Forty Studies that Changed Psychology

This course surveys forty of the most influential research studies in psychology. Within this course, students will explore foundational experiments spanning the spectrum of psychological science. As a result of this class, students should be able to identify and explain key findings that have shaped the discipline. Students will be afforded the ability to analyze research methods, examine the ethical dimensions, and connect classic findings to modern psychological theory, practice, and ongoing research.

This course will be based on Hock’s pivotal text: Forty Studies That Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of Psychological Research (Global Edition). This text has recently been updated to include more current and global research findings and is widely used as the standard in the field. Topics covered include: Brain, Biology, and Behavior; Sensation, Perception, and Consciousness; Learning and Conditioning; Cognition, Intelligence, and Memory; Developmental Psychology; Foundations of Social Psychology; Personality; and Psychopathology and Treatment. Through reading, discussion, and applied analysis, students will develop an appreciation for how landmark research has shaped the understanding of human thought, emotion, and behavior. Students will demonstrate their learning through written and oral reflections, class presentations, and developing a proposal for a hypothetical research project, including having every student develop a project to meet COA’s EERB standards.