Psychology

Prerequisites: BLOCKED CLASS. EVERYONE MUST JOIN WAITLIST TO BE ADMITTED Broad survey of psychological science including: sensation and perception; learning, memory, intelligence, language, and cognition; emotions and motivation; development, personality, health and illness, and social behavior. Discusses relations between the brain, behavior, and experience. Emphasizes science as a process of discovering both new ideas and new empirical results. PSYC UN1001 serves as a prerequisite for further psychology courses and should be completed by the sophomore year.

Prerequisites: BLOCKED CLASS. EVERYONE MUST JOIN WAITLIST TO BE ADMITTED Broad survey of psychological science including: sensation and perception; learning, memory, intelligence, language, and cognition; emotions and motivation; development, personality, health and illness, and social behavior. Discusses relations between the brain, behavior, and experience. Emphasizes science as a process of discovering both new ideas and new empirical results. PSYC UN1001 serves as a prerequisite for further psychology courses and should be completed by the sophomore year.

Prerequisites: BLOCKED CLASS. EVERYONE MUST JOIN WAITLIST TO BE ADMITTED Broad survey of psychological science including: sensation and perception; learning, memory, intelligence, language, and cognition; emotions and motivation; development, personality, health and illness, and social behavior. Discusses relations between the brain, behavior, and experience. Emphasizes science as a process of discovering both new ideas and new empirical results. PSYC UN1001 serves as a prerequisite for further psychology courses and should be completed by the sophomore year.

This course is a prerequisite for the Psychology Major, as well as for most other Barnard PSYC courses (be sure to check all course information before enrolling in a course).

The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: UN1001 The Science of Psychology; and UN1021 Science of Psychology: Explorations/Applications.

This course is a prerequisite for the Psychology Major, as well as for most other Barnard PSYC courses (be sure to check all course information before enrolling in a course).

The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: UN1001 The Science of Psychology; and UN1021 Science of Psychology: Explorations/Applications.

This course is a prerequisite for the Psychology Major, as well as for most other Barnard PSYC courses (be sure to check all course information before enrolling in a course).

The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: UN1001 The Science of Psychology; and UN1021 Science of Psychology: Explorations/Applications.

This course is a prerequisite for the Psychology Major, as well as for most other Barnard PSYC courses (be sure to check all course information before enrolling in a course).

The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: UN1001 The Science of Psychology; and UN1021 Science of Psychology: Explorations/Applications.

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

Corequisites: PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent. While this lab is not required for either Psychology Major or Non-Major, it is not open to students who have already completed or are concurrently enrolled in PSYC BC1020 Research Methods and Analysis. This lab course is intended for students who have not previously been enrolled in a psychology lab course; and a majority of seats are reserved for First Year and Sophomore students. A laboratory-based introduction to experimental methods used in psychological research. Upon successful completion of this course, students will know how to review the primary literature and formulate a hypothesis, design an experiment, analyze data using statistical methods, communicate the results of a scientific study through oral presentation and written manuscript, and carry out research studies under ethical guidelines. Students will be able to apply the acquired knowledge in all disciplines of Psychology and will be prepared to engage in advance research in fields including, but not limited to, Cognition, Learning, Perception, Behavioral Neuroscience, Development, Personality, and Social Psychology. 

This course is one of three prerequisites for all 2000-level PSYC lab courses, and is a requirement for the Psychology Major. PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent, must be completed prior to or concurrently with this course. Also note that once this course has been completed a student cannot then enroll in PSYC BC1010 Intro Lab. (If a student chooses to take BC1010 Intro Lab, it must be completed before BC1020 Research Methods.) This class will introduce students to the fundamental scientific principles, experimental methods, and analytical approaches involved in the study of human behavior. The initial major topics to be covered include how basic scientific approach can be gainfully and ethically used to study human behavior. The following topics in the course will cover the most prevalent manners of collecting data in behavioral research and the most common types of statistical analyses and tests such data is subjected to. The latter topics in the course will introduce some of the more advanced experimental designs and statistical approaches that are more specific to the social sciences.

This course is one of three prerequisites for all 2000-level PSYC lab courses, and is a requirement for the Psychology Major. PSYC BC1001, or its equivalent, must be completed prior to or concurrently with this course. Also note that once this course has been completed a student cannot then enroll in PSYC BC1010 Intro Lab. (If a student chooses to take BC1010 Intro Lab, it must be completed before BC1020 Research Methods.) This class will introduce students to the fundamental scientific principles, experimental methods, and analytical approaches involved in the study of human behavior. The initial major topics to be covered include how basic scientific approach can be gainfully and ethically used to study human behavior. The following topics in the course will cover the most prevalent manners of collecting data in behavioral research and the most common types of statistical analyses and tests such data is subjected to. The latter topics in the course will introduce some of the more advanced experimental designs and statistical approaches that are more specific to the social sciences.

