Psychology

Survey of basic areas including physiology, personality, and abnormal behavior; sensation and perception; learning, memory, and cognitive behavior; social and interpersonal interaction and attraction; and psychotherapies.

Human development from conception to old age; physical growth, perception, cognition, emotional growth, social interaction, and personality.

Relationships are central to our lives: friends, parents, siblings, or romantic partners. This course investigates theory and research of close relationships. This will include attraction, relationship development and maintenance, friendship and social support, love, sexuality, intimacy, communication, conflict, dissolution and divorce, loneliness, and bereavement.

Biological, societal, familial, and peer influences in adolescent behavior; problems of youth in society.

Development from conception through preschool years; physical development, intellectual functioning, achievement behavior, social and personality development, sex differences, and application of developmental principles; theories of child development, including Piaget's concepts of intellectual functioning.

Development from age 6 to puberty; theories of child development; social, emotional, personality, and perceptual-intellectual development; family, peer, and social influences in development; and sex differences and achievement behavior.

A biopsychosocial examination of sex, gender, and sexuality. Including current understanding of biological, psychological, and cultural contributions to our understanding of sex, sexual behavior, sexual relationships, gender roles and identity, and perceived and actual differences between sexes and between genders as evidenced by psychological research.

An introductory study of a specific topic in Psychology. Intended for freshmen and sophomores, or for students with little or no background in the subject. The student may repeat the course, but not the same topic.

A survey of selected psychological disorders of children from the developmental perspective. Topics include diagnostic characteristics of the disorders, the identification of factors that influence that development of psychopathology in children, the developmental implications of existing psychopathology and treatment modalities.

This course examines the interactional processes of family systems including communication processes, bonding behaviors, management of conflict and aggression, and negotiation of family crisis. We will be applying three perspectives (structural, intergenerational, and contextual models) to our exploration of family functioning.

Theories and research findings in classical and instrumental conditioning and information processing, including perception, memory, and thinking in humans and other animals.

Major views of personality, including those of Freud, neo-Freudians (Adler, Jung, Erikson), and Maslow; behavioral and humanistic/existential approaches; implications for personal growth and therapy.

Introduction to the critical skills; necessary to evaluate and create scientific research in the field of psychology. Included topics of research design, hypothesis testing, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data will be presented with the goal of orienting students to be both consumers and producers of research. Course includes laboratory section.

Lab for PSY-332

Anatomical and physiological bases of major psychological phenomena. Topics include: neuroanatomy, synaptic transmission, sensory physiology, emotion, sexual behavior, drugs and behavior, hunger and thirst, neural correlates of learning, and memory.

Theories and research findings relating to human and animal behavior: ethology, instinctual behavior, early experience, primary drive systems, curiosity, exploratory behavior, achievement and affiliation motives, and general theories of motivation.

Disordered behavior, major syndromes, theories of etiology, and approaches to treatment.

Principles and techniques, as derived from research on conditioning, social learning, and cognition, for changing human behavior; applications in specific situations.

This course focuses on the understanding and application of psychological findings and principles related to education. It examines the array of individual learning and behavioral differences found in the diverse population of today's schools. Understanding the tenets of the primary theories of learning (behavioral, cognitive processing, developmental, constructivist and socially influenced), along with the potential influence of diversity on learning is examined. The application of these understandings to the teaching of school-aged children is then explored, along with an understanding the psychological aspects of learning environments and instructional organization approaches.

A supervised practicum in sites providing psychological or related services and/or that are informed by and apply psychological research and knowledge. Working individually with psychology faculty, students will identify specific learning goals and psychological research and literature that will inform their experience and that provides the basis for a summative analytical report integrating research and practice. Students must submit an initial proposal for approval by the psychology faculty by the end of the fourth week of the semester prior to the anticipated Field Period. Student should consult the psychology Field Period handbook in preparing for this practicum. May be repeated for credit.

An in-depth, self-directed study for Junior- or Senior- level students under the guidance of a sponsoring faculty member on a planned topic that is not covered by an existing Keuka College course.

This course introduces students to clinical and counseling psychology, including the ways in which mental health professionals conceptualize, assess, diagnose, and treat mental illness. The role of science and research in understanding and treating mental illnesses will be discussed. This course will include an introduction to a subset of methods of psychotherapy as well as an exploration of a select number of mental disorders, providing students an understanding of clinical psychology and counseling as careers and preparing students to be informed consumers of mental health services as well as provide a foundation for further training in this or a related field.

Lab for PSY-401

Discussion and analysis of selected topics in Psychology. The course includes student-initiated research projects such as final selection of research area, literature review, generation of hypotheses, operational definition of variables, data-gathering analysis, and presentation and discussion of results, as well as career-centric projects such as, ePortfolio creation, technical report writing, and case analyses.

Examines the application of psychological principles and research to legal issues. Topics include issues of clinical practice such as competency to stand trial and child custody evaluation as well as experimental issues in jury selection and eyewitness testimony.

Students will gain an understanding of the history and foundation of the field of health psychology and its connection to related disciplines (e.g., behavioral medicine).   This course will focus on the bi-directional relationship between psychology and health. Students will then learn about various theories and models that have been developed to explain  mental health conditions and health. The factors of stress, personality, social and psychological adjustment and coping styles will be examined. After gaining this understanding of the foundations and applications of health behavior change theories, students will learn about various individual-level techniques and methods that are used in health psychology settings.

An advanced study of a specific topic in Psychology. Intended for juniors and seniors or for students with an appropriate background in the subject. The student may repeat the course, but not the same topic.