PSYC - Psychology
Student participation in a supervised, undergraduate research experience for which credit will not apply to the degree. Experience must be related to the student's major, minor or career area of interest.
Introduction to the scientific study of psychology, including the methods used to gather and interpret data. The student is introduced to fundamental terms, theories, and concepts dealing with the biological bases of behavior; learning; perception; cognition and intelligence; personality; psychological disorders; human development; and social processes. An emphasis is placed on application of concepts and critical thinking.
A broad contemporary view of the processes of development. The influences of biological and environmental factors in the development of personality and cognitive functioning are explored.
Exploration of available careers in psychology with a bachelor’s degree as well as career options for individuals after graduate school (e.g., master’s degree, PhD, PsyD, etc.). All assignments will be aimed at helping students learn more about available opportunities and develop skills needed to find a job and/or get into graduate school. This course is recommended during the sophomore or junior year.
An application of psychological principles and research to human behavior in work settings. Among the topics covered are personnel selection, training, and evaluation; employee motivation and job satisfaction; and organizational leadership and theory.
The behavior of the individual as affected by other people and groups. Interpersonal attraction, attitude change, group dynamics, and the application of psychology to social problems are among the topics covered.
This course surveys the evolution and future of clinical psychology, covering research, assessment and intervention, and subspecialities.
Course examines how psychological states (e.g., anxiety, stress) influence physical health. The course also examines how physical states (e.g., illness, pain, injury) influence psychological health. Topics include the impact of stress on health and proneness to illness; coping with illness, injury and trauma; and the role of health-enhancing behaviors in maintaining physical health.
This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of human-computer interaction. Emphasis is placed on leadership knowledge needed to implement human-centered design practices into an organization's culture.
This course examines and discusses psychological theories and research that focus on human strengths and potential. Factors that contribute to happiness and a fulfilling life are emphasized. Lectures, self-assessments and experiential exercises are used to understand how to cultivate a meaningful life.
The study of crime from a psychological perspective. Topics include theories of criminal behavior, violent and non-violent crime, sexual offenses, insanity, addiction, white collar crime, and other criminal behaviors.
The application of inferential statistical principles to psychological research problems.
An examination of research principles and techniques in psychology. Experimental design and interpretation is stressed. Students learn to locate and read technical articles and to report on research projects in the style of the American Psychological Association. This is a writing intensive course.
A study of the psychological development of the child with physical, emotional, social, intellectual, and educational disabilities.
A survey of the processes of development during adolescence. Covers topics such as the influences of biological, emotional, social, and cognitive factors on personality development and adjustment of the adolescent.
Concepts and theories of sex and gender, including models of how gender roles are developed and maintained, will be examined. Major research findings regarding gender will be reviewed.
An examination of the effects of psychoactive drugs on behavior and the factors involved in drug use. Current research literature is discussed.
The application of psychological principles and research to the development and improvement of personnel subsystems in business and industry. Emphasis is placed on the assessment, selection and training of workers and manager.
The application and evaluation of psychological principles and research relating human behavior to the design of tools, technology, and the work environment.
This course emphasizes the study of human behavior in organizations. Topics include leadership, motivation, group behavior, communications, power and politics, and organization change.
The development of children within their diverse environments is examined. A focus is on the methods used to understand how children experience their world.
The study of adults with emphasis on aging. Current theories and research as well as the characteristics, lifestyles, and activities of adulthood and aging will be discussed.
A study of critical issues in human sexuality; gender and sexual identity, sexual arousal and erotic behavior, relationship development, and sexual dysfunction and deviation disorders.
This course affords students the opportunity to earn course credit for their work in supporting instructors and engaging with their peers in an undergraduate level course. It is designed for motivated and academically inclined students who wish to contribute to the educational environment and gain valuable, practical experience. Students work with instructors to identify appropriate tasks to be completed. 1-3 credits may be earned based on the number of hours involved in direct activities for the assigned class (3 credits = 9 hours per week; 2 credits = 6 hours per week; 1 credit = 3 hours per week). Students must be selected by the instructor. Positions are not guaranteed. Maximum of 6 credit hours allowed between PSYC 365 and PSYC 366.
