In your everyday life, you are constantly bombarded with information from the external world. How does your mind select important information, remember it, and use it to govern your behaviour? Cognition is the study of the mechanisms involved in the processing of information. In this course, you will learn how your mind allows you to pay attention, create mental representations, remember information, manipulate knowledge, and express thoughts.

What you see, hear, taste, and smell is not only a product of sensory stimulation, but also your brain's attempt to make sense of that information. Perception is the gateway between the external world and your internal representation of what is going on around you. In this course, you will be introduced to current empirical research in perceptual science. You will develop a greater awareness of the biological underpinnings of how you perceive the world and how your brain actively interprets information from the environment.

The human brain is made up of billions of cells and trillions of connections that give rise to our ability to perceive, act, think, and learn. Neuroscience, the scientific exploration of the brain, is beginning to unravel how this amazing structure works. In this course, you will learn the fundamental anatomical organization and physiological properties of the brain. You will develop a greater understanding of the structures of the brain, how neurons communicate, and the processes that give rise to perception, learning, and memory.

This course provides a richly rewarding opportunity for students in their second year to participate in the research project of a professor in return for 299H course credit. Students enrolled have an opportunity to become involved in original research, learn research methods and share in the excitement and discovery of acquiring new knowledge. Participating faculty members post their project descriptions for the following summer and fall/winter sessions in early February and students are invited to apply in early March. See Experiential and International Opportunities for more details.

This course provides a richly rewarding opportunity for students in their second year to participate in the research project of a faculty member in return for 299Y course credit. Students enrolled have an opportunity to become involved in original research, learn methods and share in the excitement and discovery of acquiring new knowledge. Participating faculty members post their project descriptions for the following summer and fall/winter sessions in early February and students are invited to apply in early March. See Experiential and International Opportunities for more details.

You will learn how to interpret and critically evaluate psychological research, including the strengths and limitations of different research designs. You will learn to propose new research, including literature review, hypothesis formulation, anticipated results, and pre-specified analysis planning. Finally, you will also practice presenting your work in a virtual conference setting.

A survey of research findings and theories concerning the physical, cognitive, personality, and social growth of adolescents and emerging adults. Topics include pubertal development, changes in parent/adolescent relationships, role of peers, identity development, high-risk behaviours, and development through transitional periods.

A survey of contemporary research and theory in social development during infancy and childhood with consideration of the cultural context of development. Topics include interactional development, attachment, understanding self and others, sex role development, parenting and socialization, and outcome of development.

This course seeks to answer two questions about the development of children's thinking: (1) What develops? (2) How does this development occur? Students will develop an understanding of theory and research in cognitive development across a range of topics including perception, social cognition, language, conceptual development, and problem solving.

An introduction to current research in human development from young adulthood through old age. Adult development will be examined in terms of the interplay of biological, socio-cultural, and psychological determinants, with special emphasis on psychological factors. Topics include the demographics of aging, research methods and problems, developmental changes in sensory-perceptual systems, memory, intelligence, personality, as well as issues related to mental health, dying and bereavement.

In this class we will review key findings from cognitive development, cognitive psychology, and educational psychology that have implications for the development of learning experience inside and outside the classroom.

This course focuses primarily on human perceptual and cognitive development during the first 2 years of life. A heavy emphasis is placed on experimental work with normally developing infants. Topics include but are not limited to face recognition, colour and depth perception, auditory localization, object categorization, speech and language processing, learning and memory, intelligence and social influences on development.

Gender and sexuality influence how we think about ourselves and relate to others. This course explores the development of these aspects with emphasis on cognitive, social and cultural processes. Topics include gender stereotypes and the emergence of gender differences, gender and education, gender bias, gender identity, sexual development in children and youth, and sexual partner preferences.

In this course, students will learn how to develop and design experiments to answer scientific questions of their interest in the study of Developmental Psychology. Students will learn research methods revelant to research with infants and children, and apply these advanced methods. Students will also learn to code and analyze real data using advanced computational and statistical software.

Attitudes are persistent evaluations (preferences, likes and dislikes). This course examines the measurement of attitudes, the formation of attitudes to new objects, and the change of existing attitudes. General principles are illustrated with examples from various domains, such as propaganda and advertising, stereotyping and prejudice, attitudes towards health behaviours, and self-evaluations (self-esteem, life-satisfaction).

