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Psychology

Catalog pages 575-586

Subject abbreviation: PSYC College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Tuppett M. Yates, Ph.D., Chair Department Office, 1111 Psychology Building;

  • (951) 827-4991

Undergraduate Advising Office 1200 Psychology

  • (951) 827-5386; psych.ucr.edu

Professors Gene Brewer, Ph.D. Elizabeth Davis, Ph.D. David Funder, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor of Graduate Division Kelly Huffman, Ph.D. Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor Carolyn Murray, Ph.D. Professor of Graduate Division Misaki Natsuaki, Ph.D. Khaleel A. Razak, Ph.D. Rebekah Richert, Ph.D. David Rosenbaum, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor Katharine Sweeny, Ph.D. Tuppett Yates, Ph.D. Weiwei Zhang, Ph.D. Kim Wilcox, Ph.D. Chancellor

Professors Emeriti John Andersen, Ph.D. Curt Burgess, Ph.D. Christine Chiarello, Ph.D. Steven Clark, Ph.D. Howard Friedman, Ph.D. Mary Gauvain, Ph.D. Daniel Ozer, Ph.D. Chandra Reynolds, Ph.D. Lawrence Rosenblum, Ph.D. Glenn Stanley, Ph.D.

Associate Professors Ilana Bennett, Ph.D. Jimmy Calanchini, Ph.D. Cecilia Cheung, Ph.D. John Franchak, Ph.D. Peter Hickmott, Ph.D. Brent Hughes, Ph.D. Edward Korzus, Ph.D. Aerika Loyd, Ph.D. Kalina Michalska, Ph.D. Megan Robbins, Ph.D. Thomas Sy, Ph.D. Rachel Wu, Ph.D.

Assistant Professors Stephen Antonoplis, Ph.D. Alejandra Arce, Ph.D. Olivia Atherton, Ph.D. Ian Ballard, Ph.D. Diamond Bravo, Ph.D. Halle Dimsdale-Zucker, Ph.D. Anubhuti Goel, Ph.D. Tabea Springstein, Ph.D. Deepa Ramamurthy, Ph.D. Bernardette Pinetta, Ph.D. Na Yeon, Kim, Ph.D. Kiera Coulter, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Teaching Annie Ditta, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Teaching Hayden Hendley, Ph.D.

Majors and Career Opportunities

The major in Psychology is designed to give students a broad, general exposure to knowl- edge in the various areas of psychology and to the methods psychologists use to conduct re- search. The B.A. degree in Psychology is useful to those students seeking careers in probation and parole, corrections, personnel, industrial relations, mental health work, social work, or positions as trainees in a variety of executive training programs. The degree also prepares students for graduate school in psychology in either M.A. or Ph.D. programs. Such graduate programs prepare students for a variety of career possibilities. Careers include teaching and research positions in community and pri- vate colleges and state and other universities as well as career positions such as research psychologist, clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, and industrial psychologist. For more information, see psych.ucr.edu.

The department offers a minor in Psychology and a major in Psychology/Law and Society.

Transfer Students Transfer applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.70. Applicants must also have a minimum of one UC transferable mathematics course equivalent to Math 004 or higher.

Change of Major Criteria Students switching to the Psychology or Psy- chology/Law and Society must have completed the following courses with grades of C- or bet- ter and have been in good academic standing for two quarters or more.

  • 1. Lower Division requirements

and MATH 004 or higher

Transfer students and others entering the ma- jor after achieving sophomore standing must complete the requirements within one year by enrolling in applicable courses every quarter until the requirement is met. Students who do not complete the lower-division requirements in this timely fashion and with at least the minimum required grade average will not be permitted to continue in the Psychology major. Students must check course descriptions for prerequisite requirements.

University Requirements

See Undergraduate Studies section.

College Requirements

See College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Colleges and Programs section.

The lower-division biological, physical sciences, and mathematics requirements for the Psychology major also count toward the college’s Natural Sciences and Mathematics breadth requirement. Consult with a departmental advisor.

Major Requirements

Psychology Major Psychology offers B.A. and B.S. degrees. The Psy- chology major requires completion of the low- er-division requirements listed below by the end of the sophomore year, with an average grade of “C” or better with no grade below a “C-”, before upper-division Psychology courses are taken. All courses must be taken for a letter grade.

