IMPORTANT NOTE: Effective as of Winter 2024, all all newly admitted PSYC majors must complete PSYC 204, despite any courses completed prior to McGill. If students receive a MATH 203 exemption (via advanced standing credits, another university, etc), this does not exempt them from PSYC 204 at McGill. Students will need to complete PSYC 204 at McGill and will receive credit for it.
The following undergraduate courses are offered by the Department of Psychology.
100-Level
PSYC 100
Introduction to Psychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to the scientific study of mind and behavior, including basic concepts and methods in psychology while also highlighting the relevance of psychology to everyday life; attachment, aggression, depression, parenting and personality change.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- 2 lectures; 1 conference
- Restriction: Not open to students who have passed an Introductory Psychology course in CEGEP: 350-101 or 350-102 or equivalent
PSYC 180
Course not available
PSYC 199
Course not available
200-Level
PSYC 204
Intro to Psychological Stats
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The statistical analysis of research data; frequency distributions; graphic representation; measures of central tendency and variability; elementary sampling theory and tests of significance.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall and Winter
- Restriction: Not open to students who have passed a CEGEP statistics course(s) with a minimum grade of 75%: Mathematics 201-307 or 201-337 or equivalent or the combination of Quantitative Methods 300 with Mathematics 300
- This course is a prerequisite for PSYC 305, PSYC 406, PSYC 310, PSYC 336
- You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jens Kreitewolf
- Jens Kreitewolf
PSYC 211
Intro Behavioural Neuroscience
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: An introduction to contemporary research on the relationship between brain and behaviour. Topics include learning, memory and cognition, brain damage and neuroplasticity, emotion and motivation, and drug addiction and brain reward circuits. Much of the evidence will be drawn from the experimental literature on research with animals.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 212
Perception
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Perception is the organization of sensory input into a representation of the environment. Topics include: survey of sensory coding mechanisms (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory), object recognition, spatial localization, perceptual constancies and higher level influences.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall 2 Lectures, 1 conference
- Terms
- Instructors
- M. Dean Graham
- Mathieu Roy
PSYC 213
Cognition
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Where do thoughts come from? What is the nature of thought, and how does it arise in the mind and the brain? Cognition is the study of human information
processing, and we will explore topics such as memory, attention, categorization, decision making, intelligence, philosophy of mind, and the mind-as computer
metaphor.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 2 lectures, 1 conference
- Prerequisite: One previous course in Psychology.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Brendan T Johns
- Signy A Sheldon
PSYC 215
Social Psychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The course offers students an overview of the major topics in social psychology. Three levels of analysis are explored beginning with individual processes (e.g., attitudes, attribution), then interpersonal processes (e.g., attraction, communication, love) and finally social influence processes (e.g., conformity, norms, roles, reference groups).
Offered by: Psychology
300-Level
PSYC 301
Animal Learning and Theory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Contemporary and historical research and theory on animal learning approached from a behavioural, cognitive and biological perspective. Classical and instrumental conditioning, cognitive learning, and biological constraints. The status and history of North American behaviourism will be discussed and compared with cognitive and other approaches.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- Prerequisite(s): PSYC 211 or PSYC 213 or permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 211 prior to the 2000-01 academic year
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 302
Pain
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: An introduction to pain research and theory, with emphasis on the interactions of psychological, cultural and physiological factors in pain perception. The role of these factors in clinical pain and its management by pharmacological and non-pharmacological means will be discussed.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: any of the following: NSCI 201, PSYC 211, PSYC 212 or permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who are taking or have taken PSYC 505.
PSYC 304
Child Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Psychology of children, covering critical issues, theories, biological underpinnings, experimental methods, and findings in perceptual, cognitive, language,
emotional, and social development.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 305
Statistics for Exper Design
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: An introduction to the design and analysis of experiments, including analysis of variance, planned and post hoc tests and a comparison of anova to correlational analysis.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall and Winter
- Prerequisite: PSYC 204 or equivalent
- This course is required of all students who propose to enter an Honours or Major program in Psychology
- You may not be able to receive credit for this course and other statistic courses. Be sure to check the Course Overlap section under Faculty Degree Requirements in the Arts or Science section of the Calendar.
