Page 213 of Boston College 2006-2007 University Catalog by Boston College University

ment bear upon the subsequent adaptation of an individual, and will generate an appreciation of normal and pathological behavior in the context of the individual, his or her developmental history, and current conditions. Examples of specific topics include the developmental impact of parent-child attachment, child maltreatment, peer relationships, and resilience in development. Amy Tishelman PS 363 Early Cognitive Development (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 260 or permission of the instructor In this course we explore the astonishing cognitive capacities of infants and young children, plus some of their strange misconceptions and cognitive limitations. Questions we address include: Do they believe that objects continue to exist when they are no longer visible? Do they have an inborn capacity to do simple arithmetic? Can they tell the difference between a picture of an object and the real thing? What do their first words mean? Do they realize that other people have minds? We will look at Piagets answers to such questions, as well as at what more contemporary researchers have found. Stacee Goodpaster Ellen Winner PS 364 Interpersonal Violence (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 241 or PS 242 This course will review research, assessment, treatment, and current controversies in the area of family violence, focusing on child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, and spousal abuse. The course will consist of a combination of a lecture and class discussion of the issues, including those related to memories of abuse, identification of abuse, and the legal, psychological, and social ramifications of extracting women and children from abusive homes. Amy Tishelman PS 366 Social and Emotional Development (Spring: 3) Karen Rosen PS 371 Cognitive Neuroscience: Exploring Mind and Brain (Fall: 3) Prerequisites: PS 110 and PS 272 or PS 274 or PS 285 Traditional cognitive psychology relies on information processing theory to unravel how the mind works. Pure forms of neuroscience study brain physiology but often neglect the ever-present mind. This course will bridge the gap by exploring the human mind and brain through advanced technology such as fMRI, PET and ERPs as well as neuropsychological case studies. Memory, higher perceptual functions, and emotion are among some of the topic areas to be examined. Scott Slotnick PS 373 Spatial Cognition (Spring: 3) In this course, we will explore the mind/brain systems that support human (and where appropriate non-human animal) interactions with different scales of space figural (or object), vista (room-sized) and environmental. Topics will be reviewed from cognitive, neuroscientific, psychometric, and developmental perspectives, and will include: spatial working memory, sex-related differences in spatial ability, sense of direction, cognitive maps, spatial reference systems, spatial navigation. Jeanne Sholl PS 375 Human Memory (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 110 The field of memory research studies how people organize, maintain, and access experiences they have had, and knowledge and information they have encountered. This course introduces the theories, methodologies, and findings in current memory research. Topics, among others, include memory structures, processes, the flow of information, implicit and explicit memory, working memory, short- and long-term memory as they are currently defined, metacognitive processes, memory and aging, and the neuroscience of memory. Elizabeth Kensinger PS 377 Psycholinguistics (Fall: 3) Prerequisites: PS 272, PS 254 This course explores classic issues in the interface of language and mind. Topics include language acquisition (both by children and by adults); the psychological reality of generative grammars; versions of the innateness hypothesis; speech production, perception, and processing; and the question of whether animals other than humans communicate through language. Julia Fisher PS 386 Psychopharmacology: Behavior, Performance, and Brain Function (Fall: 3) Prerequisites: PS 264, PS 285 or PS 287 This course explores Psychopharmacology, the science of drugs and behavior. We will discuss synaptic neurochemistry associated with a number of specific mechanisms of drug action and outline brain circuits which mediate drug actions such as reward. Major classes of psychotropic drugs will be introduced including both drugs of abuse and psychotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of mood disorders and psychosis. Tamara Bond PS 387 Developmental Psychobiology (Fall: 3) Prerequisite: PS 285 or PS 286 This course will examine the interaction among genetic and environmental influences on the development of the nervous system and behavior. A multi-level analysis will be emphasized, ranging from cellular control of gene expression during development to complex behavioral phenomena. Marilee P. Ogren-Balkema PS 389 Hormones and Behavior (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 285 This course discusses the relationships between hormones, brain function, and behavior. Topics include: molecular mechanisms of hormone action; the endocrine stress response and its relationship to emotions and pathology; hormonal regulation of food intake and energy balance and its relationship to eating disorders; neural and hormonal basis of sexual and parental behaviors; circadian rhythms and seasonal breeding; ecological constraints on reproduction; the effects of hormones on nervous system development and behavior. Michael Numan PS 399 Advanced Independant Research (Fall/Spring: 6) Ellen Winner PS 440 Seminar in Positive Psychology (Spring: 3) Prerequisites: PS 121 and either PS 241 or PS 242 This advanced undergraduate seminar reflects a new direction in psychology that focuses on topics that emphasize peoples positive characteristics and processes. Characteristics that will be studied include happiness, kindness, generosity, love and gratitude. Growth, healing, relatedness and curiosity are among the processes that will be examined. The course will also address the antecedents and consequences of ARTS AND SCIENCES The Boston College Catalog 2006-2007 213

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