For the Bachelor of Arts The major requirements for the B.A. degree in Psychology are as follows:

  • 1. Lower-division requirements

(at least 39 units)

  • a) One course in Mathematics equivalent

to MATH 004 or higher; or a score on the MAE (Math Advisory Exam) sufficient for placement into MATH 022 or higher.

  • b) One 4 unit course in Biological Scienc-

es (Biochemistry, Biology, Botany and Plant Sciences, Entomology, Nematolo- gy, or Plant Pathology)

  • c) One 4 unit course in Physical Sciences

(Chemistry, Physics, Earth Sciences, excluding cultural Geography courses)

  • d) Two additional 4 unit courses that

satisfy the CHASS Natural Sciences and Mathematics breadth requirements.

  • 2. Upper-division requirements (37 units)

PSYC 163

  • e) Four additional 4-unit, upper-division

Psychology courses, with the following restrictions: only one quarter of PSYC 190 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 195 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 197 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required), only one quarter of PSYC 195H (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 199 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 199H (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 198G, or one 4-to 8-unit quarter of PSYC 198I may be included

Students planning for graduate school should take into consideration any specific graduate school requirements when choosing these elective Psychology courses.

Note: Students who have taken general or introductory Psychology courses other than PSYC 001 and PSYC 002 must consult with a departmental advisor.

For the Bachelor of Science The B.S. degree is designed to provide a research-intensive curriculum for students who want a deeper understanding of how knowledge is created through research and for students who may be interested in research-based graduate programs in psychology and the biological sciences.

Psychology courses must be taken for a letter grade. Students must check course descrip- tions for prerequisite requirements.

Admission A limited number of students are accepted into the B.S. degree of the Psychology major. Acceptance is according to overall GPA and ac- ceptable progress towards the Psychology ma- jor, including PSYC 001, PSYC 002, PSYC 011 and PSYC 012 with a B- or better. Students must apply when they have completed between 75 and 100 quarter units of college work.

The major requirements for the B.S. degree in Psychology are as follows:

  • 1. Lower-division requirements for the B.S.

(at least 39 units)

  • a) One course in Mathematics equivalent

to MATH 004 or higher; or a score on the MAE (Math Advisory Exam) suffi- cient for placement into MATH 022 or higher.

  • b) One 4 unit course in Biological Scienc-

es (Biochemistry, Biology, Botany and Plant Sciences, Entomology, Nematolo- gy, or Plant Pathology)

  • c) One 4 unit course in Physical Sciences

(Chemistry, Physics, Earth Sciences, excluding cultural Geography courses)

  • d) Two additional 4 unit courses that

satisfy the CHASS Natural Sciences and Mathematics breadth requirements.

with no grade below a B-

  • 2. Upper-division requirements (37 units)

PSYC 163

CBNS 130L, PSYC 180, PSYC 181, PSYC 182 (E- Z), PSYC 195, PSYC 197 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required), PSYC 199H. Also 195/197 can be applied twice (4 units and letter grade repeatable for up to 8 units).

PSYC 190 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required).One of the following graduate seminars may be substituted, with permission of the instructor: PSYC 251, PSYC 255, PSYC 256, PSYC 257, PSYC 258, PSYC 263

  • g) One additional 4-unit, upper-division

Psychology course, with the following restrictions: only one quarter of PSYC 190 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 195 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 197 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required), only one quarter of PSYC 195H (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 199 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 199H (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 198G, or one 4-to 8-unit quarter of PSYC 198I may be included

Students planning for graduate school should take into consideration any specific graduate school requirements when choosing these elective Psychology courses.

Psychology/Law and Society Major The Law and Society major is open to under- graduate students with junior standing who have completed LWSO 100 with a grade of “C” or higher.

All requirements for the B.A. in Psychology (39 lower-division units, which includes 16 units that are also used for college breadth requirements; 37 upper-division units)

  • 1. Lower-division requirements

(at least 39 units)

  • a) One course in Mathematics equivalent

to MATH 004 or higher; or a score on the MAE (Math Advisory Exam) sufficient for placement into MATH 022 or higher.

  • b) One 4 unit course in Biological Sciences

(Biochemistry, Biology, Botany and Plant Sciences, Entomology, Nematology, or Plant Pathology)

  • c) One 4 unit course in Physical Sciences

(Chemistry, Physics, Earth Sciences, excluding cultural Geography courses)

  • d) Two additional 4 unit courses that

satisfy the CHASS Natural Sciences and Mathematics breadth requirements.