- Terms
- Instructors
- Carl F Falk
- Milica Miocevic, Jens Kreitewolf
PSYC 306
Research Methods in Psychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The philosophy of science, the methods psychologists use, and how to interpret and evaluate psychological research. The ethical issues in psychological research
and how to communicate psychological research in written and visual forms. How to become consumers of psychological science, and to provide building blocks to
become expert producers of psychological science.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- Instructors
- Caroline Palmer
- Gillian O'Driscoll
NSCI 201
Intro. to Neuroscience 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Neuroscience: An introduction to how the nervous system acquires and integrates information and uses it to produce behaviour.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- Prerequisite: NSCI 200 or PSYC 211 or permission of instructor.
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 308.
PSYC 310
Intelligence
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to the evolution and assessment of intelligence. Emphasizes measurement and correlates of the human intellect and the role of environment and heredity in social and race differences in intellectual and adaptive functioning. Evolution of intelligence in vertebrates and other intelligences including practical and emotional intelligence will be covered.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 311
Human Cognition and the Brain
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The course is an introduction to the field studying how human cognitive processes, such as perception, attention, language, learning and memory, planning and organization, are related to brain processes. The material covered is primarily based on studies of the effects of different brain lesions on cognition and studies of brain activity in relation to cognitive processes with modern functional neuroimaging methods.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- 2 lectures; 1 conference
PSYC 315
Computational Psychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Application of computational methods to the simulation of psychological phenomena. Comparison of natural and artificial intelligence. Symbolic and neural network techniques. Methods for evaluating simulations.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- Prerequisite: 15 credits in any of Psychology, Cognitive Science, Biology, Mathematics and Statistics, Computer Science, or Neuroscience.
- Restriction: Not open to U0 or U1 students.
PSYC 317
Genes and Behaviour
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Focuses on current techniques employed to study which genes influence behaviour, and how they do so.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 318
Behavioural Neuroscience 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The physiological bases of motivational states, with respect to feeding, drinking, sexual behaviour, drug use, and aggression. Physiological bases of learning and memory.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 319
Computational Models-Cognition
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to the purpose, design, and role of computational modeling in the cognitive sciences. Domains examined will include memory, categorization, and language. Focus will be on computational models to attain a better theoretical understanding of human behaviour. New trends, including the use of big data and machine learning.
Offered by: Psychology
- Restrictions: U2 or above. Restricted to students in Psychology, Linguistics and Cognitive Science.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 328
Health Psychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: A survey of major issues in health psychology: historical perspective; health effects of stress and stress management; pain mechanisms and management; prevention and management of chronic diseases, hypertension, coronary heart disease, cancer, and immunological disorders. Behaviour change strategies for smoking, weight regulation, physical inactivity, and sexual risk behaviour.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- 2 lectures
- Prerequisite: PSYC 213 and PSYC 215.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 429.
- Available only to U2 and above.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 329
Intro. to Auditory Cognition
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Listener's response to sound. Higher-level mental principles including perception, attention, memory, motor control, and emotion. Sensation and perceptual organization of sound. Perception/production of speech, music, and other auditory events.
Offered by: Psychology
- 3 lecture hours per week.
- Prerequisites: PSYC 212 or PSYC 213 or permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 331
Inter-Group Relations
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The course focuses on the social psychology of societal groups such as racial minorities, aboriginal groups and women. The ideological biases of current theories is first established. This is followed by a review of current theories and finally current controversies are explored including new forms of racism and affirmative action.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 2 lectures
- Prerequisite: PSYC 215
PSYC 332
Intro to Personality
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: This course examines some of the major theories of personality, e.g., those of Freud, Rogers, and Bandura. Empirical research inspired by these theories will also be examined. Topics include the nature of human motivation, the role of the self-concept, and the consistency and stability of personality.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 3 lectures
- Prerequisite: PSYC 100
PSYC 333
Personality & Social Psych
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The course builds on and is an extension of Social Psychology (PSYC 215). Traditional approaches to person-situation interactions and a more dynamic approach based on recent research on goals and social cognition.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 2 lectures
- Prerequisite: PSYC 215
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 337
Intro to Psychopathology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: An introduction to major concepts and issues in the study of psychopathology in humans, including major models of etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, assessment, and treatment.
