personality, and abnormal. Required for the psychology major.

An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistical methods in analysis and interpretation of psychological data. Required for the psychology major.

A thorough survey of methods and techniques employed in psychological research is covered. Topics include observational research, surveys, case studies, experimental designs, and ethical issues in research. Emphasis is on critical evaluation of research. Students develop the skills to design an experiment, statistically analyze and interpret the results, and to present the findings in a written and oral report. Required for the psychology major. One and one-half units.

The two major contemporary theories of perception are discussed for each of the sensory/perceptual systems (e.g., vision, audition, and haptics). For both theoretical approaches, a critical examination is made of the relation of sensory processes, perceptual abilities, and action systems with the goal of explaining how we are able to perceive the world.

The structure and function of the nervous system is studied to provide an appreciation of the biological basis of behavior. The first half of the course emphasizes neuroanatomy, basic cell physiology, effects of drugs on behavior, and the autonomic nervous system. Later topics include physiological influences on sleep-wake and circadian rhythms, reproductive behavior, eating and drinking, learning and memory, emotions, and mental illness.

A survey of the ways that organisms gather information about their environment and make sense of that information in a way that is useful for guiding behavior. The course will focus on vision and audition as model sensory systems, though we will also explore other sensory systems.

An intensive evaluation of how behavior is acquired and maintained. Focuses on Pavlovian and operant conditioning in animals and human subjects. Special topics include the application of these principles to psychotherapy, drug addiction, self-control, and biological influences and constraints on learning.

A survey of theory and research pertaining to both cognitive and social development from birth to adolescence. Special topics include prenatal development, early experience, perception, learning, memory, language, emotions, achievement, moral development, gender role development, parenting, schools, and peer relationships.

Covers several major conceptions of personality such as the psychoanalytic, humanistic, cognitive, trait, and behavioral approaches. The theories of such psychologists as Freud, Maslow, Kelly, Allport, and Skinner are presented to attain a broad understanding of human personality.

An overview of the methods and research findings of social psychology. Emphasis is on the experimental analysis of topics such as person perception, interpersonal attraction, prosocial behavior, aggression, social exchange, and group behavior.

A survey of research and theories related to physical, social and cognitive development during adolescence with a particular emphasis on identity and school, family, and peer contexts. Topics include puberty and brain development, social transitions and culture, peer pressure, motivation and achievement, identity formation, extracurricular involvement, autonomy and moral development, sexuality, problem behaviors, eating disorders, and emerging adulthood. One unit.

Examines mental illness throughout the life span, with discussions of the developmental, biological, behavioral, psychosocial, cultural, and other theories that attempt to explain emotional and behavioral problems. One goal for the course is to develop an understanding of how information about mental illness and mental health is obtained, and the problems associated with the evaluation and interpretation of this information.

This course is a topical introduction to the field of cognitive neuroscience, in which we look specifically at the neural substrates of cognitive function: from how we remember and see, to how we control our own actions and thoughts and have conscious awareness. We will cover the experimental toolkit of cognitive neuroscience (ranging from reaction time tests to functional MRI), and the results of recent research into perception, attention, learning and memory, and their neurological underpinnings. Throughout the course, special attention is given to dysfunctions of cognitive functioning resulting from brain damage or psychopathologies.

Examines current perspectives on how a physical system can have intelligence and know its world. Historical, cognitive science (computer metaphor) and connectionist perspectives will be surveyed. Of interest is how we can model cognitive 'machinery' and how this machinery produces such phenomena as attention, pattern recognition, and information storage. One unit.

An overview of the psychology and neuropsychological bases of language. Language is defined through the evaluation of human and animal communication. Topics such as Chomsky's linguistic principles, speech perception, speech production, language acquisition, reading and bilingualism are included. These basic concepts of language are then applied to an understanding of different forms that language can take: spoken, written, and sign, and language disorders (e.g. aphasia, dyslexia).

This course will provide an overview of the psychological research on human choice and decision making. It will investigate sources of bias and error in decision making and consider whether the actual choices that people make in their own lives align with theories that prescribe how decisions should ideally be made. Topics will include risk and uncertainty, emotion and intuitive judgment, self-control, moral decisions, and social influences on decision making. When possible, the course will consider how existing research findings can be applied to reduce biases and improve the quality of decision making.

While much is known about the development and changes that take place from infancy through adolescence, we are only at the beginning of really understanding typical and atypical development throughout adulthood into later life. This class will examine methods of developmental research in adult populations, and a number of key issues in the field of adult development and aging including normative cognitive, biological, and emotional changes, as well as the ways these changes impact social interactions in the context of successful aging and resilience. This class will also look at some of the challenges associated with aging, including forms of dementia such as Alzheimers Disease, partner loss, and bereavement.

