6.18 DEPARTMENT OF
PSYCHOLOGY (PY)
Chairperson: Professor Kenneth L. Lichstein, Office: 348 Gordon
Palmer Hall
Web page: psychology.ua.edu
The department offers programs leading to the master of arts (M.A.)
and the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. Programs are offered
leading to the Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology and in
experimental psychology. The clinical psychology program is
accredited by the American Psychological Association. Concentrations
in clinical psychology include child clinical, health psychology,
Geropsychology, and psychology/law. Concentrations in experimental
psychology include cognitive, social, and developmental science. The
developmental science concentration is in collaboration with the
Department of Human Development and Family Studies.
Areas of current faculty research interest include aging, child and
adolescent behavior, youth violence, forensic psychology, behavioral
intervention, memory, chronic pain, depression, public health
psychology, neuropsychology, visual-spatial cognition, autism,
persuasion, unconscious cognition, risk assessment, personality,
reading processes, social cognition, health attitudes,
dehumanization, perception, cognitive aging, cognitive neuroscience,
intellectual abilities, media psychology, and creativity.
The department operates a fully staffed psychological clinic
offering psychological assessment and intervention services to
University students, children, and adults. These facilities are also
used in the training of clinical graduate students as professional
psychologists. Each candidate for the Ph.D. degree in clinical
psychology takes practicum courses in the psychological clinic and
must also complete a one-year internship in an accredited facility.
The internship is taken after completion of coursework and passing
of the doctoral preliminary exam, and is a degree requirement.
Admission Requirements
Students applying for graduate work in psychology must present at a
minimum undergraduate courses in general psychology, statistics,
experimental psychology (or research methods), and history and
systems. In making up deficiencies in these areas, graduate work may
be taken concurrently. In addition, prior coursework in laboratory
science (particularly biology) and in college mathematics is
desirable.
Applications for admission to graduate study must be accompanied by
Graduate Record Examination general test scores (the advanced
section is recommended for clinical applicants). Admission is
competitive and is influenced by the overall quality of the
applicant's record, including grades, GRE scores, letters of
recommendation, and past experience. Application materials should be
received by January 15 (by December 1 for the clinical psychology
program) to ensure full consideration for admission for the
following fall term.
Degree Requirements
Master of arts degree. Students earn the M.A. degree enroute to
their Ph.D., and they are required to follow Plan I. The M.A. degree
is awarded after twenty-four credit hours of coursework, six credit
hours of thesis, and an approved completed thesis. The 24 hours of
coursework may vary by concentration, but must include the
following:
PY 602 Advanced Statistics I
PY 607 Research Methods in Psychology
Doctor of philosophy degree.
The student's plan of study for the Ph.D. degree must be approved
by the department and the Graduate School by the time the student
completes 30 graduate semester hours of UA and/or transfer course
work. A minimum number of credit hours required for the Ph.D. in
psychology varies by concentration. All graduate students complete
the General Psychology Core, the Research Skills Core, a master’s
thesis and a doctoral dissertation. In addition, clinical students
complete the Clinical Core and a year-long clinical internship.
Students in each of the clinical and experimental concentrations
also complete advanced coursework in their concentration. More
detailed information is available at
http://psychology.ua.edu.
General Psychology Core:
PY 650 Cognition and Learning
PY 651 Physiological Psychology or PY 629 Cognitive Neuroscience
PY 695 Teaching of Psychology (optional)
Two of: PY 670 Perception, PY 652 Life-Span Developmental
Psychology, PY 672 Advanced Social Psychology (some concentrations
require a specific course from this set)
PY 471 History and Systems if not taken as an undergraduate
Research Skills Core:
PY 607 Research Methods in Psychology
PY 602 Advanced Statistics I
PY 603 Advanced Statistics II
PY 604 Multivariate Methods of Analysis
PY 659/BER 558 Psychometrics,
BER 646 Structural Equations Modeling,
or approved alternative
Advanced Coursework as applicable (see psychology.ua.edu/graduate
for details):
Clinical Core
Advanced Coursework in:
Child Clinical
Clinical Health
Clinical Geropsychology
Psychology and Law
Cognitive Psychology
Social Psychology
Developmental Science
Thesis and Dissertation Hours:
PY 599 Thesis research (6 hours)
PY 699 Dissertation research (24 hours)
Graduate minor. Doctoral students in other departments may
complete a graduate minor in psychology. A graduate minor in
psychology shall consist of 12 graduate hours, at least 6 of which
are to be selected from among PY 650 Cognition and Learning;
PY 670
Perception; PY 672 Advanced Social Psychology;
PY 652 Life-Span
Developmental Psychology; and PY 651 Physiological Psychology or
PY
629 Cognitive Neuroscience. Other courses available to minors and
offered on a regular basis are PY 693 Cognitive Seminars,
PY 591
Senior Seminars, and statistics courses PY 602,
PY 603, PY 604,
PY
659. Occasionally other courses will be offered that will count
towards the minor. All courses require the permission of the
director of graduate studies and the course instructor.