Weekly meetings with researchers from Barnard, Columbia, and other guests to discuss the nature of scientific inquiry in psychology; and intellectual, professional, and personal issues in the work of scientists.

Prerequisite (or co-requisite): PSYC BC1001. Lecture course and associated recitation section introducing students to statistics and its applications to psychological research. The course covers basic theory, conceptual underpinnings, and common statistics. The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: STAT UN1001 Introduction to Statistical Reasoning; STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics; STAT UN1201 Introduction to Statistics.

Prerequisite (or co-requisite): PSYC BC1001. Lecture course and associated recitation section introducing students to statistics and its applications to psychological research. The course covers basic theory, conceptual underpinnings, and common statistics. The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: STAT UN1001 Introduction to Statistical Reasoning; STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics; STAT UN1201 Introduction to Statistics.

Prerequisite (or co-requisite): PSYC BC1001. Lecture course and associated recitation section introducing students to statistics and its applications to psychological research. The course covers basic theory, conceptual underpinnings, and common statistics. The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: STAT UN1001 Introduction to Statistical Reasoning; STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics; STAT UN1201 Introduction to Statistics.

Prerequisite (or co-requisite): PSYC BC1001. Lecture course and associated recitation section introducing students to statistics and its applications to psychological research. The course covers basic theory, conceptual underpinnings, and common statistics. The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: STAT UN1001 Introduction to Statistical Reasoning; STAT UN1101 Introduction to Statistics; STAT UN1201 Introduction to Statistics.

An introduction to research methods employed in the study of human social cognition and emotion. Students gain experience in the design and conduct of research, including ethical issues, observation and measurement techniques, interpretation of data, and preparation of written and oral reports. 

An introduction to research methods employed in the study of human social cognition and emotion. Students gain experience in the design and conduct of research, including ethical issues, observation and measurement techniques, interpretation of data, and preparation of written and oral reports. 

An introduction to research methods employed in the study of human social cognition and emotion. Students gain experience in the design and conduct of research, including ethical issues, observation and measurement techniques, interpretation of data, and preparation of written and oral reports. 

An introduction to research methods employed in the study of human social cognition and emotion. Students gain experience in the design and conduct of research, including ethical issues, observation and measurement techniques, interpretation of data, and preparation of written and oral reports. 

An introduction to research methods employed in the study of human social cognition and emotion. Students gain experience in the design and conduct of research, including ethical issues, observation and measurement techniques, interpretation of data, and preparation of written and oral reports. 

An introduction to research methods employed in the study of human social cognition and emotion. Students gain experience in the design and conduct of research, including ethical issues, observation and measurement techniques, interpretation of data, and preparation of written and oral reports. 

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 and a statistics course (PSYC UN1610 or the equivalent), or the instructors permission. Corequisites: PSYC UN1456 Methodology and procedures of personality and social psychological research and exercises in data analysis and research design. Ethical issues in psychological research. Statistical concepts such as parameter estimation and testing, measurement reliability and validity, merits and limitations of correlational and experimental research designs, and empirical evaluation of theories.

Corequisite: PSYC UN1455.

Corequisite: PSYC UN1455.

This course builds on fundamentals of psychological and behavioral science by exploring reproducibility and replication on a global level. Students will learn from a wide range of studies and their real-world implications.

Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2115 Cognitive Lecture.  Students conduct experiments related to selected topics illustrating the methods, findings, and theories of contemporary cognitive psychology. Topics include attention, memory, categorization, perception, and decision making. Special topics include neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience.

Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture covering selected topics illustrating the methods, findings, and theories of contemporary cognitive psychology. Topics include attention, memory, categorization, perception, and decision making. Special topics include neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience. Note that this lecture can be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2114, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University courses are considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2220 Cognition: Memory and Stress; and PSYC UN2210 Cognition: Basic Processes. 

Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2129 Developmental Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course involving experiments related to cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. The course offers an opportunity for direct observation of children; major areas of research at each level of development are covered.

Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: PSYC BC2129 Developmental Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course involving experiments related to cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. The course offers an opportunity for direct observation of children; major areas of research at each level of development are covered.

Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 Introduction to Psychology or COGS UN1001 Introduction to Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering cognitive, linguistic, perceptual, motor, social, affective, and personality development from infancy to adolescence. Note that this lecture can be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2128, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2280 Introduction to Developmental Psychology. 

