Undergraduate Program

Course Credit: 4

PSY 301: Developmental Psychology II

Credit Hours: 4

 

 

Introduction

Developmental psychology is the branch of psychology that studies the development of the human being from conception to birth. It is the study of an individual’s social, emotional, cognitive, and biological development through his or her lifespan. The focus of this course is from adulthood to later life. It strengthens our knowledge of factors that define and affect adult development and the aging process.

 

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. To know the common characteristic of age changes that emerge in appearance, behavior, interests, and goals from one developmental period to another.
2. To examine how a person grows, develops, and declines by taking multiple aspects and placing them in different frameworks for understanding.
3. To explore when this change occurs and what causes them
4. To analyze how they influence behavior
5. To understand the major influences on development in late adulthood, including normative and non-normative change.
6. To evaluate theory and research on age-related changes in adult physiology, sensory and perceptual abilities, cognition, memory, social relationships, social cognition, personality, and mental and physical health. 

 

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1	Introduction History of adult development and aging, Stages of adult development, Research Methodology, Cross-sectional Studies, Longitudinal Studies, Sequential Design	6
2	Early Adulthood Family and Relationships, Mate Selection, Marital Adjustment, Role and role differentiation, Parenting, Divorce, Widowhood, Remarriage	8
3	The World of Work Occupational choice, Challenges of work setting, One life-One career, The career clock, Occupation and family, Work and gender, Work and age	6
4	Personality Development Approaches to Personality, Carl Gustav Jung’s theory of personality development, Change and continuity in the adult personality	5
5	Middle Adulthood Developmental Tasks, Physical change: Menopause and its effect on personality, Grand parenting: Adjustment to changed family situation, Duvall’s family life cycle, Work and generativity, Work related issues and task	8
6	Late Adulthood Physiological Theories of Aging, Wear and Tear Theory, Cellular Aging Theory, Homeostatic Imbalance Theory, Dietary Restriction Theory	6
7	Social-Psychological Theories of Aging Disengagement Theory, Activity Theory	5
8	Physical Changes of Late Adulthood Sensory capacities, Vision, Hearing, Nervous systems, Central Nervous system	6
9	Dependency Financial dependency, Physical dependency, Emotional dependency	5
10	Adjustment with death and bereavement Facing death, The process of dying, The survivors: Bereavement and grief	5

                Total number of classes: 60

 

Outcomes

Unit 1: Understand the research methods used by developmental psychologists, particularly in the psychology of aging, and apply them in the related field.

Unit 2: Identify the characteristics of every partner’s role and understand the importance of family relationships.

Unit 3:Comprehend how background factors affect occupational choices and analyze the challenges of work.

Unit 4: Explain the development of personality in adulthood.

Unit 5: Discuss work-related issues in midlife and explain how social relationships change and endure in adulthood and aging.

Unit 6: Understand theories of aging and explain age-related changes in late adulthood.

Unit 7: Analyze the concepts of social-physiological theories of aging.

Unit 8: Describe and explain how sensory and perceptual abilities change over adulthood.

Unit 9: Analyze the implications of aging and attitudes toward aging and older individuals.

Unit 10: Describe and explain mental health issues pertinent to aging.  

 

Instructional Strategies

The course will involve a number of instructional methods, such as:

1. lectures
2. small group discussions
3. demonstrations
4. PowerPoint presentations
5. asssignment

 

Readings

Aiken, L. R. (1998). Human Development in Adulthood. New York, USA: Plenum Press.

Hurlock, E. B. (1953). Developmental Psychology: A Lifespan Approach. New York, USA: McGraw Hill.

Kimmel, C. D. (1990). Adulthood and Aging (3^rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & sons.

Neugartan, B. L. (1968). Middle Age and Aging: A Reader in Social Psychology. Chicago, USA: The University of Chicago Press.

Newman, B. M. and Newman, P. R. (1984). Development through Life: A Psychosocial Approach. Illinois: Dorcey Press.

Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W. & Feldman, R.D. (2008). Human Development. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill International Edition.

Schaie, K.W. and Geiwitz, J. (1982). Adult Development and Aging. Boston, MA: Little Brown and Company (Inc).

 

Course Credit: 4

PSY 302: Statistics in Psychology III

Credit Hours: 4

 

Introduction

This course is designed to provide students with knowledge about and hands-on practice with advanced statistics in psychology. It provides an introduction to advanced statistical principles and techniques as applied to real-world problems in psychological research. As such, this upper division course is designed to teach many of the concepts needed to understand, conduct, and interpret advanced statistical procedures and techniques. Topics covered include nonparametric statistics, and multivariate and mediation statistics. In this course students should learn to play appropriate statistical analyses in advanced research scenarios and interpret results. They should gain the ability to understand and explain the statistical analyses in reports of psychological research. The course is also designed to improve students’ quantitative and analytical thinking skills.

 

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

This course is designed to help students develop the conceptual background and practical skills necessary to begin conducting statistical analyses of empirical data. It intends to achieve a number of integrated objectives that are important to the understanding and applications of advanced statistical techniques in psychological research. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

 

1. Deal with quantitative data sets to examine statistical assumptions.
2. Identify appropriate inferential analytic techniques for different forms of data.
3. Master nonparametric statistical techniques such as, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Runs test, Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Friedman’s ANOVA etc.
4. Master multivariate statistical techniques such as, MANOVA, MANCOVA, multiple regression, logistic regression, mediation analysis, factor analysis etc.
5. Play quantitative analyses using appropriate statistical operations in realistic settings.
6. Interpret quantitative results from these analyses and develop proper inference.
7. Critically interpret quantitative findings from the literature.
8. Explain the strengths and limitations of different forms of statistical analyses.
9. Effectively communicate statistical results orally and in writing.

