Department of Psychology: SUNY Brockport

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Department of Psychology

133 Holmes Hall
(585) 395-2488

Interim Chairperson and Associate Professor; Kelly Brennan; Professors: Stuart Appelle, Frederick Gravetter; Associate Professors: Sachio Ashida, Stacy Birch, Kelly Brennan, Lori-Ann Forzano, Janet F. Gillespie, William I. Riddell; Assistant Professors: David Abwender, Melissa Brown, Herbert C. Fink, Susan Shonk.

Major in Psychology
Courses

Psychology is the science of behavior. It covers the behavior of humans and animals, normal and abnormal behavior, and behavior across the life span. The field is concerned both with the development of principles of behavior and with their application to individuals, society, and the institutions of government, business, and mental health.

The undergraduate major in psychology is often taken in preparation for graduate education in the field, which is necessary for professional work in psychology. However, the study of behavior relates to almost any program of study or vocation, and courses in psychology are required or recommended for many programs offered at SUNY Brockport.

At SUNY Brockport, the psychology major provides students with a broad exposure to these different aspects of the discipline, while allowing concentration in a particular area of interest.

The following psychology courses meet the Knowledge Areas requirement in the General Education core:

Natural Sciences: PSH 110
Natural Sciences with lab: PSH 112

The following courses meet the Contemporary Issues requirement in the General Education core:

PSH 455 and 457

The following course meets the Perspectives on Women requirement in the General Education core:

PSH 433

Major in Psychology

All majors are required to complete a minimum of 36 credits of psychology, half of which (18 credits) must be taken at SUNY Brockport. Courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory may not be counted toward the major. One may elect to take more than the minimum, but not more than 54 credits in psychology will count toward a degree. The major consists of three parts: a required core, one course from each of the four content areas, and five electives to be selected with advisement.

Part 1.
To ensure a common foundation, all majors must take the following three core courses, in the order listed.

Core:

A general psychology course (either PSH 110 or 112), and PSH 202 Introductory Statistics, which is a prerequisite for PSH 301 Research Methods in Psychology.

Part 2.
To be certain that each student covers the breadth of psychology, majors are required to take at least one course in each of the four content areas specified below. Only those courses listed below can be used to meet this 12-credit breadth requirement.

Group I (one required):

PSH 341 Biopsychology
PSH 342 Animal Behavior
PSH 352 Sensation/Perception

Group II (one required):

PSH 331 Personality
PSH 332 Social Psychology
PSH 384 Child Psychology

Group III (one required):

PSH 334 Abnormal Psychology
PSH 336 Clinical Psychology
PSH 397 Health Psychology

Group IV (one required):

PSH 322 Conditioning and Learning
PSH 325 Motivation
PSH 351 Cognitive Processes

Part 3.

Group V (five required):

Each student selects at least five additional psychology courses with the approval of a faculty advisor.
To make normal progress in the major, a student should complete some of the knowledge courses, as well as the general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and PSH 202, before entering their junior year. Transfer students should see a psychology faculty advisor as soon as possible.

Minor in Psychology

A minor in psychology consists of 18 credits, nine of which must be upper-division. There are three specifically required courses: a general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112), Introductory Statistics (PSH 202), and Research Methods in Psychology (PSH 301). The remaining nine credits (three courses) are to be selected from the Department of Psychology course offerings with advisement. Courses graded Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory may not be counted toward the minor. At least half of the minor credits (nine) must be taken at SUNY Brockport.

Psychology Courses

NOTE: 100- and 200-level courses are core course prerequisites (an introductory psychology course is a prerequisite for nearly all other courses offered; a statistics course is a prerequisite for PSH 301 Research Methods). Those courses at the 300 level cover basic content areas in the discipline of psychology and comprise the breadth requirement in the major; 400-level courses cover more specific content areas in the discipline (the distinction between 300- and 400-level courses is one of content focus, not necessarily content difficulty).

NOTE: Courses at the 100, 200, and 300 level are generally offered every semester. Information regarding scheduled offerings of 400-level courses can be obtained from the department secretary or from the Schedule of Courses published each semester.

