PSYC 100
3 credits
Explorations in Psychology
Prerequisite(s): NONE
This special topics course allows students to explore specific Psychological topics at an introductory level. Specific topics will vary by semester and by instructor. Check with Psychology department for more information.
Note: Designed for non-Psychology students with an interest in Psychology. PSYC 100 cannot be used to meet the requirements for Psychology major or extended minor.
Note: This course is offered with letter designations. Students can take no more than two different versions of this course for credit.
PSYC 101
3 credits
Introduction to Psychology I
Prerequisite(s): Same as for ENGL 105; see ENGL 105 for details.
This course introduces students to the field of psychology and its research methods, and surveys the basic perspectives of psychology with respect to learning, memory, thought, child development, sensation and perception, and physiology.
PSYC 102
3 credits
Introduction to Psychology II
Prerequisite(s): Same as for ENGL 105; see ENGL 105 for details.
This course introduces students to the field of psychology. The content areas covered are behavior, motivation, emotion, evolution, life span, personality, health, and psychological disorders.
PSYC 110
3 credits
Applied Statistical Analysis in Psychology
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 101 or PSYC 102) and one of the following: Essentials of Mathematics 11, Principles of Mathematics 11, Applications of Mathematics 11, Pre-Calculus 11, Foundations of Mathematics 11, Apprenticeship and Workplace Mathematics 11, MATH 084, MATH 085, or MSAT with 15/25 (60%) or better on Part A.
Covers the basic techniques of descriptive and inferential statistics and their applications to psychological research. Methods of graphing, measures of central tendency, dispersion, and various parametric and distribution-free tests are included.
PSYC 200
3 credits
Topics and Issues in Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 101 or PSYC 102.
This course is designed for non-Psychology major students who would like to take an elective in Psychology. The topics covered in the course may vary from year to year depending on the instructor. Check with the Psychology Department for more information.
PSYC 202
4 credits
Research Methods in Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 101 and PSYC 102
Pre- or corequisite(s): One of the following: PSYC 110, STAT 104 (formerly MATH 104), or STAT 106 (formerly MATH 106).
This course will examine the following topics: ethics in research; scientific writing for APA; experimental, descriptive, quasi-experimental, and developmental research designs; an introduction to measurement in psychology; descriptive and inferential statistics; and generalization and interpretation of research results. Students will be required to design, construct, conduct, and write up one original research project on a topic in psychology.
PSYC 221
3 credits
Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 101 and PSYC 102
This course surveys several important sub-areas of cognitive psychology including pattern recognition, attention, memory, category formation, imagery, problem solving, expertise and creativity, language, and decision making. Students will be introduced to many classic issues and landmark experiments in these areas, and will explore the research literature in specific topics of their choice.
PSYC 241
3 credits
Psychological Disorders
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 101 and PSYC 102
This course surveys basic theory and research in abnormal psychology. Behavioural, cognitive, psychoanalytic, biopsychological, and humanistic perspectives are used to explore various clinical disorders including depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, sociopathy, and others. Assessment and treatment of disorders are also included.
Note: Credit cannot be obtained for both PSYC 241 and PSYC 341 (discontinued).
PSYC 250
3 credits
Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 101 and PSYC 102
This course introduces students to the study of human development across the lifespan. The course will cover the major theories of human development and changes that occur during the lifespan in the areas of cognitive, perceptual, social, and emotional development.
PSYC 280
3 credits
Introduction to Biological Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 101 and PSYC 102
This course is an introduction to the relationship between brain and behaviour. Topics include an overview of the nervous system, mechanisms of neural communication, research methods in biopsychology, introduction to neural plasticity, and the neural basis of complex behaviours.
PSYC 301
3 credits
Intermediate Research Methods and Data Analysis in Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 202; or PSYC 210 and 220
This course is a continuation of the second-year research methods course. It will provide extensions of basic theory and methods of research design and data analysis. Discussion will include the analysis of substantive problems, the choice of appropriate research designs and special problems that arise in the analysis of psychological data.
PSYC 302
3 credits
Psychology of Learning
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 202.
In this course, students will study prominent learning processes including habituation, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and modeling. Learning issues related to discrimination, generalization, biological constraints on learning, and reinforcement will be discussed in the context of human and animal learning.
PSYC 303
3 credits
Perception
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210]) and (PSYC 221 or PSYC 280)
This course explores the question of how we create an internal representation of the external world from the information provided by our sensory systems. Specific topics covered may include neural organization of sensory systems, psychophysics research techniques, reading, speech, perception, recognition of faces and facial expressions, deficits in perception, and perception of art and music.
