Nov 21, 2024

2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog

2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology, Behavior Analysis Concentration, B.A.

Dr. Kevin J. Apple, Department Head
Phone: (540) 568-6114 Email: applekj@jmu.edu
Location: Miller Hall, Room 1120 Website: http://www.psyc.jmu.edu/undergraduate

Professors
J. Andre, K. Apple, S. Baker, K. Barron, D. Daniel, W. Evans, P. Gibson, M. Hall, C. Harris, N. Kerr Lawrence, S. Lovell, C. Lyons, M. Reis-Bergan, B. Saville, M. Stoloff, T. Zinn

Associate Professors
J. Dyche, D. Holt, J. Irons, K. Jakobsen, J. Kurtz, M. Lee

Assistant Professors
K. Fogler, K. Melchiori, M. Shoup-Knox, D. Szwedo, J. Taft-Young

Lecturer
K. DuVall

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Psychology is to educate students in, and contribute to, the science of psychology.

Goals

The vision of the Department of Psychology is to sustain and advance a nationally recognized department focused on promoting scientific proficiency within the cross disciplinary field of psychology. To that end, the curriculum is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in psychological science that reflects multiple perspectives within the discipline. The hallmarks of our program are learning opportunities that promote the skills necessary to conduct and evaluate research and to interpret findings. The department trains our students to be responsive to emerging trends and apply their knowledge of psychological science as responsible global citizens.

The Department of Psychology is a dynamic contributor to the General Education program and the university community through the delivery of high quality courses and other educational experiences emphasizing psychological science. We also contribute to the M.A. program in psychological science. Our faculty strive to create and implement creative and effective pedagogy, embracing the dual role of teacher/scholar. The department will foster a collegial and collaborative environment within which divergent opinions as well as cultural diversity are respected, valued and promoted.

Co-curricular Activities and Organizations

Active Minds. This organization promotes mental health, awareness and education and works to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Psi Chi. The local chapter of the national honor society in psychology is open to students with a strong interest in psychology and an exceptional academic record.
Psychology Club. This club is open to all students with an interest in psychology.
Psychology Service Organization. This organization strives to meet the needs of the JMU and local communities by sponsoring and participating in service projects.

Special Admission Requirements

Students interested in completing the intermediate and advanced courses required for the psychology major must meet the department’s progression standards and be fully admitted to the major.

Students who meet all of the following criteria will be allowed to change their status from declared to fully admitted and will be permitted to make progress in the psychology major beyond a few preliminary courses. Equivalent courses completed at another university for which the student has earned JMU approved transfer credit are acceptable.

Complete PSYC 101. General Psychology, with a grade of “C-” or better. Equivalent courses completed at other institutions that transfer to JMU are acceptable.
Complete MATH 220 , MATH 205 , MATH 231 , MATH 235 or another acceptable math course (http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/mathchart.html) with a grade of “C-” or better. Equivalent courses completed at other institutions that transfer to JMU are acceptable.
Complete any one of the following:
Complete any General Education Psychology course (PSYC 101 ,PSYC 122 or PSYC 160 ) with a grade of “B” or higher. Earning a 4 on the AP Psychology exam meets this requirement. With departmental approval, grades from other institutions can fulfill this requirement.
Complete an online orientation and application, available from the Department of Psychology website.

Students should apply for full admission to the major when they make the decision to pursue a psychology degree. Admission decisions are made at the end of each semester and during the summer. Students not admitted to the major may reapply the following semester.

Retention

All psychology courses taken must carry a grade of “C-” or better to apply to the major. A psychology course completed with a grade of “D” may be credited toward graduation requirements but may not be included in courses credited toward the psychology major.

Prerequisites

Psychology majors must complete PSYC 101 and two statistics and research methodology courses (PSYC 210-PSYC 211 or PSYC 212-PSYC 213) before enrolling in courses numbered 330 and above. The prerequisites for PSYC 210 and PSYC 212 are any mathematics course numbered 205 or above and PSYC 101. Most psychology courses numbered 330 and above have specific prerequisites. See course listings for details. Non-psychology students may enroll in the 300- and 400-level courses only if they have fulfilled course prerequisites.

