PSYC510: Research Methods in Psychology

This course provides the essentials needed to read, understand and critically evaluate research reports. Students will also learn how to carry out the entire research process, starting with identifying the research problem and ending with a thesis or research report. Factorial analysis of variance and the major multiple correlational designs are explained. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Undergraduate laboratory course in experimental psychology.

PSYC550: Quantitative and Statistical Methods

This course presents the theory and use of simple and factorial anova, regression, and covariance to analyze representative psychological data. The use of computer packages for analysis is included. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: An undergraduate psychology statistics course or equivalent.

PSYC551: Mental Health Issues of Hispanics

This course will familiarize the student with the personal, social, cultural and institutional forces that affect the mental health of Hispanics and Hispanic Americans and how these impact on treatment issues. The course will explore the heterogeneity of the Hispanic groups in the United States and how these groups respond in unique ways to the various services offered in community mental health settings. 3 sh.

PSYC552: General Social Psychology

This course surveys and analyzes the theoretical and empirical literature of modern social psychology. Among topics dealt with are the social psychology of the psychology experiment, attitude development and change, group processes and conflict, role theory, ecological psychology, socialization, organizations and work places, and a number of other themes and issues focused on the individual's relationship to the larger social structure. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Undergraduate work in psychology or sociology.

PSYC561: Developmental Psychology

Philosophical, conceptual, theoretical and research issues pertinent to human development from prenatal life to adulthood are presented. The core conceptual issues of development, such as the nature-nurture controversy, the continuity-discontinuity issue, and the issue of stability-instability, are discussed, and their relationships to the major theories in developmental psychology are examined. 3 sh.

PSYC563: Theories of Learning

The aim of this course is to provide the student with an understanding of modern learning theory, its historical context, theoretical ideas, research, and applications. To this end, the theoretical ideas of the major schools of learning--behaviorism, gestalt, cognitivism, and information-processing--are reviewed. 3 sh.

PSYC564: Psychological Aspects of Disabling Conditions

The purpose of this course is to enhance the students' understanding of the psychological, social and educational implications of disabling conditions in infancy, childhood and adolescence. Topics to be discussed include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, pervasive developmental disorder, emotional/behavioral disorders, chronic illness and ADHD. Issues associated with classification, attitude towards special education, placement and program design and inclusion will be discussed from the psychological perspective. Students will be expected to form and articulate a conceptual framework for understanding and working with children and adolescents with disabilities. Frameworks for working with parents and families will also be included. 3 sh.

PSYC565: Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

This course emphasizes the diagnosis of psychological disorders usually first evident in infancy, childhood or adolescence. Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, substance abuse, sexuality/gender identity disorders, pervasive developmental disorder and behavioral aspects of developmental disabilities. Students will be expected to understand DSM-IV categories. Each student is expected to be familiar with developmental psychology and personality development. Issues associated with evaluation, classification and diagnosis will be discussed extensively. Guidelines for appropriate interventions will be provided. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Matriculation in the Child/Adolescent Clinical program or permission of the department.

PSYC573: Behavioral Neuroscience

The physiological bases of normal and abnormal behavior with emphasis on the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the human nervous system are discussed. Starting with the nerve cell, the course progresses through the receptors, spinal cord, cortical and subcortical structures, psychosurgery, biofeedback, and other topics. 3 sh.

PSYC574: Individual Intelligence Testing

Students learn how to administer, score and interpret individual intelligence tests. Theories of intelligence and the appropriateness of the tests to specific populations are discussed. Students administer and report on the three Wechsler Intelligence Scales and the Stanford-Binet(4th Edition), Development Achievement Scales, Adaptive Behavior Scales, and other cognitive assessment techniques. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval and approved certification candidacy in the School Psychology program, the Bilingual Clinical concentration, or the Child/Adolescent Clinical programs.

PSYC575: Projective Techniques I

The basic instruments of projective testing, particularly the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, DAP, HTP, TAT, TEMAS, and Sentence Completion Tests are studied. Students will also understand how cultural diversity impacts on assessment. Instruments are reviewed from the standpoints of basic research and the mechanics of administration and scoring. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval and approved certification candidacy in the School Psychology Program, the Bilingual Clinical concentration or the Child/Adolescent Clinical programs.

PSYC578: Psychological Tests and Measurements

This course surveys the theory, construction and application of psychological tests. Topics include the statistical concepts underlying measurement; reliability and validity; critical analyses of selected intelligence, ability and personality tests; evaluation and interpretation of test data in practical situations; and the role of testing in clinical, educational and remedial settings. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval, and an undergraduate Psychology statistics course or equivalent.

PSYC582: Behavior Modification

This course reviews applications of conditioning principles to changing human behavior in clinical, educational, occupational and community settings. Selected topics include operant and classical conditioning, social learning theory, token economies, experimental design, cognitive behavior modification, aversive control, cognitive restructuring, biofeedback, and ethical issues in behavior modification. The course is designed to enable students to construct and implement behavior modification programs. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval, and an undergraduate course in learning or the equivalent.

PSYC660: Current Topics in Educational Psychology

Several important contemporary theoretical, applied and methodological issues in various areas of educational psychology are selected by the class for inclusion in the course. Seminar discussions focus on the critical evaluation of the recent literature in the areas selected. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: PSYC 510, and 561, and graduate Psychology majors only.

PSYC667: Abnormal Psychology

This course focuses on theoretical models and selected research in psychopathology. Topics include contemporary nosology, diagnostic problems, schizophrenia, anxiety and affective disorders, social deviance, somatoform and psychophysiological syndromes, and therapeutic intervention. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: PSYC 561.

PSYC670: Introduction to Psychotherapy

This course surveys theories, research and practices in individual and group psychotherapy, and introduces the student to various treatments for emotional maladjustment and behavioral pathology. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

PSYC698: Master's Thesis

Independent research project done under faculty advisement. Students must follow the MSU Thesis Guidelines, which may be obtained from the Graduate School. Students should take PSYC 699 if they don't complete PSYC 698 within the semester. 4 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval.