Effective: 2022-03-31

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

PSY 200 explores the history, major theories, perspectives, and methods of the field of psychology and apply them to human individuals and groups. This course introduces general topics of psychology that will be foundational for advanced courses in psychology.

Course Objectives

• Science of Psychology: Perspectives in Psychological Sicence
• Define psychology as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
• Identify and explain the primary objectives of psychology (e.g. describing, understanding, predicting, and controlling behavior and mental processes).
• Describe how psychology emerged and evolved as a scientific discipline.
• Identify overarching themes, persistent questions, or enduring conflicts in psychology, such as the interaction of heredity and environment.
• Identify and describe the major contemporary perspectives of psychology (e.g. psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, biological, and cognitive).
• Science of Psychology: Research Methods
• Describe the scientific method and its role in psychology.
• Explain the strengths, limitations, and conclusions that can be drawn from various research designs and data collection methods (including case study, observation, survey, correlational, and experiment).
• Describe systematic procedures used to improve the credibility of research findings (e.g. blind or double-blind designs, control or placebo groups, peer-review, replication).
• Explain the ethical obligations of researchers toward their research participants, both human and animal.
• Science of Psychology: Critical Thinking
• Discern differences between personal views and scientific evidence in understanding
• Apply psychological concepts, theories, and research findings as these relate to everyday life
• Science of Psychology: Sociocultural Diversity
• Discuss social and cultural diversity.
• Discuss psychological research examining diversity among individuals
• Biological: Biological Bases of Behavior
• Identify the major divisions and subdivisions of the human nervous system.
• Identify the parts of the neuron and describe the basic process of neural transmission.
• Differentiate between the structures and functions of the various parts of the central nervous system.
• Discuss the mechanisms of, and the importance of, plasticity of the nervous system.
• Identify tools used to study the nervous system.
• Biological: Consciousness
• Identify states of consciousness.
• Distinguish between processing which is conscious (i.e. explicit) and other processing which happens without conscious awareness (i.e. implicit).
• Describe characteristics of sleep and theories that explain why we sleep and dream.
• Characterize the major categories of psychoactive drugs and their effects.
• Biological: Sensation and Perception
• Describe processes of sensation and perception and how they interact.
• Explain the concepts of threshold and adaptation.
• Describe the capabilities and limitations of sensory processes.
• Explain the interaction of the person and the environment in determining perception.
• Cognitive: Memory
• Describe the differences between working memory and long-term memory.
• Discuss types of memory and memory disorders.
• Identify factors and strategies influencing how memories are encoded, stored, retrieved, or forgotten.
• Explain how memories can be malleable.
• Cognitive: Thinking (Option 1 of 2)
• Explain psychological processes of thought, reasoning, problem solving, and decision-making.
• Cognitive: Intelligence (Option 2 of 2)
• Discuss different perspectives on intelligence (e.g. general intelligence, multiple intelligences).
• Discuss the history of intelligence testing, including historical use and misuse in the context of fairness.
• Developmental: Learning
• Describe the principles of classical conditioning (e.g. acquisition, extinction, generalization, discrimination).
• Describe the principles of operant conditioning (e.g. reinforcement, punishment, shaping, reinforcement schedules, extinction).
• Describe cognitive approaches to learning (e.g. observational learning, social learning).
• Describe applications of learning theories in real life (e.g. phobias, animal training, habit change).
• Developmental: Developmental Psychology
• Discuss theories of cognitive, moral, and social development.
• Describe the role of sensitive and critical periods in development.
• Identify the major physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes across the lifespan, including influences on prenatal development.
• Explain the interaction of environmental and biological factors in development.
• Developmental: Language Development (Optional Content)
• Describe the structure and function of language.
• Discuss the relationship between language and thought.
• Describe theories and development stages of language acquisition.
• Explain the relationship between language and the brain.
• Social & Personality: Social Psychology
• Identify relationships between thought processes (e.g. attributions, attitudes, bias, and perception) and social behavior.
• Discuss obedience, conformity, and compliance in relation to behavior and their impact on the power of the situation.
• Describe how group dynamics influence behavior.
• Discuss the nature and effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.
• Discuss influences upon pro-social (e.g. altruism) and anti-social (e.g. aggression and conflict) behaviors.
• Social & Personality: Personality
• Compare and contrast the major theoretical approaches to personality (e.g. psychodynamic, trait, humanistic, and social-cognitive theories).
• Identify techniques of personality assessment.
• Discuss biological and situational influences on personality.
• Discuss stability and change of personality.
• Explain how culture and gender influence personality.
• Social & Personality: Emotion (Optional Content)
• Describe the biological and cognitive components of emotion.
• Differentiate among theories of emotional experience.
• Social & Personality: Motivation (Optional Content)
• Describe major theories and perspectives of motivation.
• Mental & Physical Health: Psychological Disorders
• Define psychologically abnormal behavior.
• Describe major models of abnormality.
• Describe the classification of psychological disorders.
• Describe symptoms and causes of major categories of psychological disorders (including schizophrenic, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders).
• Mental & Physical Health: Treatment of Psychological Disorders
• Explain different perspectives on treatment of psychological disorders.
• Identify biomedical and psychological treatments.
• Evaluate the efficacy of treatments for particular disorders.
• Mental & Physical Health: Health (Optional Content)
• Define stress as a psychophysiological reaction.
• Identify and explain potential sources of stress.
• Identify and explain physiological, cognitive, and behavioral strategies to deal with stress.
• Identify behaviors and attitudes that promote health.

Major Topics to be Included

• Science of Psychology
• Biological
• Cognitive
• Developmental
• Social & Personality
• Mental & Physical Health

Effective: 2021-08-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

Statistics for Behavioral Sciences is an applied statistics class focused on analysis and interpretation of data for behavioral science research. This course will prepare students to choose appropriate statistical tests, carry out analyses, interpret results, and write APA-style results summaries. SPSS is currently the preferred statistical software and is required for transfer to some 4-year institutions.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: PSY 200 and Corequisite: MTH 245 or equivalent

Course Objectives

• Scientific Literacy
• Explain how to utilize statistical analysis to help make informed decisions in the behavioral sciences
• Evaluate benefits and implications associated with using hypothesis testing to draw conclusions about behavioral science questions
• Quantitative Literacy
• Use statistical software to conduct statistical analyses appropriate to behavioral science research
• Interpret results and output from statistical analysis
• Conduct and summarize descriptive statistical analyses
• Differentiate between descriptive and inferential statistics and their appropriate uses
• Compute descriptive statistics appropriate for behavioral science research (e.g., measures of central tendency, measures of variability)
• Accurately interpret statistical findings and results
• Produce appropriate graphic representations of data
• Use appropriate statistical tests to conduct inferential statistical analyses
• Identify appropriate statistical tests for specific research questions
• Explain hypothesis testing as the foundation of scientific inquiry, and discuss limitations of hypothesis testing
• Compute inferential statistics appropriate for behavioral science research (e.g., z-test, t-test, ANOVA, correlation, regression)
• Conduct statistical analyses appropriate for behavioral research (descriptive and inferential statistics)
• Use statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R) to conduct statistical analyses
• Interpret results of statistical analyses
• Accurately interpret statistical findings and results
• Write accurate summaries of statistical analyses following APA guidelines
• Differentiate between statistical and practical significance
• Accurately report and explain p-values, confidence intervals, and effect sizes
• Discuss limitations of behavioral research (e.g., assumptions, correlation v. causation, replication issues)
• Describe how individual and sociocultural factors can influence conclusions drawn from scientific research

Major Topics to be Included

• Conduct and summarize descriptive statistical analyses
• Use appropriate statistical tests to conduct inferential statistical analyses
• Interpret results of statistical analyses

Effective: 2021-08-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

Research Methodology for Behavioral Sciences focuses on elements of research design critical for producing and evaluating research. This course will focus on how to design rigorous, ethical research studies. It addresses the importance of scientific methodology and covers various research designs and their use for investigating behavioral science research questions. It requires students to explain and discuss various facets of reliability and validity for both existing research studies and prospective research studies. This writing-intensive class also requires students to become active participants in the research process, producing an APA-style research manuscript for a prospective or pilot research study. Upon successfully completing this course, students should have the skills necessary for rigorous analysis of research as well as the fundamental skills necessary for conducting research.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: PSY 200 AND PSY 210 (currently PSY 213) or departmental approval.