Registration and Assessment

During registration, psychology majors will be given priority for course selection. Graduating majors must participate in assessment activities. Assessment information helps the faculty modify the curriculum to meet student needs.

Concentration

Behavior Analysis Concentration

This concentration prepares students for employment with agencies that provide behavior analytic services and/or for pursuing a graduate degree in behavior analysis. This course sequence includes the course work requirements necessary to sit for the Board Certified Associate Behavior Analysis (BCABA®) national certification examination.

Degree and Major Requirements

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

General Education 41 Credit Hours ¹
Foreign Language classes (intermediate level required) 0-14 Credit Hours
Philosophy course(s) (in addition to General Education courses) 3 Credit Hours
Major requirements (listed below) 44 Credit Hours
Electives 18-32 Credit Hours

Total: 120 Credit Hours

Major Requirements

The courses listed below are required of all students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree, or any other bachelor’s degree program except Bachelor of Science, regardless of whether psychology is their first or second major.

PSYC 101. General Psychology 3.00

Methodology Core: 8 Credit Hours

PSYC 210 and PSYC 211 are offered every semester; PSYC 212 is offered only during the fall semester; PSYC 213 is offered only during the spring semester.

Choose one of the following sequences:

PSYC 210. Psychological Measurement and Statistics 4.00 and
PSYC 211. Psychological Research Methods 4.00
or
PSYC 212. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis I 4.00 and
PSYC 213. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis II 4.00

SS Content Core – Psychology as a Social Science: 9 Credit Hours

Choose at least three of the following:

NS Content Core – Psychology as a Natural Science: 9 Credit Hours

Choose at least three of the following:

PSYC 375. Sensation & Perception 3.00
or
BIO 375. Sensation and Perception 3.00
PSYC 380. Cognitive Psyc 3.00
PSYC 385. Biopsychology 3.00
or
BIO 385. Biopsychology 3.00
PSYC 390. Psyc of Learning 3.00
PSYC 395. Comparative Animal Behavior 3.00

Upper Level Specialty Content Courses: 3 Credit Hours

Choose at least one of the following:

PSYC 400. Advanced Topics in Psyc 1.00 - 3.00
PSYC 410. Psychology of the Workplace 3.00
PSYC 415. Forensic Psychology 3.00
PSYC 420. Advanced Psychological Statistics 3.00
PSYC 425. School Psychology 3.00
PSYC 427. Tests and Measurements 3.00
PSYC 428. Educational Psychology 3.00
PSYC 430. Clinical Psychology 3.00
PSYC 435. Community Psychology 3.00
PSYC 450. Psyc of Ch Abuse/Neglect 3.00
PSYC 452. Child Psychopathology 3.00
PSYC 460. Community Psychology Within Developing Societies 3.00
PSYC 475. Psychology of Adulthood 3.00
PSYC 480. Applied Behavior Analysis 3.00

Psychology electives: 9 Credit Hours

At least three hours must be at the 400 level

Capstone course: 3 Credit Hours

Prior approval is required for students to enroll in more than one psychology capstone course.

Choose one of the following:

PSYC 492. History of Psychology 3.00
PSYC 493. Laboratory in Psychology 3.00
PSYC 495. Field Placement in Psyc 4.00
PSYC 497. Senior Seminar 3.00 ²
PSYC 499. Honors Thesis ²

Sociocultural Competency: 0 Credit Hours

Choose one of the following:

PSYC 220. Psychology and Culture 3.00
PSYC 308. Health Psychology 3.00
PSYC 310. The Psychology of Women and Gender 3.00
PSYC 320. Diversity Issues in Psychology 3.00
PSYC 325. Counseling Psychology 3.00
PSYC 410. Psychology of the Workplace 3.00
PSYC 460. Community Psychology Within Developing Societies 3.00
Other course section that meets the sociocultural competency requirement

Footnotes

¹ The General Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.

