Courses for Spring 2025

	Title	Instructor	Time	Description	Cross Listings	Fulfills	Syllabus URL
PSYC 0001-001	Introduction to Experimental Psychology	Andrew H Ward	TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM	This course provides an introduction to the basic topics of psychology including our three major areas of distribution: the biological basis of behavior, the cognitive basis of behavior, and individual and group bases of behavior. Topics include, but are not limited to, neuropsychology, learning, cognition, development, disorder, personality, and social psychology.		Living World Sector (all classes)
PSYC 1210-401	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Kristen Ashley Hipolit	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110401, NRSC1110401	Living World Sector (all classes)
PSYC 1210-402	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Kristen Ashley Hipolit	R 8:30 AM-9:59 AM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110402, NRSC1110402	Living World Sector (all classes)
PSYC 1230-401	Cognitive Neuroscience	Michael Arcaro	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	The study of the neural systems that underlie human perception, memory and language; and of the pathological syndromes that result from damage to these systems.	NRSC2249401	Nat Sci & Math Sector (new curriculum only)
PSYC 1310-401	Language and Thought	John C. Trueswell	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	This course describes current theorizing on how the human mind achieves high-level cognitive processes such as using language, thinking, and reasoning. The course discusses issues such as whether the language ability is unique to humans, whether there is a critical period to the acquisition of a language, the nature of conceptual knowledge, how people perform deductive reasoning and induction, and how linguistic and conceptual knowledge interact.	LING0750401
PSYC 1440-001	Social Psychology	Andrew H Ward	TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	An overview of theories and research across the range of social behavior from intra-individual to the group level including the effects of culture, social environment, and groups on social interaction.		Society sector (all classes)
PSYC 1462-001	Abnormal Psychology	Heather J Nuske	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	The concepts of normality, abnormality, and psychopathology; symptom syndromes;theory and research in psychopathology and psychotherapy.
PSYC 2240-401	Visual Neuroscience	Alan A Stocker	MWF 10:15 AM-11:14 AM	An introduction to the scientific study of vision, with an emphasis on the biological substrate and its relation to behavior. Topics will typically include physiological optics, transduction of light, visual thresholds, color vision, anatomy and physiology of the visual pathways, and the cognitive neuroscience of vision.	NRSC2217401, VLST2170401	Living World Sector (all classes)
PSYC 2250-401	Drugs, Brain and Mind	Michael Kane	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	The course will begin with a review of basic concepts in pharmacology including: routes of drug administration, drug metabolism, the dose response curve, tolerance and sensitization. Following a brief overview of cellular foundations of neuropharmacology (neuronal biology, synaptic and receptor function), the course will focus on several neurotransmitter systems and the molecular and behavioral mechanisms mediating the mind-altering, additive and neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia and anxiety with an emphasis on their underlying neurobiological causes, as well as the pharmacological approaches for treatment.	NRSC2270401	Nat Sci & Math Sector (new curriculum only)
PSYC 2310-401	Psychology of Language	Delphine Dahan	MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	This course describes the nature of human language, how it is used to speak and comprehend, and how it is learned. The course raises and discusses issues such as whether language ability is innate and unique to humans, whether there is a critical period for the acquisition of a language, and how linguistic and conceptual knowledge interact.	LING1750401
PSYC 2400-001	Introduction to Positive Psychology (SNF Paideia Program Course)	Caroline Jane Connolly	MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	An introduction to the study of positive emotions, positive character traits, and positive institutions. The positive emotions consist of emotions about the past (e.g., serenity, satisfaction, pride), about the future (e.g., hope, optimism, faith), and emotions about the present (pleasure and gratification). The distinction among the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life is drawn. The positive traits include wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and spirituality, and the classification of these virtues is explored. The positive institutions are exemplified by extended families, free press, humane leadership, and representative government.
PSYC 2555-401	Neuroeconomics	Ibraheem Catovic	W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	This course will introduce students to neuroeconomics, a field of research that combines economic, psychological, and neuroscientific approaches to study decision-making. The course will focus on our current understanding of how our brains give rise to decisions, and how this knowledge might be used to constrain or advance economic and psychological theories of decision-making. Topics covered will include how individuals make decisions under conditions of uncertainty, how groups of individuals decide to cooperate or compete, and how decisions are shaped by social context, memories, and past experience.	NRSC2273401	Living World Sector (all classes)
PSYC 2737-001	Judgment and Decisions	Edward Royzman	W 5:15 PM-8:14 PM	Thinking, judgment, and personal and societal decision making, with emphasis on fallacies and biases.
