Table of Contents

1
Table of Contents

• Curricula Design for Undergraduate Programs
• Persons to Contact
• Different Fields in Psychology
• Careers in Psychology
• Important Links
• References

2
Curricula Design for Undergraduate Programs

• Besides the requirements of the College of
  Liberal Arts students are required to take at
  least 33 credit hours from Psychology. These 33
  hours include three categories
• A. 9 hours - required for all Psychology majors
• B. 12 hours - at least three hours from each of
  four perspectives
• C. 12 hours - another elective 12 hours

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A. Nine Hours Required for all Psychology Majors

• Introduction to Psychology (Psy 201)
• Elementary Behavioral Statistics (Psy 223)
• Experimental Psychology (Psy 323)

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B. Twelve Required Hours Choose at least one
class (3 hours) from each of the following four
perspectives

• Social/Personality Perspective Social Psychology
  (Psy 302), Abnormal Psy (Psy 408), Psychology of
  Personnel (Psy 418), or Intro to I/O Psy (Psy
  420)
• Experimental/Biopsychology PerspectiveSensation
  and Perception (Psy 324), Animal Behavior (Psy
  350), Psychology of Learning (Psy 416), or
  Physiological Psy (Psy 440)
• Developmental/Individual Perspective
  Developmental Psy (Psy 311), Adult Development
  (Psy 312), Human Sexual Behavior (Psy 330), or
  Psychometrics (Psy 406)
• Capstone Research in Psychology (Psy 456/457),
  History and Systems of Psychology (Psy 460),
  Practicum in Industrial/Organizational Psy (Psy
  470), Practicum in Clinical Psy (Psy 471), or
  Psychology Capstone Seminar (Psy 499)

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C. 12 Elective Hours

• Students intending to apply for graduate/
  professional schools may take Psy 302, Psy
  311/312, Psy 406, Psy 408, Psy 416, Psy 417, Psy
  440, Psy 457, Psy 460
• Students interested in business and industry may
  take Psy 302, Psy 406, Psy 416, Psy 418, Psy
  420, Psy 427, Psy 470, Economics 100, Accounting
  215.
• Students intending to work in mental health
  settings may take Psy 204, Psy 311/312, Psy 330,
  Psy 360. Psy 380, Psy 408, Psy 433

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Requirements for Minor

• Students interested in taking Psychology as a
  Minor must finish at least 15 credits hours in
  Psychology, as of fall 2002.
• Students in Psychology need to consult another
  specific program about their requirements and
  credit hours for a Minor.

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People to Contact

• Please contact your advisor about your interests
  and questions. If you have not been assigned an
  advisor but have claimed Psychology as your
  major, please contact the College of Liberal
  Arts. You will be assigned an advisor. If you
  havent decided your major, you are welcome to
  contact any faculty member in Psychology
  Department or Dr. Helen Linkey, Coordinator of
  Undergraduate Programs, at [phone] or by
  e-mail linkey_at_marshall.edu.

8
Definitions and tasks of different fields in
Psychology(sources Dictionary of Occupational
Title, Eye on Psi Chi)

• Clinical Psychologists
• Counseling Psychologists
• Developmental Psychologists
• Educational Psychologists
• Experimental Psychologists
• Forensic Psychologists
• Industrial/Organizational Psychologists
• Social Psychologists
• School Psychology (please check with the program
  in South Charleston)

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Clinical Psychologists - Definition

• Diagnose or evaluates mental and emotional
  disorders of individuals through observation,
  interview, and psychological tests, and formulate
  and administer programs of treatment.

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Clinical Psychologists - Tasks

• Observes individuals at play, in group
  interactions, or other situations to detect
  indications of mental deficiency, abnormal
  behavior, or maladjustment.
• Develops treatment plans, including type,
  frequency, intensity, and duration of therapy, in
  collaboration with psychiatrists and other
  specialists.
• Analyzes information to assess client problems,
  determines advisability of counseling, and refers
  client to other specialists, institutions, or
  support services.
• Conducts individual and group counseling sessions
  regarding psychological or emotional problems,
  such as stress, substance abuse,and family
  situations
• Responds to client reactions, evaluates
  effectiveness of counseling or treatment, and
  modifies plan as needed.
• Interviews individuals, couples, or families, and
  reviews records to obtain information on medical,
  psychological, emotional, relationship, or other
  problems.
• Selects, administers,scores,and interprets
  psychological tests to obtain information on
  individuals intelligence, achievement,
  interests, and personality.
• Utilizes treatment methods, such as
  psychotherapy, hypnosis, behavior modification,
  stress reduction therapy, psychodrama, and play
  therapy.

