MSU Billings Catalog

The Department of Psychology

Psychology

PSYX 100 Intro to Psychology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Presents an overview of the psychological functioning of the individual, including such topics as the biological bases of behavior, learning, cognition, motivation, developmental and social processes, psychological disorders and their treatment.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 222 Psychological Statistics. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100 and STAT 141.

Introduces the principles of psychological research and their applications to the analysis and statistical interpretation of experimental data.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 225 Research Design and Analysis. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Provides an opportunity for the student to learn about design, control, and measurement techniques through actual construction and implementation of a research plan. Includes laboratory exercises related to topics discussed Lab required.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 226 Research Design and Analysis L. 1 Credit

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Lab Hours 1

Department: Psychology

PSYX 230 Developmental Psychology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Provides a comprehensive overview of human development across the life-course. Contemporary theory and research are presented from a multi-disciplinary perspective that emphasizes the integration of biological, psychological, socio-cultural, and developmental influences over time. The course will cover common developments and challenges encountered at various life stages as well as the emergence of individual differences that account for our unique characteristics.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 294 Seminar/Workshop. 1-8 Credits

Department: Psychology

PSYX 298 Internship/Cooperative Educ. 1-9 Credits

Provides university credit for a sophomore work experience in the area of Psychology, supervised by faculty. Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

Department: Psychology

PSYX 320 Adv Psych Research Methods. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 222.

Enables the student to conduct more advanced statistical analyses of the results of psychological research, through the use of both descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency, dispersion, skewness, kurtosis, and correlation, and inferential statistics, including parametric statistics, such as the analysis of variance and nonparametric statistics. Lab required.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 321 Adv Psych Research Methods Lab. 1 Credit

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Lab Hours 1

Department: Psychology

PSYX 330 Child Development. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Provides a comprehensive overview of child development prior to puberty. Contemporary theory and research will be presented from multiple perspectives that emphasize the integration of biological, cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural influences over time.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 333 Psychology of Aging. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Considers the various aspects of the aging process as they relate to the psychological functioning of people in later life. Theories, data, and applications are considered as they relate to the well being of older people.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 335 Psychology of Gender. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Explores the factors that influence the development of differences in cognitive and social/emotional functioning between males and females and the effects of those differences on psychological functioning.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 340 Abnormal Psychology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Summer

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Covers the various categories of mental disorders, as classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. For each disorder, information about features, causes, and treatments is examined.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 345 Child & Adolescent Psych Dis. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100 (Sp) Provides a comprehensive overview of psychological disorders in children and adolescents.

Contemporary theory and research will be presented from an integrative perspective that recognizes interrelations between biological, cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural influences. Special emphasis will be placed on developmental course of each disorder, highlighting the special issues pertaining to different age groups as well as the risk and protective factors affecting developmental pathways. Case studies will be used to illustrate concrete examples of various psychological disturbances.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 350 Physiological Psychology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Presents the physiological basis of human and animal behavior. Primarily concerned with the structure and function of the central nervous system as it relates to the behavior of organisms. Laboratory will concentrate on the neuroanatomy of the brain and demonstrations of techniques used in the discipline. Lab required.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 351 Physiological Psychology Lab. 1 Credit

Term Typically Offered: Fall

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Lab Hours 1

Department: Psychology

PSYX 354 Sensation & Perception. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100, PSYX 222 and PSYX 225.

Covers the psychological and physiological aspects of sensory and perceptual experience in humans. Explores the historical and scientific backgrounds of sensation and perception. Laboratory exercises demonstrate psychophysics, measures of perceptual phenomena and sensory physiology. Lab required.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 355 Sensation & Perception Lab. 1 Credit

Lab Hours 1

Department: Psychology

PSYX 358 Drugs and Behavior. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Corequisite(s): PSYX 359.

Explores the physiological and psychological effects of licit and illicit drugs, including drug-related topics in biology, neuroscience, history, and law. Shows how drug taking behavior helps us comprehend human behavior in a biological environment.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 359 Drugs and Behavior Lab. 1 Credit

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Corequisite(s): PSYX 358.

(1.5 lab/wk) Explores the effects of drugs on the brain and human behavior using statistical modeling and drug use surveys on national populations. Students will learn research techniques useful in the field of pharmacology and psychology. The lab supports topics covering the Drugs and Behavior course.

Lab Hours 1

Department: Psychology

PSYX 360 Social Psychology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100 or consent of instructor.

