Psychology
Psychology
courses
Psychology department home page
Director of undergraduate studies: Woo-kyoung Ahn, 319 SSS, 432-9626, psychdus@yale.edu
FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
Professors
Woo-kyoung Ahn, J. Truett Allison, Stephen Anderson, Amy Arnsten, John Bargh, Linda Bartoshuk, Sidney Blatt, Paul Bloom, Thomas Brown, Kelly Brownell, Joseph Chang, Marvin Chun, Margaret Clark, Ravi Dhar, John Dovidio, Carol Fowler (Adjunct), Louis Goldstein, Donald Green, Laurence Horn, Marcia Johnson, Alan Kazdin, Frank Keil, Marianne LaFrance, James Leckman, Lawrence Marks, Gregory McCarthy, Kathleen Merikangas, Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, David Pauls, Donald Quinlan, Peter Salovey, Fred Volkmar, Victor Vroom, Allan Wagner, Karen Wynn
Associate Professors
Larry Davidson, Karyn Frick, Elena Grigorenko, Jeannette Ickovics, Robert Kerns, Jr., Ami Klin, Linda Mayes, Laurie Santos, Brian Scholl, Mary Schwab-Stone, Kathleen Sikkema, Jane Taylor, Teresa Treat
Assistant Professors
Maria Babyonyshev, William Corbin, Jeremy Gray, Julia Kim-Cohen, Douglas Mennin, Nathan Novemsky, Maria Piñango, Valerie Purdie-Vaughns, Mark Schaefer, Glenn Schafe, Charles Yang
Lecturers
Marc Brackett, James Charney, Sandra Chung, Nancy Close, Gil Diesendruck, Nelson Donegan, Carla Horwitz, Gaja Jarosz, David Klemanski, Jelena Krivokapic, Kristi Lockhart, Burton Saxon, Barbara Shiller
The introduction to psychology is PSYC 110a or b, the general survey course. All other courses have PSYC 110a or b as a prerequisite, except the courses listed under "Survey Courses without Prerequisite" in the printed YCPS.
Courses in the department are organized so that they are best taken in several parallel sequences. Courses numbered from 120 to 190 and ending in a zero are core survey courses that introduce students to major areas of psychology and provide additional background for more advanced courses. These courses represent major content areas of psychology; students should sample broadly from them before specializing. Courses numbered from 200 to 209 focus on statistics and general methodology. Courses numbered from 210 to 299 teach data collection in various areas of psychology. Courses numbered from 300 to 399 are more advanced courses in a particular specialization. Senior seminars, whose enrollment is limited to twenty students, are numbered from 400 to 489. These seminars are best taken once a student has appropriate background. Courses numbered from 490 to 499 are special tutorial courses for which permission of the adviser and the director of undergraduate studies is required.
The standard major. The major in Psychology requires twelve term courses beyond PSYC 110a or b, not including the senior requirement. For the Class of 2010 and subsequent classes, no more than two term courses taken on a Credit/D/Fail basis may be applied toward the major.
1. Because psychology is so diverse a subject, every student is required to take at least two courses from the social science point of view in psychology (List A) and at least two from the natural science point of view (List B). At least one course from each list must be a core course numbered from 120 to 190 and ending in zero. Students are expected to take those two core courses as early as possible in the major, normally within two terms after declaring their major.
List A: PSYC 125a, 126a, 127a, 128b, 140a, 150b, 165b, 180b, 194a, 312a, 315b, 317a, 330b, 343b, 363a
List B: PSYC 120a, 130a, 137a, 147b, 170b, 176a, 230b, 270b, 301a, 318a, 320a, 327a, 329b, 331a or b, 350a, 362b
2. Because statistical techniques and the mode of reasoning they employ are fundamental in psychology, a course in statistics (PSYC 200a or equivalent) is required, preferably prior to the senior year. A student may substitute an examination arranged with the instructor of PSYC 200a for this requirement. Students may take such an examination only one time.
3. To assure some direct experience in collecting and analyzing data, students must elect at least one course, preferably prior to the senior year, in which research is planned and carried out. Courses numbered between 210 and 299 fulfill this requirement. (The same course may satisfy both this and the first requirement.)
4. To encourage a consideration of the relation between psychology and other disciplines, students may count toward the major as many as three term courses in other related departments, including college seminars. That is, only nine of the twelve courses for the major must be in the Department of Psychology. Appropriate courses are offered by the departments of Anthropology; Computer Science; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Philosophy; Political Science; and Sociology; and by the program in Cognitive Science. Some students may find courses in other departments related to their major. Students should consult with the director of undergraduate studies in Psychology about selecting outside courses to count toward the major. In all cases, courses in other departments must have substantial psychological content or clear links to topics in psychology.
