Psychology

Academics at Hanover:

As you study human behavior and the mind with Hanover’s accomplished, widely published faculty, you’ll learn that all of life is a process of inquiry. Unlike any other school, you’ll design and conduct your own research projects at least four times in the course of your studies.

DEPARTMENT WEBSITE

http://psych.hanover.edu/

In fact, all seniors present their projects at an undergraduate research conference. For hands-on experience, maybe you’ll conduct low-level therapy in controlled situations on campus. Or maybe you’ll intern with a local psychiatric hospital or community agency. As a psychology student at Hanover, you will have a better understanding of how and why people act, think and feel the way they do.

STUDYING HUMAN BEHAVIOR

With psychology faculty guidance, you can investigate the subjects of most interest to you through directed research projects. Past students have investigated subjects such as:

How people respond to people with attractive or unattractive faces
The most effective ways to learn
The influence of hand-washing signs on behavior
First generation versus non-first-generation college students
The perception of regional accents
Body esteem and sexual self-confidence
Homophobic attitudes

What do psychology majors study?

Basic psychology
Research design and statistics
Neuropsychology
Other topics that interest you, from personality theory to the psychology of gender to behavior disorders, to trauma and loss, and to human sexuality

Previous graduates’ career and professional placements have included:

Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, Purdue University
Clinical Psychologist, Virginia
School Psychologist, Carmel School System
Past-President, Rider University
Naturalist, Indiana DNR

Graduate school placements have included:

University of Michigan
Indiana University
University of Illinois
Florida State University
Northwestern University
Oregon Health Science University
Washington University

“Each Hanover professor pushed me to think more deeply about the issues we studied and to think about those issues in the broader context of human experience. I am grateful that they required us to perform our own independent research, and the skills I acquired through that experience will be very useful in graduate school.”
Elizabeth Tuck ’07

COURSES

Number

Name

Units

Description

PSY 025 Academic Service-Learning .25 A "linked credit" course that allows students the opportunity to (a) engage in community service and (b) reflect on that service in a way that enhances students' understanding of course content. Must be linked to a host psychology course. Prerequisite: 111 and permission of instructor. .25 unit. May be repeated for credit for a total of two terms.

PSY 111 Basic Principles of Psychology 1.00 Overview of the fundamental processes common to all areas of psychology. Partially satisfies the HS CCR.

PSY 113 Psychology and Science Fiction 1.00 Uses classic and contemporary science fiction films and literature to explore aspects of mental and social life. Will explore issues of artificial intelligence, consciousness and emotion, what it means to be human, and what happens when one is excluded from that category. May include sessions that explore an anthropological approach to this topic.

PSY 162 Neuropsychology 1.00 An investigation of the function of the nervous system, brain, and behavior. Includes laboratory experience. Prerequisite: Bio 161 or 165. Satisfies the SL CCR and partially satisfies the SM CCR. Lab fee.

PSY 164 Sensation and Perception 1.00 Investigates the basic processes by which humans gather information about the surrounding world. Considers psychophysical methods and the major senses. Includes laboratory experience. Satisfies the SL CCR and partially satisfies the SM CCR. Lab fee.

PSY 201 Qualitative Research Methods .50 Alternative research methods in psychology will be considered, including interpretive methods, phenomenology, case studies, interview studies, and naturalistic observation. Prerequisites: Psy 111 and Psy 220. .50 unit.

PSY 202 Adult Development .25 Examines physical, cognitive, emotional, personality, and social development from emerging adulthood until death. Prerequisite: 244. Not open to students with prior credit in Psy 346. Does not count towards the Psychology major or minor.

PSY 220 Research Design & Statistics 1.00 Consideration of the basic design of psychological research (experimental, correlational, survey, case study, etc.) and the analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. Prerequisites: 111 and Mat 217. Should be completed before junior year. Satisfies QL ACE. Lab fee.

