Emory Department of Psychology | Undergraduate Program

Please Note: The information given in the Course Atlas is subject to change.

For final schedule information, please refer to OPUS or the professor of the course.

Spring 2010 Course Offerings

Spring 2009 Course Offerings

Summer 2009 Course Offerings

PSYC 110: Introduction to Psychology I: Psychobiology and Cognition

Content: This is one-half of a two-semester introduction to the field of contemporary psychology. The course has to do with the organization and operation of the nervous system as it pertains to behavior and its cognitive underpinnings. Topics receiving special attention include the development of sexual identity, sensation and perception, learning and memory, love, fear, and other emotions. The course fulfills one-half of the introductory course requirement for psychology majors.

Particulars: Two mid-term examinations and an optional comprehensive final exam. All students enrolled in the course are required to participate in psychology department human subject research studies. Students have the option of substituting a writing project for this participation, details to be arranged with Professor Edwards.

PSYC 110: Introduction to Psychology I: Psychobiology and Cognition

Content: This is the first half of a two-semester sequence introducing the field of contemporary psychology. The nervous system in the machinery underlying all thought and behavior. We will examine the operation of the nervous system from several perspectives including evolution, cognition, and the properties of individual neurons and sensory receptors. Much of the course will focus on the behavior of nonhuman species because many of the principles derived from the study of other species apply broadly to other species, including humans.

Particulars: Areas of focus will include learning and memory, sensation and perception, neurological disorders, and the biological bases of sleep, drug addiction, language, and emotion. Successful students will develop a more detailed understanding of the behavior of the humans and other animals around them.

PSYC 111: Introduction to Psychology II: Social, Developmental, Personality and Abnormal Psychology

Content: This second semester of introductory psychology will cover in broad brushstrokes the major areas of research design, social psychology, social and emotional development, personality measurement and theory, psychopathology, and therapeutic interventions. Emphasis will be on the empirical foundations of psychological knowledge, and on fostering students' scientific thinking about behavior. Texts: There will be one primary textbook and supplemental readings. Particulars: Exams will include a mixture of multiple choice and short essay questions. Participation in research projects or equivalent is required.

PSYC 190S: Freshman Seminar: Psychology From a Novel Perspective: What Can Fictional Works Tell Us About Non-Fictional Human Behavior?

Content: This seminar will begin with a basic grounding in three areas of psychology: 1) psychoanalytic, behavioral, and interactional approaches to personality; 2) family dynamics; and 3) psychological and social development from childhood to old age. Using this information about real people, five current works of fiction will be read and analyzed. Emphasis will be on the manner in which psychological knowledge can be applied not only to the characters and plots in the novels, but to their writers as well. Further focus will be on the ways in which knowledge gained from fictional characters can be applied to the understanding of real-life people and situations. Students will be required to prepare three term papers and to participate actively in class discussions.

PSYC 190S: Freshman Seminar: Social Influence

Content: Everyday, we are bombarded by efforts from other people to change our attitudes or behavior; vote for this candidate, buy this product, follow these rules. Sometimes, the pressure to change is subtle and indirect and sometimes, it is blatant and direct. Why are these attempts to change our attitudes and behavior so often successful? This seminar will begin with a consideration of the three main types of social influence: compliance, conformity and obedience. We will then examine their role in shaping our attitudes and behavior as we go about the business of daily life. We will be looking at these questions primarily from the perspective of social psychological research, but will also incorporate material from books, movies and other types of popular media.

Particulars: Students will be required to write three short papers and to participate actively in class discussions. Freshmen only.

PSYC 190S: Words and the World: How Words Capture Human Experience (Same as LING 190S)

Content: Language has frequently been viewed as a window into the human mind. But now that we know more about the semantics of different languages, we are faced with an interesting problem. Different languages seem to be telling us different stories about the nature of the mind. Important distinctions made in one language are not necessarily made in another. The question, then, is what are we to make of these cross-linguistic differences? How do they arise? Are they created by purely linguistic processes operating over the course of language evolution? Do they represent differences in thought? In this sea of differences, are there any semantic universals? If so, are these universals based on innate categories, or are they acquired? What might the cross-linguistic similarities and differences contribute to our understanding of conceptual and linguistic development? Which categories might be given to us by our genetic inheritance, which by culture, and which by our language?

These questions have long been of interest to psychologists, linguists, and anthropologists. But only recently has the integration of knowledge and methodologies necessary for real progress on these questions taken place. In particular, experimental approaches have only recently been applied to the cross-linguistic study of word meaning. The course will review the literature covering these exciting new findings.

Particulars: There are no prerequisites.

PSYC 200WR: Experimental Methods (Lecture)

Content: Introduction to research design and scientific thought in psychology, including observational, survey, and experimental approaches. Lectures and laboratory exercises provide students with a basis for (a) understanding and evaluating published research; (b) planning, executing, and reporting the results of research studies, and (c) communicating research findings clearly and concisely with APA style.