Studies how the thought, feeling, and behavior of individuals are influenced by the actual, implied, or imagined presence of others. Emphasis is given to the symbolic interactionist perspective and the relationship between culture and cognitive processes.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 370 Psychology of Learning. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (even years)

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Explores the facts and principles of learning, motivation and memory. Covers the historical and theoretical background of learning, motivation and memory. Laboratory exercises demonstrate learning, motivation and memory processes. Lab required.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 371 Psychology of Learning Lab. 1 Credit

Term Typically Offered: Spring (even years)

Lab Hours 1

Department: Psychology

PSYX 378 Intro to Clinical Psyc. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (odd years)

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Surveys the major approaches to psychotherapy, with emphasis on theoretical foundations. Also addresses the issues of treatment efficacy, common factors, eclecticism, and current controversies.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 380 Memory & Cognition. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100, PSYX 222 and PSYX 225.

Considers such topics as language and thought, attention, visual information processing, and short term and long term memory. Laboratory replicates and extends classical experiences in the field. Lab required.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 381 Memory & Cognition Lab. 1 Credit

Term Typically Offered: Fall

Lab Hours 1

Department: Psychology

PSYX 382 Forensic Psychology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100 or consent of instructor.

Applies psychology to the legal system. Topics include jury selection and decision-making, memory as evidence, eyewitness testimony, psychological assessment and the insanity defense, and psychological profiling of criminal behavior.

Department: Psychology

PSYX 385 Psychology of Personality. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100 or consent of instructor.

Surveys the major theories of personality, with secondary attention to the lives of the theorists who formulated them.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 395 Field Work. 1-8 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing with 2.50 GPA and consent of instructor.

Provides the student an opportunity to apply academic study to actual work experiences. Offers added meaning to theories and principles learned in class as provided by concrete application on supervised and selected work assignments. Includes weekly case conference with instructor.

Lecture Hours 1-8

Department: Psychology

PSYX 400 History & System in Psychology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring, Summer

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Covers the historical development of psychology and studies the development and the content of the major systems and ideas.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 410 Cognitive Learning Theories. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100.

Studies the thought processes that underlie learning. Focuses on unseen mental events (such as thinking and memory) that occur during the learning process. Animals and humans use such processes to develop expectancies concerning behavior and its relationship to external events.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 461 Indust & Organiz Psych. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100 or consent of instructor.

Introduces students to the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Surveys research and practice of psychological principles to a work setting.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 470 Psychological Testing. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (odd years)

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 100 and PSYX 222, or equivalent.

Examines the conceptual foundations of psychological testing and surveys representative tests and measurement instruments.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 477 Science of Psych Well-Being. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

3cr. Explores positive psychology and positive interventions through theory, research, and practice. Demonstrates how to incorporate resilience interventions into one's life including cognitive strategies, strategies to manage anxiety and increase positive emotions such as gratitude, and relationship enhancement skills.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 482 Psycholinguistics. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): LING 210.

Explores the relationship between the human brain and language, including brain anatomy, first and second language acquisition, abnormal language acquisition and functions, and mental language processes.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: Psychology

PSYX 490 Undergrad Research Testing Lab. 1-6 Credits

Department: Psychology

PSYX 492 Independent Study. 1-8 Credits

Prerequisite(s): enrollment in a major or minor program in Psychology and consent of the department chairperson.

Provides outstanding students an individual opportunity to investigate material not covered by regular Psychology courses.

Department: Psychology

PSYX 494 Seminar/Workshop. 1-8 Credits

Department: Psychology

PSYX 495 Practicum. 1-3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Prerequisite(s): Psychology major, Junior or Senior standing and consent of department chairperson.

Provides opportunity of direct use of psychological knowledge in an academic setting. A student may be enrolled in only one practicum during a given semester. If repeated, the second practicum must relate to services in a different course or serve a different function within the same course.

Department: Psychology

PSYX 498 Internship/Cooperative Educ. 1-6 Credits

Provides university credits for a work experience in the area of Psychology supervised by faculty. Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

Department: Psychology

PSYX 499 Senior Thesis. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Prerequisite(s): PSYX 222, PSYX 225, PSYX 226, and Senior level standing in Psychology.

Guides students through the process of carrying out a thesis project, including conducting a literature review, designing a study, collecting data, statistical analysis, writing a report, and making an oral presentation. Offered ONLY Online.

Department: Psychology