Offered by: Psychology
- Two lectures
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 338.
PSYC 340
Psych of Language
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: A survey of issues in psycholinguistics, focusing on the nature and processing of language (e.g., how we understand speech sounds, words, sentences, and discourse). Also surveyed: language and thought, the biological foundations of language, and first language acquisition.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 341
The Psychology of Bilingualism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: This course will examine issues in bilingualism, including second language acquisition in children and adults, critical period hypothesis, cognitive consequences and correlates of bilingualism, social psychological aspects of bilingualism, and bilingual education.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 2 lectures
- Prerequisites: Introductory Psychology, and PSYC 340 or introduction to linguistics; or permission of instructor
PSYC 342
Hormones & Behaviour
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The role of hormones in organization of CNS function, as effectors of behaviour, in expression of behaviours and in mental illness.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 351
Res Mthds & Lab in Soc Psych
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to the issues, strategies, and applications of various research methodologies in social psychology; methods using both correlational and experimental procedures. Classic and contemporary approaches will be examined.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- Prerequisite: PSYC 215 and PSYC 305
- Restriction: Open to U2 students and above.
PSYC 352
Res Mthds & Lab in Cog Psych
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to research methods and experimental techniques in cognitive psychology for exploring topics such as attention, memory, categorization, reasoning, and language processing.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 1 hour lecture, weekly lab
- Prerequisite: PSYC 213 and PYSC 305.
- Restriction: Open to U2 students or above
PSYC 353
Res Mthds & Lab in Hum Percept
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to standard psychophysical procedures and data analysis techniques. Modelling behavioural data using various psychophysical methods.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 380D1
Honours Research Project Sem
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: First laboratory research project.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jennifer Bartz, Signy A Sheldon, Mathieu Roy
PSYC 380D2
Honours Research Project Sem
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: See PSYC 380D1 for course description.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- Prerequisite: PSYC 380D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both PSYC 380D1 and PSYC 380D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- Instructors
- Jennifer Bartz, Signy A Sheldon, Mathieu Roy
PSYC 395
Psychology Research Project 1
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Supervised research project.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall or Winter
- Prerequisites: 24 credits of the psychology program, PSYC 305 or equivalent and CGPA above 3.00.
- Restriction: Requires departmental approval.
- Restriction: Registration is by special arrangement with Psychology staff, and project proposals must be approved by the Department before registration.
- For more information see the Psychology Department website.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 396
Undergraduate Research Project
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Independent research project with a final written report.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall or Winter
- Restrictions: This course cannot be taken under the S/U option. Departmental permission required. Students cannot be supervised by the same instructor for two 396 Science courses. Open to students in programs offered by the Faculty of Science only.
- Note: Enrolment may be limited. Students are advised to start the application process well before the start of the term and to plan for an alternative course in the case that no suitable project is available. Individual projects may be suggested each term which may have project-specific prerequisites. Students may also approach professors to devise their own projects. Some projects may be accessible to students in other disciplines. See https://www.mcgill.ca/science/research/undergraduate-research/science-research-courses for more information about available projects and application forms and procedures.
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
400-Level
PSYC 403
Modern Psych in Hist Persp
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: A survey of the scientific and ideological influences on psychology from its philosophical beginnings through the period of the schools to its modern situation.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 406
Psychological Tests
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: An introduction to the theory and practice of psychological measurement in health, educational, clinical and industrial/organizational settings. Attention to procedures for developing and validating tests and questionnaires. Techniques include: intelligence tests, projective tests, questionnaires, structured interviews, rating scales, and behavioural/performance tests.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 2 lectures
- Prerequisite: PSYC 204 or equivalent
PSYC 408
Princip&Apps of Psychother
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to the theories, research, and practice of psychotherapy, with a particular focus on cognitive behavioural and related therapies. Discussion of broad topics such as historical perspectives on psychotherapy, the
empirical study of psychotherapy, and ethical issues related to psychotherapy. Traditional and contemporary cognitive-behavioural therapies and their application to mood, anxiety, eating, and personality disorders will be reviewed. Current interest topics in psychotherapy (e.g., neurocognitive correlates of change, technology in treatment) will be highlighted.
Offered by: Psychology
- 2 lectures
- Prerequisite(s): PSYC 337
- Restriction: U2 and above
PSYC 410
Sp Topics in Neuropsychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Developments in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychiatry via readings from primary sources. Topics include the neural bases of memory, emotion, social cognition and neuropsychiatric diseases. Integrating knowledge from studies in clinical populations and functional neuroimaging studies.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 412
Child Dev.: Psychopathol.
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to the field of behavior disorders of childhood and adolescence, including core issues, theoretical and methodological underpinnings, descriptions and discussions of many disorders, clinical and research data, and treatment approaches. Three major assumptions will be woven through the course.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- Two lectures and one conference weekly.
- Corequisite: PSYC 304 or PSYC 337 or permission of instructor
PSYC 413
Cognitive Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: In-depth exploration of cognitive development in infants and children including knowledge representation and processing, conceptual development, language development, and theories and principles of cognitive development.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 414
Social Development
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Advanced study of the development of social behaviour and social cognition in children. Topics include: socialization, attachment, aggression, exploration, role taking, communication, family and peer relations, self and person perception. The development of these social processes within the framework of three general theories of development: behaviour genetics, learning, and cognitive-developmental.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 415
EEG Laboratory in Psychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Introduction to the use of electroencephalography (EEG) for measuring brain function in behavioural neuroscience experiments. Recording and analyzing EEG data, as well asin designing experiments and interpreting findings using this method. Topics include the neural basis of EEG, recording principles and techniques, EEG data analysis (frequency bands, averaging, sources of noise, filtering, signal to noise), event-related potential analysis (ERP), spectral analysis and time-frequency analysis, data visualization, topographical maps.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 427
Sensorimotor Neuroscience
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: A systematic examination of the sensorimotor system, drawing on models and data from both behavioural and physiological studies. Topics include: cortical motor areas, cerebellum, basal ganglia, spinal mechanisms, motor unit properties and force production, prioception, muscle properties.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 433
Cognitive Science
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The multi-disciplinary study of cognitive science, exploring the computer metaphor of the mind as an information-processing system. Focus on levels of analysis, symbolic modeling, Turing machines, neural networks, as applied to topics such as reasoning, vision, decision-making, and consciousness.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 436
Human Sexuality & Its Problems
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: This course will deal with typical sexual behavior and its variations. Topics will include the history of sex research, the sexual response cycle, sexual dysfunction, gender identity, sexual orientation, etc. Current research and theory will be emphasized.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- Prerequisite: either PSYC 337 or permission of the instructor
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 439
Correlational Techniques
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The statistical analysis of relations among a number of variables in situations common in psychology. Methods include regression analysis, principal components analysis, and other techniques for modelling the structure of correlation matrices.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- Prerequisites: PSYC 305 or its equivalent.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 536.
