PBSI 105 Psychology as a Major and Profession
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of building blocks essential to success at Texas A&M University and in the Psychology major; introduction to understanding how adjusting to college life and exploring strategies will help manage time and motivation; examination of methods for effective studying and test preparation; information about psychology graduate school and careers in psychology without a graduate-level degree. Prerequisites: First semester students in psychology.
PBSI 107 Introduction to Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
(PSYC 2301) Introduction to Psychology. Introductory course dealing with elementary principles of human behavior; also taught at Galveston and Qatar campuses.
PBSI 206/AFST 206 Black Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Critical examination of psychological experience, theories, and methods from perspectives grounded in the "Black experience." Cross Listing: AFST 206/PBSI 206.
PBSI 208 Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Minority Experience
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of theory and research relating to stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and minority experiences from a social psychological perspective. Prerequisites: PBSI 107.
PBSI 209/AFST 209 Psychology of Culture and Diversity
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Introduction to various issues surrounding an increasingly interconnected and globalized world by critically examining the dynamic relationship between psychological processes and diverse (e.g., motivation, memory, self, prejudice) socio-cultural contexts. Prerequisites: PBSI 107. Cross Listing: AFST 209/PBSI 209.
PBSI 210/WGST 210 Psychological Aspects of Human Sexuality
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Interface between human sexuality, reproductive development and gender roles across the lifespan; theoretical and research literature promotes understanding of hormonal influences, learning processes, cultural differences, sexual response and love and attraction. Prerequisite: PBSI 107. Cross Listing: WGST 210/PBSI 210.
PBSI 225 Lifespan Development
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
(PSYC 2314) Lifespan Development. Major theoretical perspectives and empirical research examining psychological processes across the lifespan; changes across the lifespan in emotional, cognitive, personality and social processes; stages of the lifespan including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and the end of life.
PBSI 235 Introduction to Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Physiological bases of sensation, motor functions, emotion, motivation and complex psychological processes. Prerequisites: PBSI 107 or BIOL 111.
PBSI 245 Introduction to Psychological Science Methods
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
(PSYC 2317) Introduction to Psychological Science Methods. Basic elements of statistics and research methods in the psychological and brain sciences; topics include ethics in psychological research, measurement, research design and descriptive and inferential statistics.
PBSI 251 Survey of Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Literature and research in the basic theories and practices of I/O psychology including selection, testing, job analysis, performance appraisal, training, employee motivation, job satisfaction, leadership, and group processes within organizations.
PBSI 285 Directed Studies
Credits 0 to 3.
0 to 3 Other Hours.
Directed readings or research problems in selected areas designed to supplement existing course offerings; individual report required. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor; major in psychology.
PBSI 289 Special Topics in...
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Other Hours.
Selected topics in an identified area of psychology. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: PBSI 107.
PBSI 291 Research
Credits 0 to 3.
0 to 3 Other Hours.
Research conducted under the supervision of a chosen faculty member in the department of psychology; involves discussion and weekly presentation of student research projects. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: PBSI 285; freshman or sophomore classification.
PBSI 300/WGST 300 Psychology of Women
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Theoretical and research literature relevant to psychological assumptions about the female personality; challenges to and verification of these assumptions by recent experimental studies. Prerequisite: PBSI 107. Cross Listing: WGST 300/PBSI 300.
PBSI 301 Elementary Statistics for Psychology
Credits 4.
3 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Practical knowledge of statistics up through analysis of variance. Practice sessions devoted to numerical problems. Will not satisfy mathematics requirement in College of Liberal Arts curricula. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PBSI 107 and PBSI 245; major in psychology.
PBSI 302 Research Methods and Design in Psychology
Credits 4.
3 Lecture Hours.
2 Lab Hours.
Research techniques in psychology with emphasis on the experimental method; laboratory exercises applied to specific problems in psychology. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PBSI 107 and PBSI 301; major in psychology.
