Undergraduate Psychology Course Descriptions

PSY 1 - Introduction to Psychology:
This course surveys the major theories of human behavior and serves as a prerequisite for most other psychology courses. Topics include: conscious and unconscious motivation, personality development, mental health, social interactions, thinking. learning, memory, language comprehension, and sex role development, as well as the biological, cognitive, and social rules that govern these behaviors. This is a large lecture class that requires students to complete weekly reading assignments and participate as subjects in several short experiments on campus. There are two one-hour multiple- choice exams and a two-hour final exam. Taught by members of the Psychology Department.

PSY 17 - Industrial and Organizational Psychology:
Subject areas covered by this course include: corporate employee programs, the interview process, theories of management, motivation and productivity, leadership, creativity and consumer psychology. This class generally meets once a week for two and a half hours. Class time is not always lecture time; the class often participates in learning exercises, views short films, hosts guest speakers, or takes a field trip. Due to high demand, students are often unable to take this course until Junior or Senior year. The final grade depends on an essay midterm exam, several homework assignments, a group project and presentation, and a final exam. Prerequisite: PSY 1. Taught by Hal Miller-Jacobs, a Tufts alumnus.

PSY 31 - Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Psychology:
Quantitative methods is an introductory course in statistics, both descriptive and inferential. Research in the behavioral sciences requires a knowledge of the methods by which researchers evaluate experimental results and determine their significance. Statistical analysis of research results is introduced, aided by computerized statistical packages. PSY 31 relies on cumulative learning; that is, each lecture builds on the one before. The course load is consistent and moderate. Grading is generally based on three exams and a final. Use of calculators is permitted. A make-up exam is offered to replace one exam grade. Students are required to participate as subjects in one or two experiments on campus. This course is offered every semester, but enrollment is highest in the Fall. Usually taught by Professor Montepare. Prerequisite: PSY 1.

PSY 32 - Experimental Psychology:
Students taking this basic survey-level course acquire "hands-on" experimental experience in such areas as: cognitive psychology, perceptual psychology, and psychophysics. Instruction covers: how to conduct objective experiments, to critically evaluate existing experiments and statistical inferences, and how to produce professional, publication-quality experimental reports. During laboratory periods, students participate as subjects in computer-based experiment, generating their own data and documenting their results in comprehensive reports. these reports require additional research and contribute toward a final grade. Students also act as experimenter, creating an original group experiment of their own, testing subjects, and individually writing reports due at the end of the semester. there are two exams during the semester and a final exam. This course is offered every semester, and is taught by members of the Psychology Department.

PSY 53 - Engineering Psychology:
This class is an introduction to the principles of Engineering Psychology as they apply to the analysis of human-machine interfaces. It is the student's first introduction to Human Factors in the Psychology department. Some topics discussed include: the the relationships between perception and cognition factors, design of displays and controls, anthropometrics, light, vision and information theory. Practical examples are drawn in order to illustrate the application of course material from airplanes, boats, and map designs. There is a midterm, final exam, project presentation and final paper, all of which require the ability to apply class discussions and reading material to answer true/false, multiple choice, and identification/essay exam questions. This course is only offered in the Fall and is taught by Professor Soraci. Prerequisite: PSY 1 or Junior standing.

PSY 130 - Advanced Engineering Psychology:
This is a research seminar in Human Factors. Each student is required to select a topic of interest from within the field of Human Factors, conduct extensive research, and report the results of the research in an oral presentation to the class. Emphasis is placed upon empirical data results concerning human performance. This course is intended to enhance students' knowledge of the broad range of Human Factors fields by having each student become a "resident expert" in their chosen area of study and subsequently sharing this knowledge with the class. A paper which integrates the entire semester's research findings is required. The final grade in this course is based upon the paper as well as the oral report. Prerequisites: 3 PSY courses, including PSY 53. Taught every Spring by Professor Soraci.