Courses 2024-25

Please consult the Schedule of Classes for the current quarter's schedule. Class offerings are subject to change.

PSYC 30510. Computing for the Social Sciences. (MACS 30500). This is an applied course for social scientists with little-to-no programming experience who wish to harness growing digital and computational resources. The focus of the course is on learning the basics of programming and on generating reproducible research. Topics include coding concepts (e.g., data structures, control structures, functions, etc.), data visualization, data wrangling and cleaning, version control software, exploratory data analysis, etc. Students will leave the course with basic computational skills implemented through many methods and approaches to social science; while students will not become expert programmers, they will gain the knowledge of how to adapt and expand these skills as they are presented with new questions, methods, and data. The course will be taught in R. J. Clipperton, Autumn, Winter, Spring.  Note: MACS students have priority.

PSYC 30550. From Data to Mansucript in R. (MAPS 30550). This course tackles the basic skills needed to build an integrated research report with the R programming language. We will cover every step from data to manuscript including: Using R's libraries to clean up and re-format messy datasets, preparing data sets for analysis, running statistical tools, generating clear and attractive figures and tables, and knitting those bits of code together with your manuscript writing. The result will be a reproducible, open-science friendly report that you can easily update after finishing data collection or receiving comments from readers. Never copy-paste your way through a table again! The R universe is large, so this course will focus specifically on: The core R libraries, the tidyverse library, and R Markdown. Students will also learn about the use of GitHub for version control. N. Dowling, Winter.

PSYC 30700. Sensation and Perception.What we see and hear depends on energy that enters the eyes and ears, but what we actually experience-perception-follows from human neural responses. This course focuses on visual and auditory phenomena, including basic percepts (for example, acuity, brightness, color, loudness, pitch) and also more complex percepts such as movement and object recognition. Biological underpinnings of perception are an integral part of the course. K. Ledoux, Winter.

PSYC 31150. Psychology of Race and Racism. This upper-level seminar will focus on the psychology of race and racism. We will discuss both structural and individual level factors that create and maintain racism in the U.S. context. While this course will focus on social psychology, we will also draw from other areas of psychology. We will discuss social structures and institutions that perpetuate racism, policies that shape societal attitudes and behaviors, and psychological frameworks for understanding racism. We will begin the course with a discussion of the origins of race and racism. We will then transition to contemporary expressions of racism. The goals of this course are to analyze structural contexts influencing racist attitudes and behaviors, evaluate the impact of racism on racially minoritized groups, and to examine strategies and interventions to address racism. K. Henderson, Autumn.

PSYC 31600 (CHDV 30901). Biopsychology of Sex Differences. This course will explore the biological basis of mammalian sex differences and reproductive behaviors. We will consider a variety of species, including humans. We will address the physiological, hormonal, ecological and social basis of sex differences. To get the most from this course, students should have some background in biology, preferably from taking an introductory course in biology or biological psychology. J. Mateo, Autumn.

PSYC 31755 Longitudinal Research. (MAPS 31755). This course will introduce students to longitudinal research methods used in psychological research. This includes both the design of longitudinal studies and the use of statistical techniques to analyze longitudinal data. Students will gain experience with reading research reports using longitudinal data and develop the skills necessary to conduct and report on their own longitudinal research. Students should already be familiar with basic research methods and statistics (including regression analysis). This class will use R for data analysis and assumes student familiarity with R and/or another programming language. H. Hamilton, Winter.

PSYC 31900. The Neuroscience of Narratives. Narratives have a powerful hold over the human mind. People are more often convinced by a compelling story than by concrete facts. More broadly, people use narratives to organize their thoughts and communicate their ideas. Recent advances in natural language processing (NLP) tools and neuroscience methods provide exciting new opportunities to study how the brain understands and constructs narratives. The goal for this seminar is to provide an in-depth look into the cutting-edge research on the neuroscience of narratives. We will begin with a review of the burgeoning literature on the use of narratives in cognitive and social neuroscience. We will then introduce NLP approaches that provide a framework to model narratives computationally, and discuss how NLP models can be combined with neuroscience measures in a synergistic manner. Finally, we will discuss how studying the neuroscience of narratives can provide insights into people's mental models of the world. This class is designed as a graduate seminar, however, advanced undergraduate students with backgrounds in either cognitive neuroscience or natural language processing can register with instructor consent. Y.C. Leong, Spring

PSYC 32220. Understanding Inequality as a Psychologist. Inequality within and across social groups has risen sharply in the past few decades. What are the early traces and psychological mechanisms of this pervasive phenomenon? In this seminar, we will discuss these questions from multiple angles, integrating developmental, social and cognitive psychology. Specifically, this course will cover topics in early social cognition, including social categorization, essentialism, structural reasoning, normative reasoning, stereotypes and prejudice, etc. Students will evaluate past studies throughout the course and propose original research at the end. L. Bian, Autumn.

