51 courses with the subject PSYC GU, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
What are the agents of developmental change in human childhood? How has the scientific community graduated from nature versus nurture, to nature and nurture? This course offers students an in-depth analysis of the fundamental theories in the study of cognitive and social development
Prerequisites: courses in introductory psychology and cognitive psychology; and the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission, plus PSYC W1001 or PSYC W1010, or the equivalent. Optimal preparation will include some background in experimental design and statistics. Prerequisites: the instructors permission, plus PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010, or the equivalent. Optimal preparation will include some background in experimental design and statistics. Memory and executive processing are critical cognitive functions required for successfully navigating everyday life. In lifespan studies, both exhibit relatively long developmental trajectories followed by stasis and then relative decline in old age. Yet, neither memory nor executive function is a unitary construct. Rather, each is comprised of separable components that may show different developmental trajectories and declines or maintenance at older ages. Moreover, memory is malleable and is a reconstruction of past experience, not an exact reproduction. We will discuss a range of topics related to the development, maintenance and potential decline in memory and executive function from infancy through old age
Our human experience is rich: the thrill of falling in love, the spark of a new idea, the zing of table salt, the sharpness of pain. For thousands of years, philosophers, artists, and religious scholars have tried to explain our subjective experience. More recently, neuroscientists and artificial intelligence experts have contributed to this discussion, weighing in on whether we are “more than meat” (as Descartes famously put it), and whether computers can ever be sentient. In this class, we will begin with the big questions and an interdisciplinary overview of consciousness, then delve into psychology’s role. Using literature from perception, memory, emotion, metacognition, attention, and symbolic development, among other areas of psychology, we will see what empirical evidence can tell us about who we are, what we are able to know, and why we even have an experience of the world at all
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission; some basic knowledge of cognitive science and neuroanatomy is desirable, but not necessary. Modern theories attempt to characterize the human mind in terms of information processing. But machines that process information do not seem to feel anything; a computer may for instance receive inputs from a video camera, yet it would be hard to imagine that it sees or experiences the vividness of colors like we do. Nobody has yet provided a convincing theory as to how to explain the subjective nature of our mental lives in objective physical terms. This is called the problem of consciousness, and is generally considered to be one of the last unsolved puzzles in science. Philosophers even debate whether there could be a solution to this problem at all. Students in this course may be recruited for participation in a voluntary research study. Students who choose not to participate in the study will complete the same course requirements as those who do, and an individual's choice will not affect their grade or status as a student in the course
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1010) or Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1010) or Equivalent introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology This seminar aims to provide an in-depth overview of neuroscientific knowledge regarding two critical cognitive functions: attention and perception. For each topic, results from behavioral studies are combined with those from recent neurocognitive approaches – primarily neuropsychological and functional brain imaging studies – that reveal the underlying neural networks and brain mechanisms
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission; some background in perception is required.
Prerequisites: two courses in Psychology and the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission. Please contact Prof. Graham by e-mail (nvg1@columbia.edu) if you are interested in this course. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Please contact Prof. Graham by e-mail (nvg1@columbia.edu) if you are interested in this course
This course will survey historical and modern developments in machine intelligence from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, and computer science, and from intellectual movements such as cybernetics, artificial intelligence, neural networks, connectionism, machine learning, and deep learning. The emphasis is on the conceptual understanding of topics. The course does not include, nor require background in, computer programming and statistics. A crucial aspect of the seminar is for students to become informed consumers of applications of artificial intelligence
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1010 or Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1010 or Equivalent introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology This seminar will provide a broad survey of how narrative stories, films, and performances have been used as tools to study cognition in psychology and neuroscience
Success in a social world requires understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings, a process typically referred to as mentalizing. Yet, other people’s mental states are not directly observable: you cannot see a thought or touch a feeling. Nonetheless, humans are quite proficient in inferring these invisible states of mind. How do we accomplish these mentalizing feats? In this course, we will answer this question from multiple angles, relying heavily on neuroscience and psychology research. The seminar will discuss recent and classic studies that reveal how humans effectively interpret the people around them, as well as when and why they make mistakes
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 and Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 and Preferably, an additional course in psychology, focusing on cognition, development, or research methods. Instructor permission required. This seminar explores the relationship between language and thought by investigating how language is mentally represented and processed; how various aspects of language interact with each other; and how language interacts with other aspects of cognition including perception, concepts, world knowledge, and memory. Students will examine how empirical data at the linguistic, psychological, and neuroscientific levels can bear on some of the biggest questions in the philosophy of mind and language and in psychology
Prerequisites: PSYC W1001 or PSYC W1010 or the equivalent, based on instructor assessment, plus one of the instructors' permission.