Texts: Two textbooks are required: McBurney & White (current edition) Szuchman (current edition). We will also be using the radio frequency personal response system (clickers) manufactured by GTCO. Students who do not already own a clicker will need to purchase one. Physics, Biology, and Chemistry all use the same clicker; if you have one, save it.

Particulars: The class lectures meet on Tuesday and Thursdays. Students should sign up for a 75-minute lab on Monday or Wednesday. Course requirements include three small research projects, written evaluations of published research, and interactive classroom activities.

PSYC 205: Child Development

Content: The ways individuals interact with the world and with each other change dramatically from birth to adolescence. The first goal of Child Development is to trace changes during infancy, the preschool years, middle childhood, and adolescence in the domains of cognition, language, social behavior, and self concept. The second goal of the course is to examine the factors that influence the course of development, including heredity and the social, cultural, family, and physical environment.

Particulars: Three exams, each covering approximately 1/3 of the course, and a short paper.

PSYC 210: Abnormal Psychology

Content: Coverage of all major adult psychological disorders in terms of their etiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Particular emphasis will be placed on: (1) exposing students to the major theoretical and conceptual models of abnormal behavior, and (2) providing students with the skills to become more critical consumers of the burgeoning literature on psychopathology.

PSYC 211: Childhood Psychopathology

Content: The format of the course is lecture and discussion, and focuses on abnormal behaviors occurring in children from infancy through adolescence. Topics will include the assessment classification, and treatment of abnormal behavior, as well as the clinical description of the psychiatric syndromes. Theory and research on the causes of childhood disorders will be emphasized as well as the relation between normal and abnormal development.

PSYC 230: Applied Statistics for Psychology (Lecture)

Content: This course provides an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics commonly used in psychological research. Descriptive statistics include measures of central tendency, variability, and correlation. The logic of statistical inference is addressed and students learn to calculate and interpret a range of univariate statistics. Examples are taken largely from psychological research. This course emphasizes the application of statistics to specific research problems. Students will learn to select appropriate statistics, perform calculations, and interpret the results of statistical tests.

Texts:Two texts are required: Hurlburt, R.A., Comprehending Behavioral Statistics (Current edition) and Kirkpatrick and Feeney, A Simple Guide to SPSS for Windows (Current edition). We will also be using the radio frequency personal response system (clickers) manufactured by GTCO. Students who do not already own a clicker will need to purchase one. Physics, Biology, and Chemistry all use the same clicker; if you have one, save it.

Particulars: The class lectures will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Students should enroll in a one-hour lab that meets on Thursday or Friday.

PSYC 231: Psychological Tests and Measurements

Content: The course reviews the psychometric and legal standards for the construction and use of psychological and educational tests. The course includes coverage of the quantitative methods of measuring reliability, validity and differential prediction

PSYC 240: Psychology and Law

Content: The course reviews the professional practice of psychology and the legal regulations governing the practice as well as topic related to legal capacity of criminal defendants and involuntary civil commitment. Topics include confidentiality, privilege, child abuse, fiduciary duty, insanity and competency to stand trial.

Particulars: Two mid-term exams and final exam each count one-third of course grade. Exams are in short-answer question format.

PSYC 302: Learning and Memory (Same as NBB 370)

Content: This course covers the basic structure and organization of human memory. Major topic include: amnesia, methods for improving memory, age-related memory disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, emotional memory, the debate over recovered memory for traumatic events, encoding, storage, and retrieval from short-and-long-term memory, declarative and nondeclarative memory, forgetting, applications of memory research, and the neural basis of memory

PSYC 313: Neuropsychology

Content: The neuropsychology of developmental handicaps: Description of psychological consequences of nervous system handicaps, including epilepsy, blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, and more complex disabilities like learning disability, psychosis, and mental retardation. Major emphasis will be given to understanding the information procession capabilities and limitations associated with these handicaps and their implications for personality development, education and social adjustment. Students are expected to keep up with reading assignments and come to class prepared to ask questions and discuss materials.

Particulars: It is recommended that this course be taken after at least three other courses in Psychology. Examination format will depend on size of enrollment.

PSYC 315: Psychology of Family Relationships

Content: The application of psychological methods to the study of families from a developmental perspective. This course has the following goals for students:
1. To gain a comprehensive understanding of selected topics within the psychology of family relationships.
2. To gain experience in critically evaluating the research on psychology of the family.
3. To develop skills in critically thinking about topics within psychology of the family.

Particulars: Four tests, mostly multiple choice. active participation in class discussions in encouraged. it is recommended, but not required, that students have taken both Intro to Psychology courses and Child Development, prior to this course.

Textbook: One textbook is required, the current edition of Olson and deFrain's Marriages and Families. Additional readings will be made available through ereserves.

PSYC 320: Animal Behavior (Same as BIO 320)

Content: This course provides an overview of major research areas in the field of animal behavior. The behavior of animals will be analyzed from an evolutionary and comparative perspective. Specific topics include orientation and migration, genetic and environmental influences on behavior, aggression, courtship and mating strategies, parental behavior, foraging, predator-prey relationships, and social organization.

