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The Program
B.S. in Psychology
Transfer Policy
Student Organizations
Honors and Awards
Courses
Department Policies for the B.S. and B.A. in Psychology
Psychology - B.S.
Psychology - B.A.
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Psychology
Department of Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences
283 Park Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4110
(716) 645-3650, ext. 283
Fax: (716) 645-3801
E-mail: cmgreen@buffalo.edu
Web: Psychology
Paul A. Luce, Chair
Jim Sawusch, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Christa M. Greenberg, Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies
Psychology is the science of behavior and the mind. The study of psychology provides an understanding of basic processes of sensation, perception, learning, cognition, development, and personality along with principles of social psychology, clinical psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. Knowledge of psychological principles and of scientific methods for evaluating theories and research in the social sciences is essential in our rapidly changing society. Students who major in psychology will be well prepared for graduate study in psychology and related mental health fields, graduate study in medicine, education, law, or business, and other careers that require a good understanding of individual behavior and interpersonal relations.
The Department of Psychology at UB, established in the 1920s, is situated in Park Hall. This modern building provides state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for psychological research into language comprehension, auditory and speech perception, memory, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, social interactions, personality, anxiety disorder, small-group processes, behavior therapy, human psychophysiology and biofeedback, behavioral medicine, and neurochemical and electrophysiological investigations into the physiological bases of behavior. The department's research facilities include several workstations, as well as dozens of microcomputers. The Psychological Services Center provides facilities for individual and group therapy, including marriage counseling and therapy with children. Many opportunities are available for undergraduate students to become involved in research in psychology with department faculty and graduate students, primarily through PSY499 Independent Study.
The requirements for the psychology major are designed to provide students with foundation skills in statistics (PSY207) and scientific methods (PSY250) that are essential for subsequent coursework in psychology. The additional requirements for the psychology major are intended to introduce students to the great breadth of psychology as a scientific discipline. Therefore, students are required to complete courses in two complementary areas of psychology: psychology as a social science and psychology as a life science. A second course in research methods (PSY350) and experience in psychological research (PSY499) are recommended for students who plan to pursue graduate study in psychology.
The B.S. degree in psychology provides students with a challenging undergraduate major that includes a strong science-training component. The basic goal is to provide a program that emphasizes the scientific foundation of psychology to prepare students for advanced training in psychology, medicine, cognitive science, neuroscience, and other related disciplines. The B.S. degree program is explicitly aimed at helping to prepare students for graduate study in the sciences and science-based professions. Even if students do not continue their education at the graduate level, the background in science and mathematics that is part of this program will provide students with knowledge and skills that will broaden their career opportunities. Sample descriptions of programs that will fulfill the requirements for the B.S. in psychology for students interested in cognitive psychology or cognitive science and for students interested in behavioral neuroscience (this program also fulfills typical requirements for a pre-med program) are available in 283 Park Hall.
Transfer students who bring psychology coursework to UB must meet the same criteria for acceptance into the department as students who start at this university. Students may transfer coursework required for admission into the department, as well as additional psychology coursework. However, courses taken in statistics, research methods, and upper-level psychology courses must be evaluated and approved by the department. A minimum of three upper-level psychology courses must be taken at UB.
The Undergraduate Psychology Association (UPA) is open to all students. This organization sponsors guest speakers on topics of interest to psychology students, workshops on such topics as applying to graduate schools, social activities for students and faculty, travel to regional and national psychology conferences, and an undergraduate psychology graduation ceremony.
Psi Chi, the national honor society in psychology, was founded in 1929 for the purpose of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship and advancing the science of psychology. Membership is open to psychology majors who have a minimum GPA of 3.1 overall and a minimum GPA of 3.4 in psychology courses. The UB chapter of Psi Chi sponsors workshops on careers in psychology and social activities for students and faculty. Information regarding membership is available in 283 Park Hall.
Students must earn the following GPA in all psychology courses in order to graduate with departmental honors: 3.2 with distinction; 3.5 with high distinction; 3.75 with highest distinction.
The psychology department's honors program is open to a limited number of seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.0 both overall and in psychology. The yearlong program involves the development and execution of an original research project under faculty supervision. During the fall semester, honors students meet as a group to examine advanced methodological issues and to discuss their research in a seminar format (PSY400). This program is particularly valuable for students who plan to pursue graduate study in psychology or related disciplines. Students' transcripts indicate graduation with honors, high honors, or highest honors in psychology. Each spring, the student with the most outstanding honors thesis is recognized with the department's Feldman-Cohen Award for Distinguished Honors Achievement. Prior or concurrent completion of PSY350 Advanced Research Methods is a requirement for participation. Prior research experience (PSY499) and prior or concurrent completion of PSY405 Data Analysis Techniques are recommended. Students interested in the honors program should obtain a detailed program description in 283 Park Hall during their junior year.
101 Introductory Psychology (3) (F; Sp)
General survey of sensation, perception, learning, cognitive, developmental, personality, abnormal, and social psychology and behavioral neuroscience. Requires participation in research or a short paper. As a social science: same general survey, with emphasis on personality, abnormal, and social psychology. As a life science: same general survey, with emphasis on cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience. LEC
207 Psychological Statistics (4) (F; Sp)
Prerequisite: MTH115 or equivalent
Graphs; permutations; combinations; probability; regression; correlation; analysis of variance; descriptive and inferential statistics; parametric and nonparametric tests appropriate to psychological research. Three hours of lecture and one hour of recitation weekly. LEC/REC
212 Social Conflict and Its Resolution (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Overview of the theory of social conflict and the practice of conflict resolution. Topics include the nature and cause of conflict, strategic choice in conflict, escalation, negotiation, and third-party intervention. The course emphasizes psychological approaches, but is not limited to them. LEC
221 Psychology of Personality (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Theory, research, and measurement related to the description, development, and dynamics of the normal personality. LEC
222 Abnormal Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Theory and description of the major behavior disorders and the psychopathology of everyday life; causes and treatment of these disorders. LEC
223 Developmental Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Major developmental changes in areas of human behavior, cognition, personality, and social life from the perspective of current theories about development. LEC
224 Social Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Behavior of individuals and their relations with others; aggression; attraction; attitude formation and change; conformity; obedience; helping; stereotypes; group processes. LEC
225 Health Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Introduces the scientific study of the behavioral and social aspects of health. LEC
229 Psychology of Work in Organizations (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Theory, research, and practices of organizational psychologists; behavior of individuals within organizations; principles of industrial psychology. LEC
230 Biopsychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Physiological studies, mainly on the nervous system, relevant to selected theoretical issues in perception, learning, motivation, problem solving. LEC
231 Community Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Introduces theoretical concepts and developing practices in community psychology and community mental health. LEC
232 Clinical Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Introduces clinical psychology. Methods of assessing abnormal behavior, modes of intervention, theories of treatment, and ethical issues. LEC
246 Sensory Processes and Perception (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Surveys experimental data and theories of perception. Perceptual organization and neurophysiology of brain systems, and neural and computational representations involved in vision, hearing, and cutaneous and chemical senses. LEC
247 Cognitive Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
Information-processing approach to human behavior; how people interpret and understand the environment; recognition; memory; language. LEC
248 Introduction to Cognitive Science: Concepts of the Mind (3)
Prerequisite: PSY101
An interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of knowledge and mind, guided by principles of formal systems and computation. Concepts and approaches from psychology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, linguistics, and neuroscience. LEC
250 Scientific Inquiry in Psychology (3) (F; Sp)
Prerequisites: PSY101, PSY207
The research process; deductive and inductive reasoning in science; nature of theory; hypothesis testing and empirical data; scientific knowledge and its applications. LEC
300-306 Topics in Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Topics of current importance; content changes each semester. PSY300-303, psychology as a social science; PSY304-306, psychology as a life science. LEC
308 Small-Group Processes (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
A review of the research on small-group dynamics, with attention to applying these concepts to improve groups in organizations. LEC
309 Organizational Development and Change (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
A study of methods of working with organizations to improve their effectiveness. Involves individual, group, and organizational-level change processes. LEC
312 Self and Self-Esteem (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Social psychological theory and research on the self. How the self-concept and self-esteem develop; the consequences of self-views on affect, cognition, and behavior. LEC
314 Social Cognition (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Overview of recent theory and research in social cognition, including attribution theory, schema, social memory, stereotyping, and heuristics. LEC
315 Psychology of Identity (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Conceptions of identity or self as they appear in current psychological literature; how people develop and maintain a view of self and the self-referent nature of their world. LEC
318 Biological Bases of Mental Disorders (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Biological factors in mental disorders; for example, in schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, etc. LEC
320 Adult Development and Aging (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Developmental theory, methods, and empirical evidence needed to describe and understand the psychological changes that take place in adulthood and old age. LEC
322 Language Development (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Starting with a consideration of the infant's basic perceptual capacities, examines the role of innate and experiential factors in developing the capacity to speak and understand language. LEC
324 Psychophysiology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Basic physiological processes; physiological aspects of behavior, emotions, and cognition; psychophysiological methods. LEC
325 Psychology of Human Sexuality (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Why and how we behave sexually; biological origins, and psychological and social determinants; private and public morality; absolute versus relative standards; hormones; psychosexual development; variations and deviations in sexual behavior. LEC
345 Memory (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
How knowledge is represented, stored, and retrieved by humans; attention; language comprehension; nature and causes of forgetting. LEC
346 Animal Cognition (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Focuses on animal minds, including perception, attention, representation, concept and rule learning, judgments of time and number, tool use, communication, self-awareness, and awareness of the other. LEC
347 Psychology of Music (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
How we perceive, remember, and respond to music. Representation of musical knowledge, emotional and aesthetic response to music, listening styles of novices and experts, music's role in human culture. LEC
348 Psycholinguistics (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
What individuals know when they know a natural language; how that language is acquired; what the facts of language tell us of the structure of the mind. LEC
349 Motivational Theory (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Development of ideas concerning the problem of motivation; important experiments in the development of these ideas; current theories of motivation; data relevant to an examination of these theories. LEC
350 Advanced Research Methods in Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Development and application of skills needed to conduct and evaluate research. Strongly recommended for students who plan to attend graduate school. LEC
351 Drug Addiction (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
The scientific study of drug addiction, emphasizing biological and psychological theories. LEC
352 Psychology of Race and Racism (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Psychological aspects of historical and contemporary race relations in the United States. Topics include stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, conflict, and cooperation. LEC
357 Cognitive Development (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
The growth of cognitive functioning from infancy to adolescence. A consideration of the major theoretical approaches that are taken in studying cognitive development. LEC
360 Psychology and Environmental Hazards (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Psychological approaches to understanding the effects of environmental hazards, including background in epidemiology, cancer, clinical psychological assessment, and case studies. LEC
361 Cross-Cultural Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Examines the difference in concepts of the self, interpersonal processes, and group processes across cultures. LEC
362 Sport and Exercise Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Topics include the nature of sport psychology; personality and sport; motivational orientations in sport; self-referent thought in sport and physical activity; the arousal-athletic performance relationship; gender and sport behavior; and group dynamics. LEC
400 Honors (3) (F)
Prerequisite: psychology major, permission of instructor
Independent research for two semesters with a faculty member. Apply in junior year. SEM
402 Psychopharmacology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Basic brain chemistry and its influence on behavior. Distribution and elimination of drugs, drug-receptor interactions, and the neuroanatomical distribution of specific neurotransmitter systems. Special topics in biological psychiatry. LEC
404 Alcohol and Health (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
The relationship between alcohol use and psychological, social, and physical well-being. A conceptualization of problem drinking within a social psychological paradigm; implications of different conceptions for the prevention and treatment of alcohol problems. LEC
405 Data Analysis Techniques (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Instruction and hands-on experience in employing SPSS statistical package on desktop computers. Includes nonparametric statistics, T-tests, ANOVA (including factorial and repeated measures designs), and introduction to correlation, regression, and factor analysis. Emphasizing appropriate choice among statistical methods. LEC
410 Existential Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Existential thinking pervades our concepts of personality, motivation, learning, cognition, and more. In addition to covering these, this course also explores how our views of human relationships influence our satisfaction in love, therapy, and family. LEC
412 Psychology of Aggression and Violence (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Theory and data about the causes and control of human violence and aggression. LEC
414 Assessment of Individual Differences (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Personality differences and intellectual functioning; IQ tests; projective tests; behavioral assessments. LEC
415 Psychology and Law (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Examines legal issues related to selected social problems in light of psychological theory, research, and clinical experience. LEC
416 Reasoning and Problem Solving (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Discusses some principles of rational thought and some of the psychological processes that lead to successful and unsuccessful resolution of problems and other conceptual tasks. How these processes are affected by age and experience. LEC
418 Behavior Modification and Behavioral Medicine (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Introduces current knowledge in behavior modification and behavioral medicine; critical examinations of the limitations, as well as the assets, of particular methods; ethical issues raised by work in this area. LEC