PSYC 305
3 credits
The Psychology of Gender
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 101) and (PSYC 102) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
This course will look at the research on gender issues in a variety of subfields of psychology, including developmental, cognitive, abnormal, social, personality, psycholinguistics, and biopsychology. It will focus equally on men and women. Students are encouraged to apply relevant research to understanding the construction of gender in their own and other cultures.
PSYC 306
3 credits
Psychological Assessment
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 202 (formerly PSYC 210).
This methods course focuses on the purpose, scope, and mechanics of psychological testing and assessment. Topics include theoretical issues in assessment, methodology of administering tests, relevant measurement and statistics, assessment for specific populations, and an overview of currently used assessment instruments.
PSYC 309
3 credits
Introduction to the Psychology of Music
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits including PSYC 101 and 102.
An interdisciplinary introduction to research in the psychology of music, including the physical, perceptual, cognitive, social, and emotional properties of music; music processing in the brain; the evolution of music, learning, and memory in music; and development of music perception and production. A basic understanding of music may be helpful, but is not required.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 200R cannot take this course for further credit.
PSYC 311
3 credits
Qualitative Methods in Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 101, PSYC 102, and one of the following: ANTH 255/MACS 255/SOC255, CRIM 220, KIN 301, KIN 400, or PSYC 202.
Focuses on the use of qualitative methods to examine research problems in psychology. Topics include the historical and philosophical roots of qualitative methods in psychology and the design and implementation of qualitative research studies, including various forms of qualitative data collection (such as textual, observational, and ethnographic) and analysis (such as narrative, discursive, and phenomenological).
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 491X cannot take this course for further credit.
PSYC 325
3 credits
Memory
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 202 (formerly PSYC 210) and PSYC 221.
This course introduces students to the major areas of memory research. Topics studied include sensory, short-term, working, and semantic memory, as well as encoding strategies, retrieval cues, amnesia, state dependent learning, and mnemonics.
PSYC 326
3 credits
Psychology of Consciousness
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 221
This course is a systematic study of consciousness from both theoretical and applied points of view in Psychology. Topics include the role of consciousness in the history of Psychology; research on states of consciousness (e.g., dreaming, hypnosis, meditation, fantasy); research and theory on the relationship between brain and consciousness; and therapeutic use of cultivated states of consciousness.
PSYC 343
3 credits
Psychology of Health
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 101) and (PSYC 102) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
This course presents a blend of basic theory and research along with clinical perspectives and interventions in health psychology. An expanded biopsychosocial systems perspective is presented and used to study psychological factors in health and illness. Topics include models and psychophysiological mechanisms of stress; applicable research designs; personality and health; psychological treatments for stress related disorders; lifestyle and health behaviours; and social and societal factors in health and health care.
PSYC 351
3 credits
Child Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 250, and one of PSYC 202, CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 (formerly SCMS 255); or PSYC 210 and PSYC 220
This course considers the psychological aspects of human development from conception through to adolescence. It covers the changes in the areas of physical, perceptual, language, emotional, social, and cognitive development.
PSYC 355
3 credits
Adolescent Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 250, and one of PSYC 202, CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 (formerly SCMS 255); or PSYC 210 and PSYC 220
This course considers the psychological aspects of human development during the period of adolescence. Changes in the areas of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development will be covered.
PSYC 356
3 credits
Developmental Psychopathology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 202, PSYC 241 and PSYC 351
This course provides an introduction to the field of developmental psychopathology. The course takes the position that abnormal development is best viewed from its relation to normal development. As such the course material integrates developmental theory, theoretical perspectives on the origins and treatments of disordered behaviors in childhood, and relevant research findings in these areas. Further, it is also assumed that the behavior disorders of children are best understood within the social, cultural, and historical contexts in which they occur. Topics will include problems such as conduct, attentions, anxiety, mood, and autistic disorders.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 491E cannot take PSYC 356 for further credit.
PSYC 357
3 credits
Adulthood and Aging
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 250) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
Considers human development from young adulthood to old age. Included are theories of adult development and aging; environmental and biological factors in aging; and the effects of aging on sensation, perception, learning, cognition, personality, psychopathology, and social relations.
PSYC 360
3 credits
Social Psychology
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits including PSYC 101 and PSYC 102.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a broad overview of the field of social psychology. The course focuses on social psychological theory and findings. Topics may include how individuals view the social world, how individuals make inferences about others, how attitudes are formed and changed, and social relations.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 260 cannot take this course for further credit.
