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Home > Graduate Program > Course Offerings

Psyco 502A1 (Arts): Professional and Ethical Issues
Nancy Galambos
M 1000-1150 BS-P224 33024 Restricted to Psychology Graduate Students

Psyco 502 provides an introduction to graduate study in the Department of Psychology, the conduct of psychological research, and professional and career development in the field. Topics include graduate program requirements and student evaluation, available resources in the Department and the University, an introduction to areas of research in the Department, sources of funding and the process of applying for grants and scholarships, animal and human research ethics, professional ethics, and preparing a vita and applying for jobs. The course fulfills part of the FGSR's mandatory ethics training requirement.

Psyco 505A2/D2 (Science): Spatial Cognition
Weimin Mou
W 0900-1150 BS P226 40252

This course will examine how people learn, remember, and navigate their environments. Many questions will be explored, including: How do people keep track of where they are when navigating in unfamiliar territory, and how do they remember where they have been? How is spatial information represented and processed in the human brain? Why are some people good at spatial problem solving and others not so good? Do males and females really differ in spatial ability, and if so, why? Do cultural differences exist in spatial cognition? Although the primary focus of the course will be on human spatial cognition, relevant research on other animals, such as bees, ants, and monkeys, will also be discussed.

Psyco 505A3/D3 (Science): Neurobiology of Emotion
Dallas Treit
R 1400-1650 BS P319N 40254; PRE-REQ:

This discussion-based course will survey theoretical and empirical issues in the neurobiology of emotion. Emotion will be discussed in the context of the limbic system, the autonomic nervous system, the neuroendocrine system, and the immune system. Among other topics, the neurobiological bases of psychiatric disorders will be a focus of study. Prerequisites: STAT 151 or former PSYCO 211, PSCYO 275, and PSYCO 377 or PSYCO 371 or PSYCO 375.

Psyco 505A4/D4 (Science): Normal Aging, Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's Disease
Roger Dixon
TR 11-12:20 BS B105, 48343

Psyco 505A5/D5 (Science): Ancestral Health
Chris Sturdy
M 1-3:50, ESB 2-36, 48383

Psyco 505B1/H1 (Science): Recovery after Brain Injury
Fred Colbourne
MWF 1000-1050, ESB 1 33, 57200

The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to basic and clinical research into recovery after brain damage. I will use stroke as the primary example, but other conditions will be discussed (e.g., trauma). Stroke is the leading cause of disability in Canada with approximately 50,000 new cases each year. As many stroke survivors are left with significant disability there is an urgent need to find treatments that facilitate recovery. Improvements to existing treatments and the development of new therapies will depend upon furthering our understanding of recovery mechanisms. Thus, there will be an emphasis on basic research (e.g., rodent studies).

Psyco 505B4/H4 (Arts): Social & Cultural Psychology
Cor Baerveldt
T 1100-1350, BS P319N, 65020

Psyco 505B5/H5 (Arts): Spatial Cognition
Weimin Mou
W 0900-1150, BS P226, 60468

This course will examine how people learn, remember, and navigate their environments. Many questions will be explored, including: How do people keep track of where they are when navigating in unfamiliar territory, and how do they remember where they have been? How is spatial information represented and processed in the human brain? Why are some people good at spatial problem solving and others not so good? Do males and females really differ in spatial ability, and if so, why? Do cultural differences exist in spatial cognition? Although the primary focus of the course will be on human spatial cognition, relevant research on other animals, such as bees, ants, and monkeys, will also be discussed.

Psyco 505B7/H7 (Science): Computational Memory Models
Jeremy Caplan
W 1300-15:50, CSC B 43, 68069

Cognitive psychology and neuroscience of memory is a rapidly growing and exciting field of research. Building and developing mathematical models of cognitive processes underlying memory is critical for the progress of the field. In this seminar-format course we will talk about how computational modeling can help us understand how memory works. We will investigate in depth the well known models of memory phenomena, with primary focus on human episodic memory but also including conditioning and neurally based models. PRE-REQUISITES: STAT 141 or 151 or equivalent You should have some basic linear algebra knowledge; recommended: CMPUT 304 or equivalent, and programming knowledge.

Psyco 505B8/H8 (Arts): Collective Memory
Norman Brown
W 1100-13:50, BS P319N, 68388

Contact instructor for details.

Psyco 521B2 (Science): Developmental Concepts and Theories
Nancy Galambos
M 10-12:50, BS P224, 68405

This course is designed to provide students with the rationale for and foundations of a lifespan approach to understanding and studying human development. Students will become acquainted with a range of core issues in lifespan developmental science, including basic theoretical and methodological concepts, selected substantive issues, and implications for applied developmental research.

