PSYC 116b / CGSC 2160b / CGSC 216b and CGSC 2160b / LING 1160b / PSYC 1316b, Cognitive Science of Language  Athulya Aravind

The study of language from the perspective of cognitive science. Exploration of mental structures that underlie the human ability to learn and process language, drawing on studies of normal and atypical language development and processing, brain imaging, neuropsychology, and computational modeling. Innate linguistic structure vs. determination by experience and culture; the relation between linguistic and nonlinguistic cognition in the domains of decision making, social cognition, and musical cognition; the degree to which language shapes perceptions of color, number, space, and gender.  SO
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

PSYC 602a / MGMT 7304a, Foundations of Behavioral Economics  Shane Frederick

The course explores foundational topics in behavioral economics and discusses the dominant prescriptive models (which propose what decision makers should do) and descriptive models (which aim to describe what decision makers actually do). The course incorporates perspectives from economics, psychology, philosophy, decision theory, and finance, and engages long-standing debates about rational choice.
HTBA

PSYC 1100a or b, Introduction to Psychology  Staff

A survey of major psychological approaches to the biological, cognitive, and social bases of behavior.  SO
HTBA

PSYC 1300a / CGSC 1100a, Introduction to Cognitive Science  Brian Scholl

An introduction to the interdisciplinary study of how the mind works. Discussion of tools, theories, and assumptions from psychology, computer science, neuroscience, linguistics, and philosophy.  SO
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

PSYC 1316b / CGSC 2160b / CGSC 216b and CGSC 2160b / LING 1160b / PSYC 116b, Cognitive Science of Language  Athulya Aravind

The study of language from the perspective of cognitive science. Exploration of mental structures that underlie the human ability to learn and process language, drawing on studies of normal and atypical language development and processing, brain imaging, neuropsychology, and computational modeling. Innate linguistic structure vs. determination by experience and culture; the relation between linguistic and nonlinguistic cognition in the domains of decision making, social cognition, and musical cognition; the degree to which language shapes perceptions of color, number, space, and gender.  SO
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

PSYC 1379a, Thinking  Woo-Kyoung Ahn

A survey course on how we think—and how we can think better. The course presents psychological theories and evidence that reveal common pitfalls in reasoning, as well as strategies for improving and critically assessing our thinking. Specific topics include decision making, judgment under uncertainty, rationality, confirmation bias, causal reasoning, moral judgment, logical reasoning, fake news, self-concept, perspective taking, language and thought, creativity, concepts, and genetic essentialism.  SO
TTh 1:05pm-2:20pm

PSYC 1390a / CGSC 1390a, Mental Lives of Babies and Animals  Nicolò Cesana-Arlotti

Interdisciplinary exploration of the cognitive, social, and emotional capacities of creatures lacking language and culture. The extent to which our complex psychology is unique to mature humans; the relative richness of a mental life without language or culture. Some attention to particular human populations such as children with autism and adults with language disorders.  SO
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* PSYC 1425a / CHLD 1250a / EDST 1125a / PSYC 125, Child Development  Ann Close and Carla Horwitz

This course is first in a sequence including Theory and Practice of Early Childhood Education (CHLD1270) and Language Literacy and Play (CHLD 1280). This course provides a theoretical base in child cognitive, social, and emotional development and tools to sensitively and carefully observe infants and young children. This course assumes it is not possible to understand children without understanding families and culture, and parent-child relationships. The course overview includes major theories in the field, focusing on the complex interaction between the developing self and the environment, exploring current research, theory, and practice. Students have the opportunity to see how programs for young children use psychodynamic and interactional theories to inform curriculum development. Students do two separate weekly observations over the course of the semester (3 hours total per week). They observe in a group setting for 2 hours each week at a Yale-affiliated childcare center. Students will also arrange a weekly 1-hour observation (in person or virtually) of a child under age 6. Students must make their own arrangements for these individual observations. If it is not possible to arrange a child to observe, please do not apply to take this course. Priority given to juniors, seniors, Ed Study students.  WR, SO
W 1:30pm-3:25pm