PSYC 2740-401	Choice	Sudeep Bhatia	TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	The choices that people make determine their lived experiences, their social, economic, and political realities, and their overall well-being. For this reason, the study of choice is of special interest across both the sciences and the humanities, and is a central focus of academic disciplines like psychology, economics, cognitive science, neuroscience, computer science, and philosophy. This course will introduce you to the interdisciplinary study of human choice behavior, and will examine in detail what we know about how people make choices, how observed choice patterns and mechanisms relate to those in animals and artificially intelligent machines, and how we can accurately predict and influence people’s choices and choice outcomes. The primary objective of this course is to build students' understanding and appreciation of the diverse perspectives on human choice behavior. Moreover, by exploring the mechanisms and nuances of decision-making, students will gain insight into their personal choice patterns and acquire strategies to improve their own choice outcomes.	PPE3004401		https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202510&c=PSYC2740401
PSYC 3100-301	Being Human: The Biology of Human Behavior, Cognition, and Culture	Michael Louis Platt	W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	This course will examine the biological basis of human behavior and culture as an emergent product of the brain and its interactions with the physical and social environment. As we explore this topic, we will emphasize human brain function at the level of neural systems and the neural networks they supply, how these systems may have evolved, how they change depending on experience, and what dysfunction of these circuits as occurs in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopment disorders reveals about human thought and behavior. We will focus on key features of human nature, including language, mathematics, creativity and innovation, empathy, strategic thinking, cooperation, deception, economic behavior, and technology, amongst others.
PSYC 3230-301	Seminar in Neuroscience: The Moral Brain	Sharon L Thompson-Schill	T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	Topics vary each semester.
PSYC 3232-301	The Social Brain Seminar	Adrianna C Jenkins	T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	This seminar examines the cognitive and neural mechanisms that enable humans to predict and understand people's behavior. We will be propelled throughout the course by fundamental questions about the human social brain. For example, why are humans so social? Does the human brain have specialized processes for social thought? Consideration of these questions will involve advanced treatment of a range of topics.			https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202510&c=PSYC3232301
PSYC 3310-401	Psycholinguistics Seminar	Delphine Dahan	R 12:00 PM-2:59 PM	This course examines how people use language. We will focus on Herb H. Clark’s book “Using Language” (1996). In this book, Clark proposes that language use is a form of joint action, and extensively develop what this claim entails and how it accounts for people’s linguistic behavior. The course will consist of a detailed examination of Clark’s thesis.	LING3750401
PSYC 4230-301	Introduction to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research	Brock Kirwan	MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course provides a hands-on introduction to Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research. fMRI is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that allows one to track brain activity more or less in real time as a subject completes a cognitive task. MRI is a recent technology and fMRI is an even more recent use of that technology. While it has traditionally been used to establish functional localization (i.e., mapping what brain regions are involved in what tasks), fMRI can also be used to answer important questions such as how the brain goes about solving these tasks (i.e.,what are the computations the brain performs). fMRI has been used widely in the field of cognitive neuroscience, but it has also been applied in fields such as economics, marketing, sociology, and information systems to name a few. In this course, we will first cover the basics of MR physics in order to establish how fMRI works. We will then discuss considerations for fMRI experimental design. We will collect some fMRI data. We will spend the bulk of the course working on fMRI data analysis. By the end of this course, you should have the basic skills needed to collect and analyze an fMRI dataset.