Particulars: Two one hour exams and a final. The three exams are weighted so that your best score represents 40% of the course grade, the lowest score 25%, and the middle score 35%.

PSYC 323: Drugs and Behavior

Content: This course is a survey of the neurobehavioral effects of the various classes of psychoactive drugs, e.g., stimulants, tranquilizers, hallucinogens, etc. Although human experience is taken as the starting point of each drug effect covered, most of the experimental data presented are concerned with attempts to understand behavioral drug effects using nonhuman animal models. A fundamental idea is that by understanding the brain mechanisms through which psychoactive drugs exert their effects, we can understand the brain mechanisms of pain, perception, anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, etc.

PSYC 330: Personality Theories

Content:This is a survey course covering psychological theory, history, and research in the area of personality. Topics such as controversies in the field of personality assessment, cognitive and biological influences on personality, genetics and personality and gender differences in personality will be covered

PSYC 385R: Human Sexuality

Content: This special topics course on Human Sexuality is designed to introduce students to the historical, biological, developmental, psychological, social, cultural and political dimensions of human sexuality. Through a variety of approaches, the course will empower students with the knowledge, skills and comfort needed to more effectively communicate about sexual issues and human relationships for a lifetime.

Particulars: Preference given to junior and senior psychology majors. Completion of an introductory course in psychology is required (AP credit, 110, 111 or 100).

Specifics: For questions regarding this course, please contact Dr. Terry Parker at psychology385@aol.com .

PSYC 410S: Science and Pseudoscience of Psychology

Content: This seminar will focus on the objective investigation of extraordinary claims in the popular media and everyday life. Topics will include, although will not be limited to, extrasensory perception, astrology, out-of-body experiences, flying saucer reports, subliminal persuasion, hypnosis, polygraph (“lie detector”) testing, recovered memories of early trauma, multiple personality disorder, the Rorschach Inkblot Test, graphology (handwriting analysis), and fringe psychotherapies. Particular emphasis will be placed on (a) both the strengths and limitations of human reasoning processes and (b) acquiring thinking tools to avoid being fooled by misleading claims in daily life. Students will be expected to contribute to, and participate actively, in class discussions and presentations.

Texts: Shermer, M. (2002). Why people believe weird things: Pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time (2 nd edition). New York: Owl. Hines, T. (2003). Pseudoscience and the Paranormal (2nd edition). Amherst, New York: Prometheus. Wynn, C.M., & Wiggins, A.W. (2001). Quantum leaps in the wrong direction: Where real science ends and pseudoscience begins. Washington, D.C.: John Henry Press. Kida, T. (2006). Don't believe everything you think. Amherst, New York: Prometheus.

Particulars: Several writing assignments, one co-led class presentation, active participation in class discussions.

Specifics: Please contact Dr. Scott Lilienfeld (slilien@emory.edu) for permission.

PSYC 474S: Spatial Development

Content: This course concerns the development of spatial perception and cognition. Topics include the representation of distance and direction cues, navigational computation, symbolic representations of space such as maps, sex differences in spatial reasoning, the relation between space and number, and spatial language. Although there is an emphasis on origins and early changes associated with these abilities, some discussion will also be devoted to the spatial skills of adults and nonhuman animals. The research presented will span a range of theoretical perspectives, and will represent different methodological approaches, including behavioral and neuropsychological techniques.

Particulars: Evaluation will be based on written assignments and a final paper. Readings will be placed on reserve.

Fall 2009 Courses

Spring 2010 Course Offerings

Spring 2009 Course Offerings

Summer 2009 Course Offerings

PSYC 110: Introduction to Psychology I: Psychobiology and Cognition

PSYC 110: Introduction to Psychology I: Psychobiology and Cognition

PSYC 111: Introduction to Psychology II: Social, Developmental, Personality and Abnormal Psychology

PSYC 190S: Freshman Seminar: Psychology From a Novel Perspective: What Can Fictional Works Tell Us About Non-Fictional Human Behavior?

PSYC 190S: Freshman Seminar: Social Influence

PSYC 190S: Words and the World: How Words Capture Human Experience (Same as LING 190S)

PSYC 200WR: Experimental Methods (Lecture)

PSYC 205: Child Development

PSYC 210: Abnormal Psychology

PSYC 211: Childhood Psychopathology

PSYC 230: Applied Statistics for Psychology (Lecture)

PSYC 231: Psychological Tests and Measurements

PSYC 240: Psychology and Law

PSYC 302: Learning and Memory (Same as NBB 370)

PSYC 313: Neuropsychology

PSYC 315: Psychology of Family Relationships

PSYC 320: Animal Behavior (Same as BIO 320)

PSYC 323: Drugs and Behavior

PSYC 330: Personality Theories

PSYC 385R: Human Sexuality

PSYC 410S: Science and Pseudoscience of Psychology

PSYC 474S: Spatial Development

PSYC 495A: Honors Program

PSYC 498R: Directed Reading

PSYC 499R: Directed Research