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1010 Prerequisites: PSYC UN1010 PSYC UN1010 or equivalent; background in statistics/research methods recommended How does the human brain make sense of the acoustic world? What aspects of auditory perception do humans share with other animals? How does the brain perform the computations necessary for skills such as soundlocalization? How do we focus our auditory attention on one voice in a crowd? What acoustic cues are important for speech perception? How is music perceived? These are the types of questions we will address by studyingthe basics of auditory perception from textbook readings and reviews, and reading classic and current literatureto understand scientific progress in the field today
Prerequisites: For undergraduates: one course in cognitive psychology or cognitive neuroscience, or the equivalent, and the instructors permission. Metacognition and control processes in human cognition. Basic issues include the cognitive mechanisms that enable people to monitor what they know and predict what they will know, the errors and biases involved in self-monitoring, and the implications of metacognitive ability for peoples self-determined learning, behavior, and their understanding of self
Prerequisites: For undergraduates: courses in introductory psychology, cognitive or developmental psychology, and the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: For undergraduates: courses in introductory psychology, cognitive or developmental psychology, and the instructors permission. Core Knowledge explores the origins and development of knowledge in infants and children, with an additional emphasis on evolutionary cognition. In this course, we will examine evidence from cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, comparative psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics to look at the childs conception of objects, number, space, language, agency, morality and the social world. We will look at which aspects of knowledge are uniquely human, which are shared with other animals, and how this knowledge changes as children develop
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or equivalent introductory psychology course What is curiosity and how do we study it? How does curiosity facilitate learning? This course will explore the various conceptual and methodological approaches to studying curiosity and curiosity-driven learning, including animal and human studies of brain and behavior
CC/GS: Partial Fulfillment of Science Requirement Play is a highly rewarding activity that is considered critical to cognitive, social, and emotional development. How do we define play and how do we study it? How does play help humans and other animals learn about their world and prepare them for adulthood? This course will examine the latest developments in the field of play from various methodological approaches to understand the relationship between play, learning, and normative development.
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN2235) or Prerequisites: (PSYC UN2235) or an equivalent course on judgment and decision making ,AND the instructors permission This course reviews current research in the domain of decision architecture: the application of research in cognitive and social psychology to real-world situations with the aim of influencing behavior. This seminar will discuss recent and classic studies, both of decision theory and of applied decision research, to explore the effectiveness—as well as the limitations—of a selection of these behavioral “nudges.”
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN2235) or Prerequisites: (PSYC UN2235) or equivalent course on judgment and decision-making A seminar course exploring strategic decision making (also known as behavioral game theory). This course examines the psychology underlying situations in which outcomes are determined by choices made by multiple decision makers. The prime objective will be to examine the use of experimental games to test psychological theories
Please contact the Psychology department for more information.
Prerequisites: For undergraduates: the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: courses in introductory psychology and/or neuroscience, and the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1010) or Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1010) or equivalent introductory course in neuroscience or cognitive psychology The past decade has produced an extraordinary amount of evidence that challenges the classic view of a “medial temporal lobe memory system”, namely, the idea that the medial temporal lobe plays a necessary role in long-term memory but not other cognitive functions. This course will introduce these challenges to the traditional perspective by exploring functions of the so-called memory system in domains outside of long-term memory
Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Examines current topics in neurobiology and behavior
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission. A course in the psychology of language or linguistics is highly recommended.
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010) and PSYC W1001 or W1010, a course in developmental psychology, and the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010) and a course in developmental psychology, and the instructors permission. The focus of the seminar is on human development during the fetal period and early infancy. We will examine the effects of environmental factors on perinatal perceptual, cognitive, sensory-motor, and neurobehavioral capacities, with emphasis on critical conditions involved in both normal and abnormal brain development. Other topics include acute and long term effects of toxic exposures (stress, smoking, and alcohol) during pregnancy, and interaction of genes and the environment in shaping the developing brain of high-risk infants, including premature infants and those at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
This seminar provides an overview of the mechanisms and behaviors associated with neural plasticity. Students will obtain a basic working knowledge of the different types of neural plasticity, and how these affect cognition and behaviors
Prerequisites: courses in developmental psychology, and either research methods or affective neuroscience, and the instructor's permission. There is nothing more important to us than the feelings that we have. But where do our emotions come from and why do we sometimes feel differently from our peers? The reason usually involves an understanding of one’s developmental history. This course uses a developmental approach to address emotional brain-behavior relationships. We will discuss theoretical papers and empirical work that covers typical and atypical behavior and the neurobiology that supports behavioral change across age. A translational approach is taken that uses animal models and human examples to illustrate these developmental trajectories. We will cover experimental approaches during discussion of each topic
Prerequisites: basic knowledge of biology and neuroscience recommended; the instructor's permission required.
This course will provide an overview of the field of parental and social biology, with an emphasis on changes in the adult rodent brain surrounding childbirth and caretaking behavior. We will explore how the experience of parenthood prepares the brain for survival of offspring. We will also discuss the dynamic between caregivers and parents in order to provide the structure necessary to rear young. This course will illustrate the fortitude of molecular, behavioral and circuit level investigations in concert to unveil mechanisms of social learning
This course will use clinical studies and experimental research on animals to understand the impact of stress during various periods of development on brain function and behavior. We will address the long- and short-term consequences of stress on cognition, emotion, and ultimately psychopathology through investigating how various stressors can induce neurobiological and behavioral outcomes through genetic, epigenetic, and molecular mechanisms in the brain
Prerequisites: basic background in neurobiology (for instance PSYC W1010, W2450, W2460, W2480, and G4499) and the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: basic background in neurobiology (for instance PSYC UN1010, UN2450, UN2460, UN2480, and GU4499) and the instructors permission. This course will provide an overview of the field of epigenetics, with an emphasis on epigenetic phenomena related to neurodevelopment, behavior and mental disorders. We will explore how epigenetic mechanisms can be mediators of environmental exposures and, as such, contribute to psychopathology throughout the life course. We will also discuss the implications of behavioral epigenetic research for the development of substantially novel pharmacotherapeutic approaches and preventive measures in psychiatry
Frontiers of Justice is designed to encourage students and equip them with the skills to become active and effective “Change Agents” within their academic institutions and larger communities.. Oriented by the question, What does justice look like?, this course aims to raise political and social awareness and engagement with the challenges facing New York City and strengthen ties between Columbia University, disadvantaged communities, and city government agencies and community organizations. Through sharing ideas about how to make structural and systemic change in ways that integrate science, law, politics, history, narrative and community engagement, the course is intended to support students in working to break down racial and ethnic barriers and toward a more fair and just society
Spring 2026: PSYC GU4615 Course Number Section/Call Number Times/Location Instructor Points Enrollment PSYC 4615 001/11916 Th 10:10am - 12:00pm 401 Hamilton Hall Valerie Purdie-Greenaway 4 9/20
Prerequisites: PSYC UN1001 or This seminar course will focus on the etiology and phenomenology of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and OCD-related disorders, as well as their evidence-based treatments
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission.
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission; some basic knowledge of social psychology is desirable.
Prerequisites: Some knowledge of Research Methods, Statistics, and Social Psychology, plus Instructors Permission. Reviews and integrates current research on three important topics of social psychology: culture, motivation, and prosocial behavior. Discussions and readings will cover theoretical principles, methodological approaches, and the intersection of these three topics. Students will write a personal research proposal based on the theories presented during the seminar
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Comparison of major theoretical perspectives on social behavior. The nature of theory construction and theory testing in psychology generally. Exercises comparing the predictions of different theories for the same study are designed to acquire an appreciation of how to operationalize theories and an understanding of the various features of a good theory
Prerequisites: Two courses in psychology, including at least one course with a focus on social and/or developmental psychology, and permission of the instructor. Prerequisites: Two courses in psychology, including at least one course with a focus on social and/or developmental psychology, and permission of the instructor. Review of theories and current research on moral cognition and behavior. Topics include definitions of morality, the development of moral cognition, the role that other aspects of human experience (e.g. emotion, intentions) play in moral judgments, and the relationship between moral psychology and other areas of study (e.g. religious cognition, prejudice and stereotyping, the criminal justice system)
This seminar will explore what psychology (mostly social and cognitive) can tell us about politics. The class aims to provide a broad introduction to ideas and methods in the field of political psychology, as well as a deep understanding of a few specific topics.
Prerequisites: Two courses in psychology, with at least one focusing on statistics and/or research methods in psychology, and permission of the instructor. Review of basic psychological research that is relevant to questions people frequently encounter during the course of everyday life. Potential topics for this seminar include research on decision-making, emotion, and/or interpersonal relationships
Prerequisite: Course equivalents of at least two of the following courses: UN1001, UN2430, UN2630, UN3410, UN3480, UN3485; and/or instructor's permission. Why do we feel the way we do, how do we understand ourselves and others, and how does this relate to our social relationships? In this course, we tackle questions like these using an integrative approach that blends social psychology, affective science and neuroscience to uncover how our emotions and social interactions work. To do this, we will draw on multiple types of data to examine human behavior at multiple levels, connecting our social and emotional lives (what we experience and how we act) to cognitive processes (how our minds process information) and underlying neural mechanisms (what's happening in the brain). Across the semester, the course is split into three parts, each one building on insights from the prior section. Part 1 starts with the premise that emotions are at the root of everything we do, exploring where they come from and how we can understand and manage them. Part 2 turns the focus outwards, examining how we make sense of other people and form connections with them. With these two foundational building blocks in place, Part 3 uses what we have learned to understand what happens when things go awry and we end up with momentary - or long-lasting - bouts of anxiety, depression, or loneliness – and what we can do to overcome them and lead a happy and fulfilling life. The overarching goal is to build a nuanced understanding of how and why we think and feel the way we do – about ourselves, other people and our connections to them – that can inform both scientific and personal explorations of what it means to be human
Prerequisites: (PSYC UN1001 or PSYC UN1010) and
Prerequisites: the instructor's permission. Prerequisites: the instructors permission. Reviews and integrates current research on the role of social factors in psychopathology. The immediate and long-term effects of chronic and traumatic stressors originating outside the family (e.g. natural disasters, chronic poverty) and inside the family (e.g. family violence, divorce, parental psychopathology) on psychopathology
Prerequisites: Research Methods, statistics, social psychology, and the instructor's permission.
Urie Bronfenbrenner (1974) wrote, “We have now come the full circle and returned to our starting point—issues of social policy as points of departure for the identification of significant theoretical and scientific questions concerning the development of the human organism as a function of interaction with its enduring environment-both actual and potential.” This course is designed to examine emotional and cognitive development through the lens of existing financial, social, and educational policies. We will examine the influence- on child development - of inequities in education, household socioeconomic status and poverty, neighborhood socioeconomic status and poverty, access to prenatal care, parental incarceration rates, and systemic racism
Fundamentals of human brain imaging is a new advanced course open to undergraduates students from the Psychology, Neuroscience, Engineering, and Statistics Departments, that traces the key steps of the recent “neuroimaging revolution”, and introduces the various methodologies and associated analytic approaches that are now available in the field of cognitive neuroscience. Specifically, the course develops around three main questions, currently under-represented in our undergraduate curriculum: 1) What is the advantage to study human cognition using correlational methodologies (e.g., EEG, MEG, fMRI)? 2) Which is the particular contribution of each method in the understanding of brain/behavior relationship? 3) Which are the most common ways to approach the analyze the neuroimaging data? By promoting an inclusive environment and implementing active learning strategies, this course stimulates critical thinking and fosters collaboration among students from different departments
Source: Teachers College at Columbia University's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