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Counseling Psychologists - Definition

• Assess and evaluate individuals problems through
  the use of case history, interview, and
  observation, and provide individual or group
  counseling services to assist individuals in
  achieving more effective personal, social,
  educational, and vocational development and
  adjustment.

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Counseling Psychologists - Tasks

• Counsels clients to assist them in understanding
  personal or interactive problems, defining goals,
  and developing realistic action plans.
• Collects information about individuals or
  clients, using interviews, case histories,
  observational techniques, and other assessment
  methods.
• Develops therapeutic and treatment plans based on
  individual interests, abilities, or needs of
  clients.
• Selects, administers, or interprets psychological
  tests to assess intelligence, aptitude, ability,
  or interests.
• Advises clients on the potential benefits of
  counseling or makes referrals to specialists or
  other institutions for non-counseling problems.
• Analyses data, such as interview notes, test
  results, and reference manuals and texts to
  identify symptoms and diagnose the nature of
  clients problems.
• Evaluates results of counseling methods to
  determine the reliability and validity of
  treatments.

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Developmental Psychologists - Definition

• Study and research the emotional, mental,
  physical, and social growth and development of
  individuals, from birth to death, to increase
  understanding of human behavior and processes of
  human growth and decline.

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Developmental Psychologists - Tasks

• Formulates hypothesis or research problem
  regarding growth, development, and decline of
  emotional, mental, physical, and social processes
  in individuals.
• Selects or develops method of investigation to
  test hypothesis.
• Studies behavior of children to analyze processes
  of learning, language development, and parental
  influence on childrens behavior.
• Analyzes growth or change of social values and
  attitudes, using information obtained from
  observation, questionnaires, and interviews.
• Administers intelligence and performance tests to
  establish and measure human patterns of
  intellectual and psychological growth,
  development, and decline.
• Observes and records behavior of infants to
  establish patterns of social, motor, and sensory
  development.
• Formulates theories based on research findings
  for application in such fields as juvenile
  delinquency, education, parenting, and
  gerontology.

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Educational Psychologists - Definition

• Investigate processes of learning and teaching
  and develop psychological principles and
  techniques applicable to educational problems

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Educational Psychologists - Tasks

• Conducts experiments to study educational
  problems, such as motivation, adjustment, teacher
  training, and individual differences in mental
  abilities
• Conducts research to aid introduction of programs
  in schools to meet current psychological,
  educational, and sociological needs of children.
• Investigates traits, attitudes, and feelings of
  teachers to predict conditions that affect
  teachers mental health and success with
  students.
• Formulates achievement, diagnostic, and
  predictive tests to aid teachers in planning
  methods and content of instruction.
• Interprets and explains test results, in terms of
  norms, reliability, and validity, to teachers,
  counselors, students, and other entitled parties.
• Plans developmental classes and testing programs
  designed to meet needs of special students.
• Advises teachers and other school personnel on
  methods to enhance school and classroom
  atmosphere to maximize student learning and
  motivation.

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Experimental Psychologists - Definition

• Plan, design, and conduct, laboratory experiments
  to investigate animal or human physiology,
  perception, memory, learning, personality, and
  cognitive processes. Conduct interdisciplinary
  studies with other scientists in such fields as
  physiology, biology, and sociology.

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Experimental Psychologists - Tasks

• Formulates hypotheses and experimental design to
  investigate problems of perception, memory,
  learning, personality, and cognitive processes.
• Selects, controls, and modifies variables in
  human or animal laboratory experiments, and
  observes and records behavior in relation to
  variables.
• Analyzes test results, using statistical
  techniques, and evaluates significance of data in
  relation to original hypothesis.
• Conducts research in areas such as aesthetics,
  learning, emotion, motivation, electroencephalogra
  ph, motor skills, autonomic functions, and the
  relationship of behavior to physiology.
• Designs and constructs equipment and apparatus
  for laboratory study.
• Writes scientific papers describing experiments
  and interpreting research results for publication
  or presentation.
• Studies animal behavior to develop theories on
  comparison of animal and human behavior

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Forensic Psychologists - Definition

• Professional psychologists within the areas of
  clinical psychology, counseling psychology,
  neuropsychology, and school psychology, when they
  are engaged regularly as experts and represent
  themselves as such, in an activity primarily
  intended to provide professional psychological
  expertise to the judicial system (Source Eye on
  Psi Chi, Spring 2001)

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Forensic Psychologists - Tasks