PSYC 33000. Cultural Psychology. (CHDV 31000). There is a substantial portion of the psychological nature of human beings that is neither homogeneous nor fixed across time and space. At the heart of the discipline of cultural psychology is the tenet of psychological pluralism, which states that the study of "normal" psychology is the study of multiple psychologies and not just the study of a single or uniform fundamental psychology for all peoples of the world. Research findings in cultural psychology thus raise provocative questions about the integrity and value of alternative forms of subjectivity across cultural groups. In this course we analyze the concept of "culture" and examine ethnic and cross-cultural variations in mental functioning with special attention to the cultural psychology of emotions, self, moral judgment, categorization, and reasoning. R. Shweder, Winter.

PSYC 33165. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Morality. Morality is essential for societal functioning and central to human flourishing. People across all cultures seem to have the same sense about morality. They simply know what morality is, often without being able to concretely define what exactly it means to label something as a moral kind. But when one tries to more precisely and scientifically define what morality is, things become less clear and more complex. As we'll see in the class, the field of morality is incredibly dynamic and characterized more by competing theories and perspectives than by scientific consensus. The past decades have seen an explosion of theoretical and empirical research in the study of morality. Amongst the most exciting and novel findings and theories, evolutionary biologists and anthropologists have shown that morality has evolved to facilitate cooperation and social interactions. Developmental psychologists came up with ingenious paradigms, demonstrating that some elements underpinning morality are in place much earlier than we thought in preverbal infants. Social psychologists and behavioral economists examine the relative roles of emotion and reasoning, as well as how social situations affect moral or amoral behavior. Social neuroscientists are mapping neural and hormonal mechanisms implicated in moral decision-making. The lesson from all this new knowledge is clear: moral cognition and behavior cannot be separated from biology, human development, culture, and social context. J. Decety, Autumn.

PSYC 33662. The Disordered Mind. What are disorders of the mind? What are some of the theoretical and practical issues surrounding the identification, classification, and treatment of such disorders? What do mental disorders have to teach us about the typically-functioning mind? This seminar course will address these and other questions within biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives to attempt to understand the current and historical paradigms that have influenced our perception of what it means for the mind to be "disordered." Included will be discussion of behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and developmental disorders. K. Ledoux, Spring.

PSYC 33830. Attention and Working Memory in the Mind and Brain. This course will provide a broad overview of current work in psychology and neuroscience related to attention and working memory. We will discuss evidence for sharp capacity limits in an individual's ability to actively monitor and maintain information in an "online" mental state. Readings will be primarily based on original source articles from peer-reviewed journals, with a focus on behavioral and neural approaches for measuring and understanding these basic cognitive processes. E. Vogel, E. Awh, Winter.

PSYC 33910. Hormones, Brains, and Behavior. This is an advanced course in behavioral neuroscience, with the goal of understanding the complex interactions among the brain, the endocrine system, and behavior (Behavioral Endocrinology). Reproductive hormones, stress hormones and hormone-brain interactions over development will be emphasized. The class will cover multiple levels of analysis/explanation from molecular, to organismal, to evolutionary, and the material will be primary research articles drawn from studies in a broad range of organisms, including humans. The course format will consist of weekly lectures and student-led discussions. Prior coursework in neuroscience (at or beyond the level of PSYC 20300) and a strong background in biology are prerequisites. B. Prendergast, Spring.

PSYC 34060. Understanding Practical Wisdom. Thinking about the nature of wisdom goes back to the Greek philosophers and the classical religious sages, but the concept of wisdom has changed in many ways over the history of thought. While wisdom has received less scholarly attention in modern times, it has recently re-emerged in popular discourse with a growing recognition of its potential importance for addressing complex issues in many domains. But what is wisdom? It's often used with a meaning more akin to "smart" or "clever." Is it just vast knowledge? This course will examine the nature of wisdom-how it has been defined in philosophy and psychological science, how its meaning has changed, and what its essential components might be. We will discuss how current philosophical and psychological theories conceptualize wisdom and consider whether, and how, wisdom can be studied scientifically; that is, can wisdom be measured and experimentally manipulated to illuminate its underlying mechanisms and understand its functions? Finally, we will explore how concepts of wisdom can be applied in business, education, medicine, the law, and in the course of our everyday lives. Readings will be drawn from a wide array of disciplines including philosophy, classics, history, psychology, behavioral economics, medicine, and public policy. The course will include lectures by philosophers and psychologists. This course is offered in association with the Chicago Moral Philosophy Project and the Good Life program (the Hyde Park Institute). A. Henly, H. Nusbaum, Spring.

PSYC 34810. Neuroeconomics. In this seminar, we will review recent research spanning across the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and economics that inform our understanding of how the brain makes decisions. We will focus on the neural processes that give rise to choice behavior in different contexts. Topics include decisions that are based on learned rewards and punishments, decisions under risk and uncertainty, social preferences, and strategies in games. A. Bakkour, Spring.

PSYC 36008. Principles and Methods of Measurement. (SOSC 36008). Accurate measurement of key theoretical constructs with known and consistent psychometric properties is one of the essential steps in quantitative social and behavioral research. However, measurement of phenomena that are not directly observable (such as psychological attributes, perceptions of organizational climate, or quality of services) is difficult. Much of the research in psychometrics has been developed in an attempt to properly define and quantify such phenomena. This course is designed to introduce students to the relevant concepts, principles, and methods underlying the construction and interpretation of tests or measures. It provides in-depth coverage of test reliability and validity, topics in test theory, and statistical procedures applicable to psychometric methods. Such understanding is essential for rigorous practice in measurement as well as for proper interpretation of research. The course is highly recommended for students who plan to pursue careers in academic research or applied practice involving the use or development of tests or measures in the social and behavioral sciences. Yanyan Sheng, Spring.

PSYC 36210 (CPNS 31000). Mathematical Models for Biological Sciences I. This course builds on the introduction to modeling course biology students take in the first year (BIOS 20151 or 152). It begins with a review of one-variable ordinary differential equations as models for biological processes changing with time, and proceeds to develop basic dynamical systems theory. Analytic skills include stability analysis, phase portraits, limit cycles, and bifurcations. Linear algebra concepts are introduced and developed, and Fourier methods are applied to data analysis. The methods are applied to diverse areas of biology, such as ecology, neuroscience, regulatory networks, and molecular structure.The students learn to implement the models using Python in the Jupyter notebook platform. D. Kondrashov, Autumn.

PSYC 36211 (CPNS 31100). Mathematical Models for Biological Sciences II. This course is a continuation of BIOS 26210. The topics start with optimization problems, such as nonlinear least squares fitting, principal component analysis and sequence alignment. Stochastic models are introduced, such as Markov chains, birth-death processes, and diffusion processes, with applications including hidden Markov models, tumor population modeling, and networks of chemical reactions. In computer labs, students learn optimization methods and stochastic algorithms, e.g., Markov Chain, Monte Carlo, and Gillespie algorithm. Students complete an independent project on a topic of their interest. D. Kondrashov, Winter.

PSYC 36455. Relationships and Health: The Need to Belong. (MAPS 36455). This seminar will explore the theory that the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation. In our discussions of relevant psychology journal articles, we will examine the connections between relationships and health, how the need to belong is related to empathy, reactions to rejection, and substitutes for belonging. H. Hamilton, Winter.

PSYC 36520. Mind, Brain and Meaning. (LING 36520).  What is the relationship between physical processes in the brain and body and the processes of thought and consciousness that constitute our mental life? Philosophers and others have puzzled over this question for millennia. Many have concluded it to be intractable. In recent decades, the field of cognitive science--encompassing philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, and other disciplines--has proposed a new form of answer. The driving idea is that the interaction of the mental and the physical may be understood via a third level of analysis: that of the computational. This course offers a critical introduction to the elements of this approach, and surveys some of the alternative models and theories that fall within it. Readings are drawn from a range of historical and contemporary sources in philosophy, psychology, linguistics, and computer science. J. Bridges; L. Kay; C. Kennedy, Autumn.

PSYC 37400. Long Term Memory. This course surveys the scientific study of human memory, emphasizing both theory and applications. Lectures will cover current research and methods in cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience, as well as historical precursors and classic studies. Topics include consciousness and nonconscious processes, corresponding neural systems, and various phenomena such as amnesia, memory distortion, mnemonics, and metacognition. D. Gallo, Spring.