PSH 110 General Psychology (A,N). Provides an introduction to the scientific study of mind and behavior. Includes topics such as personality, motivation, emotion and experience, learning, development, and abnormal psychology. Students who have received academic credit for PSH 112 may not receive credit for this course. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 112 General Psychology with Lab (A,L). Provides an introduction to the scientific study of mind and behavior. Includes topics such as personality, perception, social interaction, learning and memory, development, and abnormal psychology. Requires three hours per week in lecture and one hour per week in small group labs with an additional one or two hours of independent lab work each week. Requires data collection and analysis, and written reports for the labs. Students with credit for PSH 110 may not receive credit for this course. 4 Cr. Every Semester.

NOTE: Students may not receive credit for more than one of these two courses listed above. If students wish to repeat one of these courses, they must take the same course again; substitutions are not permitted.

PSH 202 Introductory Statistics for Psychology (A). Covers evaluation of experimental results, analysis and interpretation of data from psychological research using traditional inferential and descriptive techniques, and psychology as a quantitative science. Required for majors and minors unless waived by the department. Other students who have received academic credit for BIO 437, ECN 204, MTH 243, PLS 300, or SOC 200 or transfer credit for an elementary statistics course at another institution may not receive credit for this course. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 301 Research Methods in Psychology (A). Prerequisite: PSH 202. Introduces the philosophy and process of research in psychology, including measurement and data collection techniques, research ethics, design and evaluation of research methodologies, data analysis, and the preparation of research reports. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 322 Conditioning and Learning (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Covers the psychology of learning theory, and lab skills with application of lab work to the real world. Studies basic concepts of classical and instrumental conditioning, basic parameters of acquisition and extinction, stimulus control of behavior, and aversive conditioning. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 325 Motivation (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Analyzes the factors (biological, emotional, behavioral and cognitive) that determine human and animal behavior. Addresses theories and research in motivation from each major perspective in psychology (psychoanalytic, behavioristic and humanistic) with an emphasis upon the influence of stress, anxiety and achievement motivation on human behavior. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 331 Personality (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Covers the application of scientific methods to the study of personality, and major theoretical approaches to personality. Examines research findings in major content areas from several experimental and measurement perspectives. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 332 Social Psychology (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Provides a scientific study of human social behavior. Includes topics such as attraction, attitudes, aggression, conflict, social cognition, social influence, and groups. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 334 Abnormal Psychology (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Surveys major categories of abnormal behavior and their causes. Focuses on understanding and treating maladaptive behavior. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 336 Clinical Psychology (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112); PSH 334 recommended. Provides an empirical overview of clinical psychology, emphasizing the appraisal of assessment strategies and modalities of treatment. Includes research, professional and ethical issues in clinical psychology. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 341 Biopsychology (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Covers the biological bases of behavior, including anatomy and function of the nervous system, neurotransmitter systems, sleep, biological bases of mental illness, physiological mechanisms in hunger and feeding, brain mechanisms in reward, and physiology of emotions. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 342 Animal Behavior (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Covers the function, mechanics, development and evolution of perception, orientation, motivation, reproduction, and social behavior of human and non-human animals. Integrates films and lab exercises with lectures and readings. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 351 Cognitive Processes (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Examines the basic processes of thinking, pattern recognition, memory, language, and problem solving. Gives special attention to the comparison between human processing and computer processing. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 352 Sensation/Perception (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Examines the sense systems and their role in responding to and producing experiences of the physical world. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 384 Child Psychology (A). Recommended: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Studies human growth and development from conception through adolescence. Includes topics such as mechanisms of development, theories of development, genetic and prenatal influences, and physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 397 Health Psychology (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Presents health psychology as the combination of educational, scientific, and professional contributions of psychology to the promotion and maintenance of health, the prevention and treatment of illness, the identification of causes and correlates of health and illness, and the analysis and improvement of the health care system. Focuses on the examination of how biological, psychological, and social factors interact to influence individual behavior related to promoting health, preventing illness, and coping with illness. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 423 Practicum in Teaching Conditioning and Learning (B). Prerequisites: PSH 322 and instructor's permission. Requires participants to work with students in a tutorial capacity. Allows participants to develop tutorial techniques, learn how to tutor small groups of students, supervise students' lab work, and perform interactive tasks. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 427 Psychology of Thinking (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Increases students ' understanding of thinking through review and evaluation of the development of new theories and their applications. Focuses on human thinking, particularly problem-directed, undirected, critical, and creative thinking. 3 Cr.