Prerequisites: BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisites: BC2138 Social Psychology Lecture. Laboratory course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed.

Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. Lecture course covering contemporary theory and research on social thought and behavior. Issues such as person perception, attitudes, attraction, aggression, stereotyping, group dynamics, and social exchange will be explored. The application of theory and research to addressing social problems will be discussed. Note that this lecture can be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2137, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2630 Social Psychology.

Prerequisites: PSYCBC1001 Introduction to Psychology or its accepted equivalent. . An introduction to the study of abnormal behavior and various psychological disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. The course broadly reviews scientific and cultural perspectives on abnormal behavior with an emphasis on clinical descriptions and diagnosis, etiology, treatment, and research methods. The following Columbia University course is considered overlapping and a student cannot receive credit for both the BC course and the equivalent CU course: PSYC UN2620 Abnormal Behavior.

Who's a good dog? The history of the species (a member of which might be napping on your bed right now) is intertwined with human history since the late Pleistocene. In this lecture course we turn our gaze to the animal who is famous for their gaze toward and interest in us: the domestic dog, Canis familiaris.

Dogs are not just good bed-warmers and companions: they are also an excellent introduction into how behavioral science is conducted; an example of the rapid effect of genetic changes; and a case study in how science influences animals' social and legal roles in society. We will look at the history of the development of the species and the recent further development into hundreds of types of purebred dogs. As a domesticated species, dogs are an example of the effect of artificial selection on appearance and behavior. We will discuss the genetic markers underpinning those effects. Dogs also have had a long role in psychological science, and their history, from Pavlov's experiments to present day, traces the history of behaviorism and the cognitive revolution in the field. We will consider the perceptual world of dogs and the importance of understanding sensory capacity in study design. We will spend several weeks on highlights from recent cognitive studies of dogs demonstrating dogs' surprising capacities in areas previously thought to be solely humans' province. Working from video examples, we will learn to describe behaviors objectively, and will discuss how to develop testable hypotheses of the function of seen behavior. We will conclude the semester with a consideration of the future of dogs in science and in our lives.

Prerequisites: BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisite: PSYC BC2156 Clinical Psychology lecture. The purpose of the lab is to teach students the research methods involved in creating clinical psychological science. Students gain hands-on practice with clinical psychology research methods. In the first half of the lab students conduct classroom exercises demonstrating concepts such as reliability and validity and research methodologies such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and treatment fidelity. In the second half of the class students design and run a research study. Basic methodological issues will be explored in depth, including research ethics, conducting literature reviews and writing up a scientific report in APA style. 

Prerequisites: BC1001, BC1020, BC1101. Corequisite: PSYC BC2156 Clinical Psychology lecture. The purpose of the lab is to teach students the research methods involved in creating clinical psychological science. Students gain hands-on practice with clinical psychology research methods. In the first half of the lab students conduct classroom exercises demonstrating concepts such as reliability and validity and research methodologies such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and treatment fidelity. In the second half of the class students design and run a research study. Basic methodological issues will be explored in depth, including research ethics, conducting literature reviews and writing up a scientific report in APA style. 

Prerequisites: PSYC BC1001 or permission of the instructor.  An introduction to the field of clinical psychology aimed at 1) becoming familiar with professional issues in the field and 2) comparing therapeutic approaches for their utility and efficacy. Therapeutic approaches covered include psychodynamic therapies, cognitive behavior therapies, family/child therapies. The course will critically examine a variety of professional issues including ethical dilemmas, clinical assessment and diagnosis, and use of technology in therapy. Note that this lecture can be taken without its affiliated lab, PSYC BC2155, however, if a student completes this lecture, she cannot enroll in the lab in a later semester.

Prerequisites: BC1001 or permission of the instructor. 

The aim of this course is to critically examine the complex interaction of biological, psychological and environmental factors which impact the etiology, symptoms, and treatment of substance abuse and dependence. The course focuses on those drugs which have abuse and dependence potential with specific emphasis on Alcohol and the Depressants, the Psychostimulants, and the Opiates.  A primary objective is to provide insight into factors which contribute to challenges with substances for some individuals and to better understand their felt and lived experience with drugs.

The course begins with a review of theoretical perspectives including disease, behavioral, cognitive, social learning, psychodynamic, and neurobiological models.  The physical, psychological, and socio-cultural effects/impact of each major class of drug will then follow. Within each category, we will also discuss controversial issues related to each drug for example: methadone maintenance, needle exchange programs, Ritalin/Adderall abuse, the “opiate epidemic.”  Throughout the course, case histories, film documentaries and memoirs will provide personal accounts of the drug experience.  We conclude the course with an overview of treatment interventions.