PSYC 444
Sleep Mechanisms and Behaviour
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: This course covers basic biological mechanisms, possible functions and behavioural aspects of sleep. Additional topics include: disorders of sleep, their effects on behaviour and cognition, and treatment approaches; as well as medical, neurological and psychiatric disorders, and drugs, that affect sleep.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 450D1
Research Project & Seminar
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Under supervision of an adviser approved by the Department, students design and carry out a research project. Students report their research in seminars throughout the year, in a final written report that takes the form of a data-based APA style manuscript, and in a poster presentation at the departmental poster session.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 470
Memory and Brain
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Memory systems are studied with an emphasis on the neural computations that occur at various stages of the processing stream, focusing on the hippocampus, amygdala, basal ganglia, cerebellum and cortex. The data reviewed is obtained from human, non-human primates and rodents, with single unit recording, neuroimaging and brain damaged subjects.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 471
Human Motivation
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The course is designed to explore questions such as "Why do people often fail to reach their personal goals?" Current goal-based and need-based theories of human motivation will be reviewed. The instructor will highlight the relevance of motivation research to the domains of education, sports and management.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- 3 hours lectures
- Prerequisite: PSYC 215
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 473
Social Cognition and the Self
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: This course examines the social psychological literature emphasizing a) social cognition - how people think about and make sense of their social experiences; and b) self theory - how people create and maintain a sense of identity. These frameworks will be applied to social psychological topics including close relationships, attitudes and self-esteem.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 474
Interpersonal Relationships
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Psychological science approach to interpersonal relationships. Organized in terms of the development of relationships, focusing first on impression formation as a platform for the development of relationships. Then we focus on close relationships, examining interpersonal constructs (intimacy, trust, commitment) and reconsidering social cognitive constructs (attributions, schemas) in an interpersonal context.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 482
Advanced Honours Seminar
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Ethical issues in scientific and clinical psychology, scientific psychology and social policy; and other issues.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- 2 lectures, plus student presentations, debates, and discussions.
- Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken 204-480D. For Honours students only.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 483
Sem. in Exp. Psychopathology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Design of experiments in psychopathology, interviewing techniques and clinical diagnosis.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- 2 lectures
- Prerequisites: PSYC 305 and PSYC 337, or permission of instructor.
- Restriction: For U3 students only.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 491D1
Adv Study:Behaviour. Disorders
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: A critical examination of topics in abnormal and clinical psychology. Emphasis will be on analysis of theoretical positions and empirical findings as they relate to both etiology and treatment.
Offered by: Psychology
- 3 hours of seminar per week plus a placement at a clinical or specialized educational site.
- Prerequisites: PSYC 337
- Students must register for both PSYC 491D1 and PSYC 491D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both PSYC 491D1 and PSYC 491D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
PSYC 491D2
Adv Study:Behaviour. Disorders
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: See PSYC 491D1 for course description.
Offered by: Psychology
- Prerequisites: PSYC 337
- Students must register for both PSYC 491D1 and PSYC 491D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both PSYC 491D1 and PSYC 491D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- 3 hours of seminar per week plus a placement at a clinical or specialized educational site.
PSYC 492
Special Topics Seminar 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: These seminars are offered by special arrangement between interested Psychology staff and students. Note: A written proposal detailing the plans for the seminar must be approved by the Department Curriculum Committee before the student is permitted to register for this course. This proposal must be received by the Departmental Curriculum Committee well before the beginning of the term for which the seminar is proposed. Consult the Departmental Handbook for additional information.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall or Winter
- Restriction: U3 students. Requires departmental approval.
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 493
Special Topics Seminar 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: These seminars are offered by special arrangement between interested Psychology staff and students. Note: A written proposal detailing the plans for the seminar must be approved by the Department Curriculum Committee before the student is permitted to register for this course. This proposal must be received by the Departmental Curriculum Committee well before the beginning of the term for which the seminar is proposed. Consult the Departmental Handbook for additional information.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall or Winter
- Restriction: U3 students. Requires departmental approval.
PSYC 494D1
Psychology Research Project
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Supervised research project.
Offered by: Psychology
- Prerequisites: 30 credits of the psychology program, PSYC 305 or equivalent and CGPA above 3.00.
- Restrictions: Requires departmental approval. Registration is by special arrangement with Psychology staff, and project proposals must be approved by the Department before registration.
- For more information see the Psychology Department website.
- Students must register for both PSYC 494D1 and PSYC 494D2.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both PSYC 494D1 and PSYC 494D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 494D2
Psychology Research Project
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: See PSYC 494D1 for course description.
Offered by: Psychology
- Prerequisite: PSYC 494D1.
- No credit will be given for this course unless both PSYC 450D1 and PSYC 450D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 495
Psychology Research Project 2
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Supervised research project.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall or Winter
- Prerequisite: PSYC 395 or equivalent.
- Restriction: Registration is by special arrangement with Psychology staff, and project proposals must be approved by the Department before registration.