This course affords students the opportunity to earn course credit for their work in supporting instructors and engaging with their peers in an undergraduate level course. It is designed for motivated and academically inclined students who wish to contribute to the educational environment and gain valuable, practical experience. Students work with instructors to identify appropriate tasks to be completed. 1-3 credits may be earned based on the number of hours involved in direct activities for the assigned class (3 credits = 9 hours per week; 2 credits = 6 hours per week; 1 credit = 3 hours per week). Students must be selected by the instructor. Positions are not guaranteed. Maximum of 6 credit hours allowed between PSYC 365 and PSYC 366.
For ODU psychology majors only. Students engage in academically relevant work-related activities in non-clinical settings. Available for pass/fail grading only. Students should work with the Instructor to identify their placement in the semester prior to enrollment. A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 368 and/or PSYC 369 can be counted towards the major in Psychology. Pre- or
For ODU psychology majors only. Students engage in academically relevant work activities in clinical settings. Available for pass/fail grading only. Students should work with the Instructor to identify their placement in the semester prior to enrollment. Instructor approval is required prior to registration. A maximum of 6 credits of PSYC 368 and/or PSYC 369 can be counted towards the major in Psychology.
Students doing clinical internships at designated clinical placements must also enroll in this course taught by a faculty member. This seminar addresses the special issues in the areas of safety, confidentiality, and professionalism that arise in clinical settings. Students doing general (non-clinical) internships may also enroll in the course with permission of the Instructor. A maximum of 2 credits of PSYC 371 can be counted towards the major in psychology.
The department offers selected topics that may not be offered on a regular basis.
The department offers selected topics that may not be offered on a regular basis.
A survey of the historical development of modern psychology. The major systems and their influences on contemporary American psychology are studied.
A study of psychopathology, covering various behavior disorders, their descriptions, characteristics, and causation. Methods of therapeutic technique are reviewed.
A study of the structure of personality and the dimensions along which individuals differ. The contributions of major personality theorists and the implications of current research are considered.
An investigation of the ways in which people learn and think. Current models of human memory and cognition are considered in relation to the evidence on human thinking capabilities. The role of language in thought and knowledge acquisition is also explored.
An examination of the history, theory and applications of psychological testing.
An analysis of the processes by which humans obtain information about the environment through the eyes, ears, and other sensory systems.
Course focuses on basic learning principles and processes; classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning, discrimination, attention, appetitive and aversive conditioning.
The course covers advanced statistical methods and computer applications that build on knowledge and skills acquired in PSYC 317.
A wide variety of psychological research and theory relevant to human behavior in different cultures is examined and the impact of culture on human behavior is discussed. The course examines cross-cultural research conducted by scholars around the world. In addition to factual knowledge, emphasis is placed on critical thinking and problem solving.
An investigation of the biological bases of behavior including mental illness, motivation, learning, memory and language.
This course examines the issues and perspectives related to the psychological evolution of African Americans in the United States. Particular emphasis is placed on exploring the discipline of psychology from an Afrocentric focus.
For ODU psychology majors only. With psychology faculty supervision, student develops an honors thesis proposal for approval by the Psychology Honors Program committee. See section on Honors Program in Psychology in this Catalog.
For ODU psychology majors only. With psychology faculty supervision, student conducts the supervised honors research and documents it in a thesis for approval by the Psychology Honors Program committee. Student also participates in a required seminar to discuss and present the research. See section on Honors Program in Psychology in this Catalog.
The course may be taken only once. An individualized course in which the student does library research and writes a paper.
The course may be taken only once. An individualized course in which the student does library research and writes a paper.
The entrepreneurship is a course designed to help students enhance their personal and professional development through innovation guided by faculty members and professionals. It offers students an opportunity to integrate disciplinary theory and knowledge through developing a nonprofit program, product, business, or other initiative. The real-world experiences that entrepreneurships provide will help students understand how academic knowledge leads to transformations, innovations, and solutions to different types of problems.
The department offers selected topics that may not be offered regularly. These special topics will appear in the course listing each semester.
The department offers selected topics that may not be offered regularly. These special topics will appear in the course listing each semester.
For ODU psychology majors only. Student and faculty supervisor develop and approve a contract of required research activities for the semester, such as attending research lab meetings, data collection, coding and/or analysis, library research, etc.