* PSYC 1427b / CHLD 1270b / EDST 3127b, Theory and Practice of Early Childhood Education  Carla Horwitz

The course deals with development and delivery of curricula for young children ages 3-6 and the current context of educational reform and debate. Goals are to deepen insights through critical analysis of educational programs for young children in light of current research and developmental theory and to understand how culture and political context contribute to the practice of education. Regularly scheduled seminar discussions and workshops that engage students with learning materials emphasize the ongoing dynamic process of developing emergent curriculum and focus on methods of creating a responsive, inclusive environment; planning and assessment; appreciating cultural and linguistic diversity; teachers’ roles; anti-bias education; working with families; conceptualizing the professional challenges of collaborating on a teaching team within the organization of the school; standards and accountability and the role of policy and advocacy in educational change. The course will use current journals, internet sources, video and other recent media as primary sources in addition to current research and other texts. Students must arrange to do a weekly one-hour observation (in-person or virtually) of a child under age 6 and an additional 2 hour in-person classroom observation at Calvin Hill Day Care Center or another Yale-affiliated childcare center. Total observation time commitment is 3 hours per week. If you are unable to find a child to observe, please do not register for this class. Introduction to Child Development (CHLD 1250/PSYCH 1425/EDST 1125) is recommended. Permission of instructor is required. Priority given to juniors, seniors, and Ed Studies students.  WR, SO
T 1:30pm-3:25pm

* PSYC 1428b / CHLD 1280b / EDST 3128b, Language, Literacy, and Play  Ann Close and Carla Horwitz

The focus of this course will be to demonstrate the complicated role that play has in the development of language and literacy skills. A major part of each topic presentation will be a discussion of the role that play has in the curriculum in enhancing these developmental areas. There is a widespread consensus that play is an essential component of a developmentally appropriate early childhood curriculum. Research indicates that play enhances a child’s creativity, intellectual development and social emotional development. Because learning to play, learning language and learning literacy skills are all part of the process of thinking and communication, the course will provide a view which attempts to demonstrate the integration of language, literacy and play in an early childhood education curriculum. Theoretical aspects of each of these developmental areas will be examined first, and it will be that theoretical understanding which will be the basis upon which ideas about curriculum will be explored, experienced and discussed. Students must arrange to do a weekly one-hour observation (in-person or virtually) of a child under age 6 and an additional 2 hour in-person classroom observation at Calvin Hill Day Care Center or another early childhood program. Total observation time commitment is 3 hours per week. If you are unable to find a child to observe, please do not register for this class. Introduction to Child Development (CHLD 1250/PSYCH 1425EDST 1125 recommended. Permission of instructor. Enrollment priority will be given to juniors, seniors, and Ed Studies students.  WR, SO  RP
W 9:25am-11:20am

PSYC 1500b / EDST 1160b, Social Psychology  David Silverman

Theories, methodology, and applications of social psychology. Core topics include the self, social cognition/social perception, attitudes and persuasion, group processes, conformity, human conflict and aggression, prejudice, prosocial behavior, and emotion.  SO
MW 9am-10:15am

PSYC 1600a / NSCI 160 / NSCI 1600a / PSYC 160, The Human Brain  Staff

Introduction to the neural bases of human psychological function, including social, cognitive, and affective processing. Preparation for more advanced courses in cognitive and social neuroscience. Topics include memory, reward processing, neuroeconomics, individual differences, emotion, social inferences, and clinical disorders. Neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neuropharmacology are also introduced.  SC  0 Course cr
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PSYC 1700a / EDST 1180a, Clinical Psychology  Shirley Wang

The major forms of psychopathology that appear in childhood and adult life. Topics include the symptomatology of mental disorders; their etiology from psychological, biological, and sociocultural perspectives; and issues pertaining to diagnosis and treatment.  SO  0 Course cr
MW 1:05pm-2:20pm

* PSYC 2538a / NSCI 2380a, Computational Methods in Decision Making  Robb Rutledge

This course provides training on how to use computational models to understand human behavior with a focus on learning, decision making, and happiness. Data is collected in a variety of tasks including new experiments designed by students, and is analyzed using computational models. Prerequisites: CPSC 100, CPSC 112 or other course involving programming (e.g., Matlab, Python, C++); course in statistics or data science; PSYC 160 or other human neuroscience course; or permission of instructor.  SC
T 9:25am-11:20am

* PSYC 2670a / NSCI 270 / NSCI 2700a, Research Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience  Stephanie Lazzaro

This course introduces methods used by cognitive neuroscientists to discover the structural and functional features of the nervous system. A combination of lectures and hands-on lab activities help students understand the structure and function of the human brain.  WR, SC
T 1:30pm-3:25pm

* PSYC 2760a / NSCI 2600a, Research Methods in Psychopathology: Psychotic Disorders  Tyrone Cannon

Methods of research in psychopathology. Focus on longitudinal designs, high-risk sampling approaches, prediction of outcomes, and modeling change over time. Students design and perform analyses of clinical, cognitive, genetic, neuroimaging and other kinds of measures as predictors of psychosis and related outcomes, using existing datasets supplied by the instructor.  SO
W 1:30pm-3:25pm

* PSYC 3113b / CGSC 313 / CGSC 3130b / PHIL 3305b, Philosophy for Psychologists  Joshua Knobe

Introduction to frameworks developed within philosophy that have applications in psychological research. Principal topics include the self, causation, free will, and morality. Recommended preparation: a course in philosophy or psychology.  HU, SO
HTBA

* PSYC 3141a / CGSC 3141a / PHIL 3141a / RLST 3104a, The Good Mind: Buddhist Philosophy for Psychologists  Sonam Kachru and Xihan Zhang

Buddhist practices of attention (meditation) have influenced contemporary therapeutic interventions in clinical psychology, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Cognitive and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Even though the clinical evidence for the effectiveness of these therapies is strong, the mechanisms underlying therapeutic success remain largely unknown. Buddhist philosophical models of mental architecture and action relevant to meditation are not sufficiently drawn on in empirical work; at the same time, many of the explanatory models developed by Buddhist philosophy remain empirically untested. This course fills the gap by providing students with the resources to engage Buddhist philosophy and experimental psychology in dialogue. Students develop expertise in the epistemic paradigms of analysis and explanation involved in both traditions, with an emphasis on the prospects for first-personal observation in both theoretical paradigms. Given the multidisciplinary nature of this course and its topical focus on well-being, we imagine this class suitable for a broad range of students from Psychology, Cognitive Science, Humanities, Religious Studies, and Philosophy, among other disciplines.  HU, SO
Th 9:25am-11:20am

PSYC 3240a / CGSC 3240a / NSCI 3230a, Human Neuropsychology  Randolph Helfrich

Neuropsychology is the fascinating study of how brain functions give rise to behavior and cognition. This course offers an in-depth exploration of how brain lesions provide crucial insights into the workings of the human mind. Through case studies of individuals with various brain injuries and disorders, students learn how specific brain areas contribute to attention, memory, language or/and motor control. By examining the consequences of various pathologies, students learn about the connections between brain structure and function, offering a unique window into the complex processes that govern human behavior. The course covers state-of-the-art neuroimaging and neurophysiology techniques and clinical assessment methods to understand how disruptions to the brain’s architecture lead to cognitive and behavioral changes. We discuss a range of neuropsychiatric conditions, including stroke, epilepsy, dementia, movement disorders, or traumatic brain injury to understand the challenges presented by these disorders. Whether it’s unraveling the mysteries visual agnosia, attention and memory disorders, or studying the profound shifts in personality after frontal lobe injury, this course provides an exciting journey into the brain’s function from the perspective of individual patients. Prerequisite: PSYC 160/NSCI 160.
TTh 9am-10:15am