This course will survey historical and modern developments in machine intelligence from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and computer science, and from approaches such as cybernetics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, connectionism, neural networks, and deep learning. Emphasis will be placed on the conceptual understanding of topics. The course does not include, nor require a background in, computer programming and statistics. The overall goal is for students to become informed consumers of artificial intelligence applications. 

This course provides an overview of social cognition, which blends cognitive and social
psychology to understand how people make sense of the social world. Topics may include social
perception, inference, memory, motivation, affect, understanding the self, stereotypes, and
cultural cognition.

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 or the equivalent. Introduction to the scientific study of human development, with an emphasis on psychobiological processes underlying perceptual, cognitive, and emotional development.

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or equivalent introductory course in Psychology This course provides an in-depth survey of data and models of a wide variety of human cognitive functions. Drawing on behavioral, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging research, the course explores the neural mechanisms underlying complex cognitive processes, such as perception, memory, and decision making. Importantly, the course examines the logic and assumptions that permit us to interpret brain activity in psychological terms.

The course will be an introduction to the science of structural and functional brain development beginning in the prenatal period. We will cover major domains in both cognitive and social development. This is a flipped course, where students will watch lectures online (three 55 minute lectures each week) and participate in classroom discussions and exercises (1 hour 50 minutes twice a week) with the Professor and each other when in person.

Study of behavior in organizational and business-related settings. Examination of such topics as employee motivation and satisfaction, communication patterns, effective leadership strategies, and organization development.

Prerequisite: An introductory psychology course.

An introduction to basic concepts in moral psychology. Topics include controversies around the definition of morality, foundations of moral thought and behavior, and connections between morality and other areas of life, among other subjects.

Even as students learn to be scientists, there is a need to learn how to write about science, translating the science for a general readership. In this seminar we will develop writing skills by, first, close reading and analysis of science writing (on research about humans, non-human animals, and non-animals) for the non-specialist, as well as some of the original research papers from which the pieces arose. We will simultaneously begin an iterative process of composing pieces of different lengths and different genres, based on recently published science papers. Assignments will include a short news summary, book review, an audio interview, and a final feature print or audio story; some of these assignments will involve multiple drafts or stages. Guest speakers and a recording practices intensive from IMATS will complement the readings and writing assignments. We will focus on concept translation, storytelling, and other elements of narrative craft in this writing-intensive seminar. We will also emphasize proper citation practices. Final projects will be a long-form feature or a podcast.

In this seminar we will examine attention, the critical cognitive process responsible for prioritizing certain information for more efficient processing while filtering out distractions. We will review attention’s effects on early to late-stage vision, how it interacts with other sensory systems, and higher cognitive functions, all while surveying some of the most common ways it’s historically been measured using psychophysical and neuroscientific methods. We will evaluate how attention has been assessed across human development, and in clinical populations, such as individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDD), schizophrenia and hemispatial neglect. We will end by discussing the practical implications of our increasingly limited and divided attention when navigating the modern technological landscape, as well as review the potential for improving attention through training.

Advanced Topics in Psychology is a departmental seminar whose substantive focus may change with the instructor and term. The syllabus will change with the topic, which will be indicated by a topic subtitle on the syllabus. Across iterations, the focus of the course will be on advanced methodological and statistical issues in conducting psychological research. Central topics may include defining and measuring constructs, contemporary statistical and computational approaches, with special attention given to polarized psychological research questions examined through structured scholarly disagreement and adversarial collaboration.

This seminar is designed to introduce you to the methods used to discern and describe the cognitive repertoire of novel, understudied, animals.  The animals which we will specifically examine in the class are octopuses and cuttlefish.  Over the course of the semester you will learn how we define cognitive abilities in humans and examine them in various animal species for modeling and comparison purposes.  Each week you will examine one specific ability in humans, a traditional animal model, and a cephalopod.  In this manner you will come to understand the historical process of understanding animal cognition, the current state of the literature in at least one area of cephalopod cognition and be capable of proposing a novel experiment as a way to extend our knowledge of that area of cephalopod cognition.

How do individual pursuits of happiness, self-esteem, positive emotions, and meaning in life shape attitudes toward social issues? What personal well-being strategies benefit the greater good of society, and which may hinder societal progress? Is ignorance bliss? In this seminar, we delve into psychological research at the intersection of positive psychology and social justice to explore these questions across prominent socio-political issues, including climate activism, gender equality, and racial justice. First, we discuss major theoretical frameworks and perspectives in social psychology that have implications for individual well-being. Then, we take a comprehensive look at key components of well-being, well-being strategies, and their complex relations with a variety of socio-political attitudes. Throughout the course, we critically analyze the ways in which we can meaningfully pursue both our own happiness and the greater good of society.