5. Students are urged to take at least one seminar especially for seniors (400–489). They are also encouraged to take at least one of several tutorials (PSYC 490a, 491b, 492a, 493b) designed as independent study courses. Students interested in research are encouraged to take a tutorial as early as the sophomore year. Students may also take 700-level courses for one-half course credit per course, with prior permission of the faculty adviser, the director of undergraduate studies, and the director of graduate studies. No more than a total of three credits from the tutorials and 700-level courses combined may count toward the major.
Senior requirement. Every Psychology major is required to write a senior thesis. This senior requirement can be fulfilled either by engaging in an empirical research project, by analyzing an existing data set, or by writing a conceptual paper. In all cases, it is expected that the senior project represent a substantial body of work that includes significant original contributions. The senior thesis should be at least twenty double-spaced pages in length, and it should also conform to the specific guidelines provided by the senior thesis adviser. Completion of the project itself does not award academic credit. Students are strongly encouraged to choose an adviser or develop a concrete plan for their senior project by the end of the junior year.
There are three possible options for writing a senior thesis. First, a student may work with a senior thesis adviser without registering for any specific class. Second, a student may earn directed research or directed reading credit, taken as PSYC 490a, 491b, 492a, or 493b while completing the senior project. There is no restriction on how many of these courses may be applied to a senior project. In the case of two-term directed research or directed reading credit, a student must register in each term for PSYC 490a, 491b, 492a, or 493b, and must submit a report of activities and progress at the end of the fall term. The midyear report must represent a body of work distinct from what is submitted at the end of the spring term as the final product for the senior project. Third, a student may write a senior essay as the final paper for a senior seminar. In researching and writing the essay, the student should consult regularly with the seminar instructor, and may consult with other faculty members as well. Senior seminars are open to interested juniors, but one must be taken in the senior year to fulfill the senior requirement. Seniors, with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies and the instructor, may arrange to take other seminars to fulfill the senior essay requirement. If a student seeks directed research or directed reading credit for a project that is linked to a topic in a seminar, the work done must be equivalent to a full course above and beyond any work done in the seminar.
In all three of these options, a second reader will be appointed by the department to determine a final grade for the senior thesis in consultation with the primary adviser.
Computer Science and Psychology major. The interdepartmental major Computer Science and Psychology may be considered by students with interests lying squarely between the two disciplines. See under Computer Science and Psychology for more information.
Departmental advisers. Schedules for all majors must be discussed with, and approved by, the director of undergraduate studies or the advisers for the behavioral neuroscience and philosophy tracks in Psychology. Only then can a schedule be submitted to the residential college dean's office. For questions concerning credits for courses taken at other institutions or at Yale but outside the Department of Psychology, students should consult the director of undergraduate studies. For questions concerning special tracks, students should consult the advisers for the behavioral neuroscience and philosophy tracks in Psychology.
Psychology and early childhood teaching. It is possible to combine a major in Psychology with a program of study in the Teacher Preparation and Education Studies program to earn a Connecticut teaching certificate in early childhood education. This combination creates opportunities to join theory with practice through field experiences at early childhood centers in New Haven. See under Teacher Preparation and Education Studies for more information.
Behavioral Neuroscience Track in Psychology
Adviser: Glenn Schafe, 204 DL, 432-3461, glenn.schafe@yale.edu
Students with a major interest in neuroscience may wish to elect the behavioral neuroscience track. Such students are considered Psychology majors for whom the requirements have been modified to accommodate their interests, and to reflect the multidisciplinary nature of modern neuroscience.
Requirements for the behavioral neuroscience track are the same as for the standard major, with the following exceptions:
1. Two introductory courses are required for the major, MCDB 120a and E&EB 122a or b. Students with scores of 5 on the Advanced Placement test in Biology or 710 or higher on the SAT II subject test, or who have had an equivalent course, may be exempted from MCDB 120a and E&EB 122a or b at the discretion of the major adviser for the behavioral neuroscience track. When the exemption is granted, the student is encouraged to take two additional courses in Psychology or Biology.
2. The student must take PSYC 170b and a data-collection course, PSYC 230La, 240a, or 270b. (MCDB 320a may substitute for the PSYC 170b requirement, or MCDB 320a and 361La may substitute for the PSYC 230La, 240a, or 270b requirement, but not both. If MCDB 320a is substituted for a psychology course, it cannot also be counted as one of the four additional courses outside the department.)
