Psychology of Learning

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 361

The experimental analysis of behavior is presented with examination of Operant and Pavlovian conditioning, aversive control, theories of reinforcement, choice behavior, behavioral economics, etc. Theoretical and experimental approaches to the study of behavior as developed in the laboratory are emphasized. Consideration is given to applications from the laboratory to everyday behavior. PREREQ: Psych 100B. Enrollment limited to 30.
Course Attributes: FA NSM; BU SCI; AR NSM; AS NSM

Cognitive Psychology

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 360

Introduction to the study of thought processing from an information-processing approach. Emphasis will be placed on theoretical models that are grounded in empirical support. Topics include pattern recognition, attention, memory, reasoning, language processes, decision making, and problem solving. PREREQ: Psych 100B.
Course Attributes: FA NSM; BU BA; AR NSM; AS NSM

Physics of Vision

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 355

How do the eyes capture an image and convert it to neural messages that ultimately result in visual experience? This lecture and demonstration course will cover the physics of how we see. The course is addressed to physics, premedical, and life-sciences students with an interest in biophysics. Topics include physical properties of light, evolution of the eyes, image formation in the eye, image sampling with an array of photoreceptors, transducing light into electrical signals, color coding, retinal organization, computing with nerve cells, compressing the 3-D world into optic nerve signals, inferring the 3-D world from optic nerve signals, biomechanics of eye movement, engineered vision in machines. The functional impact of biophysical mechanisms for visual experience will be illustrated with psychophysical demonstrations. Corequisite: Phys 117A, Phys 197 or permission of instructor. 3 units.
Course Attributes: FA NSM; EN TU; EN SU; BU SCI; AR NSM; AS NSM; EN BME T2

Psychopathology and Mental Health

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 3541

This is an introductory course on the scientific study of mental health disorders. It will include definitions, classification, and theories of abnormal behavior. Content will focus on symptoms, prevalence, etiology and treatment of mental health disorders, including mood, anxiety, eating, autism spectrum, substance use, schizophrenia spectrum, and personality disorders. PREREQ: Psych 100B.
Course Attributes: EN S; BU BA; AS SSC; FA SSC; AR SSC

Psychology of Personality

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 3531

What is personality, and how can we scientifically study it? How did we become who we are today? Is personality fixed, or can we change? How does personality shape our everyday experiences and consequential life outcomes? Do we know ourselves and others? This course will address such questions by providing a contemporary overview of the field of personality psychology that will help students better understand themselves and others. PREREQ: Psych 100B.
Course Attributes: EN S; BU BA; AS SSC; FA SSC; AR SSC

Principles of the Nervous System

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 3411

This course will provide a broad introduction to neuroscience, starting at the level of cellular and molecular neuroscience, and ultimately ending at systems and theoretical neuroscience, with emphasis on the organization of the mammalian central nervous system. Topics will include neuronal structure, the action potential, information transmission between neurons, sensory/motor systems, emotion, memory, disease, drugs, behavior, and network dynamics. A fundamental goal of this course is to provide students with the ability to approach complex problems using the scientific method and to understand the limits of knowledge. This course will also expose students to some of the neuroscience community at WashU. Pre-requisite: Bio 2960. Recommended: Bio 2970 and Bio 3058, Or Psych 3401 and permission of instructor. (Biology Major Area B)
Course Attributes: FA NSM; BU SCI; AR NSM; AS NSM

Sensation and Perception

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 330

What's involved in seeing and hearing? This course will cover perception from the physical stimuli (light and sound) that impinge upon the sensory receptors through the higher-level percepts that the stimuli generate. Demonstrations and illusions will be used as we learn about the anatomy and physiology of the sensory systems, and study the brain mechanisms that are involved in vision and audition. PREREQ: Psych 100B/1000.
Course Attributes: FA NSM; BU SCI; BU BA; AR NSM; AS NSM

Music Cognition

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 3221

This course will introduce students to modern research on music perception and cognition. By nature, this research is interdisciplinary. Some is conducted by cognitive scientists, some by music scholars. We will study a cross-section of this research and touch on many of the field's principal topics, including: the perception of rhythm, meter, pitch, timbre, melody, harmony, and key; the relationship between music and emotion; the effect of auditory physiology on the musical experience; the role of performers in shaping a listener's perceptions; and the process by which music establishes, fulfills, and denies expectations.
Course Attributes: FA NSM; BU Hum; AR NSM; AS NSM

Developmental Psychology

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 3211

This course concentrates on the cognitive and social development of the person from conception throughout childhood. Topics covered include: perceptual narrowing, infant attachment, cognitive development from Piagetian and information processing perspectives, aggression, and the biological bases of behavior. PREREQ: Psych 100B.
Course Attributes: EN S; BU BA; AS SSC; FA SSC; AR SSC

Philosophy of Science

PHILOSOPHY-NEUROSCIENCE-PSYCHOLOGY 321

Pivotal concepts common to empirical sciences are examined and clarified. These include: explanation, confirmation, prediction, systematization, empirical significance, and the relationship of all these concepts to the structure of scientific theory. Examples may be drawn from both contemporary and historical science, including the social, biological, and physical sciences. Students with a background in science are particularly encouraged to consider this course. Priority given to majors in Philosophy & PNP.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU Hum; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM