Psychology

Introduction

Most of the major problems facing the people of the world today — hunger, overpopulation, the continuing threat of war, prejudice, pollution, drug addiction — are people problems; people have created them, and it will be people who must and will find solutions to them. Psychology, as the scientific study of mind and behavior, will help provide the answers to many of these pressing problems.

Psychology’s attempt to understand the human condition takes many approaches. Some psychologists study brain chemistry and its relation to behavior, while others study the behavior of individuals in groups (for example, in a religious cult). Still others are engaged in providing counseling or psychotherapy to people who are mentally ill or who are having difficulty in coping with the demands of life. With a faculty of 34 individuals, all of whom hold doctoral degrees, the department is able to offer a program of study which provides a solid foundation in the general concepts and methods of psychology, as well as courses and programs for students in many of the more specialized areas of this large and exciting field.

The Department of Psychology has limited the number of credits required for a major in psychology so that students may develop minors or a second major in another department. The core program in general psychology is designed to ensure that all majors develop a sound basic background in psychology which will provide effective preparation for advanced study as well as contribute significantly to a liberal education.

A very important kind of learning takes place when students become personally involved in psychological research. Students are encouraged to become active participants in their own research projects and/or to cooperate with a faculty member in their ongoing research. It is also recommended that students seek participation in one of the available off-campus field experiences which are available.

In addition to its undergraduate-degree programs, the department also offers three graduate programs, an MS in experimental psychology with an optional specialization in measurement, evaluation, and statistical analysis (MESA); an MS in clinical mental health counseling; and an MEd in school counseling. Complete descriptions of these programs may be found in the Graduate School section of this catalog.

Faculty

JAMES M. GRAHAM (2006) Chair and Professor. BA, Purdue University; MA, Pepperdine University; PhD, Texas A&M University.
CHRISTINA A. BYRNE (1997) Associate Professor. BS, Virginia Commonwealth University; MS, PhD, University of Georgia.
JEFFREY B. CARROLL (2012) Associate Professor. BS, PhD, University of British Columbia.
ANNA C. CIAO (2014) Associate Professor. BA, Trinity University; MA, PhD, University of Hawaii-Mánoa.
ALEXANDER M. CZOPP (2008) Professor BA, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, MS, PhD, University of Kentucky.
BRIANNA C. DELKER (2017) Assistant Professor. BA, Columbia University; MS, PhD, University of Oregon.
JENNIFER DEVENPORT (2003) Associate Professor. BA, Boise State University; MS, PhD, Florida International University; MLS, University of Nebraska.
TINA DU ROCHER SCHUDLICH (2006) Professor. BA, University of Michigan; MA, PhD, University of Notre Dame.
ANNE A. FAST (2018) Assistant Professor. BA, Providence College; MS, University of Washington-Seattle; PhD, University of Washington-Seattle.
JANET M. FINLAY (1999) Associate Professor. BS, University of Victoria; PhD, University of British Columbia.
ANTONYA M. GONZALEZ (2018) Assistant Professor. AB, Washington University in St. Louis, MA, PhD, University of British Columbia.
JEFFREY W. GRIMM (2001) Professor. BA, Whitman College; MS, PhD, Washington State University.
DIANA GRUMAN (2003) Associate Professor. BA, Whitman College; MEd, Western Washington University; PhD, University of Washington.
TODD HASKELL (2006) Associate Professor. BA, Dartmouth College; PhD, University of Southern California.
IRA E. HYMAN, JR. (1991) Professor. BA, Duke University; MA, PhD, Emory University.
KELLY J. JANTZEN (2007) Professor. BA, PhD, Simon Fraser University.
JOSHUA S. KAPLAN (2018) Assistant Professor. BA, Colorado College; PhD, Oregon Health & Science University.
JEFF KING (2007) Professor. BA, University of Oklahoma; MS, PhD, Pennsylvania State University.
BARBARA J. LEHMAN (2005) Professor. BA, Drew University; MA, PhD, Claremont Graduate University.
KRISTI M. LEMM (2000) Professor. BA, Columbia University; MS, PhD, Yale University.
BRENT S. MALLINCKRODT (2018) Professor. BA, University of Missouri; MA, PhD, University of Maryland.
MICHAEL J. MANA (1999) Associate Professor. BS, Washington State University; MA, PhD, University of British Columbia.
JENNIFER E. MCCABE (2019) Assistant Professor. BA, Gonzaga University; Phd, University of Iowa.
KATE C. McLEAN (2007) Professor. BA, Mills College; PhD, University of California-Santa Cruz.
ANNE RIGGS (2016) Assistant Professor. BA, University of California at Berkeley; MS, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
JACQUELINE ROSE (2008) Assistant Professor. BS, University of Calgary; MA, Queen’s University; PhD, University of British Columbia.
CRISTINA SAMPAIO (2006) Professor. PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
DAVID N. SATTLER (2000) Professor. BA, San Diego State University; MA, PhD, Michigan State University.
CHRISTIE K. NAPA SCOLLON (2018) Associate Professor. BA, MA,  Southern Methodist University; PhD, University of Illinois.
AARON J. SMITH (2017) Assistant Professor. BA, MA, PhD, University of New Mexico.
SHAUN M. SOWELL (2018) Assistant Professor. BA, MA, University of Alaska Fairbanks; PhD, University of Louisville.
LAWRENCE A. SYMONS (2000) Associate Professor. BA, MA, University of British Columbia; PhD, University of Western Ontario.

