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Psychology | PSY

students at IU South BendPsychology | PSY

P Prerequisite | C Co-requisite | R Recommended
I Fall Semester | II Spring Semester | S Summer Session/s


  • PSY-B 190 Human Behavior and Social Institutions (3 cr.) PSY-B 190 does not count towards the psychology major or minor, nor does it substitute for PSY-P 103 General Psychology as a prerequisite for any other psychology courses. Develops insights into human nature, the nature of social institutions, the social processes that have shaped the world of the 21st century. In an interdisciplinary way, introduces the distinctive perspectives of the social sciences, emphasizing frameworks and techniques used in explaining causes and patterns of individual and institutional behavior. I, II, S
  • PSY-B 399 Human Behavior and Social Institutions (3 cr.) PSY-B 399 does not count towards the psychology major or minor, nor does it substitute for PSY-P 103 General Psychology as a prerequisite for any other psychology courses. Develops insights into human nature, the nature of social institutions, the social processes that have shaped the world of the twenty-first century.  In an interdisciplinary way, introduces the distinctive perspectives of the social sciences, emphasizing frameworks and techniques used in explaining causes and patterns of individual and institutional behavior. I, II
  • PSY-P 103 General Psychology (3 cr.) Introduction to psychology: its methods, data, and theoretical interpretations in areas of learning, sensory psychology, psychophysiology, individual differences, personality, development, abnormal, and social psychology. May not be taken by students who have previously taken PSY-P 101. I, II, S
  • PSY-P 106 General Psychology-Honors (4 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. May not be taken by students who have had PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 101/PSY-P 102. Intensive introduction to psychology. Lectures and demonstrations, laboratory exercises, and student projects. I
  • PSY-P 190 Applying Psychology (3 cr.) Current theory and applications of psychology covering personality, social, learning, cognition, and clinical topics, applications of psychology to real world problems and issues. Specific topics vary across semesters.
  • PSY-P 205 Understanding Research in Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. A combination of experimental research methods and statistics for non-majors. This course offers instruction in critical thinking, different research designs, execution of simple experiments, interpretations of statistical outcomes, and understanding research reports. I, II
  • PSY-P 211 Methods of Experimental Psychology (3 cr.) P: COAS-Q 110, ENG-W 131, and PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Design and execution of simple experiments, treatment of results, search of the literature and preparation of experimental reports. I, II, S
  • PSY-P 216 Life Span Developmental Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Credit not given for both PSY-P 216 and PSY-P 316. A survey course which integrates the basic concepts of physical, cognitive and psychosocial development from the prenatal period to death. Theories, research and critical issues in developmental psychology arising throughout the life span are explored with consideration of practical implications. I, II
  • PSY-P 220 Drugs and Behavior (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. This course provides an introduction to drug use and misuse. The use of psychoactive drugs is considered from a biopsychosocial perspective. The effects of drugs on the nervous system and the behavioral adaptations that support drug use are reviewed. The therapeutic uses of drugs to treat mental illness and programs of drug education/prevention are considered. The problem of drug addiction is examined from biological, psychological and sociolegal perspectives and substance abuse treatment programs are evaluated. I, II
  • PSY-P 233 Industrial Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103, PSY-P 106, or consent of instructor. Application of psychological principles and research techniques to industrial and personnel problems, including selection, training efficiency, safety, and design of equipment. I
  • PSY-P 241 Functional Analysis of Behavior 1 (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Recent developments in the study of superstitious behavior, intermittent reinforcement, chaining, stimulus control, sensory processes and punishment. II
  • PSY-P 303 Health Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Focuses on the role of psychological factors in health and illness. Through readings, lecture, and discussion, students will become better consumers of research on behavior-health interactions and develop a broad base of knowledge concerning how behaviors and other psychological factors can impact health both positively and negatively.
  • PSY-P 316 Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Credit not given for both PSY-P 216 and PSY-P 316. Development of behavior in infancy, childhood, and youth; factors that influence behavior. I, II
