Psychology

Course Goals:    This course emphasizes the comparative study of perceptual systems and concomitant behaviors in a variety of vertebrates, including humans.  In particular, convergent behaviors are studied as a means of evaluating their causal and functional properties.

Course Format

1.  Schedule:  Two hours pr week of formal class meetings where students present research progress reports and summary of findings; one-to-two hours per week of individual instruction.

2.  Term paper:  Research topic will relate to the course emphasis on comparative studies in the field and laboratory.  Students will provide 20-30 page research report based on formal guidelines.

3.  Exams:  None

4.  Grading:  Letter grades will be based on the quality of the research and the term paper describing methodology and findings.  Students will present their research findings in a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation during the last day of class.

Course Outline:   

The course will be comprised of individual or team research studies of environment-organism interactions (solitary, social and heterospecific behavior) as affected by:  a) changing environmental attributes, b) context, c) developmental constraints, and d) biologically relevant circumstances.

Two research environments will be considered:

1.  Field observations combined with specific classification and quantification of  behaviors elicited in natural or artificially manipulated settings.

2.  Laboratory analysis and quantification of behavior in artificial settings,     which will include the development of questionnaires, and measurements of behavior postures and autonomic responses recorded on video tape.