A major focus of Dr. Whisman's research seeks to understand the role of intimate relationships on the onset, course, severity, and treatment of psychopathology, with a particular emphasis on depression. In addition, he studies the association between intimate relationship functioning and physical health and well-being. He is also interested in the efficacy of couple-based intervention in the prevention and treatment of mental and physical health problems. A second major focus of Dr. Whisman's research aims to identify the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and contextual factors associated with the quality of intimate relationships and their onset, maintenance, and dissolution. A final major focus of Dr. Whisman's research is on cognitive theory of depression, particularly rumination, and cognitive therapy of depression.
PSYC 4011 - Senior Thesis
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023
Critically reviews some aspect of psychological literature, scholarly analysis of a major psychological issue, and/or empirical research project. See the psychology honors director for further information.
PSYC 4101 - Honors Thesis 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2021
Completing an Honors Thesis under the direction of the course instructor will be the focus of this course. Students will each conduct an original, empirical research project, including developing the research idea, collecting and analyzing data, and writing their thesis, as well as practice their oral defense. Students will additionally acquire applied experience in research methods, statistics, and data analysis. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
PSYC 4201 - Honors Thesis 2
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019 / Spring 2022
Completing an Honors Thesis under the direction of the instructor will be the focus of this course. Students will each conduct an original, empirical research project, including developing the research idea, collecting and analyzing data, and writing their thesis, as well as practice their oral defense. Students will additionally acquire applied experience in research methods, statistics and data analysis. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
PSYC 4541 - Special Topics in Psychology - Social Science
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Summer 2021 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2024
Examines individual or social dimensions of human behavior. Students will develop expertise in basic theories, as well as in measurement techniques and data interpretation regarding issues of societal significance. Students will consider applications of that knowledge, ranging from the development of new theory to solving problems. Particular section content is determined by instructor. PSYC 4541 and/or PSYC 4551 may be taken 3 times with different topics, for a total of 9 credits
PSYC 7693 - Personality Measurement
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021 / Fall 2023
Covers theory and basic applications of psychological assessment, with an emphasis on measurement theory and the assessment of psychopathology and personality.
