Department of Psychology
http://www.ncat.edu/~psych
George S. Robinson, Jr., Chairperson

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Psychology Program are as follows:

1. to provide the highest quality of instruction that will result in employment at the baccalaureate level, or entrance to graduate school.

2. to help students develop analytical, critical thinking and problem solving skills in all areas of psychology.to enhance written and oral presentation skills.

3. to develop research and quantitative analysis skills.

4. to enhance interpersonal skills that will enable students to recognize, understand and appreciate the diversity in human behavior.

5. to enhance the awareness for the needs of human services in the community.

DEGREE OFFERED

Psychology – Bachelor of Arts

*Leadership Studies – Doctor of Philosophy

*See the Graduate School Bulletin

DEPARTMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Psychology major – The major in psychology must complete 124 semester hours of University courses. Included in the 124 semester hours are 55 hours of general education requirements, 47 hours of psychology courses, and 22 hours of free electives.

The Minor in Psychology – Students desiring to minor in psychology must complete PSYC 242, PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, PSYC 322, PSYC 323, and an additional 15 semester hours in psychology.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

To function as a professional psychologist, it is necessary to complete graduate training in the discipline. However, the baccalaureate degree can lead to career and job opportunities in child care, human and social services, military services, law enforcement and criminal justice, and mental health services, to name a few.

REQUIRED TO TAKE ALL OF THE PSYCHOLOGY COURSES BELOW

(32 CREDIT HOURS)

TAKE TWO OF THE SIX COG/BIO PSYCHOLOGY COURSES BELOW

(6 CREDIT HOURS)

TAKE three PSYCHOLOGY ELECTIVE COURSES

(9 CREDIT HOURS) FROM BELOW:

CURRICULUM GUIDE IN PSYCHOLOGY

FRESHMAN YEAR
First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
PSYC 242 BIOL 100 MATH 101 Global Studies Course ENGL 100	3 4 3 3 3 16	PSYC 321 MATH 102 CHEM 100/110 ENGL 101 African American Course	3 3 4 3 3 16
SOPHOMORE YEAR
First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
FOLA I ENGL 200 PSYC 322/323 PSYC 324 SPCH 250	3 3 4 3 3 16	FOLA II ENGL 201 PSYC Elective 1 PSYC 440/441 HPED 200	3 3 3 4 2 15
JUNIOR YEAR
First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
Free Elective 1 Humanities Elective HPED Elective 1 PSYC 420 PSYC Elective 1 SOCI 100	3 3 1 3 3 3 16	Free Elective 2 Free Elective 3 HPED Elective 2 PSYC 439 PSYC 434 BIOL 361	3 2 1 3 3 4 16
SENIOR YEAR
First Semester	Credit	Second Semester	Credit
Free Elective 4 Free Elective 5 Free Elective 6 PSYC COG/BIO Elective 1 PSYC 542	3	Free Elective 7 Free Electives 8 PSYC COG/BIO Elective 2 PSYC Elective 2 PSYC 544	3 2 3 3 3 14
Total Credit Hours: 124

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS IN PSYCHOLOGY

This course is an exploration of the ability of computers to assist in behavioral research. Included are literature review (bibliographic search), stimulus presentation and response recording (programming and data management), data analysis (spreadsheets and statistical packages), data presentation (graphics), and report writing (word processing). Prerequisite: Psychology majors only. (F;S;SS)

This course includes an introduction to psychology as a life science especially designed for the major in areas other than psychology. Topics given major consideration include maturation and development-motivation, emotion, and personality; mental health, intelligence and aptitude; perception and attention; learning, forgetting, language, and thinking; social influence, attitudes, and beliefs, and vocational adjustment. PSYC 320 or 321 serves as a prerequisite for all psychology courses except for PSYC 242. (F;S;SS)

This course is an introduction to psychology as a behavioral science required of the psychology major with enrollment restricted to them.  Major areas of consideration include maturation and development, nervous system and internal environment; physiological basis of behavior; motivation, emotion, and personality; and psychological testing. Prerequisite: Psychology major. (F;S;SS)

This course introduces techniques of analysis and interpretation of research data. Topics will include descriptive statistics (frequency distributions, centrality, variability, and correlational measures), and an introduction to statistical inference (normal curve, sampling theory, test of statistical hypotheses, t-test, analysis of variance, chi-square, and others). Prerequisites: PSYC 242, PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, taken concurrently with PSYC 323. (F;S;SS)