For ODU psychology majors only. Student and faculty supervisor develop and approve a contract of required research activities for the semester, such as attending research lab meetings, data collection, coding and/or analysis, library research, etc.
This course covers topics related to the physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects of growth, from conception to death. It focuses on human growth and development, but other organisms are also considered.
The course provides a conceptual basis for the study of abnormal behavior. Students conduct an in-depth review of the literature related to the classification, etiology, and treatment of mental disorders.
Course introduces students to the fundamental principles of human-computer interaction. Exposes students to basic psychological concepts and shows how they are used to create effective interface designs. Covers both theoretical and practical aspects of interface design.
This course covers history of personality theory and assessment and psychometrics, and introduces tools and techniques aimed at understanding individual differences in personality and assessment of major psychopathology.
Students will receive supervised training in an applied setting in the area of clinical or industrial psychology.
This course provides opportunities for advanced investigations of selected topics in psychology. May be taken by students beyond the first year of graduate study who wish to pursue topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses.
Individual project under guidance of a research advisor. Required for students choosing thesis option. Limited to a total of 3 hours of credit.
Individual project under guidance of a research advisor. Required for students choosing thesis option.
This course will cover research design and methodology. Topics may include experimental, quasi-experimental, single subject and survey research; validity; reliability; confounds; measurement; sampling; inductive inference. Additionally, this course will cover Responsible Conduct of Research, including completion of CITI course, protection of human subjects, University Human Subjects Committee and IRB, APA Style, paper structure, references, tables, figures, etc., research proposal writing, including searching for sources, writing, oral presentation, data collection and management issues (e.g., Qualtrics, SONA, data cleaning). Students are required to complete a Research Proposal with Introduction and Methods and Data Analysis Plan and give an oral presentation of research proposal.
This course examines multidisciplinary research and theories on issues related to individual and organizational well-being and health. Occupational health psychology (OHP) emphasizes the promotion of wellness and the prevention of injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Through lectures/presentations, discussions, and research activities, students will learn about OHP theory and practice.
Review of the basic descriptive and inferential statistical procedures with a heavy emphasis on fundamental and advanced analysis of variance techniques. Topics include contrasts, factorial designs, within-subject and mixed designs, and analysis of covariance. Course materials are covered in the context of classical experimental and quasi-experimental design.
Course covers correlation with heavy emphasis on regression analysis in the context of the general linear model. Topics include partial correlations, categorical and continuous interactions, non-linear regression, and multivariate statistics. Course materials are covered in the context of correlational designs and survey research.
An investigation of the ways in which people process and retain information, make decisions, and solve problems. Current models of structures and processes of human memory and cognition are discussed with particular emphasis on neurocognitive evidence of the brain mechanisms involved in cognition.
This course focuses on contemporary theory and research topics in health psychology. The course examines psychological and behavioral issues affecting health maintenance, coping with life-threatening illnesses and chronic diseases, and health promotion. The course uses the biopsychosocial (mind-body) model as an organizing framework, emphasizing the dynamic interactions among biological, social, personality, and behavioral factors jointly in influencing people’s health. The course is conducted as a seminar.
Social science data frequently have a hierarchical or multilevel structure as a consequence of sampling designs or repeated measures. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the basic principles and applications of hierarchical linear modeling in social science research. Topics covered include an introduction to multilevel analyses, random intercept models, random slope models, hypotheses testing, hierarchical models for limited dependent variables, model fitting, three-level models, and repeated-measures applications.
Quasi-experimental methods is a course to teach techniques for research designs not conducive to randomized-control trials. The philosophy of these techniques, issues of validity, and analyses are discussed. Comparisons with randomized-control trials as well as means to strengthen quasi-methodologies for better general causal inferences are presented.
A survey of human sensation and perception emphasizing historical contributions, recent theoretical and methodological developments, and empirical findings.
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of program evaluation as well as to give students practical experience conducting a program evaluation. Students will get experience creating and conducting qualitative and quantitative assessments. A course goal is to work in small groups to conduct a program evaluation.
This course introduces classical test theory, including definitions and equations for test reliability, standard error of measurement, and related statistics. Additional topics include scaling, item statistics useful in test constructions, norms commonly used in educational and psychological testing, test validity and exploratory factor analysis. If time permits, Item Response (IRT) and Generalizability Theory are introduced.