In this course we will explore how ecological pressures shape nervous system development and function across evolutionary and lifespan time courses. We will be integrating concepts from evolutionary biology, developmental neuroscience, comparative neuroanatomy, behavioral ecology, and developmental programming. This approach will allow students to examine how brains have evolved over evolutionary time through changes in developmental processes and how environmental experiences during development can produce adaptive, and sometimes maladaptive, changes in maturation in a single generation through the conserved ability to recruit shifts in timing of maturational processes. Throughout the semester, we consider sensitivity of developmental processes as the mechanistic link connecting evolutionary change to ecological challenges and that these same processes govern individual sensitivity to environmental shifts occurring today.

Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001, and the instructors permission.

A systematic review of the evolution language covering the theory of evolution, conditioning theory, animal communication, ape language experiments, infant cognition, preverbal antecedents of language and contemporary theories of language.  

Working memory is our ability to retain information in mind in the absence of sensory stimuli. In this course we will gain a more thorough understanding of what working memory is and how the brain supports it.

This is a two-semester course. Those interested in applying for Fall 2026-Spring 2027 should email toddlercenter@barnard.edu to sign up for information sessions and receive details on the application process. PSYC BC2129 Developmental Psychology (with or without PSYC BC2128 lab) is a prerequisite, as well as permission of the instructor.

This advanced course in developmental psychology integrates theory, research, and practice at the Barnard Toddler Center,  a state-of-the-art center serving 18-36 month old children and their families. Students in the course participate as student teachers alongside an experienced staff one morning per week. Everybody gathers in a weekly seminar to discuss the intellectual concepts and research that help explain toddler behavior and the center's educational practices. In the fall semester, the focus is on developing a skillful practice when working with children and understanding the foundations of toddler development using current science and psychological theories. In the spring semester, student teaching continues, and the class carries out new research projects at the center, guided by the instructor, on topics such as the emerging concept of self, language and cognition, social interactions, emotional development, spatial and physical exploration, and parenting philosophies.

For much of the history of neuroscience, perception was viewed as a rigidly hierarchical process. A bottom-up network beginning with the transduction of different sensory modalities into action potentials, relay distribution through the thalamus and finally cortical processing from early sensory areas to the frontal lobe.  Once thought to fully explain perception, evidence from the last few decades suggests that is an incomplete view. Expectation, attention, memories, tasks and emotions can affect perception and sensory processing even in early cortical stages. These top-down effects suggest that the subjective reality each one of us experience is not determined solely by the shapes of objects, frequency of air vibrations or structure of odorant molecules. Reality is built at the intersection between the physical attributes of the world and  our brains’ internal processes.

Educational neuroscience is an emerging interdisciplinary effort to integrate neural, developmental, and behavioral research methods and findings with educational theory and practice. In this seminar, we will investigate three key cognitive processes: sleep, attention, and motivation, examining how each contributes to learning. Our evidence-based exploration will confront both the challenges and opportunities in creating a productive, symbiotic partnership between neuroscience and education. 

This course can be worth 1 to 4 credits (each credit is equivalent to approximately three hours of work per week), and requires a Barnard faculty as a mentor. The course will be taken for a letter grade, regardless of whether the student chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The expectations for each of these options are as follows: 1 credit, 3h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 2 credits, 6h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 3 credits, 9h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 4 credits, 12h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term. "Research Report" is a document submitted to the person grading the student, the instructor of record for the section in which the student has enrolled. If a student is working off-site, then input from the off-site research mentor will inform the grading. The "Research Report" can take a variety of forms: progress reports on data collected, training received, papers read, skills learned, etc.; or organized notes for lab notebooks, lab meetings, etc.; or manuscript-like papers with Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion; or some combination thereof, depending on the maturity of the project.  Ultimately, this will take different forms for different students/labs.  

This course can be worth 1 to 4 credits (each credit is equivalent to approximately three hours of work per week), and requires a Barnard faculty as a mentor. The course will be taken for a letter grade, regardless of whether the student chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The expectations for each of these options are as follows: 1 credit, 3h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 2 credits, 6h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 3 credits, 9h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 4 credits, 12h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term. "Research Report" is a document submitted to the person grading the student, the instructor of record for the section in which the student has enrolled. If a student is working off-site, then input from the off-site research mentor will inform the grading. The "Research Report" can take a variety of forms: progress reports on data collected, training received, papers read, skills learned, etc.; or organized notes for lab notebooks, lab meetings, etc.; or manuscript-like papers with Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion; or some combination thereof, depending on the maturity of the project.  Ultimately, this will take different forms for different students/labs.  