PSYC 3317a / EDST 1237a / LING 1179a, Language and Mind  Maria Pinango

The structure of linguistic knowledge and how it is used during communication. The principles that guide the acquisition of this system by children learning their first language, by children learning language in unusual circumstances (heritage speakers, sign languages) and adults learning a second language, bilingual speakers. The processing of language in real-time. Psychological traits that impact language learning and language use.   SO  RP  0 Course cr
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

PSYC 3318a / LING 2200a, Phonetics I  Jason Shaw

Each spoken language composes words using a relatively small number of speech sounds, a subset of the much larger set of possible human speech sounds. This course introduces tools to describe the complete set of speech sounds found in the world's spoken languages. It covers the articulatory organs involved in speech production and the acoustic structure of the resulting sounds. Students learn how to transcribe sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet, including different varieties of English and languages around the world. The course also introduces sociophonetics, how variation in sound patterns can convey social meaning within a community, speech perception, and sound change.   SO  0 Course cr
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

PSYC 3327a / LING 2270a, Language and Computation I  Tom McCoy

This course introduces the design and analysis of computational models of language. There are many properties of language that make it challenging to handle computationally: First, language is ambiguous - a given word or sentence can have many possible meanings. Second, our linguistic experience is sparse - many aspects of language (e.g., certain sentence structures) occur very rarely, posing a challenge for computational systems that learn from data. Third, language has an enormous amount of hidden structure - words and other linguistic units can have complex relationships with each other that are not apparent on the surface. In this course, we explore the computational approaches that can overcome these challenges. Topics include finite state tools, neural networks, Bayesian approaches, computational morphology and phonology, grammar and parsing, lexical semantics, and the use of linguistic models in applied problems. Prerequisite: prior programming experience or permission of instructor.  QR, SO
TTh 9am-10:15am

* PSYC 3372a / LING 4900a, Research Methods in Linguistics  Robert Frank

Development of skills in linguistics research, writing, and presentation. Choosing a research area, identifying good research questions, developing hypotheses, and presenting ideas clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing; methodological issues; the balance between building on existing literature and making a novel contribution. Prepares for the writing of the senior essay.
W 4pm-5:55pm

* PSYC 3375a / CGSC 375 / CGSC 3750a / LING 2759a, Linguistic Meaning and Conceptual Structure  Maria Pinango

The meaning of a word or sentence is something in the human mind that has specific properties: it can be expressed (written/signed/spoken forms); it can be combined with other meanings; its expression is not language dependent; it connects with the world; it serves as a vehicle for inference; and it is hidden from awareness. The course explores these properties in some detail and, in the process, provides the students with technical vocabulary and analytical tools to further investigate them. The course is thus intended for those students interested in undertaking a research project on the structure of meaning. the nature of lexico-conceptual structure, that is, the structure of concepts which we refer to as “word meanings”, and how they may be combined through linguistic and non-linguistic means. Its ultimate objective is to bridge models of conceptual structure and models of linguistic semantic composition,  identify their respective strengths and weaknesses and explore some of the fundamental questions that any theory of linguistic meaning composition must answer. Evidence discussed will emerge from naturalistic, introspectional, and experimental methodologies.  Prerequisites: LING 110, CGSC 110, LING 217, or LING 263.  SO
MW 2:35pm-3:50pm

PSYC 3380a / CGSC 3380a / NSCI 3380a, Minds, Brains, and Machines  Julian Jara-Ettinger

