Program Overview

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Psychological & Brain Sciences Major, Cognitive Neuroscience Specialization

The Psychological & Brain Sciences Major with a Cognitive Neuroscience Specialization is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the mind and the brain. This program allows students to acquire deeper knowledge of the neurobiological basis of psychological function and explore specialized topics related to higher cognitive processes.

Program Requirements

• Total Units Required: 43-46 units (34 units for the major requirements, plus 9-12 units for a specialization)
• Grade Requirement: A grade of C– or better must be achieved for a course to count toward the major

Required Courses

• PSYCH 1000 Introduction to Psychology (prerequisite for all upper-level courses)
• PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics
• PSYCH 3010 Experimental Psychology or PSYCH 3011 Experimental Psychology (version taken concurrently with PSYCH 3000)

Core Requirements

Students must complete at least one course from each of the following five categories:

• Social: PSYCH 3050 Health Psychology, PSYCH 3150 Introduction to Social Psychology, PSYCH 3530 Psychology of Personality, PSYCH 3096 Psychological Dynamics of Empathy, PSYCH 4099 Evolutionary Human Psychology
• Mental Health/Affective: PSYCH 3501 Psychotherapy: Introduction to Practice and Research, PSYCH 3540 Psychopathology and Mental Health, PSYCH 3645 Understanding Emotions, PSYCH 4765 Inside the Disordered Brain: Neural Systems of Behavior and Psychopathology, PSYCH 4367 Seminar in Positive Psychology
• Biological/Neurological Bases of Behavior: PSYCH 3300 Sensation and Perception, PSYCH 3401 Introduction to Biological Psychology, PSYCH 3450 Genes, Environment and Human Behavior, PSYCH 3604 Cognitive Neuroscience, PSYCH 4182 Perception, Thought and Action, PSYCH 4765 Inside the Disordered Brain: Neural Systems of Behavior and Psychopathology
• Behavior and Cognition: PSYCH 3580 Language Acquisition, PSYCH 3600 Cognitive Psychology, PSYCH 3610 Psychology of Learning, PSYCH 3800 Human Learning and Memory, PSYCH 4099 Human Evolutionary Psychology, PSYCH 4330 Psychology of Language
• Lifespan Development: PSYCH 2190 Infant Mind: Sophomore Seminar, PSYCH 3210 Developmental Psychology, PSYCH 3250 Psychology of Adolescence, PSYCH 3260 Introduction to the Psychology of Aging, PSYCH 3580 Language Acquisition, PSYCH 4270 Social Gerontology

Elective Courses

Students must complete an additional 9 units of P&BS coursework. Additional elective courses will be required to make up for PSYCH 1000 and PSYCH 3000 exemptions.

6-Units Rule

No more than 6 units from the following course types may be used to satisfy the minimum requirements for the P&BS major:

• 1000-/2000-level courses (other than PSYCH 1000 Introduction to Psychology)
• PSYCH 3999 Independent Study
• PSYCH 4992 Independent Study for a Specialization
• PSYCH 4980 and PSYCH 4990 Honors Program in Psychology
• Approved School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) psychology courses
• Approved psychology study abroad courses from a non-psychology study abroad program
• Approved psychology courses from other departments
• Approved transfer credits

Cognitive Neuroscience Specialization

The Cognitive Neuroscience Specialization allows students to acquire deeper knowledge of the relationship between the mind and the brain. The courses for the specialization consider the neurobiological basis of psychological function at a more general level and then explore, in greater depth, specialized topics related to how higher cognitive processes emerge from brain function.

Requirements for the Cognitive Neuroscience Specialization

• Coursework required: PSYCH 3604 Cognitive Neuroscience
• Additional coursework: Two courses, at least one of which is at the 4000 level, from the following:
  • PSYCH 3300 Sensation and Perception
  • PSYCH 3401 Introduction to Biological Psychology
  • PSYCH 3450 Genes, Environment and Human Behavior
  • PSYCH 4182 Perception, Thought and Action
  • PSYCH 4412 Advanced Cognitive Neuroscience
  • PSYCH 4631 Introduction to Computational Cognitive Science
  • PSYCH 4746 Biological Pathways to Psychopathology: From Genes and the Environment to Brain and Behavior
  • PSYCH 4765 Inside the Disordered Brain: Neural Systems of Behavior and Psychopathology
• Research mentorship: Prior approved research mentorship with a relevant faculty member and successful completion of a research paper (i.e., PSYCH 4992 Independent Study for a Specialization or PSYCH 4980 Honors Program in Psychology)

Relevant Faculty

• Todd Braver
• Deanna Barch
• Ryan Bogdan
• Ian Dobbins
• Denise Head
• Wouter Kool
• Zachariah Reagh
• Jeff Zacks

Additional Information

Transfer Credit

If accepted by the College of Arts & Sciences, transfer credits will be evaluated by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the P&BS department for their applicability toward either major in P&BS.

Senior Honors Program in Psychological & Brain Sciences

The primary goal of the honors program in P&BS is to provide students who have achieved a superior academic record with the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive empirical investigation under the direction of a faculty member.

To be admitted into the honors program, students must meet the following requirements:

• Have overall and P&BS grade point averages of at least 3.65
• Complete both PSYCH 3000 Introduction to Psychological Statistics and PSYCH 3010 Experimental Psychology (or PSYCH 3011)
• Have an approved honors research advisor