PSYC 4340-401	Research Experience in Perception	David H Brainard	T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	In this research course, students will begin by first replicating earlier experiments to measure human visual memory capacity. After several class discussions to discuss ideas, each student will design and conduct their own experiment to further investigate visual and/or familiarity memory.	VLST2120401
PSYC 4440-301	Sexuality and Attraction Research Experience Course	Edward Royzman	R 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	The overarching goal of this course is to offer a practicum (hands-on experience) in designing, conducting, and reporting a piece of psychological research. This objective will be met principally through participation in a group research project, class discussions related to the project and various exercises focusing on individual components of the research process. There are additional goals as well. One is to enable you to think critically (though not disparagingly) about other people’s research, all with the hope of eventually applying the the self-same critical acumen to some future work of your own. This objective will be met primarily through class lectures and discussions of the assigned readings. I also hope that our interactions throughout the course will be conducive to developing (and exchanging) creative ideas of your own. Lastly, the course aims to offer an informal introduction to research design and research ethics. This objective will be met primarily through class discussions, group project, exercises, and some additional readings.
PSYC 4462-301	Research Experience in Abnormal Psychology	Melissa G. Hunt	R 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	This is a two-semester course starting in the Fall. Class size limited to 8-10 students.
PSYC 4997-301	Senior Honors Seminar in Psychology	Elizabeth M Brannon	M 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	Open to senior honors candidates in psychology. A two-semester sequence supporting the preparation of an honors thesis in psychology. Students will present their work in progress and develop skills in written and oral communication of scientific ideas. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the Honors Program in Psychology.
PSYC 6000-301	Cognitive Development	Daniel C Swingley	TR 10:15 AM-12:14 PM	Choice of half or full course units each sem. covering a range of subjects and approaches in academic psychology.
PSYC 6000-302	Social Psychology	Geoffrey Goodwin	W 10:15 AM-12:14 PM	Choice of half or full course units each sem. covering a range of subjects and approaches in academic psychology.
PSYC 6000-303	Behavioral Neuroscience	Jay Gottfried	M 10:15 AM-12:14 PM	Choice of half or full course units each sem. covering a range of subjects and approaches in academic psychology.
PSYC 6090-401	Systems Neuroscience	Gregory Corder Franz Ludwig Weber	MWF 10:00 AM-11:59 AM	This course provides an introduction to what is known about how neuronal circuits solve problems for the organism and to current resarch approaches to this question. Topics include: vision, audition, olfaction, motor systems, plasticity, and oscillations. In addition, the course aims to provide an overview of the structure of the central nervous system. A number of fundamental concepts are also discussed across topics, such as: lateral inhibition, integration, filterting, frames of reference, error signals, adaptation. The course format consists of lectures, discussions, readings of primary literature, supplemented by textbook chapters and review articles.	NGG5730401
PSYC 6120-401	Introduction to Nonparametric Methods and Log-linear Models	Wei Wang	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	An applied graduate level course for students who have completed an undergraduate course in basic statistical methods. Covers two unrelated topics: loglinear and logit models for discrete data and nonparametric methods for nonnormal data. Emphasis is on practical methods of data analysis and their interpretation. Primarily for doctoral students in the managerial, behavioral, social and health sciences. Permission of instructor required to enroll.	STAT5010401
PSYC 7090-301	Developmental Psychopathology	Rebecca E Waller	W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	A developmental approach to the study of psychopathology focuses on how psychological processes from normal to abnormal developmental trajectories. In this seminar we will cover theory, methods, and key constructs in the study of developmental psychopathology. Readings will include seminal empirical papers and chapters.
PSYC 7090-302	Empirically Supported Treatments	Melissa G. Hunt	T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	A developmental approach to the study of psychopathology focuses on how psychological processes from normal to abnormal developmental trajectories. In this seminar we will cover theory, methods, and key constructs in the study of developmental psychopathology. Readings will include seminal empirical papers and chapters.
PSYC 8150-301	Introductory Practicum	Melissa G. Hunt		Students typically complete 8-10 full assessment batteries on complex patients referred from a number of different sources in the community. This practicum offers intensive supervision, with live (in the room) supervision of every trainee’s first case, and live peer-supervision of their second case. Throughout their time in the practicum they receive close supervision of every case, including checking the scoring of tests and measures, and close reading and editing of every report. Students do a final feedback session with every patient which the supervisor co-leads at the beginning of the year, and observes in the room throughout the rest of the year, thus ensuring direct observation of every trainee throughout the year.
PSYC 8200-301	Advanced Practicum	Judith S. Miller		Intensive studies of single individuals including interviews, tests, and experiments; also clinical experience at appropriate community agencies.