PSY 231 Personality Theory 1.00 Examines the development, structure, and functioning of personality as formulated by various theorists. Reviews research, assessment methods, and clinical applications associated with various theories. Considers psychodynamic, humanistic, trait, and cognitive-behavioral theories. Prerequisite: 111.

PSY 233 Psychology of Gender 1.00 Examines psychological theory and research on gender. Addresses societal expectations for women and men, empirical research that supports or fails to support common beliefs about differences between the sexes, and the relationship between gender and many traditional issues in psychology (e.g., parenting, achievement and romantic relationships.) Prerequisite: Psy 111 or GndS 111.

PSY 240 Forensic Psychology 1.00 This course examines how the theories and concepts of psychology can be applied during all stages of the legal process. Some of the topics we will examine include false confessions, interrogation practices, police decision-making, jury selection and deliberation, psychopathy, eyewitness testimony, and insanity defenses. Discussions will focus on relevant research and also how psychological research can inform better practices and policies in the legal field. Prerequisite: 111.

PSY 243 Behavior Disorders 1.00 Consideration of the symptoms (diagnosis), antecedents (etiology), and treatment (therapy) of various forms of psychopathology, including anxiety, psychosis, personality disorders, and depression. Prerequisite: 111.

PSY 244 Childhood and Adolescence 1.00 Examines the growth and transformation of basic psychological processes from prenatal development through adolescence. Considers inborn mechanisms, physiological growth, cognitive and emotional growth, social development, personality and moral development. Prerequisite: 111.

PSY 247 Lifespan Development 1.00 An introduction to human development from conception to death within and across biological, cognitive, and social/emotional domains. Emphasizes the inherent, simultaneous complexity, stability, variability, and diversity in how humans change over time. Prerequisite: 111. Not open to students with prior credit in PSY 244, PSY 202 or PSY 346.

PSY 250 The Psychology of Film 1.00 Examines the psychological and rhetorical qualities of film as they apply to filmmakers, audiences, and cinematic texts. An interdisciplinary approach integrates experimental, qualitative, and interpretive research from the domains of psychology, mass communication, film studies, and literary criticism. Identical to Com 250. Prerequisite: 111 or Com 212 or Com 242.

PSY 332 Counseling & Psychotherapy 1.00 Survey of the theoretical and practical concerns involved in helping people with emotional problems, emphasizing both individual and group techniques. Includes a practicum. Prerequisites: 231 and 243. Lab fee.

PSY 333 Cognitive Psychology 1.00 Introduction to the higher mental processes, including attention, memory, language, and problem solving. Includes laboratory components and research projects. Prerequisites: 220 and either 162 or 164. Satisfies W2 ACE. Lab fee.

PSY 337 Learning 1.00 Examines the basic processes of human and animal learning. Includes a laboratory component and research project. Prerequisites: 220 and either 162 or 164. Lab fee.

PSY 344 Social Psychology 1.00 A general examination of how individuals are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people. Topics include: the self, social perception, stereotyping and prejudice, attitudes, helping, group processes, aggression, and others. Includes empirical and application-oriented projects. Includes laboratory component. Prerequisite: 220. Satisfies W2 ACE. Lab fee.

PSY 346 Adulthood and Aging 1.00 Examines psychological changes throughout adulthood, including physiological changes, cognitive and emotional changes, changes in social relationships, and personality. Includes coverage of developmental theories as they apply to adulthood and examines the developmental processes of aging and of death and dying. Includes laboratory component and research project. Prerequisites: 220 or KIP 341. Satisfies W2 ACE. Lab fee.

PSY 401 Advanced Research .50 A forum for developing a sensitivity to psychological research ethics, design, and methods (including statistics). Offered Fall Term of senior year, Prerequisites: 220 and senior standing. .50 unit.

PSY 462 Research Seminar 1.00 A seminar for exploring significant psychological research questions. A laboratory component is scheduled for the design and conduct of student initiated collaborative projects. Culminating Experience in Psychology. Offered Winter Term of senior year. Prerequisite: 401. Lab fee.