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: PSYC UN1001 and a statistics course (PSYC UN1610 or the equivalent), or the instructor's permission. Corequisites: PSYC UN1421 Introduction to the techniques of research employed in the study of human behavior. Students gain experience in the conduct of research, including design of simple experiments, observation and measurement techniques, and the analysis of behavioral data.
Corequisites:
PSYC UN1420
Corequisites:
PSYC UN1420
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.
The course will provide the rigorous data science training and core content knowledge students need to use data science to effect policy changes that promote a more just society. The course will leverage the academic expertise of psychologists, lawyers and data scientists, the perspectives and experiences of community members and students affiliated with the Center for Justice, and policymakers from government agencies and community organizations. The focus will be on collaborating with community and government organizations to propose data-informed solutions that center on those most impacted by failures of the justice system. Students will learn how to promote a more just society through combining data, disciplinary knowledge, and fine-grained, and on-the-ground experience. They will learn how to approach policy relevant data with an explicit justice mindset such that they consider the implications of specific policies for achieving a more just, racially equitable outcome.
The course will provide the rigorous data science training and core content knowledge students need to use data science to effect policy changes that promote a more just society. The course will leverage the academic expertise of psychologists, lawyers and data scientists, the perspectives and experiences of community members and students affiliated with the Center for Justice, and policymakers from government agencies and community organizations. The focus will be on collaborating with community and government organizations to propose data-informed solutions that center on those most impacted by failures of the justice system. Students will learn how to promote a more just society through combining data, disciplinary knowledge, and fine-grained, and on-the-ground experience. They will learn how to approach policy relevant data with an explicit justice mindset such that they consider the implications of specific policies for achieving a more just, racially equitable outcome.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 Recommended preparation: one course in behavioral science and knowledge of high school algebra. Corequisites: PSYC UN1611 Introduction to statistics that concentrates on problems from the behavioral sciences.
Corequisites: PSYC UN1610 Required lab section for PSYC UN1610.
Corequisites: PSYC UN1610 Required lab section for PSYC UN1610.
Research Methods in Neuroscience: Circuits and Cells offers students a unique opportunity to combine theoretical knowledge with practical skills development. This course pairs a weekly lecture with hands-on laboratory experiences, giving students a chance to see what day to day neuroscience research entails. The first three weeks of the semester will cover introductory topics in neuroscience, the scientific method, and experimental design. Then students will participate in three 3-week long modules covering human cognition, animal behavior, and neurological disease. The last two weeks of the course will be spent preparing students for a successful undergraduate research experience. Throughout the semester students will read scientific review articles to deepen their understanding of the lecture material and to contextualize that week’s lab experience.
This is the lab component for PSYC UN1950 Neuroscience Methods: Cells and Circuits.
An introduction to basic concepts in cognitive psychology. Topics include theories and
phenomena in areas such as attention, memory, concepts and categories, language, reasoning,
decision making, and consciousness.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 or the instructors permission. Memory, attention, and stress in human cognition.
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 focuses on perception and cognition in social life. We start by addressing the core social motivations we experience in everyday life (e.g., our desire to feel like we belong to a group). Next, we examine how these motivations shape our basic sensory experiences—for example why we can’t help but anthropomorphize inanimate objects or enjoy holding hands with our partner. We then examine the mental strategies we use to meet our social needs, such as how we figure out other people’s thoughts and feelings, as well as our own. Finally, we wrap up by examining how these motivations, perceptions, and cognitions play out not just within one mind – but also between minds in everyday social interaction. This course will not only teach you the fundamental science behind the social mind. It will also let you see your own social life through a whole new lens.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010 or the instructors permission. Examines the principles governing neuronal activity, the role of neurotransmitter systems in memory and motivational processes, the presumed brain dysfunctions that give rise to schizophrenia and depression, and philosophical issues regarding the relationship between brain activity and subjective experience.
Prerequisites: PSYC W1001 or PSYC W1010, or the equivalent. The effects of psychoactive drugs on the brain and behavior.
Prerequisites: An introductory psychology course.
This course offers an introduction to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of psychopathology. We will provide an overview of psychopathology as defined in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5). Significant updates in the DSM-5-TR (Text Revision) will be noted. The course is comprehensive in scope and will incorporate theoretical perspectives, scientific research, and socio-cultural issues, which inform the conceptualization and treatment of psychological problems and psychiatric disorders.