- For more information see the Psychology Department website.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 496
Senior Honours Research 1
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Second laboratory research project.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 497
Senior Honours Research 2
6 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Third laboratory research project.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 498D1
Senior Honours Research
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Second two-term laboratory research project culminating in an APA style manuscript based on data, and a scientific poster presentation at the departmental poster session.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 498D2
Senior Honours Research
4.5 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: See PSYC 498D1 for course description.
Offered by: Psychology
- Prerequisite: PSYC 498D1
- No credit will be given for this course unless both PSYC 498D1 and PSYC 498D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 499
Reading Project
1 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Under the guidance of an instructor with the relevant expertise, the student explores the literature on a special topic.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
500-Level
PSYC 501
Course not available
PSYC 502
Psychoneuroendocrinology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: This advanced seminar course offers an in-depth introduction to current topics in
psychoneuroendocrinology. Students will read and discuss original scientific literature from human and animal research interrogating the mechanisms by which hormones act in the brain to influence behaviour in health and disease. Students will gain a refined understanding of key concepts in psychoneuroendocrinology, such as negative feedback control and the key neuroendocrine axes and their role in behavioural control. They will apply this knowledge to critically evaluate original scientific literature and generate hypothesis-driven research questions from the scientific literature.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall Please note that a B- in the prerequisite course(s) is recommended.
- Prerequisite: One of PSYC 311, PSYC 318, PSYC 342, NSCI 201, or permission of the instructor.
PSYC 506
Cognitive Neuroscience of Attn
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: An introduction to cognitive properties and neural mechanisms of human attention. The material will include an overview of the history of attention research, contemporary theories of attention, the varieties of attention, behavioral and neuroimaging experimental methods, the nature of attentional dysfunctions, and the links between attention and other cognitive functions including memory and consciousness.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- Prerequisites: PSYC 213 and PSYC 311, and one of PSYC 305 OR BIOL 373, or permission of instructor.
- Restrictions: Open only to Psychology, Cognitive Science and Neuroscience students. Not open to students who have taken PSYC 365.
PSYC 507
Emotions, Stress, and Illness
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Emotional effects on peripheral physiology and the development, course, and outcome of physical disorders such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, ulcers, asthma, and cancer.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 509
Diverse Clinical Populations
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Poverty is a significant risk factor for psychological disorder. In this class, we will examine critically research focused on this association, with an emphasis on (a) mechanisms underlying the link between poverty and psychopathology, and (b) development and dissemination of evidence-based treatments for individuals living in poverty. Particular attention will be paid to the research methodologies used to address these questions.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- Prerequisites: PSYC 204 and PSYC 337
- Restriction: Restricted to graduate students in Psychology and to U3 students enrolled in one of the following programs: BSc; Major in Psychology, BSc; Honours in Psychology, BA; Major Concentration in Psychology, BA; Honours in Psychology, BA; Joint Honours - Psychology Component, or by permission of the instructor.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 512
Advanced Personality Seminar
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Advanced topics in personality. Focus on power, status, and dominance and how these are manifested in social behavior. Dominance in nonhuman species, biological substrates of dominance, relations of status and dominance to social cognition, affect, and health; gender, role and cultural influences on dominance.
Offered by: Psychology
- Prerequisite: PSYC 332 or permission of instructor.
- Restrictions: Open to psychology students. Enrolment limited. Students must be in U3 or above. Departmental permission required.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 514
Neurobiology of Memory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Advances in the understanding of the neurobiological bases of fundamental memory
processes, such as memory consolidation maintenance, retrieval, and forgetting. The
contribution of their dysregulation to neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative
diseases. Consideration of findings from a variety of species, spanning insects to humans.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 522
Neurochemistry and Behaviour
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Anatomical, biochemical and physiological aspects of neurotransmitter systems in the brain, current theories of the function of these systems in normal and abnormal behaviour, and the actions of psychotropic drugs.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 526
Advances in Visual Perception
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: We examine in detail the structure of the visual system, and its function as reflected in the perceptual abilities and behaviour of the organism. Parallels are also drawn with other sensory systems to demonstrate general principles of sensory coding.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 529
Music Cognition
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Interdisciplinary study of music cognition, with an emphasis on psychological, computational, and neuroscientific approaches. Focuses on listeners' response to sound, including perception, attention, memory, motor control, skilled performance, and emotional response.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 530
Applied Topics in Deafness
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Covers fundamental topics in deafness (sensory, perceptual, cognitive, social, linguistic, education and health issues) from an applied psychological perspective. Lectures and seminar presentations plus field work involving ASL/LSQ.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 531
Structural Equation Models
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The course introduces basic concepts underlying structural equation models (SEM). SEM, which combine regression analysis and factor analysis, are quite useful and are currently very popular in analyzing data that arise in social, developmental and clinical psychology. The students are expected to get first-hand experiences in fitting SEM, and learn how to interpret and report the results from SEM.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 533
Course not available
PSYC 535
Adv Topics in Social Psych
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Classic and contemporary readings in a specific content area within social psychology will be assigned in order to examine the sub-area in depth. The focus will vary depending upon the specialty area of the instructor. These areas include interpersonal relationships, intergroup relations, the self, and social cognition.
Offered by: Psychology
- Winter
- Prerequisites: PSYC 215; and PSYC 333 or PSYC 351 or PSYC 380.
- Restriction: Departmental permission required.
- Restriction: Graduate Students, enrolment limited
PSYC 537
Adv Seminar in Psych of Lang
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Topics may include: the neural basis of language, evolutionary approaches to language, pragmatics and figurative language processing, disordered language processing, models of spoken word recognition.
Offered by: Psychology
- Fall
- Prerequisites: PSYC 213 and one of: PSYC 340, LING 200, or LING 201.
- Note: Prior background in the psychology of language, cognitive psychology, or linguistics is essential.
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 538
Categoriz Communic & Consciou
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: The main challenges that cognitive science faces today, focusing on the capacity to learn sensorimotor categories, to name and describe them verbally, and to transmit them to others, concluding with cognition distributed on the Web.
Offered by: Psychology
- Prerequisite(s): Student must have completed a 300 level course in one of the following: Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Computer Science, or Neuroscience.
- Restriction(s): Restricted to U2 students or above.
PSYC 541
Multilevel Modelling
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Basic concepts of multilevel linear and nonlinear models and applying these methods to empirical data.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 545
Topics in Language Acquisition
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Psychological mechanisms and theories of first language acquisition in infancy and early childhood. Topics such as: infant speech perception, acquisition of grammar, word learning, pidgin and Creole languages, critical and sensitive periods, genetic and evolutionary bases of language.
Offered by: Psychology
PSYC 560
Machine Lrng Tools: Psychology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: An overview of various methods for understanding and predicting complex and often large datasets, which have been developed in machine learning and statistics. It focuses on the conceptual underpinnings of popular supervised and unsupervised learning methods and the applications of the methods to various datasets from psychology and closely related disciplines (e.g. neuroscience, consumer behaviour, psychiatry) using existing software packages for the methods.
Offered by: Psychology
- 1. Students who have taken COMP 202 or COMP 204 and who have taken freshman linear algebra and calculus might instead consider taking COMP 551
- 2. Students in both psychology and computer scienceare strongly encouraged to take COMP 551 over PSYC 560.
- Open to U2 students or above. Not open to students who have taken or are taking COMP 551.
- Prerequisites: PSYC 305
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
PSYC 561
Course not available
PSYC 562
Measurement of Psych Processes
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Psychology: Intermediate level theory and methods for the measurement of latent variables in psychology and related fields. In-depth coverage of theories of validity and psychometrics as applied in psychology. Introduction to quantitative methods
for scale development, use, and evaluation. Discussion of current topics and challenges in psychological measurement and psychometrics.
Offered by: Psychology
- Terms
- This course is not scheduled for the 2024 academic year
- Instructors
- There are no professors associated with this course for the 2024 academic year
Application Forms for Research Courses
For more information, see Programs, Courses, and University Regulations.
