Topics which are examined in this course include attitudes, person perception, social cognition, liking and friendship, altruism, aggression, conformity, social exchange, and the behavior of individuals in groups. Fall and Spring semesters. Developmental psychology is the study of the changes that occur with age as a function of biological, social and psychological influences. This course will cover the period of development from conception through adolescence and focuses on the development of perception, intelligence, attachment, identity formation, and moral development. Fall and Spring semesters.
Personality psychology focuses on the study of the individual.
This course reviews research and theory in personality psychology, develops a language for conceptualizing who a person is and what patterns and qualities each person brings to a situation, and assists the student in constructing a model for predicting personality development, functioning, and growth. Dream analysis and the use of symbolic language for communication are explored. Fall and Spring semesters. The course will introduce the student to the biological underpinnings of human behavior. After basic training in the fundamentals of brain anatomy and physiology, the role of the brain and basic biological processes in topics such as sensation and perception, food intake, reproductive behavior, learning, emotion, mechanisms of drug effects, and mental disorders will be examined.