419 Biological Bases of Memory (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Surveys recent research in the neurosciences concerning the processes involved in the long-term registration of information in the central nervous system. These processes range from the level of single synapses to complex brain systems. LEC
421 Systems and Theories of Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Historical antecedents and the evolution of contemporary theoretical approaches and concepts of psychology. LEC
422 Anxiety Disorders (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
An in-depth analysis of the symptoms, etiology, and treatment of the major anxiety disorders from the perspective of both the practicing clinician and the research scientist. LEC
423 Mood Disorders (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Contemporary ideas and research on mood disorders, including their classification, epidemiology, etiology, and treatment. LEC
424 Abnormal Child Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Description, diagnosis, causes, and treatment of childhood disorders, including ADHD, aggression, depression, anxiety, autism, and others. LEC
430 Evolutionary Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Major assumptions and research on how human behavior has evolved. Grounded in Darwin's theory of evolution but focusing on psychological processes. Topics include survival behaviors, mating strategies, parenting, help giving, and dominance. LEC
434 Animal Behavior (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Analysis of instinctive and learned behavior in characteristic animal types, correlating structure and function, fundamental principles of adaptation. LEC
435 Psychology of Reproduction (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Research on brain and hormone involvement in the control of behaviors relevant to all phases of reproduction (parental behavior and sex); infrahuman and human systems. LEC
436 Neuropsychology (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
A review and, wherever possible, a synthesis of research studies carried out mainly on humans that increase our understanding of how the brain works. LEC
439 Biopsychology of Stress (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Stress and the body's various reactions to it. LEC
461-475 Senior Seminar (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Topical seminars and laboratory courses. PSY461-469, psychology as a social science; PSY470-475, psychology as a life science. SEM
476-490 Special Topics (3)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Current theories, research, and controversies in the major subareas of psychology. PSY476-484, psychology as a social science; PSY485-490, psychology as a life science. Specific topics and content change each semester. LEC
496 Supervised Applied Experience (var)
Prerequisite: psychology major
A program of applied work in a community, government, or private agency or organization that is related to the major in psychology. Must be agreed upon by the student and a faculty sponsor in the department. Credit does not count toward the major. Graded P/F. TUT
497 Undergraduate Supervised Teaching (var)
Prerequisite: psychology major
Undergraduate teaching assistant (UTA) positions are available for certain psychology courses to those students who have completed the course or its equivalent with a grade of "A," have achieved junior status, and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 overall. Students must apply for UTA positions with the appropriate instructor. Credit does not count toward the major. Graded P/F. TUT
498 Independent Work (var)
Prerequisite: psychology major
A program of work to be agreed upon by the student and a faculty sponsor in the department. Credit does not count toward the major. Graded P/F. TUT
499 Independent Study (var)
Prerequisite: psychology major
A program of scholarship to be agreed upon by the student and a faculty sponsor in the department, including procedures for the evaluation of student performance. Student receives a letter grade. TUT
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall
Minimum GPA of 2.5 in prerequisite courses before full acceptance
Majors may not graduate with a GPA in psychology courses below 2.0. Majors who fall below a 2.0 GPA in psychology during any semester will be placed automatically on probation. Majors who remain below a 2.0 GPA in consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the department.
PSY496 Supervised Applied Experience, PSY497 Undergraduate Supervised Teaching, and PSY498 Independent Work do not count toward the course requirements for majors.
PSY400 Honors and PSY499 Independent Study may be taken for degree credit, but only 3 credit hours from this group will count toward major requirements.
Upper-level courses are open only to psychology majors; students are advised to apply early for the major in 283 Park Hall, preferably while enrolled in PSY250. Acceptance decisions can then be made contingent upon completion of PSY250, and registration in upper-level courses will be facilitated.
Prerequisite Courses
10 psychology credit hours, 8 mathematics credit hours
- PSY101 Introductory Psychology
- PSY207 Psychological Statistics
- PSY250 Scientific Inquiry in Psychology
- One two-course mathematics sequence (e.g., MTH121-122 Survey of
Calculus and Its Applications I-II or MTH141-142 College
Calculus I-II)
Major Requirements
BIO200 Evolutionary Biology
CHE101-102 General Chemistry or CHE105-106 Chemistry: Principles and Applications
Nine additional PSY courses, distributed as follows:
- Minimum of seven courses at 300/400-level or graduate level (500 level and above, taken with special permission as part of the undergraduate program), including PSY350 Advanced Research Methods in Psychology or another laboratory-based upper-level PSY course (from a department-approved list).
- Two courses from Group A - Psychology as a Social Science, listed after the B.A. requirements in this section.
- Four courses from Group B - Psychology as a Life Science, listed after the B.A. requirements in this section.
See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (page 254) for general education and remaining university requirements.