  • 2. Upper-division requirements (37 units)

PSYC 163

  • e) Four additional 4-unit, upper-division

Psychology courses, with the follow- ing restrictions: only one quarter of PSYC 190 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 195 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 197 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required), only one quarter of PSYC 195H (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 199 (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 199H (for a total of 4 units, letter grade required); only one quarter of PSYC 198G, or one 4-to 8-unit quarter of PSYC 198I may be included

  • 3. Requirements for Law and Society

(36 units)

  • b) LWSO 100 (with a grade of “C” or better)

PSYC 012, SOC 004 (or equivalent course in research methods)

ECON 119, HISE 153, PHIL 165, POSC 167, PSYC 175, SOC 159

HISA 120B, HISE 123, LWSO 175 (E-Z), PHIL 164, POSC 111, POSC 166, POSC 168, POSC 186, SOC 147, SOC 149, SOC 180

Note: For sections 3.d) and 3.e) combined, not more than two courses may be taken from the same department. In fulfilling requirements of two or more majors, students may not count more than two courses toward both parts of their total requirements. For this major, PSYC 012 fulfills a requirement in both Psychology and Law and Society.

Minor

Prerequisites for the minor in Psychology are PSYC 001, PSYC 002, PSYC 011, and PSYC 012, with an average grade of “C” or better, with no grade below a “C-”.

Requirements for the Psychology minor are as follows (21 units):

  • 1. Twenty-one (21) upper-division Psychology

units

PSYC 163

See Minors under the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences in the Colleges and Programs section of this catalog for additional information on minors.

Education Abroad

Education Abroad is an excellent opportunity to learn more about another country and its culture while taking courses to earn units toward graduation. Students should plan study abroad well in advance to ensure that the courses taken fit with their overall program at UCR. Consult the departmental student affairs officer for assistance. For further details, visit Education Abroad at ea.ucr.edu or call (951) 827-4113.

See Education Abroad in the Educational Opportunities section in the beginning of this catalog.

Graduate Program

The Department of Psychology offers the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Psychology; however, applications are not accepted from students wishing to work towards the master’s degree only.

Graduate training in Psychology is offered in four major areas: Cognition and Cognitive Neu- roscience, Social/Personality, Developmental, and Behavioral Neuroscience.

Admission Students are normally expected to have completed the equivalent of an undergraduate major in Psychology at the UC, with background preparation in basic science and mathematics.

The Ph.D. degree is a research degree. Students must demonstrate the ability to complete rig- orous empirical research and must be active in research throughout their graduate career. The course requirements in the Ph.D. program are di- rected toward establishing a foundation for criti- cal evaluation of research literature and designing conceptually important empirical research.

Doctoral Degree Course Work The courses normally required during the first two years include the following:

215 (Behavioral Neuroscience students take two of the three, as directed by the student’s advisor.)

  • 2. The appropriate area core:

Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience: Any combination of three courses chosen from PSYC 203A, PSYC 203B, or PSYC 203C; and PSYC 233

Developmental: PSYC 207A, PSYC 207B, PSYC 207C, PSYC 208

Social/Personality: PSYC 225, PSYC 226, PSYC 227

Behavioral Neuroscience: NRSC 200A/ PSYC 200A, NRSC 200B/PSYC 200B, NRSC 200C/PSYC 200C

  • 3. Five additional courses or seminars

selected to provide further study beyond the area core course requirements. Courses or seminars must be 3- or 4-units, and at least one must be a Departmental core course (listed in 2, above) outside the student’s area of specialization. The student’s adviser and the department graduate adviser must approve the list of courses used to satisfy this further study requirement. Students who have completed graduate-level course work prior to entering the UCR program may request that specific courses be accepted toward the satisfaction of this requirement. This request will be reviewed using procedures and standards typically applied to the approval of courses to satisfy this requirement.

  • 4. PSYC 301: Required of all graduate students

prior to or concurrent with the first teaching assistant appointment unless waived by petition due to previous experience.

The Psychology Department requires that each student earn a “B” average in the PSYC 211, PSYC 212, and PSYC 213, PSYC 214, or PSYC 215 sequence and in the student’s area core courses, with no grade lower than a “B-”.

In addition, students must be enrolled in the appropriate area of Proseminar every quarter until advancement to candidacy:

Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience: PSYC 283

Developmental: PSYC 284

Social/Personality: PSYC 285

Behavioral Neuroscience: PSYC 287 or PSYC 289

Progress in the program is formally evaluated in June of each year and informally on a con- tinuing basis by noting participation in class and in research.

