Psychology
Overview
Psychology is the scientific study and application of knowledge related to the behavioral and cognitive processes of humans and other animals. Students in the New College psychology program will develop familiarity with existing knowledge of at least four broad subfields within psychology, as well as develop depth of knowledge in an area of their choosing. Classes will provide students with a critical and methodological framework to evaluate this body of existing knowledge, and the statistics, methods, and lab courses will provide multiple opportunities for them to acquire and practice the skills they need to create new knowledge in the field. The program is designed to give students the tools needed to think critically about psychological concepts, whether as careful consumers of scientific information in everyday life or as researchers creating new knowledge in a laboratory. Graduates are able to apply their psychological knowledge and skills having developed greater insight into individual and group behavior.
The Area of Concentration (AOC) in Psychology is designed both for students wishing to pursue graduate work in the field and for students who need to gain skills appropriate for meaningful work. The program includes courses often listed as prerequisites for graduate schools in the discipline as well as an emphasis on critical thinking, clear speaking and writing, project management, data analysis, and fruitful collaboration. The major also provides the breadth characteristic of a liberal arts education.
Labs are offered in five main areas: Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Social and Personality Psychology, Biological Psychology, and Neuroscience and Behavior. Topics within each area vary; students can choose between labs that focus on humans, other animals, or comparative labs studying both humans and other animals.
Faculty in Psychology
Michelle Barton, Associate Professor of Psychology
Cory Clark, Associate Professor of Psychology
Steven Graham, Associate Professor of Psychology
Patricia Jewel Morrison, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Matthew Schalles, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Requirements for the AOC in Psychology
A minimum of twelve (12) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Introductory Course | |
| Select one of the following: | |
| Introduction to Experimental Psychology | |
| Intermediate Courses | |
| PSYC 2050 | |
| Select four of the following: | |
| Social Psychology | |
| Developmental Psychology | |
| Personality Psychology | |
| Intermediate I/O Psychology | |
| Biopsychology | |
| Cognitive Psychology | |
| Advanced Courses (Two 2 full units of advanced courses required. Note that 2 mod length courses = 1 full unit; mod length are noted below with **) | |
| Laboratory classes (see next section) can also fulfill the Advanced Class requirement. Advanced level tutorials with a psychology professor can also fulfill the Advanced Class requirement. | |
| You need 2 full units of advanced courses. Note that 2 mod length courses = 1 full unit; mod lengh are noted below with ** | |
| Select two of the following: | |
PSYC 3200 | |
| Neuromusicology | |
| Employee Training & Development | |
| Leadership in Organizations | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience | |
| Positive Psychology | |
PSYC 4500 | |
| Close Relationships | |
| Laboratory Course | |
| Select one of the following: | |
| Electrophysiology of Cognition Lab | |
PSYC 4200 | |
| Tests & Measures | |
PSYC 4650 | |
| Statistics and Methodology | |
| Students must take Research Methods in Psychology. Students must take EITHER STA 2122 OR BOTH STA 2023 AND STA 2024. | |
| Introduction to Applied Statistics | |
| Dealing with Data II | |
| Introduction to Applied Statis | |
| Research Methods in Psychology | |
| Additional Requirements | |
| Both senior seminars are required, along with the thesis and baccalaureate exam: | |
| Psychology Senior Seminar 1 | |
| Psychology Senior Seminar 2 | |
- 2
In exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis with prior approval from the student's thesis sponsor, tutorials may be used to fulfill the Senior Seminars requirement.
Requirements for the Joint AOC in Psychology
A minimum of seven and one-half (7.5) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Introductory Course | |
| Select one of the following: | |
| Introduction to Experimental Psychology | |
PSYC 2050 | |
| Intermediate Courses | |
| Select three of the following: | |
| Social Psychology | |
| Developmental Psychology | |
| Personality Psychology | |
| Intermediate I/O Psychology | |
| Biopsychology | |
| Cognitive Psychology | |
| Advanced Course | |
| Laboratory classes (see next section) can also fulfill the Advanced Class requirement. | |
| Select one of the following: (You need 1 full unit of an advanced course.*note that 2 mod length courses = 1 full unit; mod length are noted below with *) | |
PSYC 3200 | |
| Neuromusicology | |
| Employee Training & Development | |
| Leadership in Organizations | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience | |
| Positive Psychology | |
PSYC 4500 | |
| Close Relationships | |
| Laboratory Course | |
| Only one module (1/2 academic unit) of lab is required for the Joint AOC, to be negotiated with a sponsor and completed via tutorial. One of the following full-semester labs can also fulfill this requirement but students must then complete the entire semester-long course: | |
| Electrophysiology of Cognition Lab | |
PSYC 4200 | |
| Tests & Measures | |
PSYC 4650 | |
| Statistics and Methodology | |
| Students must take the research methods course. Students must take EITHER STA 2122 OR BOTH STA 2023 AND STA 2024. | |
| Introduction to Applied Statistics | |
| Dealing with Data II | |
| Introduction to Applied Statis | |
| Research Methods in Psychology | |
Requirements for a Secondary Field in Psychology
A minimum of six (6) academic units.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| Introductory Course | |
| Select one of the following: | |
| Introduction to Experimental Psychology | |
PSYC 2050 | |
| Intermediate, Advanced, or Laboratory Courses | |
| Laboratory classes (see next section) can also fulfill the Advanced Class requirement. | |
| Select four of the following: (You need 4 full units of intermediate or advanced courses.*note that 2 mod length courses = 1 full unit; mod length are noted below with *) | |
| Developmental Psychology | |
PSYC 3200 | |
| Personality Psychology | |
| Intermediate I/O Psychology | |
PSYC 3550 | |
| Biopsychology | |
| Cognitive Psychology | |
| Neuromusicology | |
| Employee Training & Development | |
| Leadership in Organizations | |
| Electrophysiology of Cognition Lab | |
PSYC 4200 | |
| Tests & Measures | |
| Positive Psychology | |
PSYC 4500 | |
| Close Relationships | |
PSYC 4650 | |
| STATISTICS | |
| Students must take EITHER STA 2122 or take BOTH STA 2023 AND STA 2024. | |
| Introduction to Applied Statistics | |
| Dealing with Data II | |
| Introduction to Applied Statis | |
Other Recommended Courses
In order to provide additional breadth and perspective, psychology students are encouraged (but not required) to take courses in other disciplines that will complement their programs of study. Areas that may be of interest include philosophy, mathematics, computer science, biology, physics, anthropology, sociology, political science, and religion.
Representative Senior Theses in Psychology
- Academic Satisfaction in College Students and Relatedness to Instructors, Parents, and Peers
- Associations of Executive Function and Bilingualism to Programming Skills in Children Aged 5-6
- Shop 'Til You Drop: A Working Memory Training Program for Older Adults to Improve Memory in Grocery Shopping Transfer Task
- Do Children Who Know More, Care More? Environmental Knowledge and Scope of Justice
- Executive Control and Language Mode in Monolingual and Bilingual Young Adults
- Serial Position Learning in Honeybees
- Community Impact: Murals & Public Art
- Communication Technology in Romantic Relationship: The Importance of Age
- The Transigent Circle: Exploring Psychospiritual Group Work as an Avenue to Spiritual Wellness and Enculturation within College Communities
- Recovery From Rape-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Eye Tracking and Baseball and Softball Batting Performance
- Synchrony Between a Mother-Calf Pair of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncates)
- The Strong and the Silent: Young Men and Emotional Intimacy
- Exploring the Influence of Language on Pitch Perception: The Tritone Paradox in Spanish-Speaking, English- Speaking and Bilingual Populations