PSYC 362
3 credits
Cultural Psychology
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits including PSYC 101 and PSYC 102.
Examines how the cultures in which people are embedded influence their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Weekly readings in the primary and secondary literature examine issues such as methodology, acculturation, and the relationships of culture with thinking, interpersonal relationships, the self, morality, mental health, aggression, and prejudice.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 491J cannot take this course for further credit.
PSYC 364
3 credits
Environmental Psychology
Prerequisite(s): 30 university-level credits including PSYC 101 and 102.
Environmental problems are widespread and, in many cases, growing in severity. Though many technological fixes have been and are being proposed, it is likely that substantial changes in people’s behavior will also be needed to deal with those problems. This course attempts to survey what is known about the roots of various behaviours that have environmental impacts, and attempts to outline how we can change environmentally relevant behaviours, both our own and those of other people. This course also examines impacts of a variety of environmental variables on human psychological functioning.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 200Q or PSYC 264 cannot take this course for further credit.
PSYC 367
3 credits
Psychology of Language
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 101) and (PSYC 102) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
Language is intrinsically interesting, but also particularly relevant to psychologists. Experiments rely upon language to convey instructions and collect data, while therapeutic interventions rely on communication between psychologist and client. Topics covered in this course will be drawn from many areas of psychology as well as other disciplines in an attempt to understand the complex nature of human language. Specific topics may include linguistics theories, animal language, sign language, neural mechanisms of language, evolution of language, language production and comprehension, multilingualism, and social context of language.
PSYC 368
3 credits
Political Psychology
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits including two of the following: PSYC 101, PSYC 102, POSC 100, POSC 110, POSC 120, or POSC 230.
This course undertakes a brief survey of the interdisciplinary field of political psychology. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to articulate how basic psychological concepts from personality theory, cognition, the study of emotions and attitude, and group dynamics can be used to help understand political phenomena
PSYC 370
3 credits
Introduction to Personality Theory
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 101) and (PSYC 102) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
This course provides an introduction to the central theories of personality and evaluates current developments regarding how personality is conceptualized and measured. Freudian, neo-analysis, needs and motives, psychosocial and cognitive theories are among the theories considered, as are biologically-based views and behaviour genetics. Current research on traits and structure of personality, especially the “Big Five”, are also examined.
PSYC 371
3 credits
Current Issues in Personality
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 101) and (PSYC 102) and (one of PSYC 202 (formerly PSYC 210), CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 (formerly SCMS 255)).
Conceptions of personality and its key historical developments are considered. The course begins with Freud's theory of personality, its status and influence on psychology in general. Methods of test construction, validation, and assessment are examined. The primary focus is on research, highlighting areas such as behaviour genetics, personality neuroscience, attachment theory, evolutionary personality, the Big Five, and how personality predicts important life outcomes.
PSYC 375
3 credits
Fundamentals of Clinical Psychology
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 241) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
This course examines both professional issues and selected topics in the discipline of clinical psychology. Educational and training issues and requirements, history of the field, career options, and work issues will be studied. Professional ethical guidelines, ethical decision making, and applications will be introduced, as will Canadian issues. Depending on the instructor, the course will either survey assessment, interventions, and research in clinical psychology, or will focus on a specific topic, such as interventions, the therapeutic relationship, the history of psychotherapy, treatment outcomes or process research, or comparative cultural systems of intervention.
PSYC 380
3 credits
Neuropsychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 280
This course is an examination of both clinical and experimental neuropsychology. Topics include the assessment of cognitive and behavioural functions such as memory, language, and spatial skills; the nature of neurodegenerative diseases and other forms of neuropathology (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, multi-infarct dementia); the treatment of brain pathology; and the application of information gained through the study of patients to the understanding of the nervous system.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 491A cannot take this course for further credit.
PSYC 383
3 credits
Drugs and Behaviour
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 280) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
This course covers the basics of psychopharmacology, with an emphasis on understanding the effects of psychoactive drugs on neural communication and behaviour. Topics include neurotransmission, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics the relationship between neurotransmitters and behaviour, experimental analysis of psychoactive drug effects in humans and animals, and social and cognitive context of psychoactive drug effects.
PSYC 385
3 credits
Evolutionary Psychology
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 101) and (PSYC 102) and (one of the following: PSYC 202 [formerly PSYC 210], CRIM 220, KPE 301, KPE 400, or SOC 255/ANTH 255/MACS 255 [formerly SCMS 255]).