PBSI 303 Psychology of Women of Color
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Interdisciplinary theories to study the unique yet intersectional experiences of women from different racial groups, ethnicities, nationalities and cultural backgrounds; scholarly research from the diversity science field; contemporary topics that have developed in a global context; examination of complex issues, which affect women of color across the lifespan. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in AFST 201, PBSI 107, or WGST 200, or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: AFST 303 and WGST 303.
PBSI 304 Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
The relationship of psychology to sport, exercise and human performance; including history, application of learning principles, social psychology, personality variables, psychological assessment, youth sport, the female sport experience, psychology of coaching, exercise and human performance.
PBSI 305 Psychology of Adjustment
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Adjustment problems of normal people; application of psychological principles to family, school and community life.
PBSI 306 Psychological Disorders
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Survey of psychopathology; models of diagnosis and assessment, anxiety and depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual dysfunctions, schizophrenia, bipolar illness, character disorders, children’s disorders and aging. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended; also taught at Galveston campus.
PBSI 307 Developmental Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Growth and development of normal child from infancy to adolescence with emphasis on elementary school years. Prerequisite: PBSI 107; PBSI 245, MATH 140, MATH 168, MATH 142, MATH 147, MATH 151, MATH 171, MATH 152, MATH 148, MATH 172, MATH 150, PHIL 240 or STAT 201.
PBSI 310 Career Readiness and Preparation
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Exploration of various career paths in the preparation of upper-level undergraduate psychology and neuroscience majors for either entering the job market or pursuing graduate school in psychology or related fields; assistance in preparing for and succeeding in graduate school, and how to apply for a job or to graduate school. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification; Psychology and Neuroscience-BCN majors.
PBSI 311 Psychology of Animal Behavior
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Problems, principles, and methods of animal psychology; animal learning, motivation, discriminative processes and abnormal, social and instinctual behaviors. Prerequisites: PBSI 107, BIOL 111, or BIOL 113.
PBSI 315 Social Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Social psychological variables operating on the individual; results of experimental laboratory findings; interaction of personality and social behavior. Prerequisites: PBSI 107.
PBSI 316/COMM 316 Media Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examine the role of media and its impact on human behavior, emotions and thoughts; topics include mass media, social media and how they influence individual and societal functioning across a range of important psychological topics; e.g., self-image, sexual behavior, mental health, violence. Prerequisites: PBSI 107. Cross Listing: COMM 316/PSYC 316.
PBSI 319 History and Systems of Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Historical analysis of pre-scientific psychology in philosophy and physiology through the period of the psychological "schools." Prerequisite: PBSI 107.
PBSI 320 Sensation-Perception
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Review of sensory physiology, sensory and perceptual phenomena and the major perceptual theories; current research in the field. Prerequisites: PBSI 235.
PBSI 323 Psychology of Adolescence
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Psychological problems of normal teenage individual; ways and means of aiding youth to meet these problems constructively. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 245 or one of the following: MATH 140, MATH 168, MATH 142, MATH 147, MATH 151, MATH 171, MATH 152, MATH 148, MATH 172, MATH 150, PHIL 240, STAT 201; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 330 Personality
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Review of personality theories, techniques of assessment and research relevant to understanding individual differences. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 332 Neuroscience of Learning and Memory
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Brain mechanisms of learning and memory from molecular to behavioral levels; synaptic plasticity, model systems, multiple memory systems, diseases of learning and memory. Prerequisites: PBSI 235, PBSI 340, VIBS 277/NRSC 277, or NRSC 277/VIBS 277.
PBSI 333 Biology of Psychological Disorders
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Neurobiology and clinical explanation of molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders and their drug treatments; depression and bipolar, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychosis and schizophrenia. Prerequisites: PBSI 235, PBSI 340, VIBS 277/NRSC 277, or NRSC 277/VIBS 277.
PBSI 336 Drugs and Behavior
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Physiological, pharmacological and behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs, including short-term and long-term effects of psychoactive drugs, properties of addictive drugs, etiology of addiction, and treatments of drug addiction and withdrawal. Prerequisites: PBSI 235, PBSI 340, VIBS 277/NRSC 277, or NRSC 277/VIBS 277.