This course can be worth 1 to 4 credits (each credit is equivalent to approximately three hours of work per week), and requires a Barnard faculty as a mentor. The course will be taken for a letter grade, regardless of whether the student chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The expectations for each of these options are as follows: 1 credit, 3h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 2 credits, 6h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 3 credits, 9h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 4 credits, 12h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term. "Research Report" is a document submitted to the person grading the student, the instructor of record for the section in which the student has enrolled. If a student is working off-site, then input from the off-site research mentor will inform the grading. The "Research Report" can take a variety of forms: progress reports on data collected, training received, papers read, skills learned, etc.; or organized notes for lab notebooks, lab meetings, etc.; or manuscript-like papers with Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion; or some combination thereof, depending on the maturity of the project.  Ultimately, this will take different forms for different students/labs.  

This course can be worth 1 to 4 credits (each credit is equivalent to approximately three hours of work per week), and requires a Barnard faculty as a mentor. The course will be taken for a letter grade, regardless of whether the student chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The expectations for each of these options are as follows: 1 credit, 3h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 2 credits, 6h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 3 credits, 9h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 4 credits, 12h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term. "Research Report" is a document submitted to the person grading the student, the instructor of record for the section in which the student has enrolled. If a student is working off-site, then input from the off-site research mentor will inform the grading. The "Research Report" can take a variety of forms: progress reports on data collected, training received, papers read, skills learned, etc.; or organized notes for lab notebooks, lab meetings, etc.; or manuscript-like papers with Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion; or some combination thereof, depending on the maturity of the project.  Ultimately, this will take different forms for different students/labs.  

This course can be worth 1 to 4 credits (each credit is equivalent to approximately three hours of work per week), and requires a Barnard faculty as a mentor. The course will be taken for a letter grade, regardless of whether the student chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The expectations for each of these options are as follows: 1 credit, 3h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 2 credits, 6h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 3 credits, 9h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 4 credits, 12h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term. "Research Report" is a document submitted to the person grading the student, the instructor of record for the section in which the student has enrolled. If a student is working off-site, then input from the off-site research mentor will inform the grading. The "Research Report" can take a variety of forms: progress reports on data collected, training received, papers read, skills learned, etc.; or organized notes for lab notebooks, lab meetings, etc.; or manuscript-like papers with Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion; or some combination thereof, depending on the maturity of the project.  Ultimately, this will take different forms for different students/labs.  

This course can be worth 1 to 4 credits (each credit is equivalent to approximately three hours of work per week), and requires a Barnard faculty as a mentor. The course will be taken for a letter grade, regardless of whether the student chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The expectations for each of these options are as follows: 1 credit, 3h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 2 credits, 6h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 3 credits, 9h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 4 credits, 12h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term. "Research Report" is a document submitted to the person grading the student, the instructor of record for the section in which the student has enrolled. If a student is working off-site, then input from the off-site research mentor will inform the grading. The "Research Report" can take a variety of forms: progress reports on data collected, training received, papers read, skills learned, etc.; or organized notes for lab notebooks, lab meetings, etc.; or manuscript-like papers with Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion; or some combination thereof, depending on the maturity of the project.  Ultimately, this will take different forms for different students/labs.  

This course can be worth 1 to 4 credits (each credit is equivalent to approximately three hours of work per week), and requires a Barnard faculty as a mentor. The course will be taken for a letter grade, regardless of whether the student chooses 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The expectations for each of these options are as follows: 1 credit, 3h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 2 credits, 6h/week commitment, 5-10 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 3 credits, 9h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term; 4 credits, 12h/week commitment, 15-20 page "Research Report" at the end of the term. "Research Report" is a document submitted to the person grading the student, the instructor of record for the section in which the student has enrolled. If a student is working off-site, then input from the off-site research mentor will inform the grading. The "Research Report" can take a variety of forms: progress reports on data collected, training received, papers read, skills learned, etc.; or organized notes for lab notebooks, lab meetings, etc.; or manuscript-like papers with Intro, Methods, Results, Discussion; or some combination thereof, depending on the maturity of the project.  Ultimately, this will take different forms for different students/labs.  

Discussions of the student's Independent Research project during the fall and spring terms that culminate in a written and oral senior thesis. Each project must be supervised by a scientist working at Barnard or at another local institution. 

Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1001) Instructor permission required. A seminar for advanced undergraduate students exploring different areas of clinical psychology. This course will provide you with a broad overview of the endeavors of clinical psychology, as well as discussion of its current social context, goals, and limitations.

Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1001) Instructor permission required. A seminar for advanced undergraduate students exploring different areas of clinical psychology. This course will provide you with a broad overview of the endeavors of clinical psychology, as well as discussion of its current social context, goals, and limitations.

Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1001) Instructor permission required. A seminar for advanced undergraduate students exploring different areas of clinical psychology. This course will provide you with a broad overview of the endeavors of clinical psychology, as well as discussion of its current social context, goals, and limitations.

This seminar explores how psychological theory and research—particularly from social, cognitive, and developmental psychology—can illuminate, inform, and challenge legal institutions, practices, norms, and debates. The course examines how people think about, interact with, and are affected by the legal system in roles such as defendants, jurors, judges, lawyers, and citizens. Topics include legal decision-making, responsibility and intent, bias and discrimination, forensic assessment, mental illness and legal capacity, eyewitness testimony, interrogations and false confessions, punishment, and stigma.

We will consider how psychological insights help explain how the law operates in practice and critically assess how legal policies align with—or diverge from—psychological evidence. While grounded in psychological science, the course also draws on interdisciplinary work from law and legal scholarship, sociology, public health, and neuroscience. We will read empirical studies and legal analyses that address psychological issues relevant to the law. The principal goal is to understand the legal system not only as a body of rules, but as a human institution shaped by cognitive, emotional, and social dynamics.

Over the course of the semester we will (1) analyze how core concepts in psychology apply to legal contexts; (2) assess psychological studies by examining the strength of their research design and considering their implications for legal concepts and practices; (3) examine how developmental, cognitive, and affective processes affect legal decision-making; (4) identify and critique the use of psychological evidence in courts and policy debates; and (5) explore how neuroscience is reshaping legal understandings of responsibility, culpability, and sentencing, while critically examining its ethical and evidentiary limitations.

The Justice: Theory and Practice Capstone Studio is the culminating course for the Minor in Justice: Theory and Practice. Students work individually or in small teams with community organizations, public agencies, cultural institutions, or other partners to develop a substantial project addressing a concrete justice-related problem. Through a structured process of problem definition, research, consultation, project development, feedback, revision, and evaluation, students apply knowledge and skills developed across the minor to produce a useful final deliverable for a partner organization.

The seminar component of the Psych/Neuro Senior Thesis Advanced Research program. Students admitted to the research program should plan to take this seminar in the spring of their junior year and in the fall and spring semesters of their senior year. Students are expected to be working in a lab as part of their participation in this program. In addition to supporting students throughout their independent research project, this seminar will introduce students to some of the big questions in the field through its connection with the Psychology Department Colloquium and will train students in reading and evaluating scientific research and communicating their own research findings. 

The seminar component of the Psych/Neuro Senior Thesis Advanced Research program. Students admitted to the research program should plan to take this seminar in the spring of their junior year and in the fall and spring semesters of their senior year. Students are expected to be working in a lab as part of their participation in this program. In addition to supporting students throughout their independent research project, this seminar will introduce students to some of the big questions in the field through its connection with the Psychology Department Colloquium and will train students in reading and evaluating scientific research and communicating their own research findings. 

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

1-4 points. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Except by special permission of the director of undergraduate studies, no more than 4 points of individual research may be taken in any one term. This includes both PSYC UN3950 and PSYC UN3920. No more than 8 points ofPSYC UN3950 may be applied toward the psychology major, and no more than 4 points toward the concentration. Readings, special laboratory projects, reports, and special seminars on contemporary issues in psychological research and theory.

What are the agents of developmental change in human childhood? How has the scientific community graduated from nature versus nurture, to nature and nurture? This course offers students an in-depth analysis of the fundamental theories in the study of cognitive and social development.

Success in a social world requires understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings, a process typically referred to as mentalizing. Yet, other people’s mental states are not directly observable: you cannot see a thought or touch a feeling. Nonetheless, humans are quite proficient in inferring these invisible states of mind. How do we accomplish these mentalizing feats? In this course, we will answer this question from multiple angles, relying heavily on neuroscience and psychology research. The seminar will discuss recent and classic studies that reveal how humans effectively interpret the people around them, as well as when and why they make mistakes. 

This seminar will consider the evolution of language at the levels of the word and grammar, in each instance, phylogenetically and ontogenetically. Since humans are the only species that use language, attention will be paid to how language differs from animal communication.