This course incorporates data from the life and social sciences with theory and research from diverse areas in psychology (e.g., cognitive, social, physiological, and personality). The evolutionary givens of survival and reproduction are examined, starting with the core assumptions informing evolutionary and typical research methods. Also examined are gender differences/similarities in mate selection/retention, parenting, kinship, cooperative alliances, aggression, status, and inter-gender conflict.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 200E cannot take PSYC 385 for further credit.
PSYC 386
3 credits
Social Psychology of Groups
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits including PSYC 101 and PSYC 102.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with a broad overview of the social psychology of groups. The course focuses on social psychological theory, methodology, and findings. Topics will include group cohesion and development, power, leadership, and performance.
PSYC 408
3 credits
History of Psychology
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 202 (formerly PSYC 210) and 15 credits of upper-level psychology
This course concentrates on the past 135 years of development in the field of psychology. The major schools and systems of thought will be presented and the outstanding figures within each school or system will be described. Links between psychological systems of thought and broader intellectual and social currents will be examined.
PSYC 429
3 credits
Heuristics, Biases, and Critical Thinking
Prerequisite(s): 60 university-level credits including PSYC 202 and PSYC 221.
Examines the heuristics and biases that people use in their thinking, and how the use of these heuristics and biases may lead to a distorted understanding of the world. Techniques for minimizing such distortions will be taught and applied to real-world issues, so that the students can develop metacognitive strategies for critical thinking.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 491T cannot take this course for further credit.
PSYC 460
3 credits
Social Cognition
Prerequisite(s): (PSYC 202) and (one of PSYC 325 or PSYC 360)
This is a seminar course that examines issues in social cognition. Social cognition is a field that uses the methods and concepts of cognitive psychology to examine specifically social phenomena. Specific topics include the self, goals, social rejection, stereotypes, attribution theory, social contracts, heuristics, decision-making, implicit cognition, interactions, and person perception.
Note: Students with credit for PSYC 491Q cannot take PSYC 460 for further credit.
PSYC 490
3 credits
Honours Seminar
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Psychology Honours program, and permission of a supervising instructor for PSYC 498
Corequisite(s): PSYC 498
This seminar is for Psychology Honours students to enhance their knowledge and practice of research, and of practical issues surrounding research and career development. Students will meet to develop, discuss, and present and defend their thesis proposals; attend research presentations of faculty and invited academics; develop their research writing and editorial skills; and examine issues surrounding funding and graduate school applications.
PSYC 491
3 credits
Selected Topics in Psychology
Prerequisite(s): 45 university level credits, including PSYC 101 and 102, and instructor’s permission.
This seminar course critically reviews theory, methods, and research results in a selected sub-area of psychology.
Note: Students should check with the Psychology department to determine the content area and prerequisites for a particular semester.
PSYC 493A
3 credits
Directed Studies
Prerequisite(s): Department's permission
This is an independent reading and research in topics course, selected in consultation with a supervising instructor.
Note: Students who have already completed a directed studies course in Psychology should register under PSYC 493B. Students cannot register in either PSYC 493A or PSYC 493B without first filling out a contract with the instructor.
PSYC 493B
3 credits
Directed Studies
Prerequisite(s): Department's permission, major in Psychology
This is an independent reading and research in topics course, selected in consultation with a supervising instructor. This course is designed for students who wish to engage in directed studies further to those completed in PSYC 493A.
Note: Students cannot register in either PSYC 493A or PSYC 493B without first filling out a contract with the instructor.
PSYC 495
5 credits
Directed Studies
Prerequisite(s): Psychology major, 90 credits, permission of instructor and department
This is an independent research or field experience course, selected in consultation with a supervising instructor and the Psychology Department.
PSYC 498
3 credits
Honours Independent Study
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Psychology Honours program, and permission of the supervising instructor
Corequisite(s): PSYC 490
This course is intended for students accepted into the Psychology Honours program. Students, in consultation with their faculty advisor, will critically review the literature in an area of Psychology specific to their plan for honours research, and will develop a complete research proposal for the implementation of the honours thesis project in PSYC 499.
PSYC 499
6 credits
Honours Project
Prerequisite(s): PSYC 490 and PSYC 498
This course provides an opportunity for students enrolled in the Psychology Honours program to collect and analyze the data for their honours thesis proposal developed in PSYC 498, and present their findings.