 

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1	Exploring Assumptions What are assumptions, Testing whether a distribution is normal- Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test, Testing whether a sample is randomly selected- Runs test, Testing for homogeneity of variance – Levene’s test	10
2	Non-Parametric Tests Comparing two independent conditions: Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Mann-Whitney test; Comparing two related conditions- Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Differences between several independent groups: Kruskal-Wallis Test, Post hoc tests for the Kruskal-Wallis Test; Differences between several related groups: Friedman’s ANOVA, Post hoc tests for Friedman’s ANOVA	10
3	Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) What is MANOVA?, When to use MANOVA?, How is MANOVA similar to and different from ANOVA?, Calculating MANOVA, Principles of the MANOVA test statistic, Practical issues when conducting MANOVA	5
4	Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) What is MANCOVA, When to use MANCOVA, Assumptions and issues in MANCOVA, Calculating MANCOVA	5
5	Multiple Regression Basic concepts: Meaning and purpose of multiple regression, Assumptions of multiple regression, Meaning of β, R2, adjusted R2, R2 change, Tolerance and multicollinearity, Model of multiple regression; Methods of multiple regression: Simultaneous, Stepwise, Hierarchical	10
6	Mediation and Moderation Analysis Basic Concepts: Partial and complete mediation, Total, indirect, and direct effect, Simple and multiple mediation; Mediation analysis, Moderation analysis, Mediated moderation analysis, Moderated mediation analysis	6
7	Logistic Regression Background to logistic regression, Principles behind logistic regression, Binary logistic regression, Polynomial logistic regression	6
8	Factor Analysis What is factor analysis, When to use factor analysis, Basic terminologies in factor analysis: Factor loadings, factor cosines, factor weights, factor scores, Communality, eigen value, uniqueness, error variance, specificity, Scree and scree plot, Steps in factor analysis: Preparation of correlation matrix, Determination of initial factors, Rotation of initial factors, Determination of the factor scores, Application of factor analysis in behavioral sciences	8

                Total number of classes: 60

 

Outcomes

Unit1: Explain and examine the assumptions underlying statistical tests; calculate and interpret nonparametric statistics such as, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Runs test, Mann-Whitney U Test etc.

Unit2: Describe and explain concepts and procedures of nonparametric statistics; calculate and interpret nonparametric statistics such as, Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Friedman’s ANOVA etc.

Unit3: Describe and explain concepts and principles of Multivariate Analysis of Variance; calculate Multivariate Analysis of Variance and interpret its results.

Unit4: Describe and explain concepts and assumptions of Multivariate Analysis of Covariance; calculate Multivariate Analysis of Covariance and interpret its results.

Unit5: Describe and explain concepts, assumptions and model of multiple regression; calculate and interpret multiple regression and related statistics.

Unit6: Describe and explain concepts and principles of mediation and moderation analyses; calculate and interpret mediation and moderation analyses.

Unit7: Describe and explain concepts and principles of logistic regression; calculate and interpret logistic regression and related statistics.

Unit8: Describe and explain concepts and principles of factor analysis; calculate and interpret factor analysis and related statistics.

 

Instructional Strategies

This course follows both lectures (using or without using multimedia projector) and discussions and/or exercises related to the assigned readings. Homework and/or classroom exercises will be assigned to facilitate learning and in-class discussions. Statistics is learned best by doing, not by just reading. So, students are expected to perform every homework and classroom exercise from each chapter of the textbook. The homework and classroom problems will be drawn from the basic text, and other sources. Readings from the text should be completed beforehand in order to get the most out of each class and ensure that students can follow the lectures and discussions. Some of the lectures will require calculations to be completed during class using a scientific calculator. So, students should have their calculators in addition to reading text, and papers with them for the class. Attendance and active participation are the central requirement for this course. Students are strongly suggested to refrain from using laptop computers, cell phones and other personal electronic devices during class time. However, this code of conduct does not apply for online classes that might be necessary during unusual/unavoidable circumstances, such as pandemic situation. Students are encouraged to seek help whenever they run into problems with this course. For a help over and beyond in class questions, students can get an appointment with the instructor.

 

Readings

Ferguson, G. S. (1989). Statistical Analysis in Psychology and Education. NY: McGraw Hill Book Co.

Field, A. (2013). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. 4^th Ed. Los Angeles: Sage.

Garrett, E. H. & Woodworth, R. S. (1971). Statistics in Psychology and Education. London: Longmans, Green & Co.

Harman, H. H. (1967). Modern Factor Analysis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach. NY, London. The Guildford Press.

Jose, P. E. (2013). Doing Statistical Mediation and Moderation. NY, London. The Guildford Press.

Kraska-Miller, M. (2014). Nonparametric Statistics for Social and Behavioral Sciences. NY, London, CRC Press. Taylor & Francis Group.

Siegel, S. & Castellan, N. J. (1988). Non-parametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. NY: McGraw Hill.

 

Course Credit: 4

PSY 303: Abnormal Psychology

Credit Hours: 4

 

Introduction

This course is an introduction to mental disorders in adult humans. The contents will cover the diagnosis, nature, causes, treatments, and prognosis of major psychological problems and illnesses. Emphasis will be given to the latest research, theories and models to understand and approach the psychological dysfunctions. We will also examine the historical perspectives on mental illnesses and ongoing debates surrounding their diagnosis and classification.

 

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Understand the issues concerning normal and abnormal behaviours and their historical relevance.
2. Know about common psychological disorders and their diagnostic features, causes, and treatments.
3. Understand theories and models explaining the development and progression of various psychological dysfunctions.
4. Be able to evaluate research evidence and treatment protocols for mental illnesses critically.
5. Have better mental health literacy to promote their own and others’ mental health.

 

 

 

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1	Abnormal Psychology: Past and Present What is psychological abnormality?, How common are mental disorders?, What is treatment?, How was abnormality viewed and treated in the past? Current trends	6
2	Models of abnormality One-dimensional versus multidimensional models, The biological model, The psychodynamic model, The behavioural model, The cognitive model, The humanistic-existential model, The sociocultural model: Family-social and multicultural perspectives	9
3	Clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment Assessing psychological disorders, Diagnosis: Does the client’s syndrome match a known disorder?, Treatment: How might the client be helped?: An overview of treatment, Measuring success in psychotherapy, What therapeutic approaches should be used?	6
4	Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive, and related disorders The complexity of anxiety disorder, Generalized anxiety disorder, Phobias,  Social anxiety disorder, Panic disorder, Obsessive-compulsive disorder	6
5	Disorders of trauma and stress Stress and arousal: The fight-or-flight response, Acute and posttraumatic stress disorders, Dissociative disorders: Dissociative amnesia, Dissociative identity disorder, Depersonalization-derealization disorder	6
6	Depressive and bipolar disorders Unipolar depression: The depressive disorders, What causes unipolar depression?, Bipolar disorders, Treatments of mood disorders, Suicide: What is suicide, Four kinds of people who end their life, Triggers of suicide, Underlying causes of suicide, Treatment after a suicide has been attempted and suicide      prevention	10
7	Disorders featuring somatic symptoms Factitious disorder, Conversion disorder and somatic symptom disorder, Illness anxiety disorder, Psychophysiological disorders: Psychological factors affecting other medical conditions	6
8	Schizophrenia Clinical picture of schizophrenia, How do theorists explain schizophrenia?, Treatment of schizophrenia	6
9	Personality disorders and impulse-control disorders Personality disorders: “Odd” personality disorders, “Dramatic” personality disorders, “Anxious” personality disorders, Impulse-control disorders: Kleptomania, Intermittent explosive disorder, Pyromania	8

             Total number of classes: 60

 

Outcomes

Unit 1:

1. Use psychological terminologies, concepts, and theories to explain behaviour and mental processes
2. Explain how abnormal behaviour has been viewed throughout history
3. Comprehend the effect that the emergence of humanism has on abnormal psychology
4. Pinpoint the developments that led to the contemporary view of abnormal psychology

 

Unit 2:

1. Explain various models of abnormality
2. Compare and contrast the models
3. Understand how the models inform treatment strategies

Unit 3:

1. Explain various strategies and procedures in clinical assessment
2. Explain the classification system used to diagnose mental disorders
3. Understand various issues of psychotherapy and treatment

Unit 4:

1. Describe the clinical features of anxiety disorders, phobias, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, Obsessive-compulsive disorder
2. Distinguish normal anxiety from pathological anxiety
3. List and describe the major anxiety disorders, including their main features and prevalence
4. Recognize the factors implicated in the development of these disorders
5. Formulate an understanding of psychopathology, which includes an integration of biology, psychology and social context
6. Identify basic biological, psychological, and social components of behavioural explanations
7. Be acquainted with the therapeutic process for these disorders

Unit 5:

1. Know what stress is and how the body responds to stress.
2. Recognize the mental disorders that are explicitly recognized as being triggered by stress.
3. Distinguish the clinical features of posttraumatic stress disorder.
4. Explain the risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder and the therapeutic approaches that are used for this disorder.
5. Outline and describe the different types of dissociative disorders.
6. Explain the biological and environmental causes and therapeutic approaches for dissociative disorders.

Unit 6:

1. Identify the symptoms of depressive and bipolar disorders
2. Explain the causes of depressive and bipolar disorders
3. Describe the treatments of depressive and bipolar disorders
4. Explain suicide and its triggers and causes
5. Describe suicide prevention strategies

Unit 7:

1. Identify the symptoms of somatic symptoms and related disorders
2. Explain the causes of the disorders featuring somatic symptoms
3. Describe the available treatments for somatic symptoms and related disorders

Unit 8:

1. Categorize and describe the symptoms associated with schizophrenia and psychotic disorders
2. Describe and differentiate between hallucinations and delusions, and apply what they have learned to everyday examples
3. Understand the interplay between genetic, biological, and environmental factors associated with the development of schizophrenia
4. Describe the etiology and therapeutic approaches for schizophrenia

Unit 9:

1. State the definitions of personality trait and personality disorder
2. Identify the disorders included in each cluster and the characterization of each cluster
3. Outline the biological and environmental factors that may contribute to a person developing a personality disorder
4. Recognize the treatments for other personality disorders

 

 

Instructional Strategies

The course will use lecture and audio-visual presentations. We will present case vignettes and recorded psychotherapy sessions to facilitate group discussions. Also, students will be encouraged to ask questions, comment, and share personal reflections.

 

Readings

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Barlow, D. H., & Durand, V. M. (2018). Abnormal psychology: An integrative approach (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Comer, R. J. (2018). Abnormal psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Hooley, J. M., Butcher, J. N., Nock, M. K., & Mineka, S. M. (2018). Abnormal psychology (18th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Kring, A. M., Johnson, S. L., Davison, G, C., & Neale, J. M. (2014). Abnormal psychology (13th ed.). New York, NY: Wiley.

Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2014). Abnormal psychology in a changing world (9th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Pomerantz, A. M. (2017). Clinical Psychology: Science, practice, and culture (4th ed.). London: Sage.

Course Credit: 4

PSY 304: Psychology of Perception

Credit Hours: 4

 

Introduction

Perception is the way people organize and interpret their sensory input. It gives meaning to a person's environment and makes sense of the world. By studying perception, the students can understand the mechanisms of our senses through which everything we see, hear, taste, feel, or smell is filtered. Perception is important in Psychology because people's behaviors are based on their perception.

