Teaching

Why do people falsely confess to crimes they didn’t commit? Why are innocent people sometimes identified by eyewitnesses? How can investigators get the best evidence from eyewitnesses? How do juries—groups of 12 strangers—come to a decision during a trial? These are some of the core questions that legal psychologists (and students like you) strive to answer. In this course, you will apply knowledge and theories from social, cognitive, and developmental psychology to issues facing the legal system?

What makes a person competent to stand trial, waive their rights, plead guilty to a crime, or be executed? What are the effects of the "correctional" system on the people who experience it? Forensic psychology is the application of psychological science and practice to the legal system. We will learn about mental status examinations, correctional outcomes, and forensic decision-making — based on current, empirical psychological research.

Are we walking around in a world full of ghosts, goblins, and aliens? In 2009, almost one in five (18%) American adults reported having seen a ghost. Several people have reported—in rich detail!—being abducted by aliens. Stories about creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster continue to captivate our collective attention. But why do people cling so tightly to these beliefs? This course will help us understand the social and cognitive processes behind paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs. We will also journey through critical thinking and the scientific method to better understand valid, reliable, and reproducible science and thereby better identify pseudoscience.

It’s hard to imagine an aspect of psychology more fundamental than memory. Without a functioning memory, all other cognitive functions—perception, learning, problem-solving, and language—would be impossible. Without a functioning memory, social interactions like play, relationships, and work would be chaotic at best. Therefore, the study of memory has been important to psychologists from a variety of perspectives. In this course, we will discuss cognitive and neuroscience perspectives and examine the diversity of phenomena organized under the heading of “human memory.” We will examine theoretical constructions in memory as well as applications of theory. That is, we’ll learn about how memory works and how we can make memory work for us.