Schedule of Classes

Factors that influence human behavior, including learning, thinking, perception, motivation, and emotion; analysis of determinants of development, adjustment, and maladjustment.

Evaluates scientific research on human happiness. Integrates research from psychology, economics, and neuroscience in the evaluation of personal and public policy choices.

Introduction to the use of statistics in psychology: basic ideas in measurement; frequency distributions; descriptive statistics; concepts and procedures in statistical inference. Recommended preparation: PSYC 100, MATH 116.

Language within cognitive science: speech physiology and acoustics, language acquisition, reading, language disorders, perception and mental representation of words, linguistic diversity and computer analysis of speech.

Experimental and theoretical aspects of human memory, perception, thinking, and language. Lectures, demonstrations, and individual experiments. Prerequisite: 100g or departmental approval.

Principles involved in classical and operant conditioning. Concentration on basic causes of behavior; consideration of the relevance of simple behavioral laws to complicated human behavior.

Experimental and other research methods in psychology; nature and concepts of scientific method. Laboratory exercises.

Neural bases of behavior. Concentration on sensory and motor processes and the interaction of neural, chemical, and hormonal systems.

Child and adolescent behavior and associated theories; exploration of the continuity between child and adult behavior. Laboratory projects.

Genetic, physical, and social influences during adult years on perception, learning and memory, intelligence, personality, social roles, and normal and deviant behavioral patterns. Laboratory demonstrations and exercises.

Exploration of ancient philosophical questions concerning the origins of human knowledge through empirical studies of infants, animals, and adults from diverse cultures.

Theoretical and experimental analysis of human behavior. Social processes involved in attitudes, conformity, compliance, interpersonal perception, liking, affiliation, aggression, altruism, and group dynamics.

Theories and research on person perception, attribution processes, interpersonal attraction and romantic love, freedom and causality, social comparison phenomena.

The commonly diagnosed behavior pathologies; biological, social, cultural, and developmental antecedents of abnormal behavior; principles of learning, perception, and motivation, as they relate to psychopathology.

Advanced study of scientific inquiry in psychology with in-depth analysis of current research by faculty in the Psychology Department. Preparation for senior honors thesis research. Prerequisite: acceptance in Psychology Undergraduate Honors Program and consent of instructor.

Individual field experience and independent study supervised by an on-site professional and USC faculty sponsor. Recommended preparation: Minimum of 3 courses completed in Psychology.

Evolutionary and genetic basis of human behavior, including intelligence, sexual behavior, criminal behavior, and violence. Etiology of human diversity, including sex, race, and individual differences. Recommended preparation: PSYC 274

Multivariate analysis emphasizing model estimation and testing; topics vary, e.g., multiple regression, logistic regression, factor analysis, multilevel linear modeling, structural equation modeling, multiway frequency analysis.

Effects of brain damage on human behavior and abilities, particularly language, memory, and emotion.

Examination of contemporary psychological theory and research on the development of cognitive skills, including language, memory, reading, and mathematics. Prerequisite: 336L.

The adolescent years from both an applied and a research-oriented perspective. Topics include physical, cognitive, and moral development; socialization; and sexual and sex-role development. (Duplicates credit in former PSYC 338.)

Introduction to using neural network or connectionist models to simulate cognitive, social, emotional and motivational processes. Introduction of basic concepts and tools in computational neuroscience. Recommended preparation: Basic knowledge of programming is helpful, but not required.

Effects of socialization, personal influence, propaganda and social structure on private attitudes and public opinion.

The influence of culture, ethnicity, race and gender on human behavior. Mental health issues relevant to ethnic minorities in the U.S.

Genetic, biological, psychological, and sociological characteristics of those who evidence criminal behavior; theoretical formulations to be reviewed and appraised.

Survey of current topics, technologies and techniques. Students acquire a basic understanding of how forensic psychologists contribute their unique expertise to the American legal system.

Advanced study of empirical approaches in psychology. Progress presentations and evaluations of Senior Honors Thesis research. In-depth exploration of issues in science. Not available for graduate credit.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

Selected topics in the various specialty areas within psychology. Topic will vary from semester to semester.

Experimental designs and their analyses of variance beyond straightforward factorial, nested, or repeated measures designs. Prerequisite: PSYC 501.

Multiple regression as a tool in experimental and non-experimental data; analysis of variance and covariance as regression on coded variables. Computer applications. Laboratory exercises.

Intensive review of research methods in the behavioral sciences. Problem analysis, formulation of research propositions, and procedures for research inference.

Various research techniques that are useful in a variety of different real world settings, such as business, governmental agencies and charities.

Study of psychopathology: in-depth survey of theory and research concerning psychological disorders; introduction to diagnosis. (One of 4 clinical psychology core courses: 514, 515, 619, 620.)

Theory and research on effective teams and characteristics of strong leaders. Negotiation, morale-building, managing expectancies, utilization of cultural diversity as a strength.

Review and practice in the analysis and design of experimental and quasiexperimental paradigms for research on ontogenetic age changes and generational differences in behavior.

Exploration of the evolutionary and developmental origins of human nature. Topics include navigation, object and number cognition, culture, sexual behavior, cooperation, language, and morality.

An examination of the major components of cognition (e.g., perception, memory, intelligence) in terms of the neural coding characteristic of the relevant brain areas.

Recent research on relations between basic psychological states (e.g., cognition, learning, emotion) and physiological response processes (e.g., autonomic responses, covert muscle activity).

The nature of the human mind, social interactions, conflicts, cooperative behavior, mutual influence and effectiveness. Application of psychological principles to the dynamics of commercial entities.

Examination of the psychological factors that make messages effective, which include preconceptions and biases of individuals and groups, universal and idiosyncratic motivations, hopes, and fears.

Computational research in music cognition, including computational methods for music analysis, such as the abstracting and extracting of pitch and time structures. Computational research in expressive performance, the manipulation of parameters (e.g., tempo, loudness, articulation) to focus attention, facilitate parsing, and create emotional affect. Open to graduate engineering students only. Recommended preparation: programming experience (C++ or Java), basic signal processing and music theory.

Current issues in psycholinguistic theory.

Research leading to the master's degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

Internship in a non-university setting, such as business, governmental agency, or NGO.

Requires a research paper of substantial length and high quality that integrates the Internship experience with concepts and principles of human behavior. Credit/No Credit.

Credit on acceptance of Thesis. Graded CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Thesis. Graded CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Thesis. Graded CR/NC.

Supervised experience in interviewing skills and in assessment, including psychological test administration, and the preparation of reports. Graded CR/NC.

Selected topics in the various specialty areas within psychology at the graduate level. Topic will vary from semester to semester.

An intensive consideration of selected concepts, theories, and research problems in social psychology.

Selected topics in psychopathology.

Supervised clinical work in an approved mental health setting. Graded CR/NC. Prerequisite: Good standing in clinical program and departmental approval.

Didactic practicum combining theory and research on psychological intervention with clinical practice in assessment and treatment, focused on particular client groups or disorders. Graded CR/NC.

Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.

Credit on acceptance of Dissertation. Graded IP/CR/NC.