 

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. To enhance students’ ability to understand the perceptual process and to measure the perception.
2. To help students to identify the relationship among the activity of the nervous system, property of the receptors, and perception.
3. To develop students’ ability to interpret the perceptual organization, perceptual segregation, the role of attention in perception etc.
4. To provide the information about the theories of color vision, the processes underlying depth perception, perceiving the size of the object.  
5. To allow students to understand the process of interpreting auditory information and motion perception.

 

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1	Introduction to Perception Perceptual Process, How to Approach the Study of Perception, Measuring Perception	4
2	Physiology of Perception Brain: the Mind’s Computer, Neurons: Communication and Processing, Vision Begins in the Eye, Transforming Light into Electricity, Pigments and Perception	6
3	Neurons and Perception Convergence: Many Neurons Sending Signals to One Neuron, Inhibition: How Activity in One Neuron Can Decrease Activity in Another One, Neural Processing: Interactions Between Neurons	6
4	Organized Brain Maps: Representing Spatial Layout, Columns: Organizing for Location, Orientation, and Ocular Dominance, Streams: Pathways for What, Where, and How, Modularity: Structures for Faces, Places, and Bodies, Evolution and Plasticity	7
5	Perceiving Objects Challenge of Objet Perception; Gestalt Approach to Object Perception; Perceptual Segregation: How Objects are Separated; Modern Research on Object Perception.	6
6	Visual Attention Attention and Perceiving the Environment, Is Attention Necessary for Perception?, Does Attention Enhance Perception?, Physiology of Attention	5
7	Perceiving Color Introduction to Color, Trichromatic Theory of Color Vision, Opponent-Process Theory of Color Vision, Perceiving Color Under Changing Illumination	7
8	Perceiving Depth and Size Oculomotor Cues, Monocular Cues, Binocular Depth Information, Physiology of Depth Perception, Perceiving Size	6
9	Sound, Auditory System, and Pitch Perception Pressure Waves and Perceptual Experience, Ear, Cochlea, Central Auditory Processing, Auditory Cortex and Perception	6
10	Perceiving Movement Studying Movement Perception, Functions of Motion Perception, Moving Observer, How Neurons Signal the Direction of Movement, Motion Perception and Experience	7

     Total number of classes: 60

 

Outcomes

Unit 1: How perception occurs in a sequence of steps and how to measure perception.

Unit 2:The initial processes of transformation in which an object in the environment becomes transformed into electricity.

Unit 3: The relationship between neural firing and perception. How perception depends on the interactions between neurons.

Unit 4: Different types of organization of neurons in the visual system.

Unit 5: The behavioral and neural process that make it possible for people to perceive objects.

Unit 6: The way we attend to some things and ignore others. How we perceive a coherent, meaningful  visual world, and the connection between attention and neural firing.

Unit 7: The process to perceive the colors and lightness of objects in the environment under changing illumination.

Unit 8: How can we see the distance of objects in our environment, visual illusions.

Unit 9: Basic mechanisms for our ability to hear.

Unit 10: The ways that motion perception is achieved and studied.

 

 

Instructional Strategies

Lecture, power-point presentation, discussion

 

Readings

Goldstein, E. B. (2007). Psychology of Sensation and Perception. New Delhi: Cengage Learning.

Goldstein, E. B. (2013). Sensation and Perception (9th ed). NY: Cengage Learning.

Mather, G. (2009). Foundations of Sensation and Perception (2nd ed). NY: Psychology Press.

Wolfe, J. M., Kluender, K. R., & Levi, D. M. (2012). Sensation and Perception (3rd ed). MA:

    Sinauer Associates, Inc.

Course Credit: 4

PSY 305: Industrial Psychology

Credit Hours: 4

 

Introduction

Industrial-organizational (I-O) Psychology is the scientific study of the workplace. Psychological knowledge and methodology are used to study relevant business issues including but not limited to employee and organizational assessment, selection, training, performance, development, behavior, satisfaction, leadership, and work-life balance. This course is designed in order to achieve a number of integrated objectives that are important to the sophisticated understanding of the theories and research that guide I-O practice, and practical knowledge of how I-O activities are conducted.

 

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. understand the origins of I-O Psychology and what I-O Psychologists do
2. understand the building blocks of a job and learn a methodology to study jobs
3. learn how the science of human behavior is used to select, develop, and manage employees
4. learn how organizations can create a supportive work environment
5. develop an understanding of how theory and research are applied to work settings
6. begin to think and write critically about I-O psychology theory, research, and application
7. begin to apply what they’ve learned about I-O psychology to their own and others’ work

 

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1	Introduction to I-O Psychology Definition of I-O Psychology, I-O Psychology as an Applied Science, History of I-O Psychology, Career as an I-O Psychologist, Future challenges of I-O Psychology	5
2	Research Methods in I-O Psychology Significance of Research in the field of I-O Psychology, Research Designs, Data collection Methods, Data analyses	5
3	Job Analysis Definition of Job Analysis, Purposes of Job Analysis, Source of Job Analysis Information, Methods of Job Analysis, Reliability and Validity of Job Analysis Information, Job Evaluation	7
4	Assessment Methods for Selection and Placement Job Related Characteristics, Psychological Tests, Biographical information, Work Samples, Assessment Centers, Interviews	7
5	Selecting Employees The Planning of Human Resource Needs, Recruiting Applicants, Selecting Employees, The Utility of Scientific Selection	6
6	Performance Appraisal Significance of Performance Appraisal, Performance Criteria, Methods of Assessing Job Performance	6
7	Training and Development Need Assessment, Setting Objectives, Training Design, Training Methods, Delivery of a Training Program, Evaluation of Training	6
8	Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment The Nature of Job Satisfaction, The Assessment of Job Satisfaction, Antecedents of Job Satisfaction, Potential Effects of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment	6
9	Productive and Counter Productive Behavior Productive Behavior and Job Performance, Environmental Conditions and Job Performance, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Counterproductive Behavior	6
10	Employee Health and Safety Physical Conditions Affecting Health and Safety, Work Schedules, Job Stress, Burnouts	6

             Total number of classes: 60

 

Outcomes

Unit 1:

    1. Define I/0 psychology and know the difference between industrial and organizational psychology.

2. Describe the major activities of I-O psychologists in research and practice settings.

3. Explain how the field began and cite events that shaped its development.

4. Identify individuals who affected the development of the field.

5. Explain the importance of the Hawthorne studies.

6. Describe the role of I-O psychology worldwide.

7. Explain how an I/0 psychologist is trained.

8. Know the future challenges of I-O Psychology

Unit 2:

1. Understand and describe the characteristics of a good research question.

2. Explain each of the major concepts of research design including: variables, setting, generalizability, control, confounding, random assignment, and random selection.

3. Explain what a research design is; Describe different types of research designs as well as list their advantages and disadvantages.

4. Define the basic concepts of measurement.

5. List and describe the types of reliability and discuss the different ways of assessing validity.

6. Define basic concepts of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics and explain the  difference  between them.

7. Report the nature and purpose of meta-analysis.

8. Understand the major principles of research ethics.

Unit 3:

1. Differentiate between job-oriented and person-oriented job analyses.

2. Understand uses of job analysis.

3. List the various sources of job analysis information; and the advantages and disadvantages of using each source.

4. Explain the major methods of job analysis, focusing on similarities and differences among them.

5. Report the reliability and validity of job analysis information.

6. Understant how job evaluation is conducted and its usage in determining comparable worth.

Unit 4:

1. Describe and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of  psychological tests.

2. Describe and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of  biographical information.

3. Describe and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of  interviews.

4. Describe and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of  work samples.

5. Describe and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of  assessment centers.

Unit 5:

1. Explain how organizations conduct human resource planning and why it is important.

2. Describe the different ways of recruiting applicants and their effectiveness.

3. Explain how organizations select employees in terms of conducting validation studies.

4. Describe and explain how predictor information is used in selection.

5. Describe ways organizations can get applicants to accept job offers and keep jobs.

6. Explain concepts important in the utility of scientific selection.

Unit 6:

1. List the uses of job performance information.

2. Contrast actual and theoretical criteria, explaining contamination, deficiency, and relevance.

3. Discuss criterion complexity in terms of composite, multidimensional, and dynamic criteria as well as contextual performance.

4. Contrast objective and subjective measures of performance and give their advantages and disadvantages.

5. List the various types of rater biases and errors and discuss how they can possibly be controlled.

6. Discuss the impact of technology on performance appraisal.

7. List the characteristics of a legally defensible performance appraisal system

Unit 7:

1. List the steps involved in developing and implementing a training program in an organization.

2. Explain needs assessment.

3. Discuss the factors that affect learning and transfer of training.

4. Describe how training programs are evaluated.

5. Describe future issues and challenges in training.

Unit 8:

1. Define job satisfaction and describe how it is assessed.

2. Describe the antecedents of job satisfaction.
3. Describe the possible effects of job satisfaction.
4. Define organizational commitment and describe how it is assessed.
5. Explain how organizational commitment relates to other variables.
6. Explain how emotions affect people at work.

Unit 9:

1. Discuss how personal characteristics and environmental conditions impact job performance.

2. Discuss the role of Human Factors in job performance.

3. Define and discuss reasons for Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).

4. Discuss employee withdrawal, focusing on the concepts of absence, lateness, and turnover.

5. Define and discuss reasons for Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB).

Unit 10:

1. Discuss the physical work conditions affecting employee health and safety.

2. Explain how work schedules affect employee health and well-being.

3. Describe the occupational stress process, including its antecedent and consequences.

4. Define burnout and discuss how it relates to employee health and well-being.

Unit 11:

1. Define industrial accidents.

2. Describe the causes of accidents.

3. Know the preventive measures against accidents.

4. Discuss strategies to promote safety in the workplace.

Unit 12:

1. Define human factors engineering/ergonomics.

2. Discuss the objectives of human factors engineering.

3. Define and discuss man-machine system with its advantages and disadvantages.

4. Discuss proper display and control design in machines.

5. Undersand the compatibility between display and control designs.

 

Instructional Strategies

Audiovisual Lecture, Discussion, Interactive Sessions, Assignment

 

Readings

Blum, M. L. and Naylor, J. C. (1968). Industrial Psychology. New Delhi: CSB Publishers.

Chapanis, A. (1996). Human Factors in System Engineering. John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Dunnette, M. D. (1966). Personnel Selection and Placement. Belmont, California : Wadsorth Publishing Co.

Howell, W. C. and Dipboye, R. l. (1982). Essential of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Homewood, Illinois: The Dorsey Press.

McCormick, E. J. and Hagen, D. R. (1995). Industrial and Organizational Psychology, London, Routledge Publications.

Miner, J. B. (1992). Industrial-Organizational Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill International Edition.

Saal, F. E. and Knight, P. A. (1995). Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. California. USA.

Scultz, D. P. and Scults S. E. (1998). Psychology and Work Today. Prentice-Hall Inc. New Jersey. USA.

Spector, P. E. (1996). Industrial and Organizational Psychology. John Wiley and Sons Inc. New York. USA.

