Psychology, Psychophysiology Specialization, M.A.

Specialization Coordinator: Richard Sherman, Ph.D.

Psychophysiology is the branch of psychology centering on the physiological bases of human psychological processes. It is the study of the biological bases of behavior among humans. Applied psychophysiology is the subspecialty of psychophysiology which uses knowledge of the biological bases of various behaviors in conjunction with various psychological techniques to help people optimize their behaviors. Applied psychophysiologists are psychologists who develop and use psychological interventions based on such areas as behavioral genetics, hormonal influence on behavior, individual differences in perception, and abnormal physiological patterns to assist clients to recognize and alter problems caused by these biological underpinnings. Common psychophysiological intervention techniques include biofeedback, relaxation training, entrainment, hypnosis, and many others.

Applied psychophysiology focuses on the amelioration/treatment and prevention of disease, as well as creation of optimal functioning patterns in education, sports, and business through teaching people techniques for recognizing and correcting abnormal physiological levels of function and responses. Our clinical concentration or practice focuses on the amelioration / treatment and prevention of disease through teaching people techniques for recognizing and correcting abnormal physiological levels of function and responses. Our non-clinical concentration focuses on teaching clients to function optimally in such environments as the work place, sports, and school. The field has a long history of making major contributions to education and healthcare in both treatment and prevention arenas. For instance, relaxation techniques are widely recognized as being effective in both the treatment and prevention of headaches.

Residential Requirements and Content Delivery

This specialization is designed to be offered mainly via distance education supported by two Residential Conferences (RC) and attendance at the annual meeting of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology (AAPB) per year. The distance courses are typically provided through pre-recorded audiovisual lectures available through the online learning platform and student - teacher web conferences after each lecture. Many of the courses include laboratory or hands-on training that take place (a) at Saybrook’s Residential Conferences (RC); (b) during the annual meetings of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology (AAPB) which meets once per year in various parts of the United States (this is the field’s professional organization); and (c) about seven hours of real-time mentoring via the web.

Prerequisites for M.A. in Psychology; Specialization in Psychophysiology:

Every student entering the specialization must fulfill the following prerequisites:

(a) Certification in Basic Life Support (CPR)

(b) The equivalent of an undergraduate course in general biology

Students accepted into the program who lack any of these prerequisites must complete them during the first semester.

Psychophysiology Proseminar:

PH 500A General Biology: 1 credit

AND/OR

PH 500B General Psychology: 1 credit

Each portion of the Psychophysiology Proseminar is charged at a rate of one credit but credits completed during the proseminar do not count toward the specialization. Students may be required to complete an Academic Writing course during their first semester in the program. The Specialization Coordinator and/or Department Chair will make this determination at the time of admission into the program.

Requirements:

Students who have already taken graduate courses at a regionally accredited school, may be eligible to transfer up to 6 credits for previously completed courses deemed equivalent to those in the Psychophysiology specialization. Additionally, students who took psychophysiology courses through Saybrook’s continuing education (CE) program will receive credit for these courses as long as they complete all requirements for the doctoral versions of the courses. These credits from the CE program are in addition to the 6 which can be transferred into the program from other institutions. Students who have taken more than 6 credits of equivalent coursework at other institutions may not have to repeat these courses. Rather, they can substitute them for additional psychophysiology electives.

All of the courses taken in this 34 credit masters transfer directly into the PhD in Psychology; Specialization in Psychophysiology. Students taking this masters will have completed about one third of the requirements for the doctoral program. See the Saybrook MA in Psychology to Saybrook PhD in Psychology Option section of the catalog for more details.

RES 1026 - Information Competency and Library Use (MA Psychology) 2 credit(s)
RES 512A - Psychophysiological Research Techniques 3 credit(s)
PH 512C - Statistical Evaluation in Psychophysiology 3 credit(s)
PSY 1500A - Foundations and Critique of Contemporary Psychology - Part I 3 credit(s)
PSY 6060 - Ethics and Laws in Psychotherapy and Behavioral Science Research 3 credit(s)
CSIH 3200 - Seminar in Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health 3 credit(s)
PH 505 - Introduction to Psychophysiology 3 credit(s)
PSY 1080 - History and Systems of Psychology 3 credit(s)
PH 510A - Psychophysiological Recording and Intervention / General Biofeedback Lecture 3 credit(s)
PH 510D - General Biofeedback Lab
PH 574 - Psychophysiology Seminar
PSY 7510 - Social Psychology 3 credit(s)
OR
PSY 6010 - The Psychology of Multiculturalism in North America 3 credit(s)
Psychophysiology Elective (PH prefix) (3 credits)
PSY 9200 - Master’s Project (M.A. in Clinical Psychology) 3 credit(s)
OR
RES 9200 - Master’s Project Research 3 credit(s)

Total: 35 Credit(s)

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