Psyco 522 (Arts): Lifespan Developmental Research Methods
Various Instructors

Psyco 531A1/D1 (Science): Design and Analysis in Psychological Research I
Christina Gagne
LEC TR 1530-1650, BS P116, 33736; LAB W 1300-1350, BS P116, AUTO

Knowing how to design and analyze research is a fundamental skill that students in any area of psychology must have. Therefore, this course is designed to provide graduate Psychology students with an understanding of research designs and data analysis at both the practical and theoretical level. In addition to being able to use common statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS), the students should come away with an understanding of the theory "behind" various analysis techniques. The aims of the course are to give graduate students the ability to apply current quantitative techniques to their research program and to adapt to new statistical techniques throughout their careers.

Psyco 532B2/H2 (Science): Design and Analysis in Psychological Research II
Christina Gagne
LEC TR 1530-1650, BS P116, 68462; LAB W 1300-1350, BS P116 AUTO

This course is designed to expand on the concepts and issues introduced in Psychology 531.The aim is to provide graduate students in psychology and related disciplines with an understanding of research designs and data analysis at both the practical and theoretical level The course will focus on the analytical techniques of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression/correlation (MRC), and on the relationship between these techniques. We will also briefly explore linear-mixed effects (LME) modeling. The material in this course will be useful for the analysis of both experimental and non-experimental designs.

Psyco 541A1 (Arts): Advanced Social and Cultural Psychology I
Jeff Schimel
W 1400-1650, T B 65, 48246

Please contact the instructor for course description.

Psyco 561A1 (Science): Advanced Learning and Comparative Cognition
Marcia Spetch
Course Website
F 1100-1350, BS P319N, 46206

This course provides a seminar-style discussion of selected current topics in learning and comparative cognition. Students will participate in discussions, summarize and present empirical articles, and serve as the discussion leader for two or three classes. Topics will vary to reflect current developments in the field as well as student interests, but are likely to include some of the following topics: core knowledge systems, spatial learning and navigation, associative learning, concept learning, numerical learning, timing behavior, avian visual cognition, discrimination learning, choice and decision processes, animal memory, prospective cognition, social learning, object recognition and picture processing. Although comparative research with animals is emphasized, related research from fields such as human cognition, developmental cognition, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral ecology and artificial intelligence may also be included.

Psyco 574AC1 (Science): Advanced Topics in Neuroscience
Anthony Singhal
W 11:00-12:20, NRE 2 016, 48269; this is a 2 term course and you must also register in 68011

Advanced Topics in Neuroscience is a seminar based course that meets once a week for both the fall and winter terms. The seminars will consist of research presentations by students and faculty as well as presentations and discussion of classic and recent journal articles.

Psyco 574BC1 (Science): Advanced Topics in Neuroscience
Anthony Singhal
W 11:00-12:20, ESB 1 33, 68011; this is a 2 term course and you must also register in 48269

Advanced Topics in Neuroscience is a seminar based course that meets once a week for both the fall and winter terms. The seminars will consist of research presentations by students and faculty as well as presentations and discussion of classic and recent journal articles.

Psyco 600A1 (Arts): Individual Studies
Various Instructors

The goal of Psyco 600 is to allow students some flexibility in fulfilling their course requirements. Because the number of graduate courses offered in the Department is limited, an independent study allows the student to conduct readings or a research project in an area that is of interest but unlikely to be formally available as a course.

Psyco 600B1 (Arts): Individual Studies
Various Instructors

The goal of Psyco 600 is to allow students some flexibility in fulfilling their course requirements. Because the number of graduate courses offered in the Department is limited, an independent study allows the student to conduct readings or a research project in an area that is of interest but unlikely to be formally available as a course.

Psyco 622B4 (Arts): Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Sandra Wiebe
W 1400-1650, BS M 141, 68175

Advances in the field of cognitive neuroscience have enriched our understanding of human development in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Likewise, observing how the neural system is assembled informs our understanding of the “finished product”. For example, the protracted developmental trajectory of prefrontal cortex/basal ganglia has motivated research into the emergence of cognitive control. This seminar will include an overview of the principles of the developmental cognitive neuroscience approach, along with specific applications in various domains of cognition (e.g., executive control, memory, spatial cognition, language) in typical and atypical development.

Psyco 622B5 (Arts): Soc & Emot Dev in Children
Wendy Hoglund
T 1230-1520, ETL E1 01, 68260

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the complexity of children’s social and emotional development during early and middle childhood. This course examines selected issues in the normative social and emotional development of children during early to late childhood. Theory on children’s social and emotional development and selected individual and contextual factors that can influence children’s social and emotional development are examined, including social cognition (e.g., attributions), family influences (e.g., parenting practices, family poverty, ethnicity), peer influences (e.g., social acceptance, bullying, social withdrawal), and broader contextual influences (e.g., schooling).”

University of Alberta Calendar -- Psychology Course Listings

Below is a list of all graduate courses in the Department of Psychology. Some courses are not offered on a yearly basis. In the table below and elsewhere, a " unit " ("*1"or "1 course weight" or "1 unit of credit weight") corresponds, for practical purposes, to approximately one hour of class time per week over a 13-week term.