  • PSY-P 319 The Psychology of Personality (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Methods and results of scientific study of personality. Basic concepts of personality traits and their measurements; developmental influences; problems of integration. I, II
  • PSY-P 320 Social Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Principles of scientific psychology applied to the individual in social situations. Credit given for only one of PSY-P 304 or PSY-P 320. I, II
  • PSY-P 321 Group Dynamics (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Recommended: PSY-P 320. Theories, principles, applications and research in the field of group dynamics; training in group experience as a participant.
  • PSY-P 324 Abnormal Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. A first course in abnormal psychology with emphasis on forms of abnormal behavior, etiology, development, interpretation, and final manifestations. I, II, S
  • PSY-P 325 The Psychology of Learning (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Facts and principles of animal and human learning, especially as treated in theories attempting to provide frameworks for understanding what learning is and how it takes place. I
  • PSY-P 326 Behavioral Neuroscience (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. An examination of the cellular bases of behavior, emphasizing contemporary views and approaches to the study of the nervous system. Neural structure, function, and organization are considered in relation to sensory and motor function, motivation, learning, and other basic behaviors.  II
  • PSY-P 327 The Psychology of Motivation (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. How needs, desires, and incentives influence behavior; research on motivational processes in human and animal behavior, including ways in which motives change and develop.
  • PSY-P 329 Sensation and Perception (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Basic data, theories, psychophysics, illusions, and other topics fundamental to understanding sensory and perceptual processes.
  • PSY-P 331 Psychology of Aging (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. A course that focuses on the psychological aspects of aging, including psychological theories of development, learning, memory, cognition, personality, sensation, perception, intelligence, psychopathology and its treatment. I
  • PSY-P 333 Social Psychology of Music (3 cr.) P: Twelve credit hours of psychology and music; with at least one course in each area, or permission of instructor. Credit not given for PSY-P 333 and MUS-L 418 or MUS-E 490. Introduction to evaluation of musical events from the perspective of social psychology, including aspects of perception, cognition, development, emotions, preferences, and culture.
  • PSY-P 335 Cognitive Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. Introduction to human cognitive processes, including attention and perception, memory, psycholinguistics, problem solving, and thinking. II
  • PSY-P 336 Psychological Tests and Individual Differences (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. R: PSY-P 354. Principles of psychological testing. Representative tests and their uses for evaluation and prediction. Emphasis on concepts of reliability, validity, standardization, norms, and item analysis.
  • PSY-P 354 Statistical Analysis in Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106; any quantitative reasoning course; any computer literacy course. Recommended: PSY-P 211. Introduction to statistics, including measures of central tendency and dispersion, elementary probability, and concepts of statistical inference, decision making, and hypothesis testing. Other topics covered include regression and correlation, analysis of variance and nonparametric methods. I, II, S
  • PSY-P 365 Psychology of Religion (3 cr.) P: Six credit hours in either psychology or religious studies, or consent of instructor. Provides exposure to theoretical bases (e.g. behavioral, humanistic, phenomenological) and empirical research programs (e.g. biology, conversion, coping, health, human development, mental disorder, mysticism) developed by psychologists in an attempt to elucidate the role of religion in the human psychological experience.
  • PSY-P 390 Special Topics in Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106, consent of instructor. Study and analysis of selected psychological issues and problems. Topics vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit if topic differs.
  • PSY-P 391 Psychology of Gender and Ethnicity (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 103 or PSY-P 106. The class explores the impact of social and political forces on psychological development. While the central focus of the course is on minority women, the course includes studies of either gender and all ethnicities. It examines how economic factors complicate development. Contemporary theories of race, gender, and class are examined. I
  • PSY-P 403 Non-Experimental Research Methods in Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 211.

    PSY-P 403 provides an overview of the various non-experimental methods used in psychology.  Topics include 1) basic survey methodology including survey construction and sampling issues; 2) interviewing techniques; 3) basic correlational research including the basics of structural equation modeling; 4) secondary/archival data analysis; 5) observational data and sociometric techniques; 6) applied research techniques such as needs and program assessment; 7) participant observations; 80 case studies. I, II

  • PSY-P 420 Advanced Laboratory in Community Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 211, PSY-P 354, PSY-P 403, PSY-P 434. The course will be restricted to psychology majors. An advanced laboratory class in community psychology that will focus on students engaging in system analysis, program development and evaluation, utilization review, service delivery and similar projects while working at a community agency. A series of tasks designed as capstone experiences for each training module in the course will be required and evaluated by the instructor; additional evaluation will be provided by the on-site supervisor and students will perform a self-evaluation. The course will be restricted to psychology majors.
  • PSY-P 421 Laboratory in Social Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 211, PSY-P 320, PSY-P 354, PSY-P 403. Research methodology in the study of social behavior.
  • PSY-P 423 Human Neuropsychology (3 cr.) P: Nine credit hours in psychology. A critical examination of neurological functioning with respect to human and other animal behavior. Assesses the behavioral functions of neural structures and systems through understanding the behavioral consequences of brain damage and through basic experimental study.
  • PSY-P 425 Behavior Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 324. A survey of major behavior disorders, with emphasis on empirical research and clinical description relative to etiology, assessment, prognosis, and treatment.
  • PSY-P 429 Laboratory in Developmental Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 211; PSY-P 216 or PSY-P 316, or PSY-P 331, PSY-P 354, PSY-P 403. Research methods in developmental psychology and their application to selected problems in the development of humans and of nonhuman species.
  • PSY-P 430 Behavior Modification (3 cr.) P: Junior standing and 9 credit hours of psychology, including PSY-P 324 and PSY-P 325. Principles, techniques, and applications of behavior modification, including reinforcement, aversive conditioning, observational learning, desensitization, self-control, and modification of cognitions. II
  • PSY-P 434 Community Psychology (3 cr.) P: Six credit hours of psychology. An ecological orientation to the problems of mental health, social adaptation, and community change.
  • PSY-P 435 Laboratory: Human Learning and Cognition (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 211, PSY-P 325 or PSY-P 335 or PSY-P 438, PSY-P 354, and PSY-P 403. Meets liberal arts and sciences junior/senior-level writing requirement. Experimental studies of human learning and cognitive processes.
  • PSY-P 438 Language and Cognition (3 cr.) P: Six credit hours of psychology. Methods research, and theory in psycholinguistics. Examination of speech perception, speech production, psychological studies of syntax and semantics, language development, cognitive basis of linguistic theory, neurology of languages, and language comprehension and thought.
  • PSY-P 443 Cognitive Development (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 216 or PSY-P 316. Human cognitive development. Topics may include language, problem solving, conceptual growth, perception, and cultural influences.
  • PSY-P 445 Preventive Psychology (3 cr.) P: Six credit hours of psychology or consent of instructor. The Psychology of Prevention surveys the late and slowly developing field of the prevention of human psychopathology. This course examines why prevention has been so slow to develop, preventive methods which now exist, goals for prevention, and social psychological, or political issues which facilitate or retard the development of prevention or a cultural philosophy and practice.
  • PSY-P 459 History and Systems of Psychology (3 cr.) P: Twelve credit hours of psychology. Historical background and critical evaluation of major theoretical systems of modern, psychology; structuralism, associationism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, and psychoanalysis. Methodological problems of theory construction and system making. Emphasizes integration of recent trends. I, II
  • PSY-P 460 The Psychology of Women (3 cr.) P: Twelve credit hours psychology, or 3 credit hours psychology, and 3 in women’s and gender studies. Focus is on a wide range of psychological issues of importance to women (e.g., gender stereotypes, women and work, the victimization of women, etc). II
  • PSY-P 471 Laboratory in Developmental and Social Psychology (3 cr.) P:  PSY-P 211, PSY-P 354, PSY-P 403, and one of PSY-P 216, PSY-P 316, PSY-P 320, or PSY-P 331. Meets liberal arts and sciences junior/senior-level writing requirement. Principal research methods in the study of developmental and social psychology.
  • PSY-P 481 Laboratory in Clinical Psychology (3 cr.) P: PSY-P 101 and PSY-P 102, PSY-P 103, PSY-P 106, PSY-P 211, PSY-P 324, PSY-P 354, PSY-P 403. Meets liberal arts and sciences junior/senior-level writing requirement. Principal research methods in clinical psychology and applied research for understanding development and treatment process for mental illness. Meets liberal arts and sciences junior/senior-level writing requirement.
  • PSY-P 495 Readings and Research in Psychology (1-3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor.

    VT: Professional Practice Program Internship.
    Participation in a practicum in an applied area. The applied areas focus on problems in the community, such as problems of the mentally retarded, children, aged, family relations, industrial relations, and mental health. Students must register through the professional practice program as well as have approval of the psychology instructor.

    VT: Supervised Research.
    Active participation in research. An independent experiment of modest size; participation in ongoing research in a single laboratory.

    Without special consent of the departmental chairperson, a student may enroll in only one PSY-P 495 independent study section during a given semester.
  • PSY-P 499 Honors Thesis Research (1-12 cr.) P: Approval of departmental Honors Committee. May be substituted for advanced laboratory requirement in the program for major (with approval of departmental chairperson).
  • PSY-T 190 Literary and Intellectual Traditions (3 cr.) Explores, in an interdisciplinary way, one of the great humanistic traditions of inquiry regarding one of the following themes: ideas of self, truth, beauty, community, nature, or conflict. Writing intensive, discussion-focused. PSY-T 190 does not count towards the PSYCH major or minor; nor does it substitute for PSY-P 103 as a [P] for any other PSYCH courses.

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