Culture influences our daily experience and has far-reaching implications for psychological development. This course explores the origins of culture as well as human cultural universals and cultural diversity through consideration of multiculturalism and the various ways culture influences people’s self-concepts, perceptual and cognitive processes, social and emotional lives, concepts of morality, and health.

What makes people happy? Does money buy happiness or do unhappy people not know where to shop? Are people in California happier than people in Ontario? Does marriage make men happier and women unhappier? This course reviews the scientific evidence regarding these and other questions about the determinants of happiness from an interdisciplinary perspective (psychology, economics, sociology, philosophy, & biology) that ranges from molecular genetics to cross-national comparisons.

An examination of theory and research on the self from the perspectives of personality, developmental, and social psychology. Examples of topics associated with self development that will be covered are relationships, motivations, psychological stages, individual differences, cognition, culture, autobiographical memory, and narrative perspectives on the self.

The objective of this course is to review what relationship science can tell us about close relationships, with a particular focus on romantic relationships. We will explore questions such as: Why do we want to be in relationships, what informs our choice of relationship partners, what predicts satisfaction and stability in relationships, and what is the role of sexuality in relationships? These and other questions will be examined from a variety of theoretical perspectives and will be applied to better understand real-world relationship functioning. General topics include theory and methods of relationships, attraction, social cognition, interdependence, attachment, sexuality, culture and gender, jealousy, and thriving relationships.

An examination of relevant research and contemporary methodologies examining phenomena encountered in the justice system. Topics include jury decision-making, violence and risk assessment, eye-witness evidence, insanity, psychopathy and anti-social personality disorder, sentencing, treatment of special offender groups, and criminal profiling. Students will learn how to apply the scientific method to examine behaviours that occur in a legal context.

Readings, laboratory exercises, and research projects designed to familiarize students with methodologies relevant to empirical research in social/personality psychology.

In this course you will develop an in-depth understanding of the role of emotions in human psychology. You will learn theories of emotion, emotional regulation, expression and experience, the role of emotion in decision-making, and the relationship between emotion, cognition and behaviour.

Examines research evidence concerning the impact of psychological factors on physical health and illness.

This advanced course provides an in-depth examination of current theory and research related to the origin, diagnosis, classification and treatment of adulthood psychological disorders. Readings and discussion will provide a biopsychosocial framework from which to explore contemporary explanations of psychopathology. Students will investigate how culture, societal norms, and environmental factors may shape what is considered to be abnormal adult behaviour.

Considers concepts of normal, abnormal and delayed development. Schemes of classification and diagnosis, approaches to identification of causes, antecedents, and consequences, as well as contemporary treatment methods are critically evaluated. In addition, resilience in the face of adversity will be addressed, since risk and traumatic events often do not lead to disorders. The emphasis is on rigorous research as a primary source of knowledge about psychological disorders and empirically supported treatment.

Considers the theories and techniques of the major classic and contemporary approaches to psychological treatment (psychotherapy) for personality and behavioural disorders, research supporting and/or growing out of the theories, and critical examination of these theories.

An exploration of the role of psychology in forensic science (the application of scientific inquiry into criminal investigation). Topics, which will vary from year to year, could include the assessment of criminal responsibility, competency issues, psychiatric disorders associated with crime, criminal profiling, behavioural analysis of a crime scene, prediction of dangerousness, workplace and family violence, sexual assault/abuse/rape, recovered memories, detection of malingering and deception, deindividuation and bystander intervention, social psychology of the jury, use of psychological tests in legal cases, witness preparation/interrogation, and the psychologist as expert witness.

A survey of contemporary theory and research related to exceptionality with a special emphasis on disability and educational issues. Topics include controversial psychosocial issues, legal, family, and multicultural issues, disability across the lifespan, communication disorders, hearing and visual impairment, autism, and acquired brain injury.

An examination of contemporary theory and research related to the origin, prevention, and treatment of psychological disorders from a biological perspective. The course will focus on the role of behaviour genetics, structures in the brain, and biochemistry in the nervous system in specific disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders, aggression, premenstrual syndrome, sleep disorders) and will discuss alternative approaches to their treatment (e.g., psychopharmacologic versus behaviourally-oriented therapies).