Introduction to the scientific study of human behavior.
Presents information and the critical thinking/decision making methods and activities necessary for the exploration of careers in Psychology. Students learn life planning, career planning, and educational planning methods. The course requires students to develop their own plans and design an educational program.
Issues involved in adjusting to the problems of life and maintaining a psychologically healthy lifestyle.
The systematic analysis of interpersonal relationships is used to teach the skills and attitudes necessary for relationship development, maintenance, and repair. The acquisition of effective relationship skills and the communications styles that support them throughout various types of developmental stages and situations in modern life, will be emphasized.
The purpose of this course is to build upon Introductory Psychology so that students may better understand the discipline as both a science and a profession. The course covers a range of topics, including research, statistics, ethics, career options, graduate school options and preparation, critical to all fields of psychology and provides the skills necessary for students to succeed in upper-division courses and career preparation. This course is designed for students who are interested in or beginning to pursue psychology as an academic major or minor. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
The philosophical, theoretical, and empirical issues of psychology of gender. Issues include gender differences, stereotypes, androgyny, sexuality, health issues, achievement motivation, gender stereotypes, global women's issues, sexual orientation, issues for women with disabilities, and violence. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Biological basis of human & animal behavior, with emphasis upon sensory and nervous system processes underlying motivation, learning, perception, emotion, & abnormal behavior. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Supervised participation in faculty research projects in various areas of psychology. Repeatable for a maximum of 4 hours. Written report required at end of semester; oral report assigned at discretion of faculty supervisor. Prerequisite: PSY 1010 and permission of the instructor.
Independent readings or secondary research on advanced special topics under the direction of a faculty mentor. For each hour of credit in a readings project the student is required to read an appropriate number of primary research journal articles and book chapters. Repeatable for a maximum of 4 credit hours. A paper written in APA style and oral report are required at the end of the term. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010 and faculty mentor permission.
Open to all students who meet the following requirements. Provides academic credit for on-the-job learning experience. Learning experiences will be specified in a learning contract. Grade and amount of credit will be determined by the department. Limited to two credit hours per semester and four credit hours counted toward the psychology major and minor from the following courses: PSY 2890, 4890, 4380 and 4390. Federal regulations restrict all Cooperative Work Experience to no more than six semester hours. Must be employed in a position that uses psychological training. By prior permission of instructor only. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010. May be repeated for up to four semester hours.
Consult the semester class schedule for the current offering under this number. The specific title and credit authorized will appear on the student transcript. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Principles and theories of physiological, psychological, emotional, cognitive, personality and social child development and parent-child relations and developmental problems.
An overview of abnormal human behavior, its etiology, symptoms and treatment as seen by current psychological paradigms.
An overview of the etiology, diagnosis, developmental course, treatment, and prevention of disorders first evident in childhood and adolescence. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
This course examines the psychological issues associated with human diversity including culture, disabling conditions, gender, class, ethnicity, and others. It addresses the psychological principles underlying these issues and offers effective ways of dealing with these issues.
Principles and theories of physiological, psychological, emotional, cognitive, personality and social adolescent development and parent-adolescent relations and developmental problems.
Principles of behavioral conditioning and higher-order learning in humans and animals. Emphasizes the role of heredity, environment, and experiences in the acquisition and modification of behavior. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Theories, content areas, research methods, measurement and practical applications in the psychology of motivation and emotion. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Principles and procedures of behavior intervention, modification, and management based upon scientifically validated behavior learning theory. Practical applications for diverse populations and age groups in a variety of settings and environments (e.g., home, school, work) will be covered. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010 or equivalent.
A survey of the major theories of personality. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
An empirically based survey of the effects of social influence on the basic psychological processes of individuals. Included are the individual in culture and society, the development of attitudes, and the impact of the group. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Principles of cognition and thinking including attention, memory, concept learning, decision making, and problem solving. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
The study of the nature, origins, evolution, and functions of brain, mind and consciousness as these pertain to sensation, perception, learning, memory, cognition, motivation, emotion, behavior, and social relationships from a contemporary neuro-cognitive science perspective. Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology (PSY SS1010), Biopsychology (PSY 2730) and instructor consent required; recommend some background in Introductory Philosophy, Perception, and/or Cognition.
Principles of effective small group behavior. Awareness of group forces and pressures and development of insights into personal relationships in groups. Theoretical and experiential approaches to Group Counseling. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Techniques of data collection and analysis for application to experimental research in Psychology. Prerequisite: MATH 1010 or equivalent.
Scientific methods of behavioral research. Emphasis upon design, conducting, and analysis of experiments on human and animal behavior as well as proposal writing and critiques of experimental literature. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010 and PSY 3600 or equivalent with prior approval from the Department Chair.
Basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology at a molecular level with emphasis on cell membranes, receptors, neurotransmitters, drug and hormonal actions. Analysis of motor and regulatory systems, cognitive processes of learning, memory and language. An emphasis on neural structures and functions relating to normal and abnormal behavior. Prerequisites: PSY 2730 or ZOOL 2100 or equivalent; or permission of instructor.
Sensory and perceptual processes whereby living organisms acquire information about the world through the sensory structures, and then select, organize and interpret that information. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
This course provides an in depth analysis of drugs on behavior. Topics include how drugs affect the brain, and consequently behavior, the underlying brain and environmental factors thought to be responsible for drug addiction, tolerance, and sensitivity, pharmacological treatment of major psychological disorders, the classification of common psychoactive drugs, and mechanisms of action of commonly abused drugs.
A senior level review of modern concepts in all the major areas of psychology. Designed to help a student prepare for the advanced part of the GRE in psychology. Strongly recommended for those who plan to teach psychology. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Examines origins and evolutionary development of early hominid and contemporary human behavior, e.g., competition and cooperation, mating, reproductive and care-giving strategies, and kinship behaviors. Includes ethological, sociobiological, and social psychological perspectives. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Early philosophical origins and contributions to psychology; critical contrasts of systems and schools on major issues. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
A didactic introduction to the major theories of counseling and therapy plus an introduction to the research findings associated with effectiveness of therapy and principles of behavioral change. Required prerequisite: PSY SS1010 and PSY 3010.
Provides skills and techniques for counselors, ministers, social workers, and other professionals who serve a helping function. Three hours of lecture and two hours of lab/week. Recommended prerequisite: PSY 4310 or equivalent and permission of the instructor.
Placement of students in state and community agencies for the purpose of providing supervised practice in application of psychological skills and knowledge. A maximum of four credit hours counted toward the psychology major and minor from the following courses: PSY 2890, 4890, 4380 and 4390. Prerequisites: 18 credit hours of psychology courses, one of which must be PSY SS1010. Other courses will be at the discretion of the supervising instructor. Also, permission of the instructor is required.
The psychological aspects of the work setting including selection, training, motivation, attitudes, and the effects of the organization. Recommended prerequisite: PSY SS1010.
Survey of methods, techniques, and instruments for measuring individual differences in behavior, a critical analysis of representative tests, values and limitations of test, methods of test selection, lab experience with tests. Prerequisites: PSY SS1010, PSY SI3600 and PSY 3010.
Supervised participation in projects and/or primary research with a faculty mentor in various areas of psychology. Limited to advanced students upon consent of psychology mentor and department chair. A paper written in APA style and an oral report are required at the end of the semester. Repeatable for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010, PSY SI3600 (Statistics), and PSY SI3610 (Research Methods) or equivalent, and faculty mentor permission.
Independent readings or secondary research on advanced special topics under the direction of a faculty mentor. For each hour of credit in a readings project the student is required to read an appropriate number of primary research journal articles and book chapters. Repeatable for a maximum of 6 credit hours. A paper written in APA style and oral report are required at the end of the term. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010, PSY SI3600 (Statistics), PSY SI3610 (Research Methods) or equivalent, and faculty mentor permission. PSY SI3610 may be taken concurrently with PSY 4830.
Open to all students. Provides academic credit for on-the-job learning experience. Learning experiences will be specified in a learning contract. Grade and amount of credit will be determined by the department. Limited to two credit hours per semester and four credit hours counted toward the psychology major and minor from the following courses: PSY 2890, 4890, 4380 and 4390. Federal regulations restrict all Cooperative Work Experience to no more than six semester hours. Must be employed in a position that uses psychological training. By prior permission of instructor only. Prerequisite: PSY SS1010. May be repeated for up to 4 semester hours.
An in-depth exploration of selected topics and issues in the discipline, designed as an upper division course. Repeatable for a maximum of 6 hours.
A research project to be written by a senior student under the supervision of a faculty member. Successful completion of the research project will fulfill the capstone requirement of the major (as an alternative to PSY 4000 or 4090) and the senior project requirement for honors. The student must apply for acceptance into the course (applications available from the chair), and the research proposal and the final project must be approved by a faculty committee. It is expected that the course will be taken once for the writing and defense of a proposal and repeated for the writing and defense of the final project.
Consult the semester class schedule for the current offering under this number. The specific title and credit authorized will appear on the student transcript.
Readings and active discussions of selected psychological topics. Repeatable for up to a total of 2 hours.
Weber State University 2008-2009 Catalog