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Undergraduate Program - Curriculum

The undergraduate program in the Department of Psychology provides students with a rich curriculum that covers several areas of contemporary psychology. Introductory Psychology (PSYC0010) is designed to give both concentrators and non-concentrators an overview of the field. Introductory Psychology is a prerequisite for all other courses in Psychology. However, students may proceed directly to a higher numbered course if they pass the placement exam that is offered at the beginning of each semester or if they score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test in Psychology. Introductory Psychology also provides students with hands-on experience with the methods of experimental psychology. Each week, small sections (of about 20-25 students) meet to conduct demonstrations and experiments, collect data, and discuss material covered in lectures and readings. In this way students begin to appreciate that Psychology is not a static set of facts set down in textbooks, but a dynamic body of methods and knowledge that is constantly changing and growing.

Beyond Introductory Psychology, students may take advantage of a wide range of course options. Although boundaries between sub-disciplines of psychology may be flexible, students sometimes find it helpful to group courses into the general content areas. Courses in the Department can be grouped into at least three major areas:

• Behavioral Neuroscience,
• Perception and Cognition, and
• Social, Personality, and Developmental

Several courses are offered in each of these areas. Each area also has survey courses that introduce students to that discipline, seminars that examine specialized topics in smaller, discussion-oriented classes, and laboratory courses that provide students with research methods. The Department offers several courses that introduce students to the field of Clinical Psychology. These courses, together with a good background from the major areas, are an excellent preparation for graduate work in that discipline.

To learn which of our faculty work on what sorts of problems, please see faculty and their research interests. The A.B. and Sc.B. concentration summary gives a full listing of course options. For further details contact one of the A.B. or Sc.B. concentration advisors.

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Behavioral Neuroscience

Behavioral neuroscience and physiological psychology focuses on the neural and physiological bases of behavior. Courses in neuro-ethology focus on the neural mechanisms that enable organisms to negotiate their environments, communicate with other organisms, and process biologically significant information. Courses in this area include

• Mechanisms of Animal Behavior (PSYC0500)
• Canine Behavior (PSYC1750B)

Psychopharmacology focuses on the anatomical, neurochemical, and physiological substrates of behavior. Work in this area examines the neural substrates of learning, motivational processes, reactions to psychological and physical stress, pain, and pleasure. Courses in this area include

• Principles of Behavioral Neuroscience (PSYC0750)
• Psychopharmacology (PSYC1010)
• Techniques in Physiological Psychology (PSYC1030)

Students with research interests in behavioral neuroscience and psychobiology may wish to take advantage of special opportunities in the Department for research in these areas. Members of the faculty conduct research on the psychopharmacology of pleasure and pain, the neurochemical and behavioral consequences of uncontrollable stress, the neuroethology of frog communication, and and the psychophysiology of sleep and dreams.

Students who concentrate in Psychology and who choose to specialize in physiological and behavioral neuroscience often pursue careers in experimental psychology, neuroscience, biochemistry, and medicine. Brown has substantial strengths in the theses areas, as reflected in the faculty and facilities in the Division of Biology and Medicine, the Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry, and the Department of Neuroscience. Students in Psychology can take advantage of these resources by taking relevant courses in these Departments and by working with faculty who collaborate with those in Psychology.

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Perception and Cognition

The study of sensory processes and perception has a long and distinguished history at Brown. Students interested in sensory processes focus on how organisms acquire information about their environment using various sensory and perceptual capacities. Course offerings in the Department range across several areas, including

• Perception (PSYC0270)
• Human Sensory Processing (PSYC1190)
• Human Color Vision (PSYC1270)
• Motion Perception (PSYC1850)

Students interested in conducting research in this area have access to many collaborative research opportunities in Psychology. Faculty members in the Department conduct research on color vision, time and motion perception in humans, communication in frogs, and perceptual processes in pigeons. Students who specialize in these areas often pursue teaching or research careers in experimental psychology; they may also pursue careers in clinical psychology, medicine, law, and education.