This course covers the topics of linear structural equation modeling and focuses on estimation, measurement models, confirmatory and hierarchical factor analysis, structural equations, longitudinal models, multisample analyses, and mean structures.
The course is focused on methods and techniques for analyzing multivariate data. Emphasis includes both conceptual and computational aspects of the most commonly used analytical tools when experimental units have multiple measures. A goal of the course is to avoid the extremes of "plug n chug" analyses on the one hand and theorems and proofs on the other to provide generalizable working knowledge of multivariate statistics. Featured techniques are MANOVA, MANCOVA, profile analysis, discriminant analysis, canonical correlation, principal components analysis, and exploratory factor analysis.
The purpose of this course is to review the linear regression model and move into categorical methods. Featured methods are inference using proportions and odds ratios, multi-way contingency tables, logistic regression, and loglinear models. The generalized linear model is also introduced.
This course discusses the behavior of the human as a member of a group. Topics include attitude theory and change, interpersonal attraction, group dynamics, and related theory and applied research techniques.
This course provides an overview of organizational behavior and theory. Topics include leadership, motivation, teams, social processes at work, workplace relationships, organization structure and environments, and organizational development and change.
This course provides an overview of personnel psychology. Topics include reliability and validity, job analysis, performance criteria, performance appraisal, employee recruitment, employee selection, and training and development.
The application and evaluation of psychological principles and research relating human behavior to the design of tools, technology, and the work environment. Theory, methods, and application are emphasized.
Basic overview and application of anthropometry, biomechanics, functional anatomy, mechanics, and human physiology for the design of industrial tools, equipment, and workstations.
Review of the physical, cognitive, and performance capabilities and limitations of humans as they interact with modern computer systems. Emphasis is placed on the tools, techniques and procedures for the assessment and effective design of computer hardware, software and displays of information.
Ethical principles, APA codes, laws, policies and approaches to ethical decision making will be applied to case studies involving dilemmas and issues in several areas of the professional activities of psychologists. Students will prepare an ethical and/or professional issue paper and a self-reflection on acculturation into professional ethics and standards.
Basic overview of the application of anthropometry, biomechanics, ergonomics, cognition and perception within workplace environments. Particular focus on the analysis and prevention of accidents at work. Course requires considerable practice in technical writing.
Students will investigate the biological underpinnings of behavior and explore what is currently known about their role in movement, emotions, mental illness, sexual behavior, memory, states of consciousness, sensory perception, thought and language, and several neuro-psychiatric disorders. Through active learning exercises, i.e., class discussion, reports, critiques, oral presentations, and a final research paper or proposal, students will apply and demonstrate their acquired knowledge and critical thinking skills to the biological basis of human behavior.
Empirically-Supported Therapies is designed to foster the integration of clinical science and the practice of psychotherapy. Course objectives include learning how to identify, evaluate, and implement empirically supported interventions for various psychological disorders.
Topics covered include standards of professional behavior of I/O psychologists, the governance of psychology, I/O psychology professional associations, and professional opportunities for I/O psychologists.
This course will cover research design and methodology. Topics may include experimental, quasi-experimental, single subject and survey research; validity; reliability; confounds; measurement; sampling; inductive inference. Additionally, this course will cover Responsible Conduct of Research, including completion of CITI course, protection of human subjects, University Human Subjects Committee and IRB, APA Style, paper structure, references, tables, figures, etc., research proposal writing, including searching for sources, writing, oral presentation, data collection and management issues (e.g., Qualtrics, SONA, data cleaning). Students are required to complete a Research Proposal with Introduction and Methods and Data Analysis Plan and give an oral presentation of research proposal.
Seminar on the pedagogy of teaching as applied to the discipline of psychology. Topics include syllabus preparation, lecture and discussion methods, assessment and grading, and teaching portfolio development.
This course examines multidisciplinary research and theories on issues related to individual and organizational well-being and health. Occupational health psychology (OHP) emphasizes the promotion of wellness and the prevention of injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Through lectures/presentations, discussions, and research activities, students will learn about OHP theory and practice.