Course Objectives

• Scientific Literacy
• Explain why the scientific method provides the most rigorous answers to behavioral science research questions
• Evaluate strengths and limitations in various research designs
• Identify and analyze existing research for a given behavioral science research question
• Design basic behavioral science research studies
• Quantitative Literacy
• Interpret and evaluate results and output from statistical analysis
• Written Communication
• Implement APA-style guidelines to produce clear and accurate elements of research manuscripts
• Identify and implement fundamental aspects of research design
• Describe how psychology uses scientific methodology to draw conclusions
• Explain why the scientific method is the best approach for drawing rigorous conclusions about behavioral science questions
• Identify key components of scientific research studies (e.g., independent variable, dependent variable)
• Describe various research methods and designs (e.g., surveys, observation, correlational research quasi-experimental designs, simple and complex experimental designs)
• Identify appropriate research methods and designs for specific research questions
• Evaluate advantages and limitations of various research methods and designs
• Describe ethical principles for conducting psychological research
• Evaluate reliability and validity in behavioral science research
• Explain various types of reliability (e.g., internal, interrater, test-retest)
• Discuss the importance of reliability in psychological research
• Explain various types of validity (e.g., content, construct, internal/external, convergent/divergent, face, statistical)
• Discuss the importance of validity in psychological research
• Discuss threats to research, including sources of bias and threats to reliability and validity
• Evaluate behavioral science research studies
• Evaluate existing literature and published materials for credibility, relevance, strengths, and limitations
• Explain limitations of behavioral science research (e.g., assumptions, correlation v. causation, replication issues)
• Discuss threats to research, including sources of bias and threats to reliability and validity
• Describe how individual and sociocultural factors can influence conclusions drawn from scientific research
• Design and conduct rigorous behavioral science research studies
• Conduct basic research to identify and summarize existing literature relevant to a research question
• Develop testable, falsifiable hypotheses relevant to behavioral science research
• Design appropriate studies for testing specific research questions
• Complete a simulated or formal Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval process
• Use APA style to prepare basic research manuscripts

Major Topics to be Included

• Identify and implement fundamental aspects of research design
• Evaluate reliability and validity in behavioral science research
• Evaluate behavioral science research studies
• Design and conduct rigorous behavioral science research studies

Effective: 2023-05-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

Students will acquire a broad understanding of the etiology, epidemiology, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of major psychological diagnostic categories.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisite: PSY 200 or departmental approval.

Course Objectives

• Civic Engagement
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical implications of mental health diagnoses and treatment
• Identifying personal and collective actions that could be taken to address injustices related to stigma
• Critical Thinking
• Critically examine theoretical perspectives and research questions in this field
• Critique myths and misconceptions of psychological diagnoses
• Apply critical thinking skills to the methods used to diagnose and treat individuals with mental/behavioral disorders
• Quantitative Literacy
• Interpret and apply basic statistical information in order to support conclusions about etiology, diagnostic criteria, and treatment standards
• Scientific Literacy
• Describe and differentiate research methods used in psychopathology, explaining strengths and limitations of each
• Discuss the role of evidence-based research as it applies to diagnosis and treatment of mental/behavioral disorders
• Written Communication
• Develop, convey, and exchange ideas relevant to psychopathology through writing