3. At least six courses must be in the Psychology department, with at least two being from the Psychology List A. The List A courses do not need to be core courses with a number ending in zero.
4. At least four courses must be chosen from the following: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology courses numbered 200 and above that deal with human and/or animal biology; ANTH 299a; BENG 421b; CPSC 475a and 477a; MB&B 300a, 301b, and 443b; MATH 222a or b, 225a or b, and 230; and STAT 241a. In addition to these courses, others may be selected in consultation with the behavioral neuroscience track adviser. Students should note that many of these courses have prerequisites which must be taken first. Students are encouraged to take accompanying laboratories where they exist. Laboratories in EEB or MCDB award one-half course credit toward the major. Organic chemistry and related laboratories cannot be substituted for any courses in the major.
5. The faculty adviser for the senior project may be a faculty member in another related department, subject to approval by the director of undergraduate studies. The appropriate courses for those wishing course credit are PSYC 490a and 491b, or 492a and 493b, regardless of whether the faculty adviser is in Psychology or another department. Such independent study courses require prior permission of the faculty adviser and the major adviser for the behavioral neuroscience track. Students are encouraged to discuss their plans for the senior project with the behavioral neuroscience track adviser by the spring term of their junior year.
Students interested in behavioral neuroscience should consult the listings of the neurobiology track offered by the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology department for an alternative method of satisfying these interests. See under Biology.
Philosophy Track in Psychology
Adviser: Brian Scholl, 304 SSS, 432-4629, brian.scholl@yale.edu
Students with interests encompassing both philosophy and psychology may wish to elect the philosophy track. Students in this track are considered Psychology majors for whom the requirements have been modified to accommodate their interests in philosophy.
Requirements for the philosophy track are the same as for the standard major in Psychology except that five of the elective courses required for the major must be taken from the Philosophy department, with the remaining eight courses taken from the Psychology department. (This track thus precludes the possibility of counting any additional classes from other departments toward the major, as is possible in the standard major.) Students electing the philosophy track must still satisfy all other requirements of the major, including the requirements for introduction to psychology, statistics, research methods, List A and List B, and the senior project. Senior project advisers for students in this track may be chosen from either the Psychology or Philosophy departments. In selecting courses in philosophy, students are advised to consider the following aims: (1) to obtain a background through an introductory or historical course in philosophy; (2) to obtain breadth by taking at least one course in each major area defined in the description of the Philosophy major; (3) to include courses addressing problems especially pertinent to psychology.
Students interested in psychology and philosophy are also urged to consult the description of the psychology track offered by the Philosophy department for an alternative method of satisfying these interests.
REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR
STANDARD MAJOR
Prerequisite: PSYC 110a or b
Number of courses: 12 term courses beyond prereq
Specific course required: PSYC 200a
Distribution of courses: 2 courses from List A, 2 courses from List B as specified; 1 Psych course numbered 210–299
Substitution permitted: For PSYC 200a, exam arranged with instructor; up to 3 relevant courses in other depts, incl college sems, with DUS permission
Senior requirement: Senior project (in PSYC 490a, 491b, or in 492a, 493b, or in sem 400–489, or without enrollment in a course)
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE TRACK
Prerequisites: PSYC 110a or b
Number of courses: 12 term courses beyond prereq
Specific courses required: PSYC 170b; PSYC 200a; PSYC 230La, 240a, or 270b; MCDB 120a; E&EB 122a or b
Distribution of courses: At least 6 courses in Psych, at least 2 of which are from List A; at least 4 courses from EEB and MCDB numbered 200 or higher dealing with human or animal biology, ANTH 299a, BENG 421b, CPSC 475a, 477a, MB&B 300a, 301b, 443b, MATH 222a or b, 225a or b, 230, STAT 241a
Substitution permitted: MCDB 320a for PSYC 170b, or MCDB 320a and 361La for PSYC 230La, 240a, or 270b
Senior requirement: Senior project (in PSYC 490a, 491b, or in 492a, 493b, or in sem 400–489, or without enrollment in a course)
PHILOSOPHY TRACK
Prerequisite: PSYC 110a or b
Number of courses: 12 term courses beyond prereq
Specific course required: PSYC 200a
Distribution of courses: 7 courses in Psych, 5 courses in Phil; 2 courses from List A, 2 courses from List B as specified; 1 Psych course numbered 210–299
Substitution permitted: For PSYC 200a, exam arranged with instructor
Senior requirement: Same as for standard major, with adviser from either Phil or Psych dept