Course Credit: 4

PSY 306: Research Methodology

Credit Hours: 4

 

Introduction

Research Methodology is a way to systematically solve a research problem. It refers to the general principles of investigation that guide a study, based on its underlying theoretical and philosophical assumptions. Essentially it is the procedure by which the researchers go about their work of describing, evaluating and predicting phenomenon.

 

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

The main purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the basis and principles of research

methodology. Various research designs will be introduced that include experimental and non-

experimental as well as qualitative and quantitative designs.  The course also aims at stressing the

importance and needs for research in health practice. It prepares students to plan and carry out

research projects during their studies in the college of medicine and in their future career.

The course is intended to enable the students to comprehend basic concepts, principles, methods, and approaches to conducting research. More specifically, it purports to enable the students to:

 

1. To identify the role and importance of research.
2. To develop an understanding of the basic framework of the research process.
3. To be acquainted with various research approaches, designs and techniques.
4. To identify various sources of information for literature review.
5. To familiarize with the concepts and procedures of sampling, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
6. To comprehend the ethical dimensions of conducting applied research.

 

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1	Introduction Science: Science and its characteristics, Steps involved in the scientific method; Overview of research: Definition of research, Purposes of conducting research, Steps involved in the formulation of a research problem, Practical problem versus research problem, Identification, definition, Justification of the research problem; A few relevant concepts:  Method, Methodology, Design, Conceptual framework, Inductive – deductive reasoning	8
2	Classification of Research Pure/basic Research, Applied Research and Evaluative Research; Quantitative and Qualitative Research, Exploratory, Descriptive and Explanatory Research, Experimental, Quasi-experimental and Non-experimental Research	10
3	Survey Research Basic concepts related to survey:  Definition and uses of survey, Sample survey and Census, Target population and Study/accessible population, Types of survey research, Sample, Sampling and Sampling Units; Survey Data Collection: Self-completion questionnaire, Postal/mailed questionnaire, Telephone interview, Face-to-face interview; Survey Designs: Cross-sectional design, Successive independent samples design, Longitudinal design, Advantages and Disadvantages of survey designs	8
4	Sampling  Probability Sampling Techniques:  The concept of probability sampling,  Simple random sampling technique, Systematic random sampling technique,  Stratified random sampling technique, Cluster and multi-stage sampling technique,  Advantages and Disadvantages of different probability sampling techniques; Non-probability Sampling Techniques: The concept of non-probability sampling, Convenience/incidental sampling,  Purposive/judgmental sampling, Quota sampling, Snowball sampling; Errors and Biases in Sampling:  Sampling errors,  Non-sampling errors	8
5	Methods/ Techniques of Collecting Research Data Observation: Naturalistic observation,  Participant observation, Non-participant observation /Unobtrusive observation; Questionnaires:  General principles of questionnaire design, Question content, Question wording,  Open-ended versus pre-coded questions; Interviews: Structured, Semi-structured interview and Unstructured interviews; Focus Group Discussion (FGD):  The concept of FGD;  Uses of FGD,  Conducting FGDs, The FGD team,  Strengths and Limitations of FGD; Documents Examination/Analysis of Texts:  The concept of document,  Advantages and disadvantages of using documents,  Analysis of textual data	10
6	Ethics in Research Central ethical issues in research involving human participants:  Informed consent, Privacy and confidentiality, Autonomy, Deception, Risk of harm, Exploitation; Components of ethically valid informed consent for research:  Disclosure, Understanding, Voluntariness, Competence, Consent, Non-inclusion of any exculpatory language; Ethical principles for research involving Animal Participants	6
7	Development of Research Proposal Main sections of a research proposal:  Introduction, Method, Budget – time budget & financial budget; Gantt chart	5
8	Report Writing Components of writing reports for scientific journals; Style of writing report following the APA publication manual	5

                  Total number of classes: 60

 

Outcomes

Unit 1: The students should be able to understand the scientific ways of acquiring knowledge and familiarize themselves with an overview of research. They should comprehend the formulation process of the research question through identification, definition, and justification.

Unit 2: Students should develop an understanding of different types of research approaches, their distinct conceptual frameworks, principles, objectives along with the prerequisite and limitations.

Unit 3: Students should be able to learn about the fundamental concepts related to survey, different types of survey research design along with their merits and demerits, and various ways of survey data collection.

Unit 4: Students should acquire knowledge about the basic notions and procedures of sampling techniques, their classifications, advantages, and disadvantages of different sampling techniques. They should also be able to learn about possible errors and biases in sampling and control them.

Unit 5: The students should develop an in-depth understanding of several methods or strategies of collecting research data, the precondition of choosing appropriate data collection techniques as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Unit 6: The students should be familiar with ethical issues that arise in research with both human and non-human participants and how to deal with them.

Unit 7: Students should be acquainted with the development process of a research proposal and after the successful completion of this unit they should be able to write a research proposal efficiently.

Unit 8: The students should be able to learn the components of writing reports for scientific journals and distinguish between the writing structure of qualitative and quantitative research. Students should also develop an understanding of the style of writing reports following the APA publication manual for scholarly writing.

 

Instructional Strategies

Lecture & discussion method.     

 

Readings

APA (1995). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5^th Ed.). Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.

Bernard, H. R. (2000). Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches . Thousand Oaks (California): Sage Publications, Inc.

Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G. and Williams, J. M. (1995). The Craft of Research. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Campbell, D. T., & Stanley, J. C. (1963). Experimental and Quasi-experimental Designs for Research. In N. L. Gage (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Teaching. Chicago: Rand McNally & Company.

Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling Techniques (3^rd Ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Drew, C. J., Hardman, M. L., & Hart, A. W. (1996). Designing and Conducting Research (2^nd Ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. [Chapters 7 & 15]

Fisher, A. A., Laing, J. E., Stoeckel, J. E., & Townsend, J. W. (1991). Handbook for Family Planning Operations Research Design (2^nd Ed.). New York: Population Council.

