Psychology
Department

Wesley (Wes) P. Jordan

Professor of Neurosciences and Psychology - at SMCM since 1982

Faculty Director of International Admissions

Departments: Psychology
Office: Goodpaster Hall, room 102 (116 in FA12)
Email: wpjordan@smcm.edu
Phone: 240-895-4458

Education:

B.S., University of Puget Sound (1974); Ph.D., Dartmouth College (1979).

Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

Courses Taught:

• Introduction to Psychology
• Introduction to the Neurosciences
• Psychological Statistics
• Research Methods in Psychology
• Comparative Animal Behavior
• Drugs, Brains, & Behavior
• Biological Psychology with Lab
• Psychology of Learning with Lab
• Advanced Experimental Design and Statistics
• Senior Seminar in Psychology
• St. Mary's Projects

Research Interests

As a behavioral neuroscientist, I am interested in how the brain controls behavior. In particular, I want to know how the brain is changed as a result of learning and how memories are stored. Most of my work involves studying how rats (and their brains) learn in simple situations in the laboratory.

Specific areas of active research include the brain mechanisms supporting habituation, a simple form of learning to disregard unimportant stimuli; cocaine sensitization, a process by which repeated low doses of cocaine produce a heightened sensitivity to subsequent doses of this drug; and animal models of psychopathology. A variety of papers have been published on these topics, many which include student co-authors. Also, I am interested in drug use patterns and attitudes about drugs among college students.

Interesting Links

• American Psychological Association
• Society for Neuroscience
• Directory of Neuroscience Training Programs in North America