All students in the graduate program are held to these requirements whether or not they have taken graduate work at, or hold an M.A. from, another institution. The only exception may be for previously-taken graduate-level course work which is thought to be equivalent to one or more of PSYC 211, PSYC 212, or PSYC 213, or PSYC 214, or PSYC 215. If a grade of “B” or better was received, and with the approval of the advisor, the student may be tested by a departmental instructor of the course(s) in question. On the basis of the results of the test, the instructor decides if the course can be waived.

Professional Development Requirement The Professional Development course (PSYC 409B) curriculum satisfies the Professional Development requirement. Topics discussed typically include: interviewing, writing, and oral presentation skills; the academic job market and the job application process; and nonacademic careers. Other professional development courses may be used to satisfy this requirement if approved by the graduate advisor.

Second-Year Research Project All students are required to begin research in their first year in the graduate program, under the supervision of a three-person commit- tee. The committee is to be chaired by the student’s advisor; the student and advisor will then select two others, at least one of whom must be from the student’s major area. The second-year research project culminates in a paper and an oral presentation, with the oral presentation serving as the oral com- prehensive exam for students opting for the mater’s degree (see below). The second-year research project must be completed prior to taking any portion of the qualifying examina- tions. Students in the social/personality and developmental major areas are required to complete the written paper of the second-year research project on or before April 15th of their second year; all other students must complete the paper prior to their oral exam. No later than June of the second year in the program, all students must make an oral presentation of the results of the second-year research project at a meeting of the major area faculty and fellow students (typically in the area prosemi- nar). Committee members must synchronously attend the full presentation and question pe- riod. Unanimous agreement among the com- mittee members is required for the student to pass both the written and the oral portions of the second-year research project (a single no vote constitutes a fail).

If a student’s committee determines that the student failed the second-year research proj- ect (either written or oral portion), the student will have the opportunity to rewrite the paper and/or redo the oral presentation one time. Students must complete the rewrite/redo within six months. If the second attempt is not successful, the Department will recommend to the Dean of the Graduate Division that the student be dismissed from the program.

Master’s Degree Although there is not a separate terminal master’s program, students may apply for the master’s degree at the beginning of the quarter in which they expect to complete the statistical sequence, the appropriate area core, two of the five further study courses, PSYC 301 (see 1, 2, 3, and 4 above), and a minimum of 36 units in graduate status (of which at least 18 must be in graduate course work) and pass an oral comprehensive examination administered by the Psychology Department.

Teaching Experience Each student must gain experience in a teaching capacity for the equivalent of at least three full quarters. Teaching assistants assist a faculty member in an undergraduate course by preparing and grading examinations, reading papers, lecturing, and conducting discussion and laboratory sections.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations The qualifying examination should be taken during the third year of full-time graduate study. It consists of a written component and an oral examination, and focuses on the subject matter in the student’s chosen area of concentration.

A qualifying committee should be nominat- ed early in the third year, and all core and breadth requirements must be completed no later than the quarter in which the qualifying examination is taken.

The Oral Qualifying Exam can be taken in one of the following modes: In-Person, Hybrid, or Remote. The student and their commit- tee chair will discuss which mode best suits the subject matter, with the committee chair making the final determination. Students taking the exam In- Person are expected to present the exam on campus with all commit- tee members physically present. If Hybrid is chosen, the student is expected to present the exam on campus in a video-enabled room that supports one or more committee members being physically present and others remote. A remote exam involves all committee members and the student participating via videoconfer- encing software (e.g., Zoom) with no expecta- tion for physical presence on campus of any meeting participant. Committee members nominated from outside the UC Academic Senate who participate re- motely must have qualifications comparable to a UC Academic Senate member and submit a letter of intention and CV. In addition, strong academic justification for inclusion on the committee must be provided by the Graduate Advisor.

On the basis of this examination (and comple- tion of the core and breadth requirements), the student may pass and be advanced to can- didacy for the Ph.D.; fail, and be permitted one retake; be awarded the M.A. (if not previously awarded) but not be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D.; or not be awarded the M.A. and not be advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D.

Upon successful completion of 1, 2, 3, and 4, passing the qualifying examination, and nomination of the dissertation committee, the Graduate Division sends the student an appli- cation for advancement to candidacy.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination: Students must complete a dissertation on a subject chosen by the candidate, bearing on the principal area of concentration and showing the student’s ability in independent investigation. The dissertation committee guides the student in preparing the dissertation and examines the student during the defense of the dissertation.

