Psychology

• Department Information
• Program Description
• Career Opportunities
• Features
• Preparation
• Major Requirements (B.A.)
• Major Requirements (B.S.)
• Other Degree Requirements
• Minor Requirements
• Undergraduate Courses

Department Information

Department of Psychology
College of Science
Office: South Science 229
Phone: (510) 885-3484

Professors
Marvin R. Lamb (Chair), Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
Fred I. Leavitt, Ph.D. University of Michigan
John D. Lovell, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
Alan Monat, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley
Michael E. Patch, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles
David A. Sandberg, Ph.D. Ohio University
Mary Kay Stevenson, Ph.D. University of South Carolina, Columbia

Associate Professor
Dong-Won Choi, Ph.D. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 

Assistant Professors
Emily Cleveland, Ph.D. Clark University
David Fencsik, Ph.D. University of Michigan
Heike Winterheld, Ph.D. University of Minnesota

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Program Description

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. Many psychologists work primarily with people to understand how they think, respond to stress, learn and forget, develop into unique personalities, and interact with one another. Others study the behavior and nervous systems of animals in order to find general principles that apply across species. Psychologists apply their knowledge to do therapy and counseling, to improve practices in schools, prisons, and rehabilitation centers, and to enhance performance in industry, business, and the professions.

The Psychology department offers a major in both the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees. These are basic programs; to become a "psychologist" requires graduate training.

The B.A. program is appropriate for most psychology students. It provides a basic understanding of human behavior and motivation that is valuable in many careers in business, government, and education. It also provides the background expected for entry into graduate programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, health psychology, social psychology, or experimental psychology.

The B.S. programs are designed for more specialized purposes. Students in the B.S. program must select one of the two options in that program: Industrial/Organizational Psychology or Ergonomics and Human Factors. The option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology provides preparation for careers related to business, with an emphasis on personnel management. The option in Ergonomics and Human Factors provides preparation for careers in the design of work environments to take account of human limitations and strengths, for example, the design of equipment (computers, aircraft, automobiles) or the design of industrial procedures.

In Psychology's minor program, students can choose courses to complement training in business, communication, health and medicine, law and criminology, statistics, biology, and many other fields. Of special interest to students in that program might be our courses in developmental psychology, personality, cognitive processes, and learning.

Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a B.A. or B.S. in Psychology from Cal State East Bay will:

1. have developed scientific thinking and methodological skills;
2. have mastered the content and theory of the field of psychology;
3. be able to apply psychology and prepare for careers.

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Career Opportunities

B.A.:

• Clinical/Counseling/Child Psychologist
• Community Mental Health Employee
• Experimental Psychologist
• Human Service Worker
• Police/Probation Officer
• Recreation Worker
• School Counselor
• Social Worker
• Special Education Teacher
• Substance Abuse Counselor

B.S.:

• Advertising Account Executive
• Business Executive
• Career Counselor
• Employee Counselor and Trainer
• Human Resource Specialist
• Personnel Representative
• Program Evaluator
• Public Relations Specialist

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Features

The Psychology department's facilities include a fully equipped computer lab, an animal lab, and several labs for studying human behavior. These facilities support an unusual and important characteristic of the department - its emphasis on hands-on student involvement in the study of human and animal behavior through participation in laboratory courses and faculty research, in field trips, and in community volunteer placements.

Both the Psychology Club and Psi Chi (national honor society in psychology) provide opportunities for students to get together to hear speakers and to discuss topics such as career and graduate school opportunities.

All courses required for the psychology B.A. major are offered in the evening program over each three-year cycle. However, the range of choices and flexibility of scheduling is more limited in the evening program.

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Preparation

For Advanced Placement course equivalencies, see Registration chapter.

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Major Requirements (B.A.)

Please consult an advisor in your major department for clarification and interpretation of your major requirements. The major consists of 72 units; the B.A. degree requires a total of 180 units.

