Registrar's Office
and Student Services

The subject matter and methods of psychology with emphasis on the neurological, comparative, cognitive and social foundations of behaviour.

Basic research methods and descriptive and inferential statistics used in psychology.

Prerequisite: A previous course (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology or Neuroscience.

Substantially Similar: Sociology 2130.

Introduction to social, physical, and cognitive development from infancy to late childhood, and the major theoretical perspectives underlying research in each domain.

Prerequisite: A previous course (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology or Neuroscience.

Equivalent: Psychology 3110 (prior to 2004/2005).

Thinking, remembering, talking, problem solving, seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting as cognitive and perceptual processes.

Prerequisite: A previous course (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology or Neuroscience.

The concepts developed in the fields of comparative psychology, ethology, behavioural ecology, and evolutionary biology are presented and related to our understanding of the evolution of psychological mechanisms.

Prerequisite: A previous course (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology or Neuroscience or Biology 1020.

Issues pertaining to social behaviour, including topics such as the life ways of our early ancestors, mating strategies, family, friendships, cooperation, and aggression.

Prerequisite: A previous course (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology or Neuroscience.

Prerequisite: A previous course (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology. Additional prerequisites and recommended backgrounds will be specified for individual offerings.

Current theories of adult development and aging; the effects of aging on sensation and perception, learning, personality and social adjustment.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030 and 2110.

Building on Psychology 2110, this course will provide in-depth analyses of current theories and research on selected topics in the development of the human child.

Prerequisites: Psychology 2110 and one other 2000-level course (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology or Neuroscience.

Contemporary research, theory and controversy in the area of basic cognitive processes.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030 and 2320.

Offerings will focus on processes involved in thinking and perceiving. Specific offerings may include examination of the processes involved in memory, language, consciousness and vision.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2320.

This course will explore how individuals make sense of themselves and the people around them. We will study classic and contemporary social cognition research to examine how people process information about their social world.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030 and 2800.

The study of sensation and perception is the evaluation of human reception and computation of incoming information about ourselves and the environment. This course will cover the five senses-sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. It will also cover the changes in these senses over the lifespan, aspects of individual differences and sensory malfunction, the interaction between perception and cognition, and common characteristics of processing by all the systems.

Prerequisites: Psychology 2320 and Neuroscience 2600.

Equivalent: Psychology 3325 (Sensation and Perception) (prior to 2004/2005); Psychology 4325 (Sensation and Perception) (prior to

2004/2005).

Advanced discussion of research design and data analysis with emphasis on sophisticated research designs, high-level statistical computer packages and current controversies in the area.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030.

Traditional application of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques of behavioural analyses with an emphasis on hands-on analysis of data. Topics include: univariate and multivariate testing, correlation and prediction and frequency analysis.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030.

Approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of various forms of mental illness.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: An additional 2000-level course (3.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

This course will explore how hormones, external environmental signals and the nervous system interact to produce complex behaviour.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2700.

This course will explore the interaction between the cellular and molecular effects of psychotropic drugs on brain function, and the resulting effects on behaviour.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Neuroscience 2600.

An exploration of some of the myths, controversies and realities surrounding mental health and illness in the 21st Century. Specific topics will include critiques of the modern psychiatric establishment and the biological model of mental illness, gender issues, the 'psychiatric survivor' movement, first nations' issues, self-help groups, children's issues, senior's issues, the role of modern pharmaceutical companies in the mental health system, and the lived experience of mental health and illness.

Prerequisite: Any one 2000-level course (3.0 credit hours) in either Psychology, Neuroscience or Health Sciences, or third-year standing (a minimum of 60.0 credit hours).

Equivalent: Health Sciences 3850 (Topics in Contemporary Mental Health Issues) (prior to 2002/2003).

Topics include methods of experimental control, between and within subject designs and analyses, small-n designs and ethical concerns in the use of animals for research. Emphasis on the performance of laboratory and field studies, reading and writing of research reports and data interpretation. Participation in all-day field trips on three weekends is required.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030 and 2700.

Basic principles underlying behavioural changes resulting from experience in all animals, including humans.Topics include: classical and operant conditioning, biological constraints on learning and artificial intelligence.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Neuroscience 2600.

Selected topics in the theory and practice of comparative psychology will be discussed.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2700.

Offerings will focus on the interaction of the person and the environment. Specific offerings may include the psychology of attitudes, social comparison, health psychology and the psychology of the self.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2800.

A critical examination of Western Culture's binary construction of sex and gender through such topics as the medical/clinical management of intersexuality, cross-dressing, trans-sexuality and transgenderism. The existence of 'third' sexes and genders in non-Western cultures will also be discussed.

Prerequisite: Any two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Equivalent: Psychology 3850 (Sex and Gender) (prior to 2003/2004).

Prequisites and recommended backgrounds will be specified for individual offerings.

Advanced seminar in cognition and perception. Offerings will focus on processes involved in thinking and perceiving. Specific offerings may include examination of the processes involved in memory, language, consciousness and vision.

Prerequisite: Any two 3000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030 and a 3000-level course (3.0 credit hours) in Cognition or Perception (Psychology 3320, 3325, 3330).

This course will critically evaluate alternative hypotheses for language evolution. The emphasis will be on the biological foundations of language and relevant social and psychological abilities.

Prerequisites: One of Neuroscience 3705 or Linguistics 2300, and one other 3000-level course (3.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2700, and one of Psychology 2320 or Neuroscience 2600.

Offerings will focus on issues and concepts involved in psychological abnormality through evaluation of specific disorder categories.

Prerequisites: Psychology 3500 and any 3000-level course (3.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Seminar discussion of contentious work in animal behaviour. Individual research projects of participants will also be presented and discussed.

Prerequisite: Any two 3000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 3700.

Advanced seminars in social psychology. Offerings will focus on the interaction of the person and the environment. Specific offerings may include the psychology of attitudes, social comparison, health psychology and the psychology of the self.

Prerequisite: Any two 3000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) offered by the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 2030 and a 3000-level course (3.0 credit hours) in Social Psychology (Psychology 3330 or 3835).

This is a challenging, work-intensive, research-oriented course in which students will conduct empirical research, report orally on the work, and submit a report in the form an undergraduate thesis which will be made publicly available.

Prerequisites: Fourth-year standing (a minimum of 90.0 credit hours) with a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher.

A minimum GPA of 3.50 in the last 20 courses (60.0 credit hours).

Completion of an Independent Study or an Applied Study (3.0 credit hours) in Psychology.

Application to the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Recommended background: Psychology 3400.

Note: Contact hours will vary. Students should be aware that this course involves regular contact with the Thesis Supervisor as well as considerable independent work.

See Part 7 - Arts and Science, Sections 5.c. (p. 90), 6.c. (p. 92), and 7.c. (p. 93).