Psychology

Courses

PSYC 508b, Intergroup Relations: The Psychology of Social Inequality  Jennifer Richeson

This course provides a survey of core concepts in social psychology through the lens of societal intergroup relations. Specifically, the perception, cognition, and motivations that give rise to the formation, maintenance, and even acknowledgment of societal inequality are examined. We also examine the effects of societal inequality on perception, cognition, motivation, and health (individual outcomes), as well as how inequality may shape close relationships and even broader sets of interactions between and within societal groups. Prerequisites: PSYC 110 or equivalent; PSYC 150.
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

PSYC 518a, Multivariate Statistics  Julian Jara-Ettinger

This is a practical course in statistics that covers classical null-hypothesis significance testing (e.g., binomial and chi-squared tests), regression analyses (multiple regressions, generalized linear models, and mixed-effects models), modern statistical methods (bootstraps and cross-validation), basics of Bayesian data analysis (hierarchical Bayesian models, Bayes factors), and basics of machine learning for data analysis (principal component analysis and classifiers). This course focuses on how to intuitively understand what different tests do, how to run them using R, and how to interpret the results. The course favors intuitions over mathematical rigor, but it’s impossible to teach statistics without some math.
T 1:20pm-3:20pm

PSYC 530a / INP 530a, Foundations of Neuroscience: Biological Bases of Human Behavior  Steve Wohn Chang

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the biological factors underlying human cognition and behavior. Particular emphasis is placed on the mechanisms associated with individual differences in healthy functions (including emotion regulation, stress sensitivity, higher cognition, reward sensitivity, impulsivity, and social functions) and their relations with psychiatric and neurological disorders. Biological factors to be covered include genetic, neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, neurochemical, hormonal, and neuropsychological influences. Several of the initial sessions are devoted to basic topics (e.g., neurons, neuronal signaling, brain systems), before we begin our discussion of the neural basis of behavior and cognition. We also cover seminal work on animal models for mechanistic insights into the neurobiology of human behavior. Graduate students with any neuroscience research interest are encouraged to take this course. Required of Psychology Ph.D. students in the neuroscience area.
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

PSYC 534a, Developmental Psychopathology  Fred Volkmar, Eli Lebowitz, and Denis Sukhodolsky

This course, designed for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students, provides an overview of developmental psychopathology during childhood and adolescence. It is team-taught by a child psychiatrist and psychologist and covers aspects of normal development, assessment methods, clinical disorders, treatment, and legal and social policy issues. We begin with a review of normative development and then a discussion of theoretical approaches to understanding developmental aspects of common mental health conditions in childhood. Relevant issues of culture and ethnicity in expression of psychopathology in childhood are also reviewed.
TTh 4pm-5:15pm

PSYC 539a, Advanced Psychopathology  Jutta Joormann

The aim of this course is to have students master information on theory and assessment for major forms of psychopathology using cognitive-behavioral approaches. The focus is on learning how behavior can be conceptualized in cognitive-behavioral terms and to review recent models and empirical findings regarding clinical disorders. Students play an active role in this process by participating in class discussions and making presentations on etiological models and empirical findings for various clinical problems.
F 9:25am-11:15am

PSYC 541b, Research Methods in Psychology  Tyrone Cannon

Research design, methodology, and evaluation considered in the context of clinical research. Emphasis on experimental and quasi-experimental designs, threats to validation, confounding, sources of artifact and bias, alternative assessment strategies, and data evaluation methods.
F 9:25am-11:15am

PSYC 553a / MGMT 753a, Behavioral Decision-Making I: Choice  Nathan Novemsky and Ravi Dhar

The seminar examines research on the psychology of decision-making, focusing on judgment. Although the normative issue of how decisions should be made is relevant, the descriptive issue of how decisions are made is the main focus of the course. Topics of discussion include judgment heuristics and biases, confidence and calibration, issues of well-being including predictions and experiences, regret and counterfactuals. The goal of the seminar is threefold: to foster a critical appreciation of existing knowledge in behavioral decision theory, to develop the students' skills in identifying and testing interesting research ideas, and to explore research opportunities for adding to that knowledge. Students generally enroll from a variety of disciplines including cognitive and social psychology, behavioral economics, finance, marketing, political science, medicine, and public health.
T 2:30pm-5:30pm

PSYC 558b / INP 558b, Computational Methods in Human Neuroscience  Nicholas Turk-Browne

This course provides training on how to use computational science for the advanced analysis of brain imaging data, primarily from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Topics include scientific programming, high-performance computing, machine learning, network/graph analysis, real-time neurofeedback, nonparametric statistics, and functional alignment. Prerequisite: some prior experience with programming, data preprocessing, and basic fMRI analysis.
T 12:30pm-3:30pm