This course provides an introduction to major theories, methodologies, and concepts in health psychology. Students will consider what health means; appraise strengths and weaknesses of biomedical and Ayurvedic health care approaches; identify how health behaviors and stress contribute to the onset of chronic illnesses (e.g., diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease); appreciate how sociopolitical and historical contexts shape the etiology and treatment of HIV/AIDS and cancer in the U.S.; and improve the ability to locate, read, and synthesize original research.

The purpose of this class is to introduce you to many topics, representing major fields of study within psychology and law. In this course, you will learn about the diversity of interests among legal psychologists as well as innovative and important ideas, theories, and research findings. This class concentrates on the scientific study of psychology and law. The main goal is to provide students with an understanding of relevant theory, empirical findings, and research methodology. Guest speakers will enhance the course by giving students an idea of applied jobs in the field.

Animals often surprise the idle observer through startling feats of communication or ingenuity the true complexity of which only systematic investigations can reveal. This course offers an introduction into the various domains of animal behaviors and their investigation from a cognitive science perspective. Spanning a wide array of topics from the fundamentals of perception, categorization, and memorization to the more complex behaviors of inferential logic, navigation, social awareness, and language, we will explore how different animal species process our common and uncommon - spaces.

Motivation is a psychological term used to describe the broad needs, desires, and reasons for actions of living beings. In this course, we will explore the multiple ways in which human motivationspecifically, the goals, values, needs, and desires that drive and energize us on a day-to-day basiscan affect our impressions, perceptions, decisions, explanations, and behaviors. Because this field focuses on investigating everyday human thought and behavior, special attention will be paid to promoting students understanding of how motivation science can be used to understand everyday, real-world experiences. Overarching themes include how to succeed at your personal goals, how to become an expert, and how to motivate others, with the domains of education, sports, health, and relationships being highlighted.

Cultural Psychology studies how people construct meaning using a generalizable system of sign-based communication that connects individuals with societies. When a new social trend in music or fashion occurs, for instance, one can use the concepts of cultural psychology to explain how it began and what it means to different individuals. This course will focus on a broad range of everyday objectssuch as articles of clothing, technological innovations like cell phones, greeting cards, etc. These types of objects surround us. People interact with them often. The concepts of cultural psychology explain how such objects may come to hold significant meaning for an individual and social group. The course begins with a tutorial on the main concepts of cultural psychology. The bulk of the time, however, is spent applying these concepts to objects found in our own society and numerous others from around the globe. By the conclusion of the course, students will be prepared to analyze and explain how objects in their own life acquire the meanings they do.

This course examines the diverse forms of communication used by various animal species. Topics include sensory and neural mechanisms involved in signal production and perception, and the evolutionary and ecological forces that shape communication systems in their natural environment. We will explore the similarities and differences between human and nonhuman communication, and consider research designed to teach human language to non-human animals. Through an interdisciplinary approach drawing on biology, psychology, and linguistics, students will gain a richer understanding of animals cognitive and communicative abilities, as well as how humans can effectively interact with animals.

An examination in historical perspective of what are considered to be the major systems (e.g., psychoanalysis, behaviorism, existential psychology) of psychology. The course begins by using a number of philosophical questions regarding the status of psychology as a scientific discipline, moves on to a comprehensive treatment of the systems themselves, and finally, returns to initial questions to determine the extent to which they have been answered.

What can be learned of biomedical ethics from a study of the Holocaust? How did a healing profession justify its murderous actions? Were physicians and scientists pawns of a totalitarian regime, or were they active contributors to the racial Nazi ideology? Is the study of genetics susceptible to the same political forces that corrupted the field of eugenics? How did the Holocaust come to shape our current code of ethics in human experimentation? This seminar will seek answers to these and many related questions from a voluminous literature that is populated by contributions from historians, biomedical ethicists, philosophers, theologians, journalists, and artists. Far from a value-free discipline, ideological forces will be shown to be at the core of scientific inquiry. This lesson is of particular importance to aspiring scientists and health practitioners.

A brief consideration of the historical and philosophical basis of biological psychiatry is followed by a thorough overview of the major neurotransmitter systems and behavioral genetics necessary for an understanding of the biological aspects of major psychological disorders, including anxiety disorders, psychosomatic disorders, affective disorders (unipolar and bipolar depression), schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's disease. For each of these disorders, the current state of knowledge concerning modes of treatment is reviewed, with an emphasis on the relative efficacy of pharmacotherapeutic agents, including minor tranquilizers, antidepressants, and antipsychotics.