PBSI 340 Psychology of Learning
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Survey of significant concepts, experimental methods and principles of learning. Prerequisites: PBSI 107, BIOL 111, or BIOL 113.
PBSI 345 Human Cognitive Processes
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Human cognition and information processing: perception, attention, memory, reasoning and problem solving; experimental methods and data, and contemporary theories of human cognition. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 245 or one of the following: MATH 140, MATH 168, MATH 142, MATH 147, MATH 151, MATH 171, MATH 152, MATH 148, MATH 172, MATH 150, PHIL 240, STAT 201; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 346 Psychology of Language
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examines theories of how language is acquired, comprehended, produced, stored and used in normal and brain-impaired individuals. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 350 Cognitive Neuroscience
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Research in cognitive neuroscience; methodological advances that enable the study of the human brain safely in the laboratory; complex aspects of the mind like emotion, social behavior and consciousness. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 235; PBSI 301, PBSI 302, and NRCS 277 recommended.
PBSI 352 Organizational Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Literature and research in basic theories and practices of organizational psychology including employee motivation, leadership, job satisfaction, counterproductive work behaviors, organizational commitment, culture, climate, communication, and group processes within organizations. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 245 or one of the following: MATH 140, MATH 168, MATH 142, MATH 147, MATH 151, MATH 171, MATH 152, MATH 148, MATH 172, MATH 150, PHIL 240, STAT 201; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 353 Personnel Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Literature and research in basic theories and practices of personnel psychology including job analysis, testing and validation, selection, performance appraisal, training, and legal issues in employment decision making. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 245 or one of the following: MATH 140, MATH 168, MATH 142, MATH 147, MATH 151, MATH 171, MATH 152, MATH 148, MATH 172, MATH 150, PHIL 240, STAT 201; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 354 Conflict and Negotiation
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the field of conflict and negotiation, including the structure and causes of common interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup conflicts, effective negotiation strategies, ethics, mediation, and the development of negotiating skills. Prerequisite: PBSI 107.
PBSI 360 Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Health psychology emphasizing behavioral and lifestyle factors in health and illness, prevention and modification of health-compromising behaviors, health care utilization, and psychological management of chronic disorders and psychological management of chronic disorders and terminal illnesses. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; junior or senior classification.
PBSI 365 Psychology of Aging
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the psychological aspects of the aging process including physiology and health, memory and intellectual functioning, personality and social relationships, emotional health and late life transition. Prerequisite: PBSI 107.
PBSI 371 Forensic Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Interface between psychology and the legal system; role of psychological theories and data, as well as mental health expertise, in the resolution of criminal trials and civil disputes; legal system's impact on the practice of psychology. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 306 recommended.
PBSI 375 Qualitative Methods in the Psychological Sciences
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Research methods and approaches to engaging in qualitative analysis; topics include epistemological and ontological assumptions of qualitative research, ethical considerations, focus groups, interviews, qualitative surveys, thematic analysis, and use of qualitative software. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification; grade of C or better in PBSI 107.
PBSI 389 Careers in Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Exploration of graduate study and professional careers in the field of psychology, including teaching, research, and clinical practice; content will include graduate admissions, licensure types, areas of specialization and professional skills related to training and practice in the field of psychology. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; approval of instructor.
PBSI 407 Behavioral Disorders of Children
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Behavior problems related to childhood; psychological aspects of mental retardation, emotional disturbance, physical handicaps and other disorders; causative factors, preventative and therapeutic methods explored; where feasible, practical experience included as requirement. Prerequisites: PBSI 306; PBSI 307 or equivalent.
PBSI 408 Pain Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Critical and transdisciplinary approach to the study of pain including an examination of personal and historical conceptions of pain, understanding of biopsychosocial mechanisms of pain, and consideration of sociodemographic and global pain disparities. Prerequisites: PBSI 107; PBSI 302 and PBSI 360 recommended; junior or senior classification.
PBSI 411 Psychology of Self
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Overview of psychological theory and research on issues related to the self, the self-concept and identity, and how these phenomena are integral to the human experience and to mental health and well-being. Prerequisite: PBSI 107 or approval of instructor.
