Topics include stress and stress management, dealing with pain and serious illness, and the role of lifestyle factors in disease. There will also be coverage of some traditional personality theories. Biopsychology is the branch of neuroscience concerned with how the brain, the peripheral nervous system, and the endocrine system control behaviour. Emphasis will be placed on the physiological mechanisms of behaviour including understanding organ, cellular and biochemical functions. Topics will include an introduction to brain anatomy, neurophysiology, behavioural endocrinology, sensory systems, motor systems, sleep physiology, physiology of learning and memory, biology of mood disorders, and neuropsychopharmacology.
Labs meet twice weekly, and focus on the experimental study of basic learning processes.
A survey of theory and research on the nature and causes of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in social situations. Topics include person perception, social cognition, attitudes, prejudice and discrimination, interpersonal attraction, personal relationships, aggression, pro-social behaviour, conformity and compliance, and behaviour in groups. The organic and functional aspects of the psychoses and psycho- neuroses. A critical examination of case histories and current research. Completion of at least three courses in psychology and permission of the Department A reading and research course intended for students with special interests and abilities.