Drug addiction is the central theme of this course. Understanding drug action begins with a consideration of how drugs affect the brain. A basic working knowledge of brain chemistry is established with emphasis on information concerning the various major neurotransmitter systems that are affected by drugs of abuse. Considered next are the different addictive drugs, including alcohol, cannabis, heroin, cocaine and amphetamines, and the hallucinogens, and specific issues pertaining to the drug addict. The impact of drugs and addiction on society is the subject of the last part of the course. Issues with regard to prevention and treatment are considered. The ultimate goal of this course is to provide sound biological and psychological information from which a rational drug policy can be formed. Fulfills the Advanced Course Requirement or the Elective Course Requirement.

Open to third- and fourth-year students interested in a comprehensive study of brain and spinal cord anatomy and function. Structure is studied to provide a foundation for understanding clinical applications of nervous system injury and disease. Begins with study of gross anatomy of the sheep brain. Topics include motor and sensory systems, limbic system, cranial nerves, cerebral cortex, and blood supply to the brain.

This course examines empirical and theoretical approaches to understanding human thinking across languages and cultures.

An advanced seminar in the field of adolescent development that focuses on the epidemiology and etiology of health-related behaviors during adolescence. This course emphasizes a public health perspective and covers topics such as reproductive health, substance use, nutrition and exercise, sleep, violence, mental health, injuries, and disease. Further, students will explore health disparities, health education, and domestic and global perspectives on adolescent health.

What are the common mechanisms by which psychotherapy works? To answer this question, this seminar will examine the theoretical foundations of contemporary psychotherapies, such as psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and acceptance-based treatments. Through readings, videos, and lectures by experts in the field, we will consider how change occurs within and across the types of therapy and the best practices for studying symptom change over time. Additionally, by integrating research methodology into the course structure, we will examine how randomized controlled trials test the efficacy of psychological therapies.

An advanced seminar in the field of clinical psychology that closely examines contemporary research in the eating disorder field. Students explore topics such as the following: problems in the assessment, diagnosis, and classification of eating disorders; risk factors for developing disordered eating; comorbidities between eating pathology and other psychiatric conditions; the roles of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and culture in the etiology and maintenance of disordered eating; prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

An advanced seminar in the field of clinical psychology that closely examines the substance (ab)use field, with a particular emphasis on alcohol. Students explore topics such as the following: definitions of harmful/hazardous drinking, familial transmission of alcohol use problems; alcohol, sex, and sports on college campuses; legal debates in the substance use field; philosophies regarding, and clinical approaches to, substance abuse recovery.

This seminar focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying cognitive control and consciousness and its disturbances following brain injury or psychiatric illness. We define cognitive control as the ability to flexibly adapt behavior to current demands, by promoting task-relevant information and behaviors over temporally-extended periods and in the face of interference or competition. Consciousness we define as a subjective awareness of the world and free will. These abilities seem central to most higher cognitive functions, and contribute to the unique character of human behavior. Our goals are to define the neural mechanisms that underlie cognitive control and consciousness, to understand how these mechanisms govern behavior, and to use this knowledge to improve our understanding of the relationship between brain and behavior in psychiatric disorders and neurological damage.

Provides an examination of the role that gender plays in psychological development. Topics include depression and self-esteem, aggression, emotion control and emotion expression, and social interaction. Theoretical perspectives as well as the empirical literature on gender development will be explored to assess the nature of gender-patterned behaviors.

This seminar draws on classic and contemporary readings in psychology, sociology, anthropology, and the humanities to explore several influential perspectives on what a person is. We study perspectives that emphasize conflict, relationships, authenticity and performance. Each perspective is scrutinized in terms of its views of human nature, social life, and the methods that most faithfully advance knowledge of persons. The course also covers the implications of the neurobehavioral turn in psychology for how personhood is conceived. Fulfills the Advanced Course Requirement or the Elective Course Requirement.

Investigates the vast amount of information available from faces, such as age, gender, emotions, traits, and aesthetics. Discussion focuses on how we encode and remember faces and how we use information from faces in social interactions.

In addition to developing and testing scientific theories, many contemporary psychologists use theoretical findings to develop interventions in the hopes of addressing some of the major social challenges facing our world. This course is designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to analyze these challenges, examine and critique existing psychological interventions, and consider the ethical implications of intervention. Overarching themes include systemic disparities in education, health, and criminal justice, interpersonal prejudice and discrimination, poverty, political division, and environmental action.