Leibniz compared the brain to a mill, Freud to a hydraulic system, and now we think of it as a computer. Have we gotten it right? If so, what kind of computer is the brain? And what kind of software is the mind? This course explores these questions by integrating classical and cutting-edge findings from artificial intelligence, cognitive science, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. In this course you learn how modern artificial intelligence works—including deep neural networks, program synthesis, and neuro-symbolic approaches. You learn how to think about artificial intelligence from the perspectives of cognitive science and neuroscience. And you learn how current advances in AI are helping us understand how the mind and brain works. Conversely, you also learn how advances in psychology and neuroscience have played a key role in the biggest ideas in AI. This course is ideal for a variety of students: Psychology and cognitive science majors that want to learn about AI. CS students that want to know how to think about AI from a cognitive perspective. And anyone who wants to know how to think critically about all the advances in the study of minds, brains, and machines. Students are strongly encouraged to have taken either Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 110), or Introduction to Cognitive Science (CGSC 110). Introduction to Computer Science (CPSC 201) is also ideal.  SO
TTh 4pm-5:15pm

* PSYC 3450b / CHLD 3500b / EDST 1350b, Autism and Related Disorders  Mariana Torres-Viso, Kelly Powell, and James McPartland

Weekly seminar focusing on autism and related disorders of socialization. A series of lectures on topics in etiology, diagnosis and assessment, treatment and advocacy, and social neuroscience methods; topics cover infancy through adulthood. Supervised experience in the form of placement in a school, residence, or treatment setting for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Details about admission to the course are explained at the first course meeting. Prerequisite: an introductory psychology course.  SO
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PSYC 3470a / CGSC 3610a / LING 3610a / PSYC 163, Language Acquisition  Athulya Aravind

An introduction to language acquisition, a subfield of linguistics whose goal is to understand how humans acquire the ability to speak and understand a language, a highly complex task that is routinely and seemingly effortlessly accomplished by competent (native) speakers of the language in the first few years of life and without explicit instruction. Focusing on first, or native, language acquisition, this course covers selected topics in core areas of linguistic knowledge, including the lexicon (words), sentence structure, meaning composition, and pragmatics, from a developmental perspective. One of (i) Introduction to Linguistics (ii) Cognitive Science of Language  SO
Th 9:25am-11:20am

* PSYC 3475b / CGSC 3475b / LING 3475b, Development of Human Communication  Gabor Brody

This course explores what human communication is, and how infants, children and adults take part in it. To understand this, we explore communication across the human lifespan but also across evolutionary time, looking at non-human animals or machines. Our focus is on human conversation, the development of communicative abilities that precede language, and various social dimensions of sharing information. Drawing on linguistic, philosophical, developmental and comparative research, we examine what is shared across various forms of communication, what functions it serves and where it might leave humans and human groups vulnerable. Prerequisites: Cognitive Science of Language or Developmental Psychology  SO
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

PSYC 3508a, Intergroup Relations: The Psychology of Social Inequality  Jennifer Richeson

This course surveys core concepts in social psychology through the lens of societal intergroup relations. Specifically, the perception, cognition, and motivations that give rise to the formation, maintenance, and even acknowledgement of societal inequality are examined. We also examine the effects of societal inequality on perception, cognition, motivation, and health (individual outcomes), as well as how inequality may shape close relationships and even broader sets of interactions between and within societal groups. Prerequisites: PSYC 110 or equivalent and PSYC 150.  SO
MW 11:35am-12:50pm

PSYC 3511a, The Sleeping Brain: From Cells to Society  Lauren Whitehurst

We spend about one-third of our lives asleep—yet most people know surprisingly little about what sleep is, what happens in the brain and body during sleep, and why it matters for our daily lives. This course explores the science of sleep from multiple perspectives, examining how sleep supports thinking, emotion, health, and behavior. Students will be introduced to the biological mechanisms of sleep and circadian rhythms, as well as the research methods scientists use to study them. We consider how sleep functions in real-world contexts, from individual habits to broader social influences. A central theme of the course is how sleep is shaped not only by biology, but also by social environments. We examine how factors such as family life, work schedules, neighborhoods, and communities influence when, how, and how well we sleep. By connecting insights from neuroscience, psychology, and public health, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of sleep across levels—from cells to communities.
MW 1:05pm-2:20pm