Undergraduates at Brown are able to select from a broad range of courses on learning, memory, attention, decision making, and other psychological processes. Course option in this area span the fundamentals of learning and conditioning that are shared by most species as well as human information processing, problem-solving, and decision-making. Courses include

• Learning & Conditioning (PSYC0900),
• Cognitive Neuropsychology (PSYC1100),
• Experimental Analysis of Animal Behavior (PSYC1200),
• Social Cognition (PSYC1510),
• Human Information Processing (COGS1520),
• Cognitive Processes (COGS1530),
• Cognitive Development PSYC1620/COGS1620), and
• Animal Cognition (PSYC1800).

Students interested in conducting research in the area of learning and cognition can take advantage of many research opportunities at Brown. Within the Psychology Department there are faculty members with ongoing research projects on fundamental learning and memory processes in Aplysia, rats, pigeons, and humans, and on the neuropsychology of memory dysfunctions in humans. Affiliated faculty in other departments are also available to advise students who wish to study cognitive development and problem solving.

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Social, Personality, & Developmental

Social psychology spans social cognition (how people acquire knowledge about other people), social influence (how people's behavior is affected by the presence of others), and interpersonal relations (e.g., attraction and mate selection). Students with interests in social psychology can take a range of courses including

• Social Psychology (PSYC0210),
• Social Cognition (PSYC1510),
• Stereotypes and Intergroup Relations (PSYC1720), and
• Affect and Cognition (PSYC1730).

Personality psychology deals with the causes and assessment of individual differences in behavior. Students with interests in this area may wish to select from

• Personality (PSYC0300), and
• Relationships and Human Development (PSYC1740).
• Laboratory in Personality and Clinical Assessment (PSYC1110).

Students interested in conducting research in these areas will find faculty members working on stereotyping and intergroup dynamics, childhood aggression, attitude formation and change, the relation between emotion and cognition, and expertise in social judgment. Research on these topics is conducted with Brown undergraduates and children in local schools and residential treatment programs. The facilities available for this research include a computer laboratory, and off-campus facilities for experiments and field studies with children.

Developmental psychology at Brown spans many areas of the field, including cognitive and perceptual development in infancy, neonatal sensory and learning processes, social development in middle childhood and adolescence, and life-span work on memory and aging. Students interested in developmental psychology will find faculty members working on perceptual and cognitive development, and infant responsivity to stress. Students interested in middle childhood will find faculty working on cognitive development, social development, and aggression in childhood. Students interested in life-span development can work with faculty members on people's stereotypes of aging and on human memory dysfunctions in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients. Students who specialize in social, personality, or developmental psychology often pursue careers in experimental or clinical psychology; they may also pursue careers in fields such as law, education, and medicine.

Students with interests in developmental may sample from coursework in all of these areas:

• Child Development (PSYC0810)
• Children's Thinking (COGS630)
• Relationships and Relationship Disturbances in Childhood (PSYC1740)
• The Developing Brain (PSYC1750C)

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Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychology is a field that applies basic knowledge from psychology to the problem of assessing and treating psychological disorders. Like other applied fields such as medicine, clinical psychology is studied in depth at the graduate level, following solid undergraduate training in basic psychology. Thus, at Brown, students who intend to pursue careers in clinical psychology are encouraged to take advantage of the same coursework and research opportunities as do all other concentrators. This is because the best graduate programs in clinical psychology expect students to have a solid background in the basic areas of psychology, including behavioral neuroscience, learning and cognition, social, personality, and developmental. Clinical programs also expect students to take quantitative and laboratory courses in which they learn research methods.

Students with interests in clinical psychology typically will take certain content courses that introduce them to the field. These courses include

• Abnormal Psychology (PSYC1330)
• Developmental Psychopathology (PSYC0940)
• Behavioral Medicine (PSYC1300)
• Laboratory in Personality and Clinical Assessment (PSYC1110)

Students interested in clinical psychology are encouraged to take advantage of practicum experiences available in the Providence area. Faculty advisors are available to advise students on these practicum experiences. These advisors will also provide students with detailed information on graduate training in clinical psychology. Prospective clinical students are strongly encouraged to consult with their concentration and/or clinical advisors as they plan their coursework.

Clinical Track

Other than concentrating in Psychology and having both some exposure to a clinical setting/population and to research, there are no specific courses needed to advance one's prospects to be admitted to graduate school. Some postgraduate programs have specific course requirements, however; consult the website of the program in which you are interested for details.