PSH 429 Research in Learning/Motivation (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and instructor's permission; PSH 301 highly recommended. Allows students to participate in the scientific investigation of learning and motivation. Provides a faculty-supervised research experience, including development of a research proposal, collection of data, and preparation of a research report. 1-3 Cr.

PSH 431 Close Relationships (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and instructor's permission; PSH 301 highly recommended. Investigates various approaches to the study of close relationships. Explores theories of attachment, evolutionary psychology, communications, and extant social/psychological approaches, including interdependence theory, that are useful in understanding close relationships. Examines the best means of characterizing close relationships, including the development of a single, integrative frame work. 3 Cr.

PSH 432 Psychology of Social Issues (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Covers psychological factors related to contemporary social issues and provides evaluation of research. 3 Cr.

PSH 433 Psychology of Gender (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Cross-listed as WMS 433. Surveys the psychological and social impact of sex differences, sex roles, and the development of gender identity on behavior. Examines historical antecedents of gender differences, development of gender identity, and sex differences in performance, attribution, achievement, cognition, interpersonal behavior, psychopathology, and response to therapy to illustrate facts and fictions in gender research. 3 Cr.

PSH 435 Alcohol Evaluation and Assessment (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and HLS 418 or instructor's permission. Covers theory and methodology of measurement, assessment and evaluation in alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. Studies the more widely researched and utilized methods of assessment: interviews, structured tests, behavioral assessments, objective techniques, neuropsychological evaluation and clinical reports. Makes extensive use of clinical materials to illustrate the uses and limitations of various techniques. 3 Cr.

PSH 436 Psychology of Aging (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Provides an overview of adult development, including genetics and longevity, sexual changes with age, cognitive processes and intelligence, social change, work and retirement, sex roles, moral development, mental health and mental disorders associated with aging. 3 Cr.

PSH 437 Psychology and Jewish Studies (A). Examines the psychological factors related to anti-Semitism, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Holocaust. 3 Cr.

PSH 439 Research in Social/Personality (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and instructor's permission; PSH 301 highly recommended. Allow students to participate in the scientific investigation of social and personality psychology. Provides a faculty-supervised research experience, including the development of a research proposal, collection of data, and the preparation of a research report. 1-3 Cr.

PSH 440 Practicum Teaching Biopsychology (B). Prerequisites: PSH 341 and instructor's permission. Entails tutoring small groups of students in a biopsychology course, conducting review sessions, assisting in evaluation, developing tutorial techniques or a class lecture. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. 3 Cr.

PSH 441 Introduction to Clinical Neuropsychology. Prerequisites: A general psychology course (110 or 112) and PSH 341 or instructor's permission. Introduces human neuropsychological function and disorders. Emphasizes methods of neuropsychological investigation and the links between specific brain regions/structures and higher psychological functions. Explores disorders of emotion, motor and social behavior, speech, memory, and visual-spatial abilities associated with organic brain impairments, including Alzheimer's disease, head trauma, stroke, and other neurologic, psychiatric, and medical illnesses. 3 Cr.

PSH 442 Psychology of Eating and Drinking (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and PSH 341 or instructor's permission. Provides an in-depth look at the field of eating and drinking. Draws on research from a variety of sub- disciplines within psychology, including biopsychology, learning and motivation, personality, sensation and perception, and social psychology. Includes: theories and mechanisms of hunger and thirst, determinants of food preferences and choices, effects of food on behavior, eating disorders, overeating and obesity, and alcohol use and abuse. 3 Cr.

PSH 445 Psychopharmacology (A). Prerequisites: PSH 341 or instructor's permission. Covers the effects of psychoactive substances on the central nervous system, behavior, and mood, with emphasis on the role of neurotransmitter systems and receptor sites in the mechanism of drug actions. Includes the pharmacology of recreational drugs as well as those used in the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders. 3 Cr.

PSH 449 Research in Biopsychology (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112), and instructor's permission; PSH 301 highly recommended. Allows students to participate in the scientific investigation of biopsychology. Provides a faculty-supervised research experience, including development of a research proposal, collection of data, and preparation of a research report. 1-3 Cr.

PSH 455 States of Consciousness (A). Examines the nature of human consciousness as evidenced through both common (sleep, dreams, etc.) and altered (psychoactive drugs, meditation, hypnosis, etc.) states of awareness. 3 Cr.