Review of the basic descriptive and inferential statistical procedures with a heavy emphasis on fundamental and advanced analysis of variance techniques. Topics include contrasts, factorial designs, within-subject and mixed designs, and analysis of covariance. Course materials are covered in the context of classical experimental and quasi-experimental design.
Course covers correlation with heavy emphasis on regression analysis in the context of the general linear model. Topics include partial correlations, categorical and continuous interactions, non-linear regression, and multivariate statistics. Course materials are covered in the context of correlational designs and survey research.
An investigation of the ways in which people process and retain information, make decisions, and solve problems. Current models of structures and processes of human memory and cognition are discussed with particular emphasis on neurocognitive evidence of the brain mechanisms involved in cognition.
The course is designed: (1) to teach students to write article-length scholarly manuscripts in APA format of publishable quality, and (2) to teach students the critical components of grant applications. By the end of this course, each student will have prepared a manuscript that is ready for submission to a peer-reviewed journal and have completed sections of a federal grant application.
This course focuses on contemporary theory and research topics in health psychology. The course examines psychological and behavioral issues affecting health maintenance, coping with life-threatening illnesses and chronic diseases, and health promotion. The course uses the biopsychosocial (mind-body) model as an organizing framework, emphasizing the dynamic interactions among biological, social, personality, and behavioral factors jointly in influencing people's health. The course is conducted as a seminar.
Social science data frequently have a hierarchical or multilevel structure as a consequence of sampling designs or repeated measures. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the basic principles and applications of hierarchical linear modeling in social science research. Topics covered include an introduction to multilevel analyses, random intercept models, random slope models, hypotheses testing, hierarchical models for limited dependent variables, model fitting, three-level models, and repeated-measures applications.
This course will introduce students to the theory and practice of longitudinal data analysis. It will examine a number of approaches for modeling change (in continuous outcomes) and event occurrence (broadly defined, in categorical or ordinal outcomes), including a careful treatment of the metric of time as well as missing data. Students will learn to develop, implement, interpret, and report research involving longitudinal data analyses. The use of statistical software is also illustrated.
Quasi-experimental methods is a course to teach techniques for research designs not conducive to randomized-control trials. The philosophy of these techniques, issues of validity, and analyses are discussed. Comparisons with randomized-control trials as well as means to strengthen quasi-methodologies for better general causal inferences are presented.
A survey of human sensation and perception emphasizing historical contributions, recent theoretical and methodological developments, and empirical findings.
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of program evaluation as well as to give students practical experience conducting a program evaluation. Students will get experience creating and conducting qualitative and quantitative assessments. A course goal is to work in small groups to conduct a program evaluation.
This course introduces classical test theory, including definitions and equations for test reliability, standard error of measurement, and related statistics. Additional topics include scaling, item statistics useful in test construction, norms commonly used in educational and psychological testing, test validity, and exploratory factor analysis. If time permits, Item Response Theory (IRT) and Generalizability Theory are introduced.
This course covers the topics of linear structural equation modeling and focuses on estimation, measurement models, confirmatory and hierarchical factor analysis, structural equations, longitudinal models, multisample analyses, and mean structures.
The course is focused on methods and techniques for analyzing multivariate data. Emphasis includes both conceptual and computational aspects of the most commonly used analytical tools when experimental units have multiple measures. A goal of the course is to avoid the extremes of "plug n chug" analyses on the one hand and theorems and proofs on the other to provide generalizable working knowledge of multivariate statistics. Featured techniques are MANOVA, MANCOVA, profile analysis, discriminant analysis, canonical correlation, principal components analysis, and exploratory factor analysis.
The purpose of this course is to review the linear regression model and move into categorical methods. Featured methods are inference using proportions and odds ratios, multi-way contingency tables, logistic regression, and loglinear models. The generalized linear model is also introduced.
This course discusses the behavior of the human as a member of a group. Topics include attitude theory and change, interpersonal attraction, group dynamics, and related theory and applied research techniques.
This course provides an overview of organizational behavior and theory. Topics include leadership, motivation, teams, social processes at work, workplace relationships, organization structure and environments, and organizational development and change.
This course concerns the study of leadership and its effects on organizational behavior and effectiveness as well as employee well-being and health. Emphasis will be placed on classic and contemporary leadership theory and research.