Students seeking a minor in psychology must be in good standing and
at the second year or beyond in residency in a University of Alabama
doctoral program. Students must achieve a 3.00 GPA in the minor,
with only one grade of "C." No grade below "C" will count toward the
minor. No more than 6 hours may be transferred from a department of
psychology in another institution. The director of graduate studies
shall determine who is accepted for a minor program of study and
shall determine the appropriate courses to be taken in a timely
manner. In addition, the director shall certify a completed minor to
the Graduate School and to the home department.
Course Descriptions
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and permission of both the
director of graduate studies and the instructor. Graduate students
enrolled in 500-level courses that are also offered at the 400 level
are expected to perform extra work of an appropriate nature.
PY 581 Readings in Psychology. One to three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission and sponsorship of an instructor.
Selected supervised readings.
PY 591 Seminar in Psychology. One to three hours.
In-depth examination of a selected contemporary psychological area.
Different sections offered each semester. Section descriptions are
available at registration.
PY 598 Graduate Research. One to three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission and sponsorship of an instructor.
Research conducted in apprenticeship to a graduate faculty member.
PY 599 Thesis Research. Variable credit.
PY 602 Advanced Statistics I. Three hours.
An applied course explaining how to use categorical predictor
variables to explain continuous response variables. Covers t-tests,
ANOVA, and nonparametric alternatives in between-, within-, and
mixed-model designs.
PY 603 Advanced Statistics II. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PY 602.
An applied course explaining how to use continuous predictor
variables to explain continuous response variables. Covers
correlation, regression, and general linear models including both
categorical and continuous predictor variables.
PY 604 Multivariate Methods of Analysis. Three hours.
Prerequisites: PY 602 and PY 603.
Multivariate analysis, with emphasis on factor analysis,
discriminant analysis, canonical analysis, clustering techniques,
and structural equation modeling.
PY 607 Research Methods in Psychology. Three hours.
Study and analysis of psychological methodology.
PY 608 Introduction to Ethics. Three hours.
Prerequisite: First- or second-year graduate student in psychology.
Introduction to ethical issues as they affect the practice of
psychology.
PY 609 Psychological Assessment I. Three hours.
Principles of psychological evaluation; introduction to the clinical
use of assessment techniques, with particular emphasis on
intellectual assessment.
PY 610 Psychological Assessment II. Three hours.
The theory and application of projective techniques and personality
inventories for adults.
PY 611 Introduction to Neuropsychological Assessment. Three
hours.
An introduction to the theory, content, and practice of clinical
neuropsychology.
PY 612 Psychological Assessment III. Three hours.
Principles of psychological evaluation, with particular emphasis on
the assessment of children.
PY 619 Principles of Psychotherapy. Three hours.
The study of psychotherapeutic processes, outcomes, and systems,
with particular attention given to the operations common to all
approaches.
PY 620 Behavior Therapy. Three hours.
Provides a framework for conceptualizing, assessing, and treating
child and adult clinical problems from the perspective of behavioral
psychology.
PY 621 Psychotherapy Laboratory. One hour.
A skills-building seminar emphasizing interview and communications
techniques. Introduction to practicum.
PY 625 Contemporary Issues in Cognitive Research. One to
three hours.
Current issues relating to research in cognitive and individual
differences are presented and discussed.
PY 627 Developmental Disabilities. Three hours.
An introduction to the study of deviations in development from a
cognitive, behavioral, and biological perspective.
PY 629 Cognitive Neuroscience. Three hours.
The study of brain mechanisms of perception and thought through a
variety of methodological approaches (e.g., lesions, brain imaging,
and normal subject experiments).
PY 631 Practicum in Psychology I. One to three hours.
Prerequisites: PY 619.
Supervised experience in psychotherapeutic procedures in an approved
clinical facility; seminars and case conferences.
PY 632 Practicum in Psychology II. One to three hours.
A continuation of PY 631.
PY 633 Practicum in Psychology III. Three hours.
Supervised experience in psychotherapy in groups.
PY 634 Practicum in Psychology IV. Three hours.
Supervised experience with emotionally and behaviorally disordered
children.
PY 635 Practicum in Psychology V. One to three hours.
Supervised experience with children and adults with intellectual
disabilities in field settings.
PY 636 Practicum in Psychology VI. Three hours.
Supervised training and experience in the practice of community
psychology, with special reference to crisis intervention.
PY 637 Practicum in Psychology VII. Three hours.
Supervised field placement in a forensic or criminal justice
setting.
PY 638 Practicum in Psychology VIII. One to three hours.
Supervised placement in an industrial/organizational setting.
PY 639 Practicum in Psychology IX. One to three hours.
Prerequisites: PY 631 and PY 632.
Intensive experience with a variety of child and family disorders
and therapy techniques. Exposure to interdisciplinary treatment
settings and personnel.
PY 640 Practicum in Psychology X. One to three hours.
A continuation of PY 639.
PY 641 Advanced Clinical Placement. One to three hours.
Prerequisites: PY 631 and PY 632.
Supervised experience in an approved setting.
Primary clinical supervision by faculty or licensed psychologist at
a placement facility.
PY 642 Practicum in Psychology XI. One to three hours.
Supervised experience in clinical geropsychology.
PY 650 Cognition and Learning. Three hours.
Contemporary approaches to cognition and learning. A broad survey,
with in-depth looks at selected topics including attention and
memory.
PY 651 Physiological Psychology. Three hours.
Prerequisite: One year of biology desirable.
Examination of bodily structures—nervous, muscular, and
glandular—that underlie behavior.
PY 652 Life-Span Developmental Psychology. Three hours.
An integrated view of the development, stability, and decline of
several behavioral processes rooted in the physical growth,
cognition, and socialization of the individual over the span of
life.
PY 658 Psychopathology. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PY 358.
A survey of manifestations of abnormal behavior, and the diagnosis
of abnormal behavior and mental disorders.
PY 659 Psychometrics. Three hours.
Theoretical issues in the construction, evaluation, and application
of psychological measures.
PY 662 Advanced Theory in Human Cognition II. Three hours.
Prerequisites: PY 650 and completion of thesis.
An in-depth analysis of current theories in cognitive psychology.
Selected topics include attention, memory, and perception.
PY 666 Child Treatment. Three hours.
Prerequisite: PY 658.
Examines diagnosis and treatment of childhood disorders from
empirical, theoretical, and practical standpoints.
PY 668 Theory of Personality. Three hours.
An examination of contemporary frames of reference relating to
personality, with emphasis on contrasting implications of
alternative personality interpretations.
PY 669 Seminar in Clinical Child Psychology. One hour.
Issues in research and practice of clinical child psychology.
PY 670 Perception. Three hours.
An introduction to issues and concepts in the study of perception.
Fundamental theoretical and empirical controversies are analyzed.
PY 671 History and Systems in Psychology. Three hours.
Systematic points of view placed in historical perspective.
PY 672 Advanced Social Psychology. Three hours.
Major aspects of social psychology including attitude change,
attribution theory, aggression, altruism, prejudice, interpersonal
relations, and group dynamics.
PY 676 Criminal Forensic Assessment. Three hours.
Familiarizes students with relevant issues in criminal forensic
assessment and introduces them to current forensic assessment
instruments.
PY 677 Correctional Psychology: Method, Theory, and Research.
Three hours.
A comprehensive review of psychological principles, theory, and
techniques related to problems of crime, corrections, and offenders.
PY 678 Forensic Psychology. Three hours.
The application of clinical psychology to forensic and legal issues.
Competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, testamentary
capacity, jury decision making and dynamics, jury selection, and
expert witness testimony.
PY 679 Seminar in Psychology/Law. One hour.
Issues in research and practice of psychology as related to the law.
PY 681 Readings in Psychology. One to three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission and sponsorship of an instructor.
Selected supervised readings.
PY 687 Clinical Psychology of Aging. Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
A survey of clinical geropsychology including review of major
disorders experienced by older adults, assessment issues, and
treatments used in work with older adults.
PY 688 Seminar in Adult Clinical Psychology. One hour.
Issues in research and practice related to adult clinical
psychology.
PY 689 Seminar in Ethics and Professional Issues. Three
hours.
Prerequisite: Third-year and beyond graduate student in psychology.
An introduction to professional and ethical issues as they affect
the practice of psychology. Focus is on the development of an
ethical and professional attitude toward the practice of psychology,
including teaching and research.
PY 690 Cultural Competency. Three hours.
This seminar emphasizes the role of ethnicity, class, culture,
gender, sexual orientation, and disability in mental health, and the
impact of these factors on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
PY 691 Seminar in Clinical Psychology. One to three hours.
Selected topics.
PY 693 Seminar in Advanced General Psychology. One to three
hours.
Selected topics.
PY 695 Teaching of Psychology. Three hours.
Prerequisite: Permission of the department.
Principles of teaching and supervised experience.
PY 698 Graduate Research. One to three hours.
Independent research by the advanced graduate student.
PY 699 Dissertation Research. Variable credit. Three-hour
minimum.
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