Current instructor

Yuri Saalmann

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.14/5 from 50 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

PSYCH 454
Quality 3/5Difficulty 4/5
Dr. Saalman is a nice guy, but the way this class is laid out is very frustrating. You're only graded on 3 exams and can only get 5/75 questions wrong on each exam to get an A in the course. There are no useful study materials so you basically just have to memorize all the slides, without really understanding what is actually going on. Good luck
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PSYCH 454
Quality 2/5Difficulty 3/5
The fact that I received a higher grade in Organic Chemistry 2 (CHEM345) than this class says what you need to know about the course. While the professor is nice, he doesn't actually promote much learning of the material because the 3 exams, which are the only things contributing to your grade, strictly test whether you can memorize his slides.
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PYSCH454 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 2/5
Although our grades depended solely on 3 exams, Yuri was a great professor. He explained things quite well, and didn't pack a bunch of information in his lecture slides. As long as you attend lecture, you should do well on the exams. He cares more about your learning than grades.
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PSYCH 454
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
Yuri is a smart, caring man who has lots of passion for the subject. Psych 454 is graded on strictly three exams which are not difficult, but you must study all the lecture material that is posted online. Very fun guy and makes the lecture seem interesting, with genuine care for all his students.
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454 · course not matched
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
Yuri was fun and his office hours were very helpful. Lectures pack in a lot of information and it can be hard to focus but all lectures are recorded which can be useful for review. Final grade is only based on 3 exams but definitely manageable if you take the time to study. All the info you need is on the lecture slides, don't focus on textbook
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Yuri Saalmann

Behavioral Neuroscience covers the biological basis of human and animal behaviors, including perception, action, cognition, social interaction, and disease, using weekly themes to explore neural mechanisms.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Yuri Saalmann

Yuri Saalmann's course depended solely on three exams, and the textbook was not required. Some found exams fair and said memorizing posted slides helped; lecture recordings were also posted, and one said summary slides covered many questions. Others found 75-minute lectures dense or disorganized, and one said no useful study materials meant memