Psychophysiology

Catalog description

PSY 4110: Psychophysiology (Cat II) This course is intended for students interested in the integration between psychology and physiology and will be especially useful for students pursuing degrees and careers in psychology, biology, healthcare, biomedical engineering, and neuroscience. The field of Psychophysiology seeks to answer two key questions: (1) How do psychological factors get “under the skin” to affect our physiology? (2) How can we infer someone’s psychological state based on a physiological measurement? This course covers topics relevant to fundamental stress physiology (e.g., the nervous system, neuroendocrinology, the immunity system etc.), advanced methodologies for assessing psychophysiological constructs (e.g., neuroimaging, electromyography, biospecimens), and both foundational and emerging findings from the field. Students will develop an integrated knowledge of the core anatomy and activities of physiological systems relevant to psychology, the primary methodologies used in psychophysiological research, and key relationships between psychological factors and physiological outcomes. They will also learn to apply this knowledge to critically examine scientific research and literature and contextualize psychophysiology research into realworld trends in health and illness. This course will be offered in 2024-25, and in alternating years thereafter. Recommended background: PSY2402: Social Psychology and/or PSY3408: Health Psychology