PSYC 40107. Behavioral Neuroscience. (NURB 30107). This course provides an introduction to neuroethology, examining brain activity relative to behaviors and organisms evaluated from an adaptive and evolutionary perspective. It starts with a brief introduction to classical ethology, and then develops a series of example animal model systems. Both invertebrate and vertebrate models are considered although there is a bias towards the latter. Many of these are "champion" species. There is a heavier demand for reading original data papers than typical in introductory graduate level courses. An integral part of the course is a series of assignments where you develop grant proposals describing novel science experiments in the animal models, thereby challenging your knowledge of the material and teaching aspects of scientific writing. In recent years there has been more computational material presented. The course is not available to undergraduates without prior approval of the instructor. D. Margoliash, Spring.

PSYC 40301. Topics in Psychology. Current research in psychology.  Autumn, Winter, Spring.

PSYC 40450-40451-40452. Topics in Cognition I-II-III. Broadly speaking, this workshop will address fundamental topics in cognitive psychology such as attention, memory, learning, problem solving, and language. One unique aspect of this workshop is that we will not only explore topics central to the study of cognition, but we will also explore how the study of cognitive psychology can be used to enhance human potential and performance in a variety of contexts. These contexts range from an exploration of optimal teaching practices to enhance the acquisition of mathematical knowledge in the classroom, to issues regarding how individuals communicate best to foster the optimal exchange of information in, for instance, medical settings, to the optimal strategies older adults can use to help stave off the deleterious effects of aging on cognitive functioning and the performance of everyday activities. W. Bainbridge, Autumn, Winter, Spring.

PSYC 40851-40852-40853. Topics in Developmental Psychology I-II-III. Brown-bag discussion of current research in psychology. A. Shaw, Autumn; A. Shaw, Winter; K. Kinzler, Spring.

PSYC 41135. Electrophysiological Studies of Hierarchical Memory Representations. In this class we will examine the limits of an observer's ability to track items in dynamic visual displays, such as in a multiple object tracking paradigm. We will focus on behavioral and electrophysiological analyses of these tasks, with an eye towards characterizing the cognitive capacity limits and the neural signatures that track those limits. E. Awh, Autumn.

PSYC 42100. Trial Research Seminar. PSYC 42100 is required of first-year Psychology graduate students. The purpose of this seminar is to assist students in formulating their trial research project. G. Norman, Spring.

PSYC 42350. Advanced Topics in Human Neuroimaging. This course will discuss advanced topics in human neuroimaging, reviewing recent papers using state-of-the-art methods, including multi-voxel pattern analysis, Big Data, connectivity analyses, and inter-subject correlations. We will discuss how these new methods fit into the current landscape of human neuroscience and support new theoretical ideas, and also conduct tutorials so students can use these methods in their own analyses. The course will be geared towards PhD students, but open to MAPSS students who receive instructor permission to enroll.  W. Bainbridge, M. Rosenberg, Winter.

PSYC 43030. Introduction to Python Programming in the Behavioral Sciences. This course introduces you to basic computer programming principles and their application to common problems in Psychology research such as creating simple experiments, data acquisition, and basic analysis. We will focus on the high-level programming language Python. Over a series of lectures and try-it-yourself sessions, you will learn to use Python to display stimuli and record responses, process, analyze, and plot data. The course is designed for students with little to no background in computer programming but wish to take advantage of the power it affords to ask research questions in the behavioral and biological sciences. A. Bakkour, J. Yu, Autumn

PSYC 43760. Sensitive Periods: How the Timing of Experience Alters Its Effect. Sensitive periods are defined as phases in life when experience has the most effect on a particular brain system. Typically occurring during development, experience during sensitive periods has long-term implications for sensory processing, affective development, cognitive processes, and production of complex learned behavior such as language. We will combine an investigation of biological underpinnings with behavioral consequences of sensitive periods and ask questions such as: How are sensitive periods defined during development? Are sensitive periods for a variety of behaviors different or the same? How does experience intersect with the brain to encode and modify a sensitive period? Can we re-open sensitive periods after their normal end - and do we want to? S. London, Winter.