PBSI 414 Behavior Principles
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Behavioral analysis of humans' complex interactions with their environments: how behavioral repertories are constructed during maturation process; how existent behaviors are strengthened, weakened or eliminated; and how features of environment exercise control over behavioral components within a repertory. Prerequisites: 9 hours of psychology; PBSI 107; junior or senior classification; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 421 Existential Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
. Study of major theoretical perspectives and contemporary research in existential psychology; focus on theory and research examining major topics in existential psychology including the causes and consequences of mortality awareness, self-knowledge, authenticity, belief in free-will and the experience of meaning in life. Prerequisite: PBSI 107.
PBSI 425 Psychology of Emotion
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Examination of the theories and approaches in the psychological study of emotion; topics related to emotion, including predictors of happiness, causes and consequences of emotion, and the role of emotion in society; identification of facial expressions of emotion; examination of techniques that promote happiness. Prerequisites: PBSI 107.
PBSI 432 Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Psychological and organizational theory and research on the experience of diversity and inclusion in organizations. Prerequisites: PBSI 315, PBSI 352, PBSI 353, or approval of instructor.
PBSI 440 Hormones and Behavior
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Principles of hormones and the endocrine system; relationships among hormones, the nervous system and a variety of behaviors in vertebrates including humans. Prerequisites: PBSI 235, PBSI 340, VIBS 277/NRSC 277, or NRSC 277/VIBS 277, or approval of instructor.
PBSI 445 Psychological and Social Determinants of Health Disparities
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Critical examination of macrosocial factors and position within racial and social statuses that most often affect health, causing disparities, through intermediary mechanisms and process, such as health behavior, stress, medical care and a broad range of social, psychological, cultural and religious resources.
PBSI 450 Clinical Psychology
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Analysis of the field of clinical psychology with a particular focus on the theoretical and scientific bases for the practice of clinical psychology. Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in PBSI 306; PBSI 301 and PBSI 302 recommended.
PBSI 470 Psychological Testing and Measurement
Credits 3.
3 Lecture Hours.
Theories and techniques of measurement of psychological concepts; a range of measurement models and procedures; critical tasks of evaluating strategies for measuring psychological concepts and drawing inferences and interpretations from commonly used psychological assessments. Prerequisites: PBSI 301 recommended; junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.
PBSI 471 Research Writing in Neuroscience
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of written communication skills; comprehension and communication of neuroscience research concepts to both academics and lay people. Prerequisite: PBSI 235; junior or senior classification.
PBSI 475 Communicating Neuroscience Concepts
Credit 1.
1 Lecture Hour.
Development of written communication skills; written assignments include summaries of research in the field of neuroscience. Prerequisite: PBSI 235; junior or senior classification.
PBSI 483 Teaching Scholars
Credits 0 to 3.
0 to 3 Other Hours.
Acquisition of experience in educational programs and knowledge about the scientific basis for educational strategies and development of materials in conjunction with serving as a course teaching assistant. Prerequisites: Major or minor in psychology; junior or senior classification; approval of instructor.
PBSI 484 Field Experiences
Credits 0 to 6.
0 to 6 Other Hours.
Participation in an approved mental health, mental retardation, school, industrial or other approved setting; field experiences supervised by an appropriate professor within an area of student interest; course requirements vary with the setting, the supervising professor and the needs of the individual student. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: PBSI 301 and PBSI 302; 12 hours of psychology; GPR of 2.5 or better in all psychology courses; major in psychology; approval of instructor.
PBSI 485 Directed Studies
Credits 0 to 6.
0 to 6 Other Hours.
Directed readings or research problems in selected areas designed to supplement existing course offerings. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
PBSI 489 Special Topics in...
Credits 1 to 4.
1 to 4 Other Hours.
Selected topics in an identified area of psychology. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: PBSI 107 and approval of instructor.
PBSI 491 Research
Credits 0 to 3.
0 to 3 Other Hours.
Research conducted under the supervision of a chosen faculty member in the department of psychology. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Junior or senior classification; approval of instructor.