² Some sections of this course may meet the sociocultural awareness requirement depending on the content; when this course does meet the requirement it will be listed in the notes section of the course listing in MyMadison.

Behavior Analysis Concentration

Required Courses

PSYC 180. Introduction to Behavior Analysis 3.00 ¹
PSYC 390. Psyc of Learning 3.00
PSYC 480. Applied Behavior Analysis 3.00

Choose one of the following: 3 Credit Hours

PSYC 402. Independent Study in Psychology 1.00 - 4.00 Behavior Analysis ^{2, 3}
PSYC 403. Independent Research in Psychology 1.00 - 4.00 Behavior Analysis ²
PSYC 402. Independent Study: Readings – Behavior Analysis ²
PSYC 402. Independent Study: Teaching – Behavior Analysis ²

Choose one of the following: 3-6 Credit Hours

PSYC 493. Laboratory in Psychology 3.00 ²
PSYC 497. Senior Seminar 3.00 ²
PSYC 499. Honors Thesis ²

Total: 15-18 Credit Hours

Footnotes

¹ Cannot be taken by students who have completed PSYC 390 or PSYC 480 .
² Only certain sections will qualify; consult with the concentration coordinator before enrolling.
³ This course will count toward the experience requirements for the Board Certified Associate Behavior Analysis (BCABA®) National Certification Examination.

Additional Information

With the assistance of their faculty advisers, students majoring in psychology select their area courses and psychology electives to meet their own individual needs and goals. Within the structure of the program, students may choose the courses of greatest interest to them.

Recommended Schedule for Majors

The following program sample is intended as a guide. Courses must be taken in the sequence outlined; however, the semester during which a particular course is taken depends on a number of factors, including readiness to take MATH 220 , the semester the psychology major is started and other majors or minors the student is completing.

Students are encouraged to meet regularly with their psychology academic adviser to plan their personal course schedule. Because of course sequencing requirements, even with the most compressed program, a minimum of five semesters (or four semesters and summer school) is required to complete the psychology major.

First Year

First Semester

MATH 220. Elementary Statistics 3.00 ¹
PSYC 101. General Psychology 3.00
General Education courses 9 Credit Hours

Total: 15 Credit Hours

Second Semester

General Education, B.A./B.S. degree requirement, B.S. Psychology Cognate and/or minor program courses 15 Credit Hours

Total: 15 Credit Hours

Second Year

First Semester

PSYC 210. Psychological Measurement and Statistics 4.00 ²
or
PSYC 212. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis I 4.00 ²
General Education, B.A./B.S. degree requirement, B.S. Psychology Cognate, minor program and/or Psychology elective courses 12 Credit Hours

Total: 16 Credit Hours

Second Semester

PSYC 211. Psychological Research Methods 4.00 ³
or
PSYC 213. Psychological Research Design and Data Analysis II 4.00 ⁴
General Education, B.A./B.S. degree requirement, B.S. Psychology Cognate, minor program and/or Psychology elective courses 12 Credit Hours

Total: 16 Credit Hours

Third Year

Courses

SS content core courses 9 Credit Hours
NS content core courses 9 Credit Hours
Minor program courses or electives 12 Credit Hours

Total: 30 Credit Hours

Fourth Year

Courses

Psychology Upper level Specialty Content Course 3 Credit Hours
Psychology 400 level elective 3 Credit Hours
Psychology capstone course 3 Credit Hours
Psychology, minor program or elective courses 21 Credit Hours

Total: 30 Credit Hours

Footnotes

¹A preliminary math course may be suggested after placement examinations. If suggested, the preliminary course should be taken first semester and MATH 220 second semester. Other 200-level mathematics courses may be substituted for MATH 220 . Any MATH course numbered 205 or above is an acceptable prerequisite for the psychology major.

²Any MATH course numbered 205 or above is a prerequisite for PSYC 210 and PSYC 212 . MATH 220 is recommended.

³ PSYC 210 is a prerequisite for PSYC 211 .

⁴ PSYC 212 is a prerequisite for PSYC 213 .