1. Core Requirements (36 units)
   • BIOL 1001 Introduction to Biology (4)¹
   • BIOL 1002 Introduction to Biology, Lab (or 1004 or 2005) (1)¹
   • PSYC 1000 General Psychology (or 1001 or 1005) (5)
   • PSYC 2020 Methods of Investigation in Psychology (4)
   • PSYC 3100 Experimental Psychology (5)
   • PSYC 4200 Conditioning and Learning (4)
   • PSYC 4320 Physiological Psychology (4)
   • STAT 1000 Elements of Probability and Statistics (5)^{2 3}
   • STAT 3010 Statistical Methods in the Social Sciences (4)
2. Breadth Requirements (20 units)
   One from each line required:
   • PSYC 3200, 3210, 3220 or 3230 (testing/survey and test construction/individual differences/applied measurement) (4)
   • PSYC 3500, 4420, or 4610 (social/developmental/personality) (4)
   • PSYC 4220, 4345, or 4740 (cognitive/sensory/psycholinguistics) (4)
   • PSYC 4310, 4350, or 4360 (comparative/heredity/ psychopharmacology) (4)
   • PSYC 4210, 4390, or 4620 (theories of learning/history and systems/theories of personality) (4)
3. Laboratory Requirements (4 units)
   Any two required:
   Two different courses from those listed below. Although courses in this series may be repeated for unit credit, two different courses are required in the Psychology major.
   • PSYC 4800 Human Learning and Cognition Laboratory(2)
   • PSYC 4801 Learning and Motivation Laboratory (2)
   • PSYC 4802 Sensation and Perception Laboratory (2)
   • PSYC 4803 Physiological Psychology Laboratory (2)
   • PSYC 4804 Social and Personality Laboratory (2)
   • PSYC 4805 Comparative Psychology Laboratory (2)
   • PSYC 4806 Developmental Psychology Laboratory (2)
   • PSYC 4808 Industrial Psychology Laboratory (2)
4. Elective Requirements (12 units)
   Twelve additional units of permissible upper division (3000 or 4000 level) psychology courses; or STAT 4000 and eight additional units of permissible upper division psychology courses. A maximum of four units from 4900 or Laboratory Requirement courses may be used toward satisfying this requirement. Course descriptions indicate whether an upper division course is permissible for credit toward the major.

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Major Requirements (B.S.)

Students in the B.S. degree program must select either the Industrial/Organizational Psychology option or the Ergonomics and Human Factors option. The major with the option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology consists of 75 units; the major with the option in Ergonomics and Human Factors consists of 90-94 units; the B.S. degree requires a total of 180 units.

1. Industrial/Organizational Psychology Option (75 units)
   1. Core Requirements (51 units)
      • PSYC 1000 General Psychology (or 1001 or 1005) (5)
      • PSYC 2020 Methods of Investigation in Psychology (4)
      • PSYC 3100 Experimental Psychology (5)
      • PSYC 3400 Ergonomics and Human Factors (4)
      • PSYC 3500 Social Psychology (4)
      • PSYC 3540 Groups and Organizations (4)
      • PSYC 4200 Conditioning and Learning (4)
      • PSYC 4220 Cognitive Processes (4)
      • PSYC 4500 Industrial Psychology (4)
      • STAT 1000 Elements of Probability and Statistics (5)
      • STAT 3010 Statistical Methods in the Social Sciences (4)

      Advanced laboratories: Two different courses from PSYC 4800, 4801, 4802, 4803, 4804, 4805, 4806, or 4808 (4)

   2. Area Requirements (16 units)

      Industrial: Assessment, Selection and Performance Appraisal (8 units)

      Select 8 units from the following:

      • PSYC 3200 Psychological Tests (4)
      • PSYC 3210 Principles of Survey and Test Construction (4)
      • PSYC 3220 Psychology of Individual Differences (4)
      • PSYC 3230 Applied Measurement (4)
      • PSYC 3240 Decision Theory (4)

      Organizational: Group Processes, Culture, and Work Motivation (8 units)

      Select 8 units from the following:

      • PSYC 3250 Behavior Modification (4)
      • PSYC 3520 Interpersonal Processes (4)
      • PSYC 3550 Social Influence and Change (4)
      • PSYC 3600 The Impact of Culture on Social Psychology (4)
      • PSYC 4300 Motivation (4)
   3. Electives (8 units)
      Select 8 units from any combination of courses listed below. (Note: At least one Management course is recommended.)
      1. Permissible upper division Psychology (PSYC) courses (excludes PSYC courses whose course descriptions indicate that they may not be used to satisfy a Psychology major requirement)
      2. The following courses from the Management program:
         • MGMT 3600 Theories of Management (4)
         • MGMT 3610 Human Resources Management (4)
         • MGMT 3680 Industrial Relations (4)
         • MGMT 4615 Compensation and Benefits (4)
         • MGMT 4618 Human Resources Training and Development (4)
      3. The following courses from the Statistics department:
         • STAT 3510 Sampling Procedures for Surveys (4)
         • STAT 3900 Data Analysis Using Statistical Packages (4)
         • STAT 3910 Statistical Software Design (4)
         • STAT 4000 Analysis of Variance in the Behavioral Sciences (4)
         • STAT 4515 Applied Multivariate Analysis (4)
         • STAT 4610 Introduction to Nonparametric Statistical Methods (4)
2. Ergonomics and Human Factors Option (90-94 units)
   Students in this option are urged to complete a minor in Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or Physics. Courses can be counted simultaneously toward a minor and a major.
   1. Psychology Requirements (54 units)
      • PSYC 1000 General Psychology (or 1001 or 1005) (5)
      • PSYC 2020 Methods of Investigation in Psychology (4)
      • PSYC 3100 Experimental Psychology (5)
      • PSYC 3240 Decision Theory (4) or PSYC 4220 Cognitive Processes (4) or PSYC 4740 Psycholinguistics (4)
      • PSYC 3400 Ergonomics and Human Factors or ENGR 3190 Human Factors Engineering (4)
      • PSYC 3420 Stress and Coping (4)
      • PSYC 3500 Social Psychology (4) or PSYC 3540 Groups and Organizations (4)
      • PSYC 4200 Conditioning and Learning (4)
      • PSYC 4320 Physiological Psychology (4)
      • PSYC 4345 Sensation and Perception (4)
      • PSYC 4500 Industrial Psychology (4)

      Advanced Labs: Two different courses from PSYC 4800, 4801, 4802, 4803, 4804, 4805, 4806 or 4808 (4)

      Approved Internship: PSYC 4900 Independent Study (4)

   2. Other Requirements (28-32 units)
      • C S 1160 Introduction to Computer Science I (4)

      Complete the following courses (24-28 units):

      • MATH 1300⁴ Trigonometry and Analytic Geometry (4)
      • PHYS 2701, 2702, 2703, or PHYS 1001, 1002, 1003⁵ (12-15)
      • STAT 1000 and 3010 or STAT 3502 and 3503 (8-9)
   3. Elective Concentration (8 units)

      Two additional courses, both from the same group:

      • Computer Science Group: CS 2360 and four additional units in CS courses.
      • Engineering Group: ENGR 3020 Work Design and Measurement (4) and ENGR 3090 Industrial Costs and Controls (4)
      • Mathematics Group: MATH 1304 (4) and 1305 (4) Calculus I and II
      • Psychology Group: Eight units of permissible upper division psychology courses in addition to those used to fulfill the other requirements in this major.
      • Statistics Group: Eight units of upper division statistics courses, not including STAT 3010, 3502, or 3503

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Other Degree Requirements

In addition to major requirements, every student must also complete the University requirements for graduation which are described in the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements chapter in the front of this catalog. These include the General Education-Breadth requirements; the second composition (ENGL 1002) requirement; the cultural groups/women requirement; the performing arts/activities requirement; the U.S. history, U.S. Constitution, and California state and local government requirement; the University Writing Skills Requirement; and the residence, unit, and grade point average requirements.

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Minor Requirements

The minor in Psychology is designed to provide a general background in psychology to complement training for careers in business and industry, biology, the medical professions, law or criminology, communication, and many other professions. See a psychology department advisor for help in selecting courses to complement your program. The minor consists of 29-35 units.

• PSYC 1000 (or 1001 or 1005) (5)
• PSYC 1100 or 2020 (4)
• Twenty additional units selected from courses meeting the Elective Requirements in the description of the B.A. major, or PSYC 3100 plus 12 additional units from courses meeting these Elective Requirements. (Notice that PSYC 3100 has 8-9 additional units of prerequisites. See the course description.)

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Undergraduate Courses

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Footnotes

1. May also be used to satisfy the General Education Requirement in Life Science.
2. May also be used toward satisfying the General Education Requirement in Mathematics.
3. May be taken CR/NC.
4. Students with appropriate background can go directly to MATH 1304. These students are excused from MATH 1300.
5. MATH 2304 is required as a prerequisite to PHYS 1003.
6. Although courses in the 4800-4808 series may be repeated for credit, two different courses are required for the psychology major.

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