This laboratory provides first-hand experiences in the practical use of statistical methods. Computer software (i.e. SPSS) will be used to analyze, interpret, and graph data. Prerequisites: PSYC 242, PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, taken concurrently with PSYC 322. (F;S;SS)

This course is an introductory survey of developmental psychology from birth through adulthood and death. It also considers developmental theories and research that investigates biological, psychological, and social factors within a cultural framework. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

This is an introduction to the study of the behavior of the individual in relation to factors in his social environment. Socialization, enculturation, attitude formation and modification, social influence on perceptual and conceptual processes, and social interaction will also be studied.  Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

Behavior deviations and psychological disorders occurring during the several developmental stages; basic concepts employed in psychopathology, mental hygiene, and psychiatry will be studied. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

Contemporary theoretical formulations of the structure and development of personality and their empirical bases will be covered. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

This course provides a survey of various research methods with an emphasis on experimental design, instrumentation, and the collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of research data. Prerequisites: PSYC 242, PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, PSYC 322, PSYC 323, taken concurrently with PSYC 441. (F;S;SS)

This laboratory provides practice in human and animal research using various experimental designs in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of research data, and in methods of reporting experiments. Prerequisites: PSYC 242, PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, PSYC 322, PSYC 323, taken concurrently with PSYC 440. (F;S;SS)

This course studies issues related to differences in personnel selection, training, and placement in organizations and industries. Topics will include organizational theory and development; personnel evaluation and assessment; skills development and measurement; theory of motivation and leadership, and issues related to human factors, working conditions and safety. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

This course is a survey of different learning approaches and motivation. The focus will be on conditioning, discrimination learning, observational learning, motor learning, and verbal learning.  Discussions will include interactions of learning and innate physiological mechanisms related to behaviors such as aggression, sleep and waking, and reproduction. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

This course is an introduction to human information processing. Coverage will include memory systems, attention, concept formation, decision making, imagery, language processing, mental representation, pattern recognition, problem solving, artificial intelligence, human factors, and applied problems (e.g., eyewitness testimony). Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

This course explores the psychological, pharmacological, and physiological aspects of drugs and human behavior. Coverage includes both conventional and current approaches to drug use and abuse in clinical and non-clinical settings.  Special emphasis is placed on narcotics, hallucinogens, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and psychotherapeutic drugs.  Consideration will given to drug effects on learning, memory, and sleep; as well as drug screening procedures and drug regulations. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, BIOL 100, CHEM 100, CHEM 110. (F;S;SS)

This course is a study of sensory systems in man and other animals. There will be discussions on cognitive organization related to measurable physical energy changes medicated through sensory channels.  Coverage will include vision, audition, psychophysics, and practical applications (e.g., work environments, human-machine interaction). Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

Independent study on a specific topic or area in behavioral science is required. Prerequiste: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321,  permission of the instructor. (F;S;SS)

This course is a study of a specific developmental period (e.g., adolescence, or adulthood and old age). It surveys developmental theories and research on the biological, psychological, and social factors within a cultural framework. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321.  (F;S;SS)

This course provides further study of descriptive and especially inferential statistics. It covers the basic principles underlying the logic of hypothesis testing.  It also includes concepts and assumptions underlying parametric tests (e.g., ANOVA), non-linear correlation and regression (e.g., logistic regression), and nonparametric (e.g., Chi-Square, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman Rank Order) statistical tests of significance, and the use of statistical software packages for data analysis. Prerequisites: PSYC 242, PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, PSYC 322, PSYC 323. (F;S;SS)

This course is designed to introduce students to the impact of European-based psychological principles on various ethnic groups in America. Differences in culture, background, perceptions, and history in America will collectively serve as a foundation to assess the applicability of psychology as we know it. Additionally, the scientific assumptions of various psychological concepts will be challenged in terms of the cultures to which they appear to apply, and compared with ethnic-based alternatives. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, junior standing and above. (F;S;SS)

This course is designed for placement of students in applied settings like hospitals, industry, mental health and rehabilitation centers, or schools. Students will gain experiences in the application of various psychological principles under professional supervision. Lecture topics will cover practical and theoretical issues related to the specific placement setting. Prerequisite: Psychology major with senior standing. (F;S;SS)