PSH 457 Creativity (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (110 or 112), junior or senior status, and instructor's permission. Examines anecdotal, biographical, observational, questionnaire and experimental evidence and theory from the arts, humanities, and sciences; discusses relevance of creativity to education and to healthy personal growth; and explores the possibility of training for creativity. 3 Cr.

PSH 459 Research in Perception/Cognition (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and instructor's permission; PSH 301 highly recommended. Allows students to participate in the scientific investigation of perception and cognition. Provides a faculty-supervised research experience, including development of a research proposal, collection of data, and preparation of a research report. 1-3 Cr.

PSH 465 Practicum in Teaching Experimental Psychology (B). Prerequisites: PSH 301 and instructor's permission. Allows the instructor to work with a small group of students in an experimental psychology course, evaluate their lab research design and assist them in completing experiments. Also allows students to learn various forms of analysis of variance. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 468 Practicum in Teaching Research Statistics (B). Prerequisites: PSH 202 and instructor's permission. Allows students to experience the aspects of teaching basic statistical techniques (including class discussions, lab sessions, and evaluation). Requires students to supervise assigned lab sessions. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 480 Principles of Assessment (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and PSH 202 or instructor's permission. Explores methodological and ethical issues in assessing individuals and groups. Allows students to develop a basic understanding of assessment procedures, test design, test interpretation, and familiarity with selected intellectual, academic, employment, and neuropsychological tests. 3 Cr.

PSH 481 Individual Differences (A). Recommended: PSH 202. Studies the variables contributing to individual differences, including age, sex and race; and measurement of intelligence and personality. Examines both individual and group differences using standard tests. 3 Cr.

PSH 482 Community Psychology (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) PSH 336 or instructor's permission. Examines the discipline of community psychology, which deals with theory and practice in the prevention of socioemotional disorders and promotion of psychological well-being. Includes historical background of community psychology (e.g., the community mental health movement), the role of stressful life events/life transitions in adjustment, issues and programs in promotion of social competence, and social policy applications of psychology. 3 Cr.

PSH 483 Behavior Modification (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) or instructor's permission. Covers the application of conditioning and learning principles to the treatment of human behavior problems. Examines both child and adult applications in home, classroom and institutional settings. 3 Cr.

PSH 484 Adolescence (A). Recommended: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Covers the application of general principles and theories of development to the adolescent period. Includes topics such as physiological change, cognitive development, social relations, identity, and other issues of adolescence. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 485 Applied Behavior Modification (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and PSH 483 or instructor's permission. Investigates a number of specific areas in which basic principles and techniques of behavior modification have been successfully applied. Includes areas of study such as education, business and industry, institutional behavior, family living, and interpersonal relation ships. 3 Cr.

PSH 486 Psychological Disorders of Children (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Provides an empirical survey of child hood psychological disorders with discussion of theory, research and therapy. Emphasizes the application of learning principles for understanding and treating disorders. 3 Cr. Every Semester.

PSH 487 Educational Psychology (A). Prerequisite: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112). Covers individual development principles; cognitive functioning, information processing and memory; teaching-learning relationships; and social and psychological forces affecting learners. 3 Cr.

PSH 489 Research in Developmental Psychology (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and instructor's permission; PSH 301 highly recommended. Allows students to participate in the scientific investigation of developmental psychology. Provides a faculty-supervised research experience, including development of a research proposal, collection of data, and preparation of a research report. 1-3 Cr.

PSH 497 Behavioral Medicine (A). Prerequisite: PSH 397 or instructor's permission. Explores the interdisciplinary field concerned with the development and integration of behavioral and biomedical science, knowledge and techniques related to the understanding of health and illness, and the application of this knowledge and these techniques to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Emphasizes mind/body relationships, stress/illness relationships, biofeedback and self-regulation, pain management, and the human brain as a health-care system. 3 Cr.

PSH 499 Independent Study (A). Prerequisites: A general psychology course (PSH 110 or 112) and instructor's permission. Provides theoretical and/or empirical investigations into topics in psychology. Arranged in consultation with the instructor. 1-6 Cr.

Brockport Career Exploration Course I (B). Allows students to investigate a specific career area under the guidance of an instructor-sponsor. Usually involves a semester-long, off-campus placement. Arranged in consultation with the instructor-sponsor; coordinated through Office of Career Services. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. 3 Cr. Every Semester.