PSYC 601b, The Science of Science Communication  Dan Kahan

The simple dissemination of valid scientific knowledge does not guarantee it will be recognized by non-experts to whom it is of consequence. The science of science communication is an emerging, multidisciplinary field that investigates the processes that enable ordinary citizens to form beliefs consistent with the best available scientific evidence, the conditions that impede the formation of such beliefs, and the strategies that can be employed to avoid or ameliorate such conditions. This course surveys, and makes a modest attempt to systematize, the growing body of work in this area. Special attention is paid to identifying the distinctive communication dynamics of the diverse contexts in which non-experts engage scientific information, including electoral politics, governmental policy making, and personal health decision making.
T 10:10am-12pm

PSYC 602a / MGMT 758a, Foundations of Behavioral Economics  Shane Frederick

The course explores foundational topics in behavioral economics and discusses the dominant prescriptive models (which propose what decision makers should do) and descriptive models (which aim to describe what decision makers actually do). The course incorporates perspectives from economics, psychology, philosophy, decision theory, and finance, and engages long-standing debates about rational choice.
W 1pm-4pm

PSYC 604b, Cognition and Emotion  Matthias Siemer

The course presents an overview of current research questions and results in the area of cognition and emotion. We explore basic research questions as well as implications of cognitive approaches toward emotions for domains such as emotional disorders and psychological resilience and well-being.
MW 9am-10:15am

PSYC 605a, Social Emotions  Margaret Clark

The nature and function of emotions in social context. How emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, and anger shape how we relate to others; how the ways in which we relate to others shape our experience and expression of these emotions. The nature and functions of additional emotions that seem to arise only within the context of social relationships: feelings of hurt, guilt, gratitude, empathic joy, and empathic sadness.
W 9:25am-11:15am

PSYC 616b, The Psychology of Group Life  Yarrow Dunham

Study of social categorization, the psychological tendency to partition individuals into groups, with attention to cognitive, developmental, social, and evolutionary approaches. The nature and development of social categorization, including its evolutionary advantages and its relation to the phenomenon of categorization more broadly. Ways in which social categorization influences prejudice and discriminatory behavior; methods for reducing such negative effects.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

PSYC 617b, Etiology and Treatment of Addiction  Arielle Baskin-Sommers

What is considered a drug? Why do some individuals use substances, but others become addicted? Are there effective treatments for addiction? Why and how does society attempt to control substance use and distribution? Exploring questions such as these is a central concern in this interdisciplinary seminar, which highlights research from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and public health perspectives. The focus is on examining social, neurobiological, and genetic explanations for addiction, evaluating addiction treatments, and discussing the social construction of substance policies. Students are asked to think critically about material and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. To foster critical thinking skills, students have ample opportunities to discuss topics in class, analyze arguments in reading assignments, and apply ideas to real-world situations through projects and presentations. Readings consist primarily of journal articles.
Th 9:25am-11:15am

PSYC 621a, Cognitive Science of Pleasure  Paul Bloom

The appeal of fiction and the imagination. We explore the mysterious appeal of narratives, fantasies, daydreams, nightmares, and other imaginary pursuits. Our approach is eclectic, drawing on fields such as literary criticism, film studies, behavioral economics, evolutionary theory, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and analytic philosophy.
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

PSYC 625b, Social Perception  Brian Scholl

When exploring the structure of the mind, we typically think of visual perception as among the earliest and most basic of our cognitive processes, while we think of social cognition as among the most advanced forms of higher-level cognition. In this seminar we explore how these two aspects of the mind connect. Specific topics include the perception of animacy, agency, and goal-directedness; biological motion; face perception (including the perception of facial attractiveness); gaze processing and social attention; thin-slicing and perceptual stereotypes; and social and cultural influences on perception.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

PSYC 628a, Neuroscience of Decision-Making  Molly Crockett

An overview and examination of the neuroscience of decision-making. Interdisciplinary course highlighting research from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, behavioral economics, finance, marketing, computer science, and public health. Topics include utility and value, reinforcement learning, risky decision-making, impulsivity and self control, social decision-making, psychopathology, and commercial applications (e.g., neuromarketing and neurofinance).
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

PSYC 637b, Minds, Brains, and Machines  Julian Jara-Ettinger

Exploration of the implications that the brain is a kind of computer that gives rise to the mind. Readings combine classical and cutting-edge research in psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence.
Th 3:30pm-5:20pm

PSYC 643b, Psychological Measurement of Individual Differences in Cognitive Functioning, Achievement, and Perso  Mary O'Brien

This course focuses on theoretical, methodological, and practical issues in psychological assessment. The processes that underlie evidence-based assessment are explored: how constructs are conceptualized and operationalized, how measures are developed and evaluated, how assessment tools are selected to answer specific questions, how findings are analyzed and synthesized, and how psychological reports are written to meet the expectations of professional and layperson audiences. Over the course of the term, students gain experience with administering, scoring, and interpreting a variety of commonly used assessment instruments (such as the WAIS-IV, WMS-IV, and MMPI-2). The importance of critical evaluation of the assessment process is emphasized throughout.
T 9am-10:50am

PSYC 647b, Social Science and Institutional Design: The Empirical Evaluation of Legal Policies and Practices  Tom Tyler

The current legal system bases many of its policies and practices upon assumptions concerning human nature. What does research tell us about how those policies and practices actually operate? What alternative social science models are available and how would institutions be different if those models were used? This class considers deterrence models and compares them to models emphasizing legitimacy, morality, and social norms. Policing, the courts, and corrections are examined and evaluated against available empirical evidence. The class also considers alternative models of institutional design and evidence of their potential or actual effectiveness.
M 2:10pm-4pm

PSYC 671a, The Cognitive Science of Mind Reading  Laurie Santos

Examination of theory of mind from a developmental, comparative, and neural perspective. Topics include whether different representational systems underlie theory of mind capacities, how infants come to represent others’ mental states, whether nonhuman animals share humanlike theory of mind capacities, and how phenomena like conformity and metacognition can be reconciled with developmental and neural findings in the domain of mind reading.
T 9:25am-11:15am

PSYC 684a or b, Introduction to Psychotherapy: Technique  Mary O'Brien

The focus of the seminar is on formulating and conceptualizing psychological problems from a cognitive-behavioral perspective. Special consideration is paid to individual and cultural diversity in conceptualizing cases and planning treatment. Also discussed are ways in which cognitive-behavioral perspectives can be integrated with other theoretical orientations (e.g., interpersonal theory, experiential therapy).
HTBA

PSYC 685b, Non-invasive Neuroscience Methods and the Infant Brain  Richard Aslin

Given the limited behavioral responses one can record from infants, there is a long history of using physiological and neural responses to make inferences about learning, memory, perceptual, cognitive, language, and social development in preverbal children. And if one wants to understand the developing brain itself, recording neural responses is a requirement. This seminar begins with a review of the major non-invasive techniques that can be used to study the infant brain: EEG, fMRI, fNIRS, and MEG. Seminal articles that use these techniques to study specific topics in human infancy are then discussed, with an emphasis on how signals gathered with these techniques should be interpreted to make inferences about underlying mental processes.
T 9:30am-11:30am

PSYC 689a, Psychopathology and Diagnostic Assessment  Mary O'Brien

Didactic practicum for first-year clinical students. Main emphasis is initial assessment. Treatment planning and evaluation of progress also covered. Students first observe and then perform initial interviews. Applicable ethics and local laws reviewed.
M 9am-10:30am

PSYC 690b, Ethics and Clinical Practice: Legislation and Diversity Issues  Mary O'Brien

Introduction to ethical and legal guidelines for clinical practice. In addition, supervision on diagnostic interview using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV is provided.
W 9am-10:30am

PSYC 702a or b, Current Work in Cognition  Staff

A weekly seminar in which students, staff, and guests report on their research in cognition and information processing.
HTBA

PSYC 704a or b, Current Work in Behavior, Genetics, and Neuroscience  Staff

Examination of the current status of research and scientific knowledge bearing on issues of behavior, genetics, and neuroscience. Weekly speakers present research, which is examined methodologically; recent significant journal articles or technical books are also reviewed.
HTBA

PSYC 708a or b, Current Work in Developmental Psychology  Staff

A luncheon meeting of the faculty and graduate students in developmental psychology for reports of current research and discussion on topics of general interest.
HTBA

PSYC 710a or b, Current Work in Social Psychology and Personality  Staff

Faculty and students in personality/social psychology meet during lunchtime to hear about and discuss the work of a local or visiting speaker.
HTBA

PSYC 720a or b, Current Work in Clinical Psychology  Staff

Basic and applied current research in clinical psychology that focuses on the cognitive, affective, social, biological, and developmental aspects of psychopathology and its treatment is presented by faculty, visiting scientists, and graduate students. This research is examined in terms of theory, methodology, and ethical and professional implications. Students cannot simultaneously enroll in PSYC 718 or 719.
HTBA

PSYC 721a or b, Research Topics in Infant Cognition  Karen Wynn

Investigation of various topics in infant cognition: early mechanisms for representing and reasoning about number; infants’ ability to represent time; early object knowledge; foundations of intentional understanding. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
HTBA

PSYC 724a or b, Research Topics in Cognition, Emotion, and Psychopathology  Jutta Joormann