An exploration of the concept of abnormality, including classification systems, etiology, and treatment. A survey of tests of intelligence, aptitude, achievement, interest, reading, personality, attitude, and adjustment. Topics include the history, rationale, construction, use, scoring, and interpretation of psychological and educational tests. Validity and reliability, scale development, attitude scales, and questionnaires are examined. A study of the methodology of psychological research, from the initial conception of a hypothesis to the publication of the results of systematic investigation.
Special attention is given to the problems of experimenter bias and ethics.
Supervised laboratory exercises are conducted. A continuation of PSY 309. An examination of the basic principles of behavior management with children. Topics include how to communicate with a child, authority versus respect, how to reward good behavior, and strategies for dealing with undesirable behavior, with the emphasis on time-out procedures. A systematic study of the neurophysiological bases of behavior with emphasis on the role of the central nervous and endocrine systems.