Foreit, J. R., & Frejka, T. (Eds.) (1998). Family Planning OR: A Book of Readings. New York: Population Council.

Giles, K., & Hedge, N. (Eds.) (1995). The Manager’s Good Study Guide. Walton Hall, Milton Keynes: The Open University.

Hancock, D. R., & Algozzine, B. (2006). Doing Case Study Research – A Practical Guide for Beginning Researchers. New York: Teachers College Press. [Retrieved from http://xa.yimg.com/kg/groups/22199541/826341629/name Retrieved on 12-02-2013]

Islam, N. (2008). An Introduction to Research Methods. Dhaka: Mullick & Brothers.

Jordan, K., Ong, B. N., & Croft, P. (1998). Mastering Statistics: A Guide for Health Service Professionals and Researchers. Cheltenham (UK): Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd.

Kitzinger, J. (1995). Introducing focus groups. British Medical Journal, 311: 299-302.

Lindquist, E. F. (1953). Design and Analysis of Experiments in Psychology and Education. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

LSHTM. (1998). HSM 101, Module-4 Introduction to Social Science Methods. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), University of London.

McConway, K. (Ed.). (1994). Studying Health and Disease. Buckingham: The Open University Press.

McGuigan, F. J. (1990). Experimental Psychology: Methods of Research (5^th Ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

McGuigan, F. J. (1997). Experimental Psychology: Methods of Research (7^th Ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Monette, D. R., Sullivan, T. J., & DeJong, C. R. (1998). Applied Social Research: Tool for the Human Services (4^th Ed.). Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Moser, S. C., & Kalton, G. (1971). Survey Methods in Social Investigation (2^nd Ed.). London: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd and The English Language Book Society.

Shaughnessy, J. J., & Zechmeister, E. B. (1997). Research Methods in Psychology (4^th Ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Sim, J., & Wright, C. (2000). Research in Health Care. London: Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd.

Yin, R. K. (1994). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (2^nd Ed.). London: Sage Publications, Inc.

Course Credit: 4

PSY 307: Forensic Psychology

Credit Hours: 4

 

Introduction

This course of forensic psychology offers a diverse opportunity to know, learn and conceptualize the relationship between legislation and crime in the light of psychology. according to the American Psychological Association, forensic psychology is a specialty in professional psychology characterized by activities primarily intended to provide professional psychological expertise within the judicial and legal systems. Forensic psychologists work to understand and evaluate individuals involved in the legal process, including defendants, witnesses, and victims. The distinctiveness of forensic psychology is its advanced knowledge and skills reflecting the intersection of legal theory, procedures and law with clinical issues, practice and ethics. Forensic specialist attempts to create relevant, accurate, and credible data and conclusions that inform legal arguments and judicial decision-making without imposing an opinion regarding the ultimate issue before the court. The synthesis of psychological and legal issues distinguishes forensic populations from other specialties.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Learn the basics of forensic psychology
2. Differentiate between criminal and forensic psychology
3. Know the roles of forensic psychologists
4. Understand the factors of crime
5. Learn the techniques of crime investigation
6. Get idea about victimology and circumference of violence
7. Learn how to apply the knowledge of applied psychometrics in forensic psychology
8. Foster idea about recidivism and associated issues
9. Focus on the psychological interventions in correctional settings and courtroom

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1.	Introduction to Forensic Psychology Forensic Psychology (Definition, Sub-fields, Historical Overview) , The Concept of Crime, Forensic Psychology vs. Criminal Psychology, Relationship between Psychology and Law, Roles of Forensic Psychologists	8
2.	Explanation of Criminal Behavior Levels of Explanation of Crime, Neuropsychology of Offending, Intelligence and Crime, Psychoanalysis and Crime, Addiction to Crime, The Social Construction of Crime, Eysenck’s Biological Theory of Crime, Social Learning Theory, Strain Theories of Crime	8
3.	Victimology and Psychology of Violence Violence, Victim, Victimology and Victimization, Theories of Victimization, Cycle of Violence or Cycle of Abuse, Family Forensics (Domestic Violence, Intimate Partner Violence), Juvenile Delinquency (Adolescent Deviant Behaviour, Biological & Criminogenic Factors in Childhood, Antisocial Behaviour in Childhood), Sexual Assault, Childhood Abuse, Adult Victim as Childhood Abuse, Elder Abuse and Victims with Disabilities, Forensic Assessment of Victims	7
4.	Techniques of Criminal Investigation Interrogation and Interviewing, Verbal & Non-Verbal Cues, Detecting Dissimulation (F Scales, L Scales and, Inconsistency Scales), Criminal Profiling: Behavioral Analysis, Understanding Criminal Personality- (Antisocial Personality, Psychopath, Sociopath), Psychological Autopsy, Lie Detection (Ekman’s Theory; Polygraph Test), Statement Validity Analysis, Geographical Offender Profiling or GOP, Social Network Forensics	8
5.	Psychometric Assessment in Forensic Science Forensic Criminological Assessments, Non-Forensic Tools: TAT, Rorschach, 16PF, Non-Forensic but Relevant Tools: MMPI, Psychopathy Hare Checklist-Revised (HPCL-R), STAI Inventory, PTSD Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Scale for Suicidal Ideation, Perceived Stress Scale, General Health Questionnaire, Pure Forensic Tools: Jail Screening Assessment, MacCAT-CA, Competence Assessment for Mental Retardation	8
6.	Correctional Psychology Prison as a Therapeutic Community, The Effectiveness of Prison, Dimensions of Psychology in Prison, Psychological Treatments in Prison (Treating Violent or High-Risk Offenders, Treating Sexual Offenders, Anger Management)	7
7.	Forensic Psychology in Court Eyewitness Testimony (Accuracy and Importance), Vulnerable Witnesses, Children as Witness (Challenges, Ways of Interviewing), Competency to Stand Trial, Mental Illness and Judicial Forensics (Cases of Psychopaths and Insanity, Insanity Plea, Not Guilt due to Insane), False Confessions by Offenders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as Defence Mechanism, Role of Forensic Psychologists as Experts in Court (Psychological Assessments as Forensic Evidences: Personality Assessment, Intelligence Tests, Specific Forensic Assessments including Risk Assessments, Malingering etc., Experiments on Offenders)	7
8.	Recidivism, Revictimization and Risk Assessment  Recidivism and Revictimization , Revictimization in Sexual Violence, Intimate Partner Violence etc., The Need Risk Assessment, The Risk Factors in Risk Assessments (Static Factors vs. Dynamic Factors), Methods of Risk Assessments: Clinical Judgmental Methods, Statistical Assessments, Investigation of Offence Paralleling Behaviour	7

