The primary objective of this course will be to provide the student with a general introduction to contemporary psychological theory and research of human development. Each week two class sessions will consist primarily of lecture with some opportunity for class discussion and one class will be de voted to small group discussion of course readings. The objective of this course is to examine the way that psychology has defined persons. Major theories of personality development and their critiques are examined. Class consists of lectures, discussion and the research lab component.
Research projects introduce students to the elements of psychological research.
Prerequisite for all upper level courses is Psych 115 and sophomore standing or above unless otherwise indicated. In lab, students carry out experiments, analyze the data using the statistical software package, SPSS, and write experimental reports in the style appropriate for the American Psychological Association. In addition to lab reports, course assignments include tests, problem sets, and other short written assignments. This course studies the major learning theories in psychology and then uses a substantial amount of student research to check these theories. This advanced seminar examines the physiological mechanisms underlying a variety of psychological processes.