Faculty
Douglas A. Weldon (Psychology), Director
Serena Butcher (Psychology)
David A. Gapp (Biology)
Herman K. Lehman (Biology)
Jeremy I. Skipper (Psychology)
Jonathan Vaughan (Psychology)
The departments of Biology and Psychology offer an interdisciplinary concentration in neuroscience. The concentration consists of 12 courses, which must include: Biology 101 and 102, or 115 and another biology course at the 200 level or above; Chemistry 120 or 125, and 190; Psychology 101, 201 and 205; a biology or psychology elective at the 200 level or above, or Chemistry 270; Neural Plasticity (330); Language, Action and Brain (347); Cellular Neurobiology (357); and the Senior Project. Program honors recognize the distinguished achievement of students who excel in their coursework in the concentration, including the Senior Project. Students considering graduate work in neuroscience are advised to take Chemistry 255, Mathematics 113-114, Computer Science 110-111 and Physics 100-105.
198F,S Collaborative Research in Psychology.
Students will work on a project with an instructor. Focus on laboratory data collection and analysis. Readings to illustrate hypotheses investigated in the laboratory. Prerequisite, Permission of the instructor. Four-five hours per week of lab work. Does not count toward concentration requirements. Based on evaluation of Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. One quarter credit. Course may be repeated for credit.
(Same as Psychology 198.)
The Department.
201F,S Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology.
The application and interpretation of descriptive and inferential statistics in the study of psychological processes. Instruction in research design and methodological issues. Students will complete four written projects involving data collection, data analysis, and communication of findings in APA style. Use of the statistical computer program SPSS to analyze data.
(Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning.)
(Oral Presentations.)
Prerequisite, 101. Not open to students who have taken 280.
(Same as Psychology 201.)
McKee and Pierce (Fall); Borton and Yee (Spring).
204S Human Neuropsychology.
Study of human brain function from the standpoint of experimental and clinical research in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. Survey of research involving animals and humans, addressing presumed neural mechanisms for cognitive, motivational and emotional states. Analysis of aphasia, agnosias, apraxias and disconnection syndromes. Prerequisite, 101. Not open to students who have completed Psych/Neuro 232.
(Same as Psychology 204.)
Alexandra List (S), Jonathan Vaughan (S).
205F,S Introduction to Brain and Behavior.
Study of the structure and function of the nervous system as it relates to consciousness and behavior. Emphasis on psychobiological explanations of perception, learning, attention, motivation, emotion and behavior disorders.
(Oral Presentations.)
Prerequisite, 101 or Biology 102 or 115.
(Same as Psychology 205.)
Doug Weldon (F), Mike Frederick (S).
330S Neural Plasticity.
An analysis of the anatomical, physiological and chemical changes that occur in the nervous system as a function of experience and development. Laboratory work includes intracellular and extracellular recording from muscle cells and neurons. Three hours of class and three hours of laboratory.
(Oral Presentations.)
Prerequisite, 205 or Biology 102 or 115.
(Same as Psychology 330 and Biology 330.)
Maximum enrollment, 18.
Weldon.
[347]
Language, Action and Brain.
Study of the social cognitive neuroscience of language, with emphasis on how the brain processes verbal and non-verbal information for the purpose of communication. Analysis of neuroimaging data related to real-world language use. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory.
(Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning.)
(Oral Presentations.)
Prerequisite, 201, and either 205 or 232.
(Same as Psychology 347.)
Maximum enrollment, 20.
352S Psychopharmacology.
A study of the effects of drugs on animal and human behavior. Topics include neuropharmacology, antipsychotics, analgesics, stimulants, hallucinogens, antidepressants, alcoholism, addiction and the implications of drug effects for neurochemical theories of behavior.
(Oral Presentations.)
Prerequisite, 280/201. Not open to students who have taken 242.
(Same as Psychology 352.)
Frederick.
357F Cellular Neurobiology.
A study of the fundamental functions of eukaryotic cells. The interrelationships of cellular structure and function, the cell cycle, protein trafficking and cellular communication will be examined through the study of neurons, the basic unit of the nervous system. Additional topics will include specialized activities of neurons. Three hours class and three hours of laboratory. Prerequisite, 101 and 102, 115, or consent of instructor.
(Same as Biology 357.)
Lehman.
[366S]
Social Brain.
How the nervous system has adapted to the complex computational demands of social systems in primates and other social species. Focus on how the brain implements social behavior, and how social processes, in turn, affect biological systems. Topics selected from language; self and other perception; theory of mind; empathy; decision making; meta-cognition; social and emotional cognition; interpersonal and group interaction; loneliness; and the social deficits of autism.
(Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning.)
(Oral Presentations.)
Prerequisite, Psych/Neuro 201, and either 204/232 or 205.
(Same as Psychology 366.)
370F Cognitive Neuroscience.
Study of brain processes involved in cognition with a focus on current research designs and techniques. Class discussions will focus on journal articles reporting studies on sensory, motor, affective, executive and memory systems. Laboratory exercises will include analysis of data from brain scan, electroencephalographic and neuronal recording studies.
(Oral Presentations.)
Prerequisite, Psych/Neuro 201/280.
(Same as Psychology 370.)
Maximum enrollment, 20.
List.
500F-501S Senior Project.
Supervised research on a specific problem in neuroscience based on proposals submitted to the faculty in the spring of the junior year. Open to senior concentrators. The Department.