• Works with individuals who may present with a
  variety of mental illnesses and mental health
  issues within the context of the criminal or
  civil arenas of the law.
• Pleads insanity, raises issues of competency to
  stand trial, assesses future violence potential
  during sentencing, or treatment of sex offenders
• Assesses cognitive and mental abilities of the
  criminals to assists legal defense and
  determination of insanity
• Designs and provides treatment programs.
• Evaluates the potential for violence and predicts
  the future behaviors of criminals.
• Creates and develops criminal profiles
• Applies clinical technique, assessment, and
  therapy in both criminal and non-criminal matters

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Industrial/Organizational Psychologists -
Definition

• Apply principles of psychology and human behavior
  to personnel administration, sales, management,
  and marketing problems. Develop personnel
  policies, instruments, and programs for the
  selection, placement, training and development,
  and evaluation of employees. Conduct
  organizational analysis and programs for
  organizational development. Conduct research
  studies of leadership, supervision, morale,
  motivation, and worker productivity.

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Industrial-Organizational Psychologists - Tasks

• Develops interview techniques, rating scales, and
  psychological tests to assess skills, abilities,
  and interests as aids in selection, placement and
  promotion.
• Conducts research studies of physical work
  environments, organizational structure,
  communication systems, group interaction, morale,
  and motivation to assess organizational
  functioning.
• Analyzes data, using statistical methods and
  applications, to evaluate and measure the
  effectiveness of program implementation or
  training.
• Advises management in strategic changes to
  personnel, managerial, and marketing policies and
  practices to improve organizational effectiveness
  and efficiency.
• Studies consumer reaction to new products and
  package designs, using surveys and tests, and
  measures the effectiveness of advertising media.
• Plans, develops, and organizes training programs,
  applying principles of learning and individual
  differences.
• Analyses job requirements to establish criteria
  for classification, selection, training, and
  other related personnel functions.

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Social Psychologists - Definition

• Investigate psychological aspects of human
  interrelationships to gain understanding of
  individual and group thought, feeling, and
  behavior. Conduct research to analyze attitude,
  motivation, opinion, and group behavior, using
  behavioral observation, experimentation, or
  survey techniques.

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Social Psychologists - Tasks

• Observes and analyzes individual relationships,
  behavior, and attitudes within and towards
  religious, racial, political, occupational, an
  other groups.
• Researches variables, such as prejudice, values
  transmission, motivation, morals, leadership, and
  the contribution of social factors to behavior.
• Conducts surveys and polls, using statistical
  sampling techniques, to measure and analyze
  attitudes and opinions.
• Utilizes research findings to predict economic,
  political, and other behavior of groups.
• Develops techniques, such as rating scales and
  sampling methods, to collect and measure
  behavioral data.
• Prepares reports documenting research methods and
  findings.

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Careers in Psychology 2001(Source Monitor on
Psychology)

• With BA - can be teachers high school,
  administrative staff, sales persons, employment
  counselors, correction counselor trainees,
  interviewers, personnel analysts, probation
  officers, case managers, and writers.
• With MA - most work under the direction of a
  doctoral psychologist, especially in clinical,
  counseling, school, and testing and measurement
  psychology. They may handle research and data
  collection and analysis in universities,
  government, and private companies. Those in
  Industrial/ Organizational Psychology may do jobs
  for industries or governments in compensation,
  training, data analysis, recruiting, selection,
  and general personnel issues.
• With Ph.D. - may be self-employed as licensed
  clinical counselors, school psychologists,
  consultants, faculty at universities and 4-year
  colleges, working in private or public sectors
  and/or in profit or non-profit organizations.

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Important Links

• American Psychological Association
  http//www.apa.org
• About different divisions http//www.apa.org/abou
  t/division.html
• Forensic Psychology - http//www.unl.edu/ap-ls
• Industrial/Organizational Psychology -
  http//www.siop.org
• Psychology Department, Marshall University
  http//www.marshall.edu/psych
• West Virginia Psychological Association
  http//www.marshall.edu/wvpa

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References about Careers in Psychology

• Aubrecht, L. (Winter, 2001). What can you do
  with a BA in psychology? Eye on Psi Chi, pp.
  29-31.
• Dictionary of Occupational Title by U. S.
  Department of Labor.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook by U. S. Department
  of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Otto, R. K. Heilbrun, K. (January, 2002), the
  practice of Forensic Psychology, American
  Psychologist, 57(1), pp. 5-18.
• Psychology/Careers for the twenty-first century
  published by the American Psychological
  Association, Washington, DC., 1996
• Smith, D. Et. Al. (February, 2001). The career
  path less traveled. Monitor on Psychology, pp.
  20-41.