* PSYC 3530a, Psychology of Marketing and Media  Katherine Battle

This class explores the psychology of marketing and media, from the psychological tools used by marketers and media to sell products and ideas to the psychological impacts of marketing and media on the consumer. The course uses a theoretical and empirical framework of psychology to examine how marketing and media use psychology to influence consumers, why and how consumers are vulnerable to those messages, and what impact that influence has on consumers’ behavior, self-perception, and mental health. We incorporate theories and practices from a wide range of branches of psychology, including social, clinical, industrial/organizational, neuropsychology, developmental, environmental, and media psychology as a framework and foundation for the course. Case studies include but are not limited to Disney, social media corporations, news outlets, food companies, and companies marketing products considered addictive. Interwoven topics include clinical ramifications of marketing and media as well as bias formation from media and film consumption. Students use psychological principles to analyze specific examples from advertisements, social media, news outlets, and film from the perspective of the marketer and the consumer.  Prerequisite: One introductory level psychology course. Preference is given to psychology majors. 
W 1:30pm-3:25pm

PSYC 3536a / BLST 1918a / ER&M 2549a / SOCY 1703a, Is That Racist?: Theory and Methods for Diagnosing and Demonstrating Racism  Staff

How do we know when something is racist? And how do we prove it to those who are skeptical? This course is designed to allow students to go beyond armchair pontificating about racism by exploring a broad range of ways social theorists have defined the term and methods they have used to demonstrate it. Together, we have the opportunity to read, critique, and synthesize scholarship from across disciplines, with the goal of refining our own definition of the term. To accomplish this, we examine the stakes of calling something racist, who benefits and who suffers from a given definition, and how racism functions across contexts (mostly) within the United States. We also learn about popular methods for demonstrating that an idea, feeling, behavior, person, or institution is racist and evaluate how evidence about racism (or lack thereof) can obscure a diagnosis of racism—or lead to an erroneous one. Throughout the course, we take opportunities to translate the theoretical and methodological lessons we learn to the world we live in today, from popular culture to dinner table conversations.  While there are no statistical prerequisites, students will be asked to think about the logic of statistical analysis and should be comfortable reasoning about numbers.  HU, SO  0 Course cr
TTh 4pm-4:50pm

* PSYC 3537a, Multicultural Psychology  Mica Rencher

Multicultural Psychology examines how identity, and its social contexts, impacts human behavior and perspectives. This course will introduce students to theoretical and practical approaches used to assess the impact of culture on various psychological processes. Such examination will be guided by real-world application of material covered in class and required readings. Topics will include class, culture, family, gender, mental and physical health, race, religion and spirituality, and stereotyping and prejudice.  SO
W 1:30pm-3:25pm

PSYC 3550a / CGSC 3550a, Inside the Hive Mind: The Psychology of Group Life  Yarrow Dunham

Human life is life in groups. Our lives depend on a complex web of others who furnish us with food, shelter, clothing, protection. Even our sense of self is largely defined in terms of who we are similar to and different from. And groups are by no means unique to our species, providing social organization in species as insects or even bacteria. But to place groups in a biological and evolutionary framework is to confront a central mystery, the mystery of cooperation: Why help others who may or may not help you back? And why don’t cheaters invade the population of cooperators, taking advantage of their niceness without reciprocation? This course begins with the evolutionary and biological origins of group life. When and why does group behavior evolve? What problems does it solve, and what forms does it take in other species? We then turn to the unique ways in which group behavior plays out in humans. Here we cover classic psychological work on topics like social identity, stereotyping and prejudice, and conformity, seeking to understand the ways in which group-mindedness enables both what is best and worst in our species. PSYC 1100 or PSYC 1300 (Introduction to Psychology or Introduction to Cognitive Science)  SO
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