Major Topics to be Included

• Abnormality
• Broadly differentiate between normal and pathological mental processes
• Evaluate various definitions and models of mental/behavioral disorders
• Historical and current models and perspectives
• Describe viewpoints, figures, and milestones in the history of psychopathology
• Explain how diagnosis and treatment have changed over time
• Compare and contrast current schools of thought relevant to psychopathology
• Research methodology
• Describe different research methods used in psychopathology and identify strengths and limitations of each
• Discuss the role of evidence-based research as it applies to diagnosis and treatment of mental/behavioral disorders
• Interpret and apply basic statistical information in order to support conclusions about etiology, diagnostic criteria, and treatment standards
• Assessment and Diagnosis
• Describe assessments used to diagnose mental/behavioral disorders
• Demonstrate an understanding of the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) through
• Describing features of the DSM
• Outlining the general timeline of the DSM's development
• Discussing strengths and limitations of the DSM
• Mental/Behavioral Disorders
• Differentiate the etiology, epidemiology, and diagnostic criteria for the continuum of mental/behavioral disorders through a diverse selection from the following DSM categories:
• Anxiety
• Mood
• OCD and related
• PTSD and stress- and trama-related
• Schizophrenia and related
• Personality
• Neurodevelopment
• Eating
• Sexual and gender identity
• Dissociative
• Somatic symptom and related disorders
• Substance-related and impulse control
• Neurocognitive
• Apply knowledge of the DSM classification system to case studies in psychopathology
• Treatment
• Distinguish the different approaches to treating mental/behavioral disorders, including psychotherapy and biological therapies
• Compare and contrast the effectiveness of different evidence-based treatments
• Ethical and legal issues
• Explain and evaluate ethical issues involved in research and treatment in the field of psychopathology
• Identify legal issues related to psychopathology
• Social, cultural, and individual context
• Demonstrate an understanding of the subjective experience of individuals with mental/behavioral disorders
• Distinguish social and cultural contexts in defining psychopathology, in the presentation of symptoms, and in the treatment of disorders

Effective: 2021-05-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

PSY 216 prepares students to complete ethical research and explain other's research related to social psychological topics. This course also connects social influence processes to everyday life and explores social relations and similarities and differences among different cultures. This course can fulfill a requirement for psychology majors and other related fields.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: PSY 200 or departmental consent.

Course Objectives

• Research Methods
• Differentiate between different research methods in social psychology: experiment, survey, correlational research, and observational research
• Ethical Considerations
• Evaluate ethical issues and principles in social psychological research: informed consent, deception of research participants, consequences of deception
• Social Perception
• Explain research on social perception, including perception of the self, of other individuals, and of social groups
• Social Influence
• Describe social influence processes, conformity, obedience, and group processes, and how these processes are found in everyday life
• Social Relationships
• Identify processes involved in social relations, including attraction, altruism, conflict, and aggression
• Culture and Social Implications
• Recognize similarities and differences among different cultures regarding social psychological processes
• The Self
• Describe the self-concept, self-esteem, self-control, self-serving bias, self-presentation
• Social Cognition
• Identify examples of social cognition: priming, belief perseverance, heuristics and biases, self-fulfilling prophecy, attribution
• Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
• Define and explain the differences between stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination; including social, cognitive, and motivational aspects and consequences
• Attitudes
• Define and explain attitudes and their formation, persuasion, and attitude change, and the links between attitudes to behavior and behavior to attitudes

Major Topics to be Included

• Research Methods
• Ethical Considerations
• Social Perception
• Social Influence
• Social Relationships
• Culture and Social Implications
• The Self
• Social Cognition
• Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
• Attitudes

Effective: 2024-05-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

This course helps students gain an understanding of human behavior in different cultural contexts and to develop the knowledge and attitude to increase the student's effectiveness in a pluralistic society.