Surveys important methods, findings, and theories in the study of social influences on behavior. Emphasizes different perspectives on the relation between individuals and society.
Many of us know a second language. How we use it varies – some use it occasionally, others routinely. Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has shed light on the mechanisms associated with the various types of bilingualism, and has shown that using two languages affects a variety of cognitive abilities, starting in infancy and continuing until an old age. The primary findings of recent research in cognitive neuroscience are reviewed and discussed in this course. Bilingualism also has a political facet – governments decide what languages are used in public institutions and taught in schools. This course also evaluates scientific findings on bilingualism for their potential implications on informing parents, educators, and policy makers.
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.
The aim of this course is to examine the biological bases of individual differences in behavior. We will start by examining how individual differences in behavior and health are shaped by gene-environment interactions. We will complement these studies with the endophenotype approach and discuss its role in our contemporary views of complex disorders. We will then introduce behavioral epigenetics studies that are suggested to mediate the effects of gene-environment interactions at different levels of analysis. We will continue by discussing how these topics shape and are shaped by developmental programming. We will end the semester by discussing the major debates around these topics as well as their implications in real life and public policies. By covering these topics, students are expected to gain a better understanding of how our behavior is i) formed and shaped by gene-environment interactions over time, ii) influenced by the underlying physiological and epigenetic mechanisms, and iii) changed by developmental processes. With this information, the students are expected to view individual differences in behavior in a perspective that is highly interdisciplinary and dynamic.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1010, PSYC UN2280, PSYC UN2620, or PSYC UN2680, and the instructors permission. Considers contemporary risk factors in childrens lives. The immediate and enduring biological and behavioral impact of risk factors.
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.
Presently, suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) are on the rise, particularly among racially and
ethnically minoritized youth. The seminar is designed to enhance understanding of: (a)
prevalence, (b) etiology, (c) risk factors (d) mechanisms (e.g., phenotypes and biological
markers), (e) prevention and treatment approaches, and (f) ethical considerations
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 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.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1010 PSYC UN1010 or equivalent; background in statistics/research methods recommended How does the human brain make sense of the acoustic world? What aspects of auditory perception do humans share with other animals? How does the brain perform the computations necessary for skills such as soundlocalization? How do we focus our auditory attention on one voice in a crowd? What acoustic cues are important for speech perception? How is music perceived? These are the types of questions we will address by studyingthe basics of auditory perception from textbook readings and reviews, and reading classic and current literatureto understand scientific progress in the field today.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or equivalent introductory psychology course What is curiosity and how do we study it? How does curiosity facilitate learning? This course will explore the various conceptual and methodological approaches to studying curiosity and curiosity-driven learning, including animal and human studies of brain 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.
This course will provide an overview of the field of parental and social biology, with an emphasis on changes in the adult rodent brain surrounding childbirth and caretaking behavior. We will explore how the experience of parenthood prepares the brain for survival of offspring. We will also discuss the dynamic between caregivers and parents in order to provide the structure necessary to rear young. This course will illustrate the fortitude of molecular, behavioral and circuit level investigations in concert to unveil mechanisms of social learning.
Prerequisites: basic background in neurobiology (for instance PSYC UN1010, UN2450, UN2460, UN2480, and GU4499) and the instructors permission. This course will provide an overview of the field of epigenetics, with an emphasis on epigenetic phenomena related to neurodevelopment, behavior and mental disorders. We will explore how epigenetic mechanisms can be mediators of environmental exposures and, as such, contribute to psychopathology throughout the life course. We will also discuss the implications of behavioral epigenetic research for the development of substantially novel pharmacotherapeutic approaches and preventive measures in psychiatry.
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.
Prerequisites: Two courses in psychology, including at least one course with a focus on research methods
and/or statistics, and permission of the instructor.
Review of theories and empirical research related to religious cognition and behavior. Topics include the
foundations of religious belief and practice, people's concepts of religious ideas, and the lack of religious
belief/identity (e.g., atheism), among others.
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 course provides an introduction to the most widely used methods for measuring and analyzing human brain activity and their application in cognitive neuroscience, complemented by weekly hands-on interactive labs to deepen understanding, experience measurements, and explore analyses.
Practical and theoretical issues relating to the teaching of psychology and the psychology of teaching.
Prerequisites: permission of the faculty member who will direct the teaching. Participation in ongoing teaching.
Prerequisites: permission of the departmental adviser to Graduate Studies.
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.