This is a continuation of Internship I. Students will do an in-depth study in the same or different applied setting, like hospitals, industry, mental health and rehabilitation centers, or school settings. Moreover, students will gain experiences in the application of various psychological principles under professional supervision. Lecture topics will cover pratical and theoretical issues related to the specific placement setting. Prerequisite: PSYC 505, Psychology major. (F ;S ;SS)

This course is a study of the psychological theories and research that address legal issues, and the role psychologists play in the criminal justice system. This course gives an overview of services provided by psychologists, such as expert witnessing, criminal profiling, trial consulting, legal decision making on child custody, jury selection, and other issues. Coverage will include the assessment and therapeutic services provided to individuals in forensic settings with suspected deviant behaviors such as drug abuse, mental illness, suicide, and sexual deviance. Also covered are the ethical issues confronted by psychologists in the criminal justice system. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, PSYC 434, PSYC 439. (F;S;SS)

This course is a study of the biological basis of normal and abnormal behavior, including sensory systems, brain and behavior relationships, and underlying neurochemical processes. Prerequisites: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, BIOL 100. (F;S;SS)

A study of selected major systematic views and theoretical issues in psychology will be included as the capstone experience. Each student will participate in research using psychological journals and other materials, which will lead to an oral presentation and a written paper on a substantive view or issue in psychology. The graduate school application process, and preparation for the work-force will be included. Prerequisite: Psychology major, junior standing and above. (F;S;SS)

This course emphasizes the principles of measurement of psychological attributes; an examination of factors essential for a reliable and valid measuring instrument with an emphasis on the important role they play in producing their effects. There will be discussions and pre-clinical experiences with more valid tests available in the areas of personality, aptitude, attitude, interests and intelligence testing. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, PSYC 322, PSYC 323. (F;S;SS)

This course is a study of the biological basis of normal and abnormal behavior, including sensory systems, brain and behavior relationships, and underlying neurochemical processes. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321. (F;S;SS)

This course is a study of various types of animal behaviors such as communication, aggression, feedng, sexual behavior, maternal behavior, territoriality, socialization, learning processes, and responses to stressors, and how heredity and environment affect these behaviors, with emphasis on domestic animals and their often “unnatural” environments. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321,  junior standing and above. (DEMAND)

This is an advanced survey of the field of clinical psychology from a broad conceptual and historical perspective. This course examines professional issues such as various mental health delivery systems, clinical assessment and diagnoses, and ethics. The course also presents an overview of different approaches to psychotherapy along with assessment methods commonly used in evaluation of therapy, research, and decision making in a clinical setting. Prerequisites: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, PSYC 434, PSYC 439, junior standing and above (F;S;SS)

The utilization of psychology concerning the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of physical disorder (e.g. hypertension) and disease from a behavioral and/or psychological perspective will be included. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, junior standing and above. (F;S;SS)

This course is a survey of relevant research and techniques making use of either learning theory or behavioral principles in the treatment of deviant behavior. Special emphasis is placed on the use of operant conditioning procedures in the prevention and treatment of abnormal behavior. Prerequisite: PSYC 320 or PSYC 321, junior standing and above. (F;S;SS)

DIRECTORY OF FACULTY

B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of Miami

B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Howard University

B.A., Wake Forest University; M.A., Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

B.A., M.A., California State University, Sacramento; Ph.D., Brandeis University; Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Southern California

B.A., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Post-doctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

B.A., Roanoke College; M.A., Hollins College; Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

B.A., Banaras Hindu University; M.A., University of Chicago; Ed.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

B.A., M.S., North Carolina A&T State University, Ed.D., Western Michigan University

B.A., Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

B.A., Ph.D., New York University

B.A., North Carolina A&T State University, M.A., Howard University

B.A., M.A., University of North Carolina at Greensboro

B.A., North Carolina A&T State University, M.A., Virginia State University

B.A., University of San Francisco, M.A., Ph.D., Psychological Studies Institute

B.A., North Carolina A&T State University, M.A., Radford University

B.A., Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

B.A., North Carolina A&T State University, M.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 

Departments in the College of Arts & Sciences

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