PSYC 43780. Basics of conducting EEG and ERP research.  EEG recordings are a popular and long-standing approach to gather information about human brain activity that are used to address questions in many areas of Psychology. In this seminar, we will cover many of the basics of conducting human EEG research, including basic principles of recordings (e.g., detection and removal of artifacts, baseline correction, filtering and averaging) along with basic analytical approaches to measuring EEG (e.g., calculating and measuring ERPs; time-frequency analyses, etc). We will also cover research that has utilized EEG signals from multiple research domains, with the aim of giving the student exposure to a wide swath of well characterized neural tools from the existing literature. Throughout the course, we will emphasize how best to design experiments that can yield robust and interpretable data and avoid the common pitfalls in using this powerful approach. E. Vogel, Spring.

PSYC 43921. Current Topics in Working Memory. 100 Units. This seminar will cover a broad range of topics in the literature on working memory. E. Awh, Winter. Prerequisite(s): We strongly advise students without a prior background in these areas to consider auditing our undergraduate course "Attention and working memory in the mind and brain."

PSYC 44600. Topics in Social Psychology. Discussion of current topics in Social Psychology. S. Oishi, Autumn; L. Emery, Winter; X. Bai, Spring.

PSYC 45500. Cognitive and Social Neuroscience of Aging. As the baby boom generation ages, the rising prevalence of aging-related cognitive decline has become a major challenge for individuals, families and society. However, not all cognitive systems are negatively impacted by aging, and aging also causes complex social and emotional changes. How does aging affect our brains and our minds, and are these changes inevitable? This seminar provides an introduction to the scientific literature of the aging mind, focusing on both normal and pathological (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) changes in late adulthood. We will cover contemporary research from cognitive and social neuroscience perspectives. Topics include different psychological domains (e.g., attention, memory, metacognition, affective control) and applied issues (e.g., physical exercise, mental training, stereotype threat). D. Gallo, Winter.

PSYC 46050. Principles of Data Science and Engineering for Laboratory Research. The quantity of data gathered from laboratory experiments is constantly increasing. This course will explore the latest concepts, techniques and best-practice to create efficient data analysis pipelines. We will focus on the python ecosystem. By the end of the course, you are expected to be able to apply appropriate tools to streamline your own data analysis. J. Yu, Autumn. 

PSYC 46800. Relationship Science. In 1999, Ellen Berscheid wrote that “relationships are both the foundation and the theme of the human condition.” In this advanced graduate seminar, we will explore theory and research on the science of romantic relationships: what makes them work, why they can encounter challenges, and how they underlie who we are as humans. We will examine topics such as attachment, interdependence, love, self-growth, and diversity in the context of close relationships. By the end of the course, students will be knowledgeable about the state of relationship science research and able to generate original research on the topic.  L. Emery, Autumn. 

PSYC 47001-47002. Language in Culture I-II. This two-quarter course presents the major issues in linguistics of anthropological interest. These courses must be taken in sequence.

PSYC 47001. Language In Culture I. (ANTH 37201). The first quarter of the two-quarter Language in Culture sequence introduces a number of analytic concepts developed out of the study of "language" and its limits. We begin with the study of "interaction order" in its multifunctional complexity, teasing out its constitution through the real-time unfolding of indexical (pragmatic) and reflexive (metapragmatic) signs/functions as coherent "text." We use this attention to the dialectics of indexicality and its various implications to investigate various problematics in the philosophy of language (reference, performativity), linguistics (poetics, grammatical sense, variation, register), and sociocultural anthropology (racialization, relativity, subjectivity/identity, temporality, institutionality). C. Nakassis, Autumn.

PSYC 47002. Language in Culture II. (ANTH 37202). This is the second part of a two-quarter sequence on the role of language in social life. Building on the first quarter's focus on the interaction order, this quarter explores how ideologies regiment and reflexively mediate between discursive/expressive practices of the interaction order and the wider organization of social life. How are people's ideas about ways of speaking and modes of expression shaped by their social positions and values? And how do their ideas shape interaction and vice versa? How is difference, in language and in social life, made - and unmade? How and why are some differences persuasive as the basis for action, while other differences are ignored or erased? The course proposes that ideologies are neither true nor false, they are positioned and partial visions of the world, relying on comparison and perspective; they exploit differences in expressive features - linguistic and otherwise - to construct convincing images of people, spaces and activities in sociopolitical processes. S. Gal, Winter.

PSYC 48000. Proseminar in Psychology. Required of first-year Department of Psychology graduate students. Department of Psychology faculty members present and discuss their research. This introduces new students to the range of research areas in the department. X. Bai, Autumn.

PSYC 48001-48002-48003. Mind and Biology Proseminar I-II-III. Seminar series at the Institute for Mind and Biology meets three to four times per quarter. S. Shevell, Autumn, Winter, Spring.