The course focuses on the major concepts, issues, principles, and findings of job attitudes and motivation at the workplace. The student who successfully completes this course should be able to apply knowledge and skills to workplace issues regarding job attitudes and motivation, as well as stimulate ideas for future research projects.
This seminar discusses models and theories of organizational change and interventions that are commonly used to foster organizational development and effectiveness. Students participate in an organizational consulting project to apply lessons learned in the classroom.
Weekly seminars address professional and ethical issues in the practice of clinical psychology.
This course provides an overview of personnel psychology. Topics include reliability and validity, job analysis, performance criteria, performance appraisal, employee recruitment, employee selection, and training and development.
This course covers research findings, methodologies, and evaluation designs for the training and development of personnel in organizations. Specific topics include needs assessment, learning principles and system design.
This course covers the topics of recruitment, job performance, interviews, internet-based testing, and psychological constructs for use in employee selection (e.g., intelligence, personality).
This course covers the job analysis and performance appraisal/management (PA/MA). Specific topics include job analysis methods; use of job analysis results for various HR functions; performance assessment/appraisal methods; multi-source feedback; employee reactions to and use of PA/MA information; rater cognitive processes and affect; rater goals, bias, and accuracy; and organizational practical and legal issues surrounding job analysis and PA/PM.
The course is designed to provide individual students with advanced on-the-job professional experience. Internship assignments must be approved by the student's program of study. Direct supervision is given by an experienced professional at the internship setting.
The application and evaluation of psychological principles and research relating human behavior to the design of tools, technology, and the work environment. Theory, methods, and application are emphasized.
Basic overview and application of anthropometry, biomechanics, functional anatomy, mechanics, and human physiology for the design of industrial tools, equipment, and workstations.
Experiential survey of methods, measures, techniques, and prototyping tools available for human factors investigations in laboratory and field settings. The design and execution of experimental investigations utilizing the measures and tools are emphasized.
Review of the physical, cognitive, and performance capabilities and limitations of humans as they interact with modern computer systems. Emphasis is placed on the tools, techniques and procedures for the assessment and effective design of computer hardware, software and displays of information.
Survey of the historical and philosophical bases for the use of theories, models, and simulations in human factors applications with a critical evaluation of existing theories, mathematical and cognitive models, and simulations in terms of actual and potential contributions to the field.
Historical survey of human information processing literature, detailed review of recent developments in cognitive psychology, and examination of the purposes, role and scope of cognitive engineering.
This course covers the developmental processes, facilitators, and barriers individuals encounter in their work lives. It provides a theoretical foundation in the careers literature and introduces contemporary research in the area. Work-family conflict, mentoring, organizational socialization, and career success are among the topics covered.
Ethical principles, APA codes, laws, policies and approaches to ethical decision making will be applied to case studies involving dilemmas and issues in several areas of the professional activities of psychologists. Students will prepare an ethical and/or professional issue paper and a self-reflection on acculturation into professional ethics and standards.
Basic overview of the application of anthropometry, biomechanics, ergonomics, cognition and perception within workplace environments. Particular focus on the analysis and prevention of accidents at work. Course requires considerable practice in technical writing.
Survey of theories of attention, factors that influence human performance, and human performance assessment in human-machine systems. Topics include dual-task performance, vigilance, workload, arousal, fatigue, stress, human error, psychophysiology, and neuroergonomics.
Individual project under guidance of a research advisor.
Must be enrolled in psychology doctorate program.
Students will investigate the biological underpinnings of behavior and explore what is currently known about their role in movement, emotions, mental illness, sexual behavior, memory, states of consciousness, sensory perception, thought and language, and several neuro-psychiatric disorders. Through active learning exercises, i.e., class discussion, reports, critiques, oral presentations, and a final research paper or proposal, students will apply and demonstrate their acquired knowledge and critical thinking skills to the biological basis of human behavior.
1-6 credits each semester for variable credit.
Directed research in preparation for the dissertation.
This course is a pass/fail course for master's students in their final semester. It may be taken to fulfill the registration requirement necessary for graduation. All master's students are required to be registered for at least one graduate credit hour in the semester of their graduation.
This course is a pass/fail course doctoral students may take to maintain active status after successfully passing the candidacy examination. All doctoral students are required to be registered for at least one graduate credit hour every semester until their graduation.