The Final Dissertation Defense can be completed in one of the following modes: In-Person, Hybrid, or Remote. The student and their committee chair will discuss which mode best suits the subject matter, with the committee chair making the final determi- nation. Students completing the defense in-person are expected to present the Final Defense on campus with all committee members physically present. If Hybrid is chosen, the student is expected to present the Final Defense on campus in a video-enabled room that supports one or more committee members being physically present and others remote. A remote defense involves all commit- tee members and the student participating via videoconferencing software (e.g., Zoom) with no expectation for physical presence on campus of any meeting participant.

Committee members nominated from outside the UC Academic Senate who participate re- motely must have qualifications comparable to a UC Academic Senate member and submit a letter of intention and CV. In addition, strong academic justification for inclusion on the committee must be provided by the Graduate Advisor.

Each of the four major areas may have addi- tional requirements. Occasionally, a change in courses used to satisfy specific requirements may be justifiable. For a complete description of the program, visit psych.ucr.edu.

Normative Time to Degree 15 quarters

Optional Specialized Subfield of Study In addition to pursuing a doctoral degree in one of the core areas of psychology, graduate students may qualify, under the direction of the committee in charge of the relevant Spe- cialized Subfield of Study, for any one or more of three subfields of study: Quantitative Psy- chology, Health & Well-Being Psychology, and Diversity & Inequality Psychology. Students wishing to pursue a Specialized Subfield of Study should typically pursue one or at most two subfields, as their training interests dic- tate. Exceptional requests to pursue more than two subfields may be granted by the Gradu- ate Advisor in consultation with the relevant subfield committees and the student’s primary advisor. Each Specialized Subfield of Study has the following requirements:

  • 1. Submission of a letter of interest to the

chair of the relevant specialized subfield committee, in which the student should articulate their interest in the specializa- tion with regard to its relevance for the student’s course of graduate study and the student’s longer-term career plans.

  • 2. Enrollment and satisfactory completion

of at least three quarters of the relevant proseminar.

  • 3. Satisfactory completion of at least three

courses relevant to the relevant Special- ized Subfield of Study topic, as approved by the relevant subfield of study com- mittee. No more than two courses used to satisfy a Specialized Subfield of Study requirement may be used to fulfill the general further studies requirement for doctoral study in psychology, and no more than two courses may be used to satisfy the requirements of multiple Special- ized Subfields of Study (i.e., at least one course for each subfield must be uniquely applied to that subfield’s requirements). The qualifying courses vary from subfield to subfield. However, no core course (i.e., PSYC 200A/B/C, 203A/B/C, 207A/B/C, 208, 225, 226, or 227) may count toward a subfield’s requirements. Statistical and methods courses (e.g., 233, 259) are typ- ically not appropriate for these require- ments except in the case of the Quan- titative Psychology Subfield. Exceptions may be granted by the Graduate Advisor in consultation with the relevant subfield committee and the student’s advisor.

  • 4. Successful completion of an oral exam-

ination based upon a project completed by the student on a topic relevant to the subfield of study. A three-person faculty committee, approved by the chair of the committee in charge of the relevant sub- field of study. must grant prior approval of the topic of the project and conduct the oral examination. No more than two members can overlap between subfield committees for a given student (i.e., at least one member of the evaluating com- mittee must be unique to each Specialized Subfield of Study). The student and the committee dete1mine the format of the oral exam; a presentation in the relevant pro-seminar based on the project satisfies the oral examination requirement.

  • 5. Submission of a form to the relevant

subfield of study committee confirming completion of all requirements.

Subfield of Study-specific requirements: Quantitative Psychology: Further requires completion of PSYC 211; PSYC 212; and PSYC 213 or 214, with a grade of”A-” or better in each course, or passing an examination covering the three courses. The relevant proseminar is PSYC 270.

Health & Well-Being Psychology: Further requires submission of a written paper on the completed project, due to the faculty committee prior to the oral examination. The relevant proseminar is PSYC 286E.

Diversity & Inequality Psychology: Further requires submission of a written paper on the completed project, due to the faculty committee prior to the oral examination. The relevant proseminar is PSYC 286F.

Opportunities for Graduate Study in Neuroscience

Faculty from the Department of Psychology participate in a unique graduate specialization in Neuroscience which draws on the strengths of distinguished scientists from several units. For further information concerning work in this area, see Neuroscience Graduate Program in the Programs and Courses section of this catalog.

Courses