Total number of classes: 60

Outcomes

1. Learn the factors behind crime and violence
2. Will gain insight about how to detect offenders applying knowledge of psychology
3. Can identify psychopaths from healthy personality
4. Can be aware of risky behaviour, anti-social personality, victimization and violence
5. Will know the role of a forensic psychologist in crime investigation, and courtroom
6. Will be encouraged to be a forensic psychologist by profession   

Readings

Canter, D. (2010). Forensic Psychology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.

Gopalan, R. T. (2022). Victimology: A Comprehensive Approach to Forensic, Psychosocial and Legal Perspectives. Springer.

Gordon, N. J. & Fleisher, W. L., (2011). Effective Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques (3^rd ed.). Academic Press.

Howitt, D. (2018). Introduction to Forensic and Criminal Psychology (6^th ed.). Pearson. 

Ramsland, K. (2018). The Psychology of Death Investigations: Behavioral Analysis for Psychological Autopsy and Criminal Profiling. Taylor & Francis Group.                

Reynolds, C. R., Robert A. Altmann, R. A., & Allen, D. N. (2021). Mastering Modern Psychological Testing: Theory and Methods (2^nd ed.). Springer. 

Course Credit: 2

PSY 308: Community Engagement

Credit Hours: 2

 

Introduction

Community engagement pedagogies, often called “service learning,” are ones that combine learning goals and community service in ways that can enhance both student growth and the common good. It is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. It is reciprocal, benefiting both the community and the service providers by combining a service experience with a learning experience. It also incorporates reflection activities and assignments. This course will emphasize on analyzing real-world examples of bioscience initiatives that successfully engaged with communities. Through interactive lectures, hand-on projects and field experiences students will learn to make a bridge scientific research and its application in addressing community needs. 

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Foster understanding of the fundamentals of community engagement
2. Learn concepts associated with community engagement
3. Relate knowledge of psychology with community engagement
4. Know the role of social networks with community engagement
5. Practice community engaged research
6. Evaluate community engagement programs  

Contents

Unit	Topics	No. of Classes
1.	Fundamentals of Community Engagement Definition, Concepts: Systems Perspective, Social Perspective, Virtual Perspective, Individual Perspective, Principles of Community Engagement, Community Engagement Continuum, Why Practice Community Engagement?	5
2.	Concepts Related to Community Engagement Culture and Community Engagement, Community Organization, Community Participation, Constituency Development, Capacity Building, Community Empowerment, Coalition Building	5
3.	The Psychology of Community Engagement	4
4.	Roles of Social Networking in Community Engagement	3
5.	Community Engaged Research Models and Frameworks for the Practice of Community Engaged Research: Social Ecological Model of Health, Active Community Engagement Continuum, Diffusion of Innovation, Community-Based Participatory Research, Translational Research, Ethics in Community Engaged Research, Challenges in Community Engaged Research, Successful Examples in the Field	7
6.	Evaluating Community Engagement Methods of Evaluation: Qualitative Method, Quantitative Method and Mixed Method, Approaches of Evaluation: Participatory Evaluation and Empowerment Evaluation	6

 Total number of classes: 30

 

Outcomes

1. Relate academic knowledges and experiences with community
2. Build teamwork and collaboration through group work and projects
3. Identify specific needs of communities
4. Understand the relevance of psychology in addressing community issues and challenges
5. Collaborate with stakeholders to develop and implement sustainable solutions

Instructional Strategies

Students will be assigned in groups to teachers and they will visit hospitals, schools, orphanages, old homes, farms, slums, gypsy communities, floating people, beggar’s abodes etc. During visit with permission from participants, students will conduct interviews, take photographs, and shoot videos for preparing reports. They must prepare a power-point presentation and a report to submit to the exam committee during final exam. The presentation will be evaluated by respective guides and exam committee. On the other hand, the guide and an external of the department will evaluate the field report.

Assessment Techniques 

Total marks: 50 (final exam: 30; in-course and attendance: 20)

Final= 60%, In-course= 35%, Attendance= 5%

Form of In-course Exams

• 1^st in-course will be taken on theory classes
• 2^nd in-course will be taken on field visit experience

Form of Final Exams

• Presentation (15 marks)
• Field report (15 marks)

Counting Attendance

Will be counted based on students’ presence in the classroom and community

Readings

Department of Health and Human Service USA, (2011). Principles of Community Engagement (2^nd ed.). NIH Publication.

University of Massachusetts Lowell, (2008). What is Community Psychology

Willig, C. & Rogers, W. C. (Ed.). (2017). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology (2^nd ed.). Sage Publications.

Course Credit: 4

Practical (Testing)

Course Credit: 2

Viva Voce