Declaration Process

The Department of Psychology is deeply committed to student access to a quality education and seeks to maximize students’ admission to the psychology major, while limiting wait times and maintaining a high quality of education as well as a reasonable time to degree. However, Psychology is highly impacted, with the number of fully qualified students interested in declaring the major exceeding the available seats.

To declare a major in psychology, a student must meet the following minimum requirements*:

• Completion (including currently enrolled WWU courses) of at least 90 credits;
• At least 20 of those credits must be in psychology, including:
  • PSY 101 and PSY 203 completed; 
  • and TWO other courses from PSY 210, 220, 230, 240 and 250, completed or currently enrolled. Transfer credit accepted as indicated on the Transfer Equivalency Report.
  • At least five PSY credits taken at Western
• Achieved a Western GPA (based on at least 12 credits) or psychology GPA (based on an average of all PSY coursework) of 2.70 or higher. In the absence of a Western GPA, a GPA of 2.70 or higher cumulative GPA from an equivalent four-year institution (based on at least 12 credits) or a completed Associates degree may substitute for the Western GPA.

*Meeting the above requirements does not guarantee admission to the Psychology major.

For students who have met the minimum requirements, admission to the major will be determined each quarter on a space-available basis after ranking candidates by GPA, from high to low. Number of admissions and GPA information from recent quarters will be posted on the Department of Psychology website. chssdepts.wwu.edu/psychology

• The GPA used will be the highest of either:
  • the student’s cumulative Western GPA (in the absence of a Western GPA, a cumulative GPA from a completed Associates degree may substitute for the Western GPA), or
  • an average of the student’s grades from completed courses of PSY 203, 210, 220, 230, 240, and 250 obtained at each of the schools attended (advanced placement classes are not included in the calculation; running start classes recorded on a community college transcript are included).

Beginning the third week of each quarter, the application to the psychology major is submitted via an online portal. The Department of Psychology (chssdepts.wwu.edu/psychology) website application deadlines and notification dates are posted annually. Students will be notified of major application status well in advance of Phase I registration for the subsequent quarter.

Other Departmental Information

Mid-Program Checkpoint

Students seeking to complete a BA/BS in psychology within four years should have completed an introductory psychology class (e.g., PSY 101 or a comparable course at another school) and 15 major required credits in psychology by the start of their junior year.

Graduate Study

For concentrations leading to the Master of Education or the Master of Science degrees, see the Graduate School  section of this catalog.

Programs

• Behavioral Neuroscience, BS
• Psychology, BS
• Psychology: Human Development — Elementary, BAE

• Psychology Minor
• Sport Psychology Minor (see Health and Human Development Department)
• User Experience (UX) Design Minor (see Engineering and Design Department)

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Non-Thesis, MS
• Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Thesis, MS
• Psychology — Experimental, Thesis, MS
• School Counselor, Non-Thesis, MEd
• School Counselor, Thesis, MEd

Courses

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400, 500 are described in the University Academic Policies  section of this catalog.

• PSY 582 - Practicum in Research in Psychology
• PSY 584 - Research Design
• PSY 585 - Scholarship & Communication 1: Presenting Research
• PSY 586 - Scholarship & Communication 2: Writing Research
• PSY 661 - Advanced Seminar in Professional Issues in Counseling Practice
• PSY 670 - Internship
• PSY 690 - Thesis