Nov 24, 2024  
Fitchburg State University 2014-15 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
Fitchburg State University 2014-15 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Cognitive Science Concentration, Psychological Science, B.A.


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Psychological Science


Chairperson
Coordinator
 
Christine Shane Peter Hogan  
Professors
Associate Professors
Assistant Professors
John Hancock Cheryl Armstrong Christopher Adams
Peter Hogan Laura Garofoli Daneen Deptula
Sara Levine Cheryl Goldman Brian Kelly
Thomas Schilling Jannette McMenamy John Pratico
    Hildur Schilling
    Caitlin Shepherd
    Ruth Thibodeau

Objectives for the Program in Psychological Science

The goal of the Psychological Science Program is to educate students in the scientific study of human behavior. The program combines theoretical, methodological, and applied topics enabling students to acquire knowledge and skills that enrich their personal lives and work careers.

The Psychological Science Program is a component of the Behavioral Sciences Department. It serves majors and minors in the discipline and offers supportive courses for a variety of other programs in the university. Bachelor of Art students are required to have foreign language proficiency at the intermediate level.

Requirements for the Major in Psychological Science


Note:


*Although listed in two areas you may only count this course for one area

+Fulfills Computer Literacy Requirement

++Junior/Senior Writing Requirement

*A minimum grade of 2.0 is required in this course

**Students will only be allowed to apply six credits from the double starred courses toward the psychological science major.  This is consistent with the policy of other Behavioral Science Programs where internships are counted as electives.

Requirements for Concentrations in Psychological Science


Two concentrations are currently available to any student majoring in psychological science; a concentration in Cognitive Science and a concentration in Developmental Psychology. When a student has successfully completed all of the required courses for a concentration, a “petition for a Minor” form must be modified appropriately (cross out “minor” and write in the appropriate concentration), signed by the advisor and chairperson and turned in to the Psychological Science Coordinator who will forward it to the Registrar. The area of concentration will be denoted on the student’s transcript.

Note: It is not necessary for students to pursue a concentration in order to fulfill the requirements of the psychology major. The concentration is a special option available for students with interests in the fields of developmental and cognitive science psychology.

Concentration in Cognitive Science


The Cognitive Science concentration is an interdisciplinary concentration for students interested in how perceptual, linguistic, reasoning, and emotive types of information are represented and transformed in nervous systems, machines, and minds. The concentration is designed to introduce a framework for studying cognition by introducing levels of analysis from low-level association and perceptual learning to high level linguistic processing and decision making. Students will become acquainted with the neurological underpinnings of cognition by learning about neural processing, circuit development, and global brain organization. Finally, students will study and consider philosophical frameworks that demonstrate how a scientific study of brain, mind, and behavior is possible.

A major in Psychological Science with a concentration in Cognitive Science requires 6 additional courses beyond the core requirements for the major, but which may count either as satisfying the Breadth Requirements or as Psychological Science electives.

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