* PSYC 3585b / ECON 4485b, Behavioral Economics  Maria Saez Marti

Study of foundational topics in behavioral economics. Focus on theories of single-agent behavior that aim to incorporate non-standard phenomena into classic economic models, with consideration of intertemporal decision-making, choice under uncertainty, and learning. Prerequisites: ECON 121; some familiarity with game theory and probability theory.  SO
W 1:30pm-3:25pm

PSYC 3635b / NSCI 3400b, Cognitive Neuroscience  Steve Chang

This course covers how cognition is made by the brain. Students learn brain mechanisms underlying human cognition, including making decisions, paying attention, regulating emotion, remembering events, as well as understanding others. The course discusses both established and newly emerging findings based on several landmark experiments in both humans and animals. During this process, students are also introduced to cutting-edge techniques in cognitive neuroscience for studying human cognition. Prerequisite: PSYC 160 or specific chapter readings from the instructor.  SC
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* PSYC 4130a / CGSC 413 / CGSC 4130a, Mind, Brain, and Society  Marvin Chun

Human cognitive and motor performance fluctuates over time and varies across situations.  What explains peak performance and how can it be sustained?  The variation can be explained by neural mechanisms of attention and executive control; psychological factors like emotion/stress management and positive mindset; and physiological factors such as sleep and exercise.  Drugs can enhance cognition and emotion regulation.  What are the ethical and societal considerations for such enhancement in neurotypical individuals?  Functional brain imaging is improving our ability to decode the mind and predict performance.  What are its implications for screening and privacy?   SO
Th 9:25am-11:20am

* PSYC 4220b / CGSC 4260b / EP&E 4490b / PHIL 4426b, The Cognitive Science of Morality  Joshua Knobe

Introduction to the emerging field of moral cognition. Focus on questions about the philosophical significance of psychological findings. Topics include the role of emotion in moral judgment; the significance of character traits in virtue ethics and personality psychology; the reliability of intuitions and the psychological processes that underlie them.  HU
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* PSYC 4260b, Foundations of Logical Thought in Cognitive Development  Nicolò Cesana-Arlotti

This is a seminar surveying the cognitive, developmental, and evolutionary origins of our capacities to use logical representations and deductive inferences to learn, form predictions, and make decisions. The seminar explores the growing field of research that investigates the foundations of logical thought in language acquisition, in preverbal infants' cognition, and in the mind of our close and distant relatives in the animal world. There are no formal prerequisites for this course, but this course is designed for advanced students who have already completed introductory psychology coursework (PSYC 110, Introduction to Psychology)  SO
TTh 11:35am-12:50pm

* PSYC 4330a / CGSC 4330a / LING 4330a, Belief Change  Gabor Brody

We say things in an attempt to change other people’s minds. In ordinary conversation, speakers and listeners begin with a set of beliefs they take to be shared. The things we say are designed to update that shared understanding by introducing new information, challenging existing beliefs, or guiding others toward certain conclusions. How this happens is surprisingly complex. Speakers rarely state everything they mean outright, and listeners routinely infer meanings that go beyond what is explicitly said. Successful belief-change depends on context, background knowledge, and the kinds of reasoning speakers and listeners perform about each other’s minds. In this seminar, we bring together work from psychology, philosophy of language, and linguistics to explore how speakers use language and other means to influence others’ beliefs and how listeners infer meaning from what is said and from what is left unsaid.  SO
Th 1:30pm-3:25pm

* PSYC 4430a / NSCI 443 / NSCI 4430a, Topics in the Neuroscience of Memory  Stephanie Lazzaro

A seminar style overview and examination of the neuroscience of memory. In this seminar, we discuss some significant historical findings in the study of memory, as well as focus on more recent, current research. How memory works and how memories can be altered and improved are discussed. Topics may include sleep and memory consolidation, re-consolidation, false memories, superior autobiographical memory, as well as the the effects of rewards, novelty, exercise, and social cues on various types of memory. Goals for this course include acquiring an in-depth and integrative understanding of the current research and directions surrounding the neuroscience of memory, and thinking critically about the methodology and evidence in the research papers that are read and discussed. We discuss strengths and limitations of the research and theories, as well as real-world applications. Prerequisites: PSYC 110, PSYC 160, or PSYC 130
Th 9:25am-11:20am

