Graduate Program
Description of Graduate Courses
511. Research Design and Data
Analysis 1. 3 Hr. Principles of experimental design in psychology including
group and single subject methodologies. Topics include: (1) internal and
external validity; (2) simple and complex analysis of variance; and (3) reversal
and multiple baseline designs.
512. Research Design and Data Analysis 2. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 511. Inferential
statistics, simple correlation and regression, multiple correlation and
regression, partial correlation, analysis of power, analysis of covariance,
analysis of variance of designs with unequal cell sizes.
524. Fundamentals of Gerontology. 3 Hr. An advanced multidisciplinary
examination of current research in biological, psychological, and sociological
issues of human aging and the ways in which these impinge on the individual to
create both problems and new opportunities. (Also listed as BIOL 738.)
531. Experimental Analysis of Behavior. 3 Hr. Research and theory in the
psychology of learning. Assessment of traditional and behavior-analytic
approaches to the study of positive reinforcement, aversive control, and
stimulus control. Includes laboratory work with animals.
532. Human Behavior. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 531. Review of the role of basic
human operant research in testing the generality of animal-based behavior
principles, analyzing phenomena that are specific to humans, and extending
behavior analysis to traditional psychological problems.
533. Applied Behavior Analysis. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 531. Methodological,
empirical, and conceptual issues in the application of basic research in
behavior analysis to problems of social significance.
541. Infant Development. 3 Hr. Examination of psychological literature on
prenatal and infant development. Topics include physical, cognitive, perceptual,
language, and socioemotional development.
542. Child and Adolescent Cognitive Development. 3 Hr. Examination of
psychological literature on child and adolescent cognitive development. Topics
include perception, learning, language, problem solving, and social cognition.
543. Child and Adolescent Social Development. 3 Hr. Examination of the
psychological literature on child and adolescent social/emotional development.
Topics include peer and family relationships, gender, moral development,
friendship, aggression, and altruism.
544. Adult Development and Aging. 3 Hr. Examination of psychological
literature on adulthood and aging. Topics include health, cognition, family
relationships, personality, psychopathology, work, and retirement.
545. Conceptual Issues in Developmental Psychology. 3 Hr. History,
philosophies, and theories of psychological development in the major age periods
and the life span; conceptual issues such as nature-nurture, sex differences,
cultural differences, life events, rigidity-plasticity,
continuity-discontinuity, and competence performance.
546. Methodological Issues in Developmental Psychology. 3 Hr.
Methodological issues in psychological research on the major age periods and the
life span. Topics include: validity; reliability; age, cohort, and time of
measurement; cross-sectional, longitudinal, and mixed designs; data analytic
methods; ethical issues.
601. Professional Issues in Behavior Analysis. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated
for credit.) Survey of professional issues in behavior analysis. (Grading may be
S/U.)
602. Professional Issues in Developmental Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be
repeated for credit.) Survey of professional issues in developmental psychology.
(Grading may be S/U.)
603. Professional Issues in Clinical Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated
for credit.) Survey of professional issues in clinical psychology. (Grading may
be S/U.)
604. Ethical Issues in Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated for credit
with consent.) The ethical standards for psychologists as applied to research
and clinical problems.
605. Legal Issues in Clinical Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit with consent.) Review of the major areas in which psychologists interact
with the civil and criminal legal systems.
606. Seminar on Teaching Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit.) Review and discussion of methods and issues in college teaching of
psychology.
607. Ethical & Legal Issues in Psychology. 3 Hr. Surveys the ethical
guidelines and major legal issues confronted by psychologists.
611. Single-Subject Research Methods. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 511 and PSYC 531.
Critical evaluation of single subject designs in basic and applied research.
Major topics include single- subject methodology=s historical and conceptual
bases, its relation to group-statistical methods, and its role in behavioral
psychology.
612. Multivariate Analysis. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 511. Data analysis techniques
in psychology with application to typical research problems. Includes simple
matrix algebra, discriminant analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and an
introduction to factor analysis. (Equiv. to STAT 541.)
613. Quasi-Experimental Design. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 511 and PSYC 512.
Consideration of the statistical procedures used with quasi-experimental group
and single-subject designs.
614. Program Evaluation and Intervention. 3 Hr. Examines the nature,
method, and process of evaluative research, especially as it applies to social
and behavioral treatment and service delivery programs.
630. Behavior Analysis Practicum. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 533 and consent.
Supervised applied behavior analysis experience integrated with a seminar
emphasizing group solutions to problems that individuals encounter in students=
applied projects. Progress and final project reports are presented and
evaluated. (1 hr. seminar; 2 hr. practicum.)
651. Behavior Pathology. 3 Hr. Advanced study of diagnostic
classification, functional analysis, and experimental research in
psychopathology of child, adult, and geriatric adjustment problems.
652. Introduction to Clinical Psychology. 3 Hr. Basic interviewing skills
and current problems in the practice of clinical psychology.
653. Behavioral & Psychological Assessment 1. 3 Hr. Conceptual and
methodological bases for behavioral assessment; comparison of trait-oriented
versus behavioral assessment; design and evaluation of measurement systems,
particularly self-report, ratings by others, and direct observation, within the
basic framework of generalizability theory.
654. Behavioral and Psychological Assessment 2. 4 Hr. PR: PSYC 653.
Evaluation of clinically relevant behavior and environments by means of testing
and other methods. Includes test selection, administration, and report writing.
660. Clinical Psychology Practicum. 1-15 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit.) PR: Consent. Supervised practice of psychological techniques in clinics
or institutional settings; experience in psychological testing, interviewing,
report writing, case presentation, interpretation of tests and supportive
counseling.