How do minds carve the world into meaningful categories? Why do we see some things as more similar than
others, learn some categories more easily, and treat certain distinctions as natural? This seminar examines
classic and contemporary theories of concepts and categories, from prototypes and exemplars to Bayesian
models, deep neural networks, conceptual development, and embodied cognition. Along the way, we will ask
whether categories emerge from experience, whether they change perception, how they support induction
and compositional thought, and what it would mean for an artificial system to possess a concept. The course
culminates in a broader question: where does meaning come from—language, perception, action, or perhaps
some combination of all three?

Prerequisites: For undergraduates: one course in cognitive psychology or cognitive neuroscience, or the equivalent, and the instructors permission. Metacognition and control processes in human cognition. Basic issues include the cognitive mechanisms that enable people to monitor what they know and predict what they will know, the errors and biases involved in self-monitoring, and the implications of metacognitive ability for peoples self-determined learning, behavior, and their understanding of self.

Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Examines current topics in neurobiology and behavior.

This seminar provides an overview of the mechanisms and behaviors associated with neural plasticity. Students will obtain a basic working knowledge of the different types of neural plasticity, and how these affect cognition and behaviors.

There is nothing more important to us than the feelings that we have. But where do our emotions come from and why do we sometimes feel differently from our peers? The reason usually involves an understanding of one’s developmental history.  This course uses a developmental approach to address emotional brain-behavior relationships.  We will discuss theoretical papers and empirical work that covers typical and atypical behavior and the neurobiology that supports behavioral change across age. A translational approach is taken that uses animal models and human examples to illustrate these developmental trajectories. We will cover experimental approaches during discussion of each topic. 

This course will use clinical studies and experimental research on animals to understand the impact of stress during various periods of development on brain function and behavior.  We will address the long- and short-term consequences of stress on cognition, emotion, and ultimately psychopathology through investigating how various stressors can induce neurobiological and behavioral outcomes through genetic, epigenetic, and molecular mechanisms in the brain.

Frontiers of Justice is designed to encourage students and equip them with the skills to become active and effective  “Change Agents” within their academic institutions and larger communities.. Oriented by the question, What does justice look like?, this course aims to raise political and social awareness and engagement with the challenges facing New York City and strengthen ties between Columbia University, disadvantaged communities, and city government agencies and community organizations. Through sharing ideas about how to make structural and systemic change in ways that integrate science, law, politics, history,  narrative and community engagement, the course is intended to support students in working to break down racial and ethnic barriers and toward a more fair and just society.

This advanced seminar examines the development of memory from the prenatal period through early childhood, integrating behavioral research, neural mechanisms, and contextual influences. We will explore how early memory systems emerge, reorganize, and become autobiographical, with particular attention to hippocampal development, implicit and procedural learning, sleep-dependent consolidation, stress physiology, and social scaffolding. The course is discussion-driven and organized around major theoretical tensions in the field, including when hippocampal-dependent memory begins, whether infantile amnesia reflects storage or retrieval failure, how experience and sleep reorganize early representations, and the extent to which memory development is biologically constrained versus socially scaffolded. Students will critically evaluate foundational and contemporary research and complete a research grant proposal grounded in theory and justified methodology.

: Philanthropy & Just Societies will enable Columbia undergraduate students to learn about the history of philanthropy, to understand best practices and ethical underpinnings, to debate its potential in making more just societies, and to consider what it means to give and receive aid at different scales. Students will have the opportunity to participate directly in philanthropic work.

The development of computational tools, such as artificial intelligence, has transformed daily life and many areas of research. For instance, the development of large language models such as ChatGPT, have changed the way people write and think. These computational tools also hold great potential for advancing psychological research. However, they are still unfamiliar to many students and psychologists.

In this class, you will learn about how to apply computational tools to facilitate practical problem solving in the real world and research at different stages, including before, during, and after data collection. Specifically, through a combination of lectures (which focus on the mathematical basics and developments of these computational methods), in-class engagements (which focus on translational application of the computational methods to solving new practical problems), and coding workshops (which focus on practical coding skills that implement the computational methods), I will introduce you to methods for handling complex stimuli, validating data quality, and modeling big data. Workshops will be administered via Colab using Python, so please be sure to bring a laptop to every class.

This seminar will introduce both the concepts and practical implementation in PyTorch of neural networks and deep learning, with a focus on general principles and examples from vision.

Monday seminars are open to the public and take place in Schermerhorn Hall on alternate Mondays in room 200B Schermerhorn from 12:10-1:30pm. The seminar series semester schedule can be found here. 

Members of the staff, graduate students, and outside speakers present current research.