PY 491 DESCRIPTIONS FOR FALL 2017
PSYCHOLOGY OF ADULTHOOD AND AGING
PY 491-002
TR 3:30-4:45
Dr. Sheila Black
DESCRIPTION: This course will focus on adult development from an interdisciplinary perspective and will cover issues such as caregiving, age-related changes in cognitive processes, and institutionalization. Because this class is a seminar, there will be considerable class discussion of major issues related to adult development.
UNCONSCIOUS PROCESSING: KNOWING WITHOUT KNOWING
PY 491-003
TR 9:30-10:45
Allison Scrivner-Limbaugh
DESCRIPTION: This course covers a wide range of topics involving unconscious processing. Topics like subliminal priming, various methods of implicit learning, unconscious decision making, implicit bias, and the impact of a variety of complications on unconscious processes will be discussed.
COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF EPISODIC MEMORY
PY 491-004
TR 9:30-10:45
Ian McDonough
DESCRIPTION: This course will take a cognitive and neuroscience approach to explore the topic of episodic memory in the context of normal adults, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease. The first third of the class will review the theoretical background of episodic memory and an introduction to the brain. The second third will focus on the neural correlates of the three primary stages of episodic memory: encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. The last third of the class will focus on how episodic memory and its neural correlates differ in old age and with Alzheimer’s disease. Because of the advanced nature of the class, it is strongly encouraged to have previously taken Learning and cognition and Biological Bases of Psychology. This course has a writing (W) designation and writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
SLEEP SCIENCE
PY 491-006
MW 1:30-2:45
Kenneth Lichstein
DESCRIPTION: We will study normal and disordered sleep from the psychological perspective of behavioral sleep medicine. We will learn how sleep is measured, how sleep changes across the lifespan, and how sleep varies between men and women. Other topics associated with normal sleep that will be considered include circadian rhythms, dreams, and sleep effects on health. Also we will explore numerous sleep disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs, and narcolepsy.
HUMAN BRAIN IMAGING IN PSYCHOLOGY
PY 491-007
M 12:30-3:00
Dr. Andrea Glenn
DESCRIPTION: One of the most exciting advances in the study of the brain is the development of brain imaging methods that allow us to study living brains in action as an individual engages in psychological activity of interest. Hardly a week goes by without the results of brain imaging studies making the news. How do brain imaging techniques work? What does brain imaging research tell us about how the brain works, how it develops, and how it is affected by environmental experience? This course will primarily focus on these questions. The course will provide a basic overview of human brain imaging, concentrating primarily on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and will explore some of the seminal works in functional imaging related to developmental, social, and clinical psychology. The goal of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of brain imaging research, its strengths and limitations, and its contributions to the field of psychology.
PY 491-008
TR 11:00-12:15
Dr. Randy Salekin
DESCRIPTION: Child clinical psychologists with a forensic focus are often consulted by criminal courts and the juvenile justice system regarding a variety of child and adolescent evaluations and issues including (a) disposition evaluations (what to do with youth when they come into contact with the law), (b) transfer to adult criminal court evaluations, (c) competency to stand trial evaluations, (d) malingering and deception considerations, (e) custody evaluations, and (f) the ability of children to testify accurately in court. Although psychologists have offered their expertise on children to the courts for many years, reported trends of serious violent crime among youth and other problems within the family, and wider community systems, have resulted in increased use of psychological testimony by the courts. The rationale for the use of this testimony with child and adolescent populations is the notion that psychological testimony will provide pertinent information that will ultimately guide the court in its decision-making regarding the best interests of the child, the community, and society as a whole. The seminar will examine the treatment of young individuals who come into contact with the law and will delve into important topics like developmental maturity and its impact on the evaluation and treatment process.
PY 491-009
MW 1:30-2:45
Dr. Jeffrey Parker
DESCRIPTION: This seminar for advanced undergraduates considers how friendships and other forms of peer experience contribute to children’s social, emotional, and cognitive growth, and ability to cope with stress. Among the most important skills that children must acquire are those that allow them to participate effectively and responsibly in personal relationships with age mates. In this course, we also explore these skills and what social scientists understand about how these develop. We explore what it means to be well adjusted with peers and the social tasks children and adolescents face. Finally, we explore bullying in school as an important contemporary issue that has been receiving greater attention. This is a 3-credit course than can be used as credits toward the Psychology major and fulfills the Departmental senior seminar requirement and the College writing requirement.
ADVANCED TOPICS IN HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
PY 491-010
TR 2:00-3:30
Jim Hamilton
DESCRIPTION: The course will address the roles of behavior, cognition, and emotion, in development of medical diseases; the process of seeking treatment and recovery; as well as the social and psychological consequences of physical illness and injury.