Examines the psychology of choice and decision making with a focus on broad questions about the extent to which human behavior can be considered rational. Examples of questions that will be addressed include: What is the source of people's sense of happiness and subjective well-being? How do people understand risk and uncertainty? How do emotions influence decision making? Do people have stable, well-defined preferences that can be accurately known? To what extent do considerations such as fairness, social norms, and the need for control influence people¿s decisions? The course will also explore the social context of decision making in relation to topics such as altruism and cooperation.

Do language and culture affect how people perceive their physical and social world? This seminar will examine a variety of topics relevant to this question. Specific topics will include cross-linguistic differences in areas ranging from color categorization to person perception; the universal and culture-specific effects of status on interpersonal communication; gender differences in communication style; cultural differences in the understanding of the self and their effect on basic psychological processes; and expert-novice differences in perception, categorization, and communication.

This is a seminar course that provides students with the opportunity to more deeply understand the phenomenological experience of stigmatization and to critically evaluate the empirical psychological literature examining the causes and consequences of stigmatization.

Covers risk and resiliency from early childhood through adulthood and focuses on defining resilience; sources of risk and protection within families, schools, and communities; and prevention programs. Special topics will include strengths-based models of resiliency, child maltreatment and health, problem-solving and creativity, resiliency across cultures, mentoring, and school- and community-based prevention and intervention. Fulfills the Advanced Course Requirement or the Elective Course Requirement.

Animal minds easily complete some tasks as a matter of course -- the same tasks that have taken us decades to get computers to do poorly, like recognize faces and navigating streets. This course considers animals' capacity for intelligent behavior in the domains of communication, sociality, recognition, categorization, navigation, timing, perception, and learning. Using original research articles studying a broad array of species and some summary text, we'll discuss these concepts from perspectives of evolution, biology, and computation.

This advanced seminar explores the short- and long-term effects of psychosocial stress on the nervous system, and the role of stressful experience in adaptation and survival. Questions will include: How does activation of physiological stress responses affect the structure and function of the brain? In what ways might these effects be adaptive or deleterious? How do these effects relate to risk of neurological and psychiatric disorders? Through reading and discussion of scholarly literature in neuroscience, students will encounter current approaches to understanding the brain as a mediator of stress response and explore mechanisms of stress-induced neuroplasticity.

This course will examine psychological aspects of economic behavior. Examples of questions that will be addressed include: Do people make choices in way that could be considered rational? How do people respond to scarcity and uncertainty? What conditions are important for producing happiness and well-being? To what extent do people accurately know their own preferences and make choices that are in their own best interest? Does thinking about exchanges in terms of money and markets influence whether people will be fair, ethical, and cooperative? When possible, we will discuss applications for public policy, market events such as panics and bubbles, and individual financial decision making. The course will primarily cover psychological research on human choice and decision making but also will include some research on other species and from other academic disciplines.

Why do some individuals who experience significant trauma emerge as stronger and more resilient, while others develop chronic psychopathology? What individual, familial, or societal factors help explain such different trajectories? This seminar will examine these questions by exploring pathways by which psychopathology develops in children, adolescents and young adults. More specifically, students will learn about the well-known risk (e.g., abuse, loss, peer victimization) and resilience factors (e.g., community involvement, parental acceptance) that influence the development of mental illness, as well as contemporary approaches (and challenges) for preventing the onset of psychological conditions. Each week, students will learn about these concepts by reading peer-reviewed journal articles, watching award-winning films, and leading class discussions. The semester culminates with a final project, in which students apply a developmental psychopathology framework to a character in a major motion picture. Please note that, due to the scope of this course, many of the films portray upsetting content (e.g., child maltreatment).

The goal of this course is to explore the experiences and practices of mindfulness. Weekly topics will allow us to examine the process, content and health benefits of such contemplative activities. The topics will include the psychological and neurophysiological bases of mindfulness, how it is practiced in specific activities such as eastern meditation and western spiritual exercises as well as how it appears in everyday life. One Unit.

How do children and adults make sense of the world around them? In this course we will examine how humans acquire knowledge and explain real-world phenomena. Students will gain experience in various stages of the research process and have the opportunity to pursue their own interest in the form of a research project.

How do humans think and learn? The goal of this course is to examine the theoretical and empirical approaches to understanding human thinking across languages, cultures, and educational contexts. Students will gain experience in various stages of the research process and have the opportunity to pursue their own interest in the form of a research project.

The course surveys the nature and practice of Community Psychology, including principles of community organization and change as seen in such areas as education, mental health, the workplace, healthcare, justice system, corrections and social services. This course entails a CBL Placement where you will be volunteering with a local community partner for approximately 2 hours per week over the course of the semester. This placement is intended to both deepen your learning in this course and provide service to one of our Worcester partners.

This course explores various developmental processes and cultural practices such as rites of passages, marriage, parenting, and issues of social and gender inequality from a wide variety of cultures across the globe. How do different cultures view various developmental milestones? How do individuals within cultures view, construct, and resist normative practices? What behaviors and understandings are similar across cultures and which are different? Ultimately, what exactly is culture and how can it operate as a supportive or oppressive force on human development and autonomous functioning?The focus of this course will be on: 1) major theories of human development; 2) Analyze ones own social identities, cultural values and privilege 3) Demonstrate understanding of the historical and contemporary contexts of power, inequity and oppression. 4) Articulate how social identities and cultural values intersect to influence different worldviews and experiences in a global society 5) Explore answers to critical social questions from multiple perspectives (including a wide range of both western and non-western societies) and a variety of primary resources. 6) Improvement in academic writing skills; 7) applications of developmental theory and research across a wide variety of cultures and 8) major developmental processes at different ages and within various domains (e.g., cognitive, language, and social).

Illusions are fascinating and fun. They also reveal fundamental principles of perception. In this seminar, we will explore perception through the study of illusion and related phenomena. Through readings, discussion, and a semester-long project, students will develop a habit of questioning their own perception, explore what their experience says about how we learn about the world around us, and consider the implications our perceptual systems in our everyday life. Students will critically evaluate primary research that utilizes a wide range of behavioral, electrophysiological, neuroimaging, computational, and statistical methods. To foster a collaborative learning environment, students will contribute to the selection of weekly readings.

In 1890, William James famously characterized infancy as a period of great blooming, buzzing confusion. In the century that followed, however, psychological research has yielded numerous scientific techniques that have allowed for the examination of the emergence and development of infants many capabilities, and how these early skills lay the foundation for later outcomes. This seminar will focus on basic research on infancy, including both human and non-human infants, with a strong focus on the scientific methods used to examine development from the prenatal period to 2 years of age. We will discuss both historical and modern perspectives on infancy, and cross-cultural differences in various areas of infant development; particular emphasis will be given to current events or issues (e.g., racial inequalities in access to prenatal and perinatal care), and their implications for infants and their long-term development.

Students in this course will both learn about and be involved in conducting psychological research on academic motivation in K-12 settings. The course has three components: seminar, lab, and Community-Based Learning (CBL). In the seminar component, students will learn about and discuss psychological research on academic motivation and psychological interventions designed to improve academic motivation and performance. In the lab component, students will assist in the design of materials for use in academic motivation research, while learning about the unique ethical and practical considerations associated with conducting research in real-world academic settings. In the CBL component, students will visit a K-12 school in Worcester to assist with observation, focus groups, and data collection for a research project investigating academic motivation in the classroom.

This seminar explores the ability to attribute mental states, such as beliefs, desires, intentions, and emotions, to oneself and others (Theory of Mind). This cognitive ability allows for understanding and predicting behavior, making inferences about others' thoughts and feelings, and effectively engaging in social interactions. This course goes beyond the foundational development of mental state attribution acquired in childhood, and investigates the differences across cultures, psychological disorders, neurodivergences, and nonhuman animals.

The first of the two themes of this course studies how Virtual Reality (VR) technology can be used to study cognitive and psychological phenomena. It will review topics such as how VR-based experimental setups can provide enhanced ecological validity and better design control. It will evaluate applications of VR for training, therapy, and research. The second theme, broadly related to the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Usability Engineering, examines how VR can be optimized for human use and covers topics such as optimizing presence and reducing motion sickness for VR use. Students will learn about the designs of virtual environments and objects, human cognitive systems, and their interaction. Students will collaborate on group projects to empirically test the hypotheses of their VR-based research ideas. This will involve working with videogame development platforms (e.g., Unity3D, Unreal Engine) to create and modify virtual environments and characters and to use these and other platforms (e.g., PsychoPy) to present stimuli and collect behavioral data. Familiarity with computer programming (e.g., C#) will be beneficial but is not required.

A reading program conducted under the supervision of a faculty member, generally focusing on an area of psychology not covered in-depth in course offerings. Fulfills the Elective Course Requirement.

Students may undertake an independent research project under the direction of a particular faculty member. Fulfills the Elective Course Requirement.