By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Distinguish between sensation and perception
Describe the concepts of absolute threshold and difference threshold
Discuss the roles attention, motivation, and sensory adaptation play in perception

The first chapter provides an overview of the textbook and reviews the history of psychology and its methodology. Psychology is described as a science studying how hereditary (nature) and experiential (nurture) variables interact to influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals. The remainder of the text will be organized in sections entitled “Mostly Nature” (Biological Psychology; Sensation & Perception; Motivation & Emotion), “Mostly Nurture” (Direct Learning; Indirect Learning (i.e., observational learning and language); Cognition), and “Nature/Nurture” (Human Development; Personality; Social Psychology; Maladaptive Behavior; Professional Psychology and Human Potential).

"This course provides an introduction to important philosophical questions about the mind, specifically those that are intimately connected with contemporary psychology and neuroscience. Are our concepts innate, or are they acquired by experience? (And what does it even mean to call a concept 'innate'?) Are 'mental images' pictures in the head? Is color in the mind or in the world? Is the mind nothing more than the brain? Can there be a science of consciousness? The course will include guest lectures by Professors."

The topics of sensation and perception are among the oldest and most important in all of psychology. People are equipped with senses such as sight, hearing and taste that help us to take in the world around us. Amazingly, our senses have the ability to convert real-world information into electrical information that can be processed by the brain. The way we interpret this information-- our perceptions-- is what leads to our experiences of the world. In this module, you will learn about the biological processes of sensation and how these can be combined to create perceptions.

Sensation and perception are the processes by which we absorb information from environmental stimuli and convert it into data that our brains and bodies use to modify behavior. This course begins with sensation, the physical process by which we use our sense organs to respond to the environmental stimuli around us. Perception refers to our interpretation of stimuli. In this course, the student will identify the ways in which these processes can fail, the biology of both the hearing system and the visual system, and how the other senses (smell, taste, and touch) affect perception. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: describe the sensory systems; distinguish between sensation and perception; explain how sensory and perceptual processes shape our experience of 'reality;' explain the basic principles of classical psychophysics; explain how sensation and perception relate to cognition; explain how human sensory systems respond to energy in the physical environment (i.e. light waves, air pressure, chemical molecules, etc.), transforming it into a perceptual experience that the brain can understand (i.e. sight, sound, smell, etc.); compare and contrast the major theoretical perspectives on sensation and perception, including direct perception, indirect perception, and the information processing perspective; compare and contrast the five sensory systems in terms of their sensory/anatomical set-up and perceptual organization; explain the roles of evolution, development, society, prior knowledge, and inference in our perceptual judgments and our conscious experiences; identify and define the leading terms, concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in the study of sensation and perception; compare and contrast psychological principles, theories, and methods as they pertain to sensory and neurological systems; critically read, understand, and evaluate scientific literature, understand and use scientific and technical vocabulary, and synthesize information from multiple sources. (Psychology 306)

This course will introduce you to the concepts of social psychology, which focuses primarily on the individual's psychology as part of the group or society. Because humans are social creatures and almost invariably exist in a social context, social psychology deals with a huge range of aspects of human life, including love, attraction, aggression, helping behaviors (or altruism), and obedience. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Identify the specific areas of research interest within the field of social psychology; Read and understand articles pertaining to experiments and other empirical research in the field of social psychology; Outline the basic methodology, results, and impact of seminal research studies in social psychology (e.g., Milgram's study, Asch's study, Festinger's study, etc.); Explain how the notion of the 'self' contributes to cognitive processes in social interaction; Demonstrate an awareness of the main research findings in the area of social persuasion; Define the term 'attitude' and identify the mechanisms behind attitude change; Discuss the cognitive and affective theories/components linked to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination; Identify the basic properties of and factors involved in interpersonal attraction and the formation and maintenance of relationships; Demonstrate an awareness of the breadth and importance of social psychological research and its impact in the field of psychology. (Psychology 301)

This course examines interpersonal and group dynamics, considers how the thoughts, feelings, and actions of individuals are influenced by (and influence) the beliefs, values, and practices of large and small groups. Learning occurs through a combination of lectures, demonstrations and in-class activities complemented by participation in small study groups and completion of homework assignments.

Supplementary work on individual or group basis. Registration subject to prior arrangement for subject matter and supervision by staff. From the course home page: Millions of people are on-line today and the number is rapidly growing - yet this virtual crowd is often invisible. In this course we will examine ways of visualizing people, their activities and their interactions. Students will study the cognitive and cultural basis for social visualization through readings drawn from sociology, psychology and interface design and they will explore new ways of depicting virtual crowds and mapping electronic spaces through a series of design exercises.

This course examines the issues, principles, and challenges toward building machines that cooperate with humans and with other machines. Philosophical, scientific, and theoretical insights into this subject will be covered, as well as how these ideas are manifest in both natural and artificial systems (e.g. software agents and robots).

An advanced seminar on issues of current interest in human and machine vision. Topics vary from year to year. Participants discuss current literature as well as their ongoing research.

Personality psychology is the study of the development of personality, the effects of personality on important outcomes, and maladaptive personality characteristics. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Identify research methodologies involved in the science of personality psychology; Describe the purpose of comprehensive clinical theories in the field of personality psychology; Compare and contrast major classical theories of personality (i.e., humanism, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, behaviorism, cognitive, and social-cognitive theories of personality); Describe the main concerns of trait theorists, the influential figures who helped develop this perspective, and the sequential development leading up to the current understanding of traits; Define the main components of the five-factor model of personality; Identify the theory, methodology, and main findings of the empirical journal articles assigned; Describe the important contributions of the biological/evolutionary perspective made to personality psychology; Describe the intrapersonal and interpersonal function of emotion as an expression of personality. (Psychology 405)