* PSYC 4800b / ANTH 4895b, Fathers and Fatherhood: Evolution and Behavior  Eduardo Fernandez-Duque

What does it mean to be a father? We explore this question for humans and for other animals where “dads” also play a major role in the care of the young.  We will focus on the evolutionary and behavioral sciences, while acknowledging that human behavior cannot be fully understood without attention to social and cultural contexts. Our readings cover the disciplines of biological anthropology, psychology, animal behavior, sociology, human development, ecology and evolution, public health, and medicine.   Background on evolutionary biology, biology, psychology, animal behavior and/or ecology, biological anthropology. This could be the result of advanced high-school courses or college-level ones.  SO
TTh 2:35pm-3:50pm

* PSYC 4852a / CGSC 4852a / HUMS 3852a / PHIL 4852a, Intelligence: Human, Animal, Artificial  Tamar Gendler

What does it mean to be intelligent? This seminar traces the idea of intelligence across species, centuries, and systems — from Plato’s vision of the rational soul, through Aristotle’s reflections on perception and movement, to contemporary discussions of emotional, embodied, collective, and artificial minds. We read philosophers, psychologists, and novelists who have asked how minds know, feel, coordinate, and create. Classical accounts of reason and virtue are paired with modern research on habit, gesture, and social learning, and with current debates about neural networks and generative AI. Our project, in the end, is less to define intelligence than to watch it refract — through reason and emotion, habit and invention, solitude and community — and to ask what those refractions reveal about how we come to know, and what it might mean to understand. The point is not to settle what intelligence is, but to examine what our attempts to define it disclose — about the world, and about ourselves. This course is appropriate for juniors and seniors who are completing majors in Philosophy, Cognitive Science, or Humanities. Open to students have taken at least 4 previous philosophy classes, with preference to students who are completing capstone requirements.  HU
W 7pm-8:55pm

* PSYC 4925a, Directed Research  Yarrow Dunham

Empirical research projects or literature review. A student must be sponsored by a faculty member, who sets the requirements and supervises the student's progress. To register, the student must download a tutorial form from http://psychology.yale.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-major-forms, complete it with the adviser, and submit it to the director of undergraduate studies by the deadline listed on the form. The normal minimum requirement is a written report of the completed research or literature review, but individual faculty members may set alternative equivalent requirements. May be elected for one or two terms. May not be used for the Psychology senior essay requirement.
HTBA

* PSYC 4950a, Research Topics  Yarrow Dunham

Empirical research project or literature review. A student must be sponsored by a faculty member, who sets the requirements and supervises the student's progress. To register, the student must download a tutorial form from http://psychology.yale.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-major-forms, complete it with the adviser, and submit it to the director of undergraduate studies by the date indicated on the form. The normal minimum requirement is a written report of the completed research or literature review, but individual faculty members may set alternative equivalent requirements. May be elected for one or two terms. May not be used for the Psychology senior essay requirement.  ½ Course cr
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* PSYC 4990a, Senior Essay  Yarrow Dunham

Independent senior research project (either empirical research or literature review), conducted under the guidance of a faculty adviser who sets the requirements and supervises the research. To register, the student must download a tutorial form from http://psychology.yale.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-major-forms, complete it with the adviser, and submit it by the deadline indicated on the form. The normal minimum requirement is a written report of the completed research or literature review, but individual faculty members may set alternative equivalent requirements. A paper of 5,000 words or more meets the writing needed for the senior requirement. To be considered for Distinction in the Major, the paper should be submitted at least one week before the last day of classes and will be graded by the adviser and a second reader assigned by the DUS. 
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