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Department of Psychology

1500 N. Warner St. CMB 1046
Tacoma, WA 98416-1046

Weyerhaeuser 307A

253.879.3307
253.879.3500

Administrative Support

Elle Dy

Office Hours

Mon–Fri
8:15 a.m.–4 p.m.

Program Description

What are the driving forces behind thought and behavior? How do children learn about the world? How are memories organized? How do people interact in groups? A comprehensive understanding of psychology requires research training, critical analysis of psychological theories and research, and the ethical application of scientific knowledge.

Puget Sound's psychology department offers courses in many subdisciplines of psychology, including development, clinical psychology, cognition, learning, sensation, perception, biopsychology, personality, social psychology, and industrial-organizational psychology. Within the major, students progress through a series of methods, statistics, and laboratory courses and take upper-division elective courses to explore selected topics in greater depth. Seminars and independent study courses provide opportunities for students to approach contemporary issues in psychology and develop the skills of scholarship at a more sophisticated level.

 

 

Who You Could Be

  • Consultant
  • Therapist
  • Teacher
  • Psychology Researcher/Lab Manager
  • Human Resources or Business Administration Manager
Samantha Scott '17
Alumna
Samantha Scott '17

"The opportunity to conduct empirical studies as part of my coursework and receive a 1:1 mentoring with summer research funding enabled me to be a principal investigator on my own work early on, a rare experience for undergraduates."

 

What You'll Learn

  • How to understand human and non-human behavior and mental processes
  • Application skills to connect psychological concepts to real-world problems
  • Quantitative and verbal aspects of logical thinking and critical analysis
  • Ethical ramifications of research and practice in the field
SAMPLE COURSES

This course covers experimental design and research methodology, elementary and advanced techniques of data analysis, and basic issues in the philosophy of science. Laboratory and individual research is required.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
Must be a declared Psychology major (or permission of instructor). Must also have completed PSYC 101 or equivalent and PSYC 200 with grade of "C" or higher.

This course focuses on the milestones of human development from conception through late childhood. It considers physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional changes that occur during the first decade of life with special attention to various contexts of development. It addresses major theories as well as current research and methodology that explain how and why developmental change occurs. Implications for child-rearing, education, and social policymaking are also examined.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
PSYC 101. Students who receive credit for PSYC 220 cannot also receive credit for PSYC 222.

This course focuses on the biological causes and effects of psychological phenomena such as memory, emotion, attention, motor control, and perception. Students address these topics with an array of physiological methodologies such as measures of brain activity (e.g., EEG), muscle activity (e.g., EMG), heart rate, stress response (e.g., skin conductance), and eye tracking. Students learn the application of these methods including their strengths and weaknesses, as well as how to link psychological theories to physiological functions.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
PSYC 201 with a grade of C or higher.

The major focus of this course is aberrant human behavior and the scientific basis for understanding its causes. Students learn the major approaches utilized today in diagnosis and treatment of these disorders including biological, psychoanalytic, cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, and community-systems models.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
PSYC 201 and one additional 200-400 level psychology course, or permission of instructor.

This seminar reviews the major models of personality, psychotherapy, and clinical assessment. A strong emphasis in the course is placed on the comparison of cognitive-behavioral theories to psychoanalytic, humanistic, and systems approaches. Students have opportunities to develop and practice basic counseling skills as part of the humanistic segment of this course.

Code
Social Scientific and Historical Perspectives
Prerequisites
PSYC 320 or 330 or 350 and at least junior standing.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Students experience a variety of research opportunities:

  • Bash Castillo '26, "Emergent Psychological Distress Survey Development and Validation"
  • Jackson Slocum ’24, "Music and Color in Film on Memory and Emotion"
  • Eliza Koch ’24, “What is Missing from Sex Education: Communication, Safe(r) Sex, …and Pleasure”
  • Laura Arcia ‘23, "Child Development and Covid-19: How Different Modes of Interpersonal Communication Impact Social Skills in Early Elementary School Students"
  • Skyler Dela Cruz ‘23, "The Influence of Oxytocin on Social Learning by Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris)"
  • Hayden Smith ‘23, "Perceived Familial Social Support After Coming Out Predicts Mental Health in Gender-Diverse Adolescents"
  • Colby Smith ‘23, "Raptor Cognition via the String-Pulling Task"
  • Devin Anderson ‘22, "The Influence of Dog-Directed Speech on Quantity Discrimination by Dogs"
  • Eli Goldstein ‘22, "Stress, Coping, and Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic"

JOBS

Our alumni work at:

  • Brown University (clinical research assistant)
  • Chrysalis Behavioral Consulting (assistant program manager)
  • Seattle Children's Hospital (research assistant)
  • Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo (zookeeper)
  • St. Mary's Home for Boys (residential counselor)
  • Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare (recovery counselor)

CONTINUE STUDYING

Our alumni continue their studies at:

  • Bellarmine University (nursing)
  • University of Puget Sound (Masters in Teaching)
  • University of Puget Sound (Master of Science in Occupational Therapy)
  • Seattle University (Master of Education)
  • University of Denver (M.A., Higher Education)

FACILITIES

Student with rat in lab
OPERANT RESEARCH LAB

Students conduct research such as rat training experiments in our operant research lab. 

observation lab
CLINICAL OBSERVATION LAB

The one-way glass in our clinical observation lab allows viewers to watch proceedings in the room unobtrusively.

EEG Lab
EEG LAB

In this lab, students can use an electroencephalogram to study the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes attached to the head.