First Year
Fall-MTH121 or MTH141, CHE101 or CHE105
Spring-MTH122 or MTH142, CHE102 or CHE106
Second Year
Fall-PSY101, BIO200
Spring-PSY207, one 200-level PSY course
Third Year
Fall-PSY250, one 200-level PSY course
Spring-PSY350, three 300/400-level PSY courses
Fourth Year
Fall-Two 300/400-level PSY courses
Spring-One 300/400-level PSY course
Total required credit hours in psychology - 37
Total required credit hours outside psychology - 22
Students who have completed 60 credits but have not completed the prerequisite courses or achieved the minimum GPA of 2.5 may be provisionally accepted (283 Park Hall). Students who are accepted provisionally must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the prerequisites to be fully accepted into the department. Students who do not have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the prerequisites must repeat appropriate prerequisite coursework. The second grade in the repeated course will be honored by the department for the purpose of admission to the psychology major.
The joint major is possible only with other majors that offer the B.A. degree. Students must complete PSY101, MTH115 or equivalent,* PSY207, PSY250, and five additional courses, at least three of which must be 300/400-level courses. See B.A. required courses for additional restrictions. The joint major requires 25 credit hours in psychology.
Prerequisites
PSY101 Introductory Psychology
MTH115 Survey of Algebra and Trigonometry or equivalent* or higher
PSY207 Psychological Statistics
PSY250 Scientific Inquiry in Psychology
Major Requirements
Seven additional PSY courses distributed as follows:
- Minimum of five courses at the 300/400 level
- Minimum of two courses from Group A - Psychology as a Social Science, and two more from Group B - Psychology as a Life Science
See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (page 254) for general education and remaining university requirements.
First Year
Fall-PSY101, MTH115* or higher
Spring-PSY207, one 200-level PSY course
Second Year
Fall-PSY250, one 200-level PSY course
Spring-One 300/400-level PSY course
Third Year
Fall-One 300/400-level PSY course
Spring-One 300/400-level PSY course
Fourth Year
Fall-One 300/400-level PSY course
Spring-One 300/400-level PSY course
*Unless exempted by score on SAT, Advanced Placement credits, or transfer credits
Group A - Psychology as a Social Science
PSY212 Social Conflict and Its Resolution
PSY221 Psychology of Personality
PSY222 Abnormal Psychology
PSY223 Developmental Psychology
PSY224 Social Psychology
PSY225 Health Psychology
PSY229 Psychology of Work in Organizations
PSY231 Community Psychology
PSY232 Clinical Psychology
PSY300-303 Topics in Psychology (as a social science)
PSY308 Small-Group Processes
PSY309 Organizational Development and Change
PSY312 Self and Self-Esteem
PSY314 Social Cognition
PSY315 Psychology of Identity
PSY320 Adult Development and Aging
PSY325 Psychology of Human Sexuality
PSY352 Psychology of Race and Racism
PSY360 Psychology and Environmental Hazards
PSY361 Cross-Cultural Psychology
PSY362 Sport and Exercise Psychology
PSY404 Alcohol and Health
PSY410 Existential Psychology
PSY412 Psychology of Aggression and Violence
PSY414 Assessment of Individual Differences
PSY415 Psychology and Law
PSY418 Behavior Modification and Behavioral Medicine
PSY422 Anxiety Disorders
PSY423 Mood Disorders
PSY424 Abnormal Child Psychology
PSY430 Evolutionary Psychology
PSY461-469 Senior Seminars (in psychology as a social science)
PSY476-484 Special Topics (in psychology as a social science)
Group B - Psychology as a Life Science
PSY230 Biopsychology
PSY246 Sensory Processes and Perception
PSY247 Cognitive Psychology
PSY248 Introduction to Cognitive Science: Concepts of the Mind
PSY304-306 Topics in Psychology (as a life science)
PSY318 Biological Bases of Mental Disorders
PSY322 Language Development
PSY324 Psychophysiology
PSY345 Memory
PSY346 Animal Cognition
PSY347 Psychology of Music
PSY348 Psycholinguistics
PSY349 Motivational Theory
PSY351 Drug Addiction
PSY357 Cognitive Development
PSY402 Psychopharmacology
PSY416 Reasoning and Problem Solving
PSY419 Biological Bases of Memory
PSY421 Systems and Theories of Psychology
PSY434 Animal Behavior
PSY435 Psychology of Reproduction
PSY436 Neuropsychology
PSY439 Biopsychology of Stress
PSY470-475 Senior Seminars (in psychology as a life science)
PSY485-490 Special Topics (in psychology as a life science)
Total required credit hours in psychology - 31
Total required credit hours outside psychology - 4
MTH115 Algebra and Trigonometry or equivalent*
Questions and Comments about this site should be sent to:
- Academic Affairs
- Phone: (716) 645-6003
- Fax: (716) 645-2549
Last updated: Thursday, 09-Dec-2004 15:21:19 EST
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