Psychological Science: Hormones and Behavior

A study of the involvement of hormones in cognition, emotion, the stress response, circadian and homeostatic mechanisms that affect mental state, psychopathology, and reproductive behavior. Prerequisites: PSYS 2000 or PSYS 2002; PSYS 2200, NSCI 2100, or NSCI 2105.

Prereqs enforced by the system: (PSYS 2200 or NSCI 2100 or NSCI 2105) and (PSYS 2000 or 2002); Junior and Senior standing only PSYS and NEUR majors and minors only PACE students by permission and override.

In this course we will study a broad range of topics in behavioral neuroendocrinology, which will allow us to develop a sufficient background to be able to understand most of the basic scientific literature on the diverse subjects that we learn about. We will talk about hormonal involvement in cognition, emotion, the stress response, circadian and homeostatic mechanisms, psychopathology and reproductive behavior. Hormone- and brain structure- based sex differences will be discussed with respect to all the above-mentioned topics.

Learning Goal 1. Students will develop an understanding of basic endocrinology and neuroendocrinology and how these systems affect behavior in animals as well as people. Learning Goal 2. Students will be able to read and understand basic empirical facts about on hormones and behavior in human and animal models. Learning goal 3. Students will learn how to present the findings of an empirical scientific paper to classmates in a professional and cogent manner.

Goal 1 will be assessed by quizzes, case studies and research questions done and/or handed in on brightspace(30% final grade). Goal 1 and 2 there will be a mid-term exam that will count for 20% of the final grade and a final exam worth 20% of the final grade. Goal 3: there will be a class presentation of an scientific paper worth 20% of the final grade.