Course Objectives

• Critical Thinking
• Analyze the major cultural influences on human behavior
• Identify how culture influences thinking and mental processes
• Identify the major theoretical models of racial/ethnic identity and acculturation
• Differentiate cultural views of gender roles, gender identity, sex roles, ideas of marriage, LGBTQ+ issues, and how that impacts particular cultural practices
• Written Communication
• Explain the differences and similarities of human behavior in various cultures
• Describe the role of culture in the human developmental process
• Explain the differences between collectivistic and individualistic cultures
• Explain the role of ethnocentrism as it relates to prejudice and stereotypes
• Civic Engagement
• Apply knowledge of diverse cultures to reduce barriers in cross-cultural interactions in personal and professional experiences
• Evaluate multiple strategies for improving cultural awareness and communication techniques to reduce situations of conflict

Major Topics to be Included

• Overview of Cultural Models
• Identify major concepts in the Acculturation Model
• Identify major concepts in the Racial/Ethnic Model
• Intergroup relations and Intercultural interaction
• Culture and social behavior
• Identify how Culture impacts social behavior
• Identify how Culture impacts thinking, and intelligence
• Analyze how Culture influences the development of values
• Cultural influences on human behavior
• Analyze the major cultural influences on human behavior
• Identify how culture influences thinking and mental processes
• Cultural influences on personal growth
• Identify how Culture influences the developmental processes
• Describe how Culture impacts individual emotional,
• Analyze how Culture influences the development of gender
• Ethnocentrism, prejudice, and stereotypes
• Define ethnocentrism, prejudice, and stereotypes
• Describe the cultural impacts of ethnocentrism, prejudice, and stereotypes

Effective: 2021-08-02

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

This course presents an overview of the major personality theories, their applications, and their implications for human behavior.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisite: PSY 200 or equivalent

Course Objectives

• Critical Thinking
• Identify strengths and limitations of the major theories of personality
• Analyze and apply theories to situations and individuals
• What is personality?
• Define personality.
• Describe what personality psychologists do.
• Evaluation of personality theory - How is personality studied and assessed?
• List the basic assumptions concerning human nature as they relate to the study of personality and research in the area.
• Recognize and evaluate how research methodology is used and helps us understand personality.
• The Theories: Psychoanalytic, Neo-Psychoanalytic, More recent trends in Psychoanalytic Theory (the Ego and object relations), Behavior and Learning Theories, Trait Theories, Biological Basis of Personality, Humanistic, Existential, Cognitive and Cognitive Behavioral
• Identify the strengths and limitations of the major theories.
• Explain the basic concepts and processes of the various personality theories.
• Differentiate between the major personality theories.
• Identify and discuss and apply various personality concepts, terms and theories to different environments, situations, understanding of people and themselves.
• Apply theories and acquired insight to describe and explain personality theory in action in various situations and cases.

Major Topics to be Included

• Course Major Topics
• What is personality?
• Evaluation of personality theory - How is personality studied and assessed?
• The Theories

Effective: 2023-05-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

This course is intended to give Psychology majors and non-majors an introduction to and understanding of developmental Psychology. It is aimed at students in Psychology, Education and Nursing, as well as other students with interest in the discipline.

Course Objectives

• Critical Thinking
• Identify, analyze, and discuss the major theories of human development.
• Scientific Literacy
• Identify the goals and methods of the study of lifespan development.

Major Topics to be Included

• Research Methods
• Identify the goals and methods of the study of lifespan development.
• Theories of Human Development
• Discuss the major theories of human development.
• Prenatal Development
• Describe the stages of prenatal development and birth.
• Physical Development
• Describe the life stages of health and physical development.
• Cognitive Development
• Describe the life stages of cognitive growth and creativity.
• Self and Personality
• Identify and describe the development of self and personality.
• Gender Roles and Sexuality
• Identify and describe the process of acquiring gender roles and developing sexual identity.
• Moral Development
• Describe the life stages of social cognition and moral development.
• Attachment and Social Relationships
• Describe the life stages of developing attachment and social relationships.
• Family Relationships
• Identify the processes of family development and changes over time.
• Developmental Psychopathology
• Identify the different types of psychopathology and what makes development abnormal.
• Death and Dying
• Describe the changes that occur during death and dying.