661. Adult Behavior Therapy. 3 Hr. Reviews the roots and development of
behavioral interventions with adult populations. Applied clinical intervention
is stressed in concert with evaluation and research application.
670. Clinical Child Psychology Practicum. 1-15 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit.) PR: Consent. Supervised field experience in various aspects of
delivering psychological services directly or indirectly to children. Experience
in assessment, treatment, program design, administration, and evaluation.
671. Child Behavior Modification. 3 Hr. Assessment, intervention, and
evaluation strategies appropriate for childhood disorders and based on behavior
principles.
698. Thesis. 2-4 Hr. PR: Consent Note: this is an optional course for
programs that believe that this level of control and supervision is needed
during the writing of their student's reports, thesis, or dissertations.
(Grading may be S/U.)
701. Advanced Professional Issues in Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated
for credit.) Discussion of professional issues in psychology relevant to
advanced doctoral students. (Grading May be S/U.)
711. Seminar in Methodology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated for credit with
consent.) Current problems and techniques in research design, data analysis, and
research methods.
721. History and Systems. 3 Hr. Study of the history of psychology from
its roots in physics, biology, and philosophy. The development of American
psychology is emphasized.
722. Biological Aspects of Behavior. 3 Hr. PR: Consent. Overviews of the
areas of psychological investigation that pertain to the relation between
biology and psychology, including neuroscience, psychobiological theories of
personality and development, neurological and neuropsychological assessment,
psychophysiology, and biologically-based treatment strategies, including basic
psychopharmacology.
723. Psychophysiology. 3 Hr. PR: 3 Hr. of physiological psychology or
consent. The current state of theory, methods, and findings concerning the
association of physiological response systems and psychological states and
processes, including biofeedback intervention.
725. Social Psychology. 3 Hr. Survey of current concepts, research, and
findings in social psychology. Includes such topics as self and identity,
attribution theory, interpersonal perception, social cognition, attitude change,
social influence, interpersonal processes, prosocial behavior, aggression, and
prejudice.
730. Advanced Behavior Analysis Practicum. 1-6 Hr. PR: PSYC 630 or
consent. Supervised applied behavior analysis experience in an approved setting.
731. Research Issues in Behavior Analysis. 3 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit with consent.) PR: Consent. Examination of research issues in general
psychology from a behavior analytic perspective. Topics vary from year to year.
732. Behavior Theory & Philosophy. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 531 or equivalent.
Critical consideration of contemporary concepts, theories, and methods of
psychology.
733. Stimulus Control and Memory. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 531 or consent. Critical
review of basic research and theory in discrimination learning, stimulus
generalization, and memory.
734. Reinforcement and Punishment. 3 Hr. PR: PSYC 531. Examination of
theories of response acquisition, maintenance, and suppression in the context of
recent experimental work with animals and humans.
735. Social Behavior. 3 Hr. Examines selected concepts, research, and
findings in social psychology from a behavioral perspective. Focuses on
understanding and explaining the social context of individual and group
behavior.
736. Advanced Experimental Analysis of Behavior. 3 Hr. (May be repeated
for credit with consent.) PR: PSYC 531. Selected topics and research issues in
the experimental analysis of behavior.
737. Advanced Applied Behavior Analysis. 3 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit with consent.) PR: PSYC 533. Application of research and theory of
behavior analysis to social problems; other selected topics.
740. Practicum in Developmental Psychology. 1-6 Hr. PR: Consent. Provides
experience in a wide range of applied settings. Sites are chosen to accommodate
exposure to the entire life-span from infancy through old age. Supervising
responsibilities are determined by the instructor-in-charge in the agency.
745. Seminar in Life-Span Development. 3 Hr. (May be repeated for credit
with consent.) Current issues in life-span development or selected periods of
the life span.
750. Clinical Internship. 1-15 Hr. Intensive training in clinical
assessment, diagnosis, consultation, and/or treatment skills that offer during
an internship placement, typically at an off-campus training site.
751. Integrative Behavioral Psychotherapy. 3 Hr. Conceptual and practical
introduction to basic tenets, concepts, and techniques of major schools of
psychotherapy. Reviews psychotherapy integration efforts by analyzing therapy
process variables and therapist activities presumably common to many effective
forms of therapy.
752. Family and Marital Therapy. 3 Hr. Examines both theoretical and
practical aspects of the assessment and treatment of family and marital
difficulties.
753. Clinical Neuropsychology. 3 Hr. Neuroanatomical foundations,
neurobehavioral disorders, neuropsychological assessments, and
psychopharmacological principles and practices relevant to clinical psychology.
754. Clinical Psychopharmacology. 3 Hr. Survey of the ways in which
psychotropic drugs are used to treat behavioral and psychological disorders.
762 A-Z. Seminar in Clinical Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit with consent.) Research and problems in clinical psychology.
772. Seminar in Clinical Child Psychology. 1-3 Hr. (May be repeated for
credit with consent.) Current issues and research related to a particular area
of clinical psychology involving children.
790. Teaching Practicum. 1-3 Hr. PR: Consent. Supervised practice in
college teaching of psychology. Note: this course is intended to insure that
graduate assistants are adequately prepared and supervised when they are given
college teaching responsibility. It will also present a mechanism for students
not on assistantships to gain teaching experience. (Grading may be S/U.)
795. Independent Study. 1-6 Hr. Faculty supervised study of topics not
available through regular course offerings.
798. Dissertation. 2-4 Hr. PR: Consent. Note: this is an optional course
for programs that believe that this level of control and supervision is needed
during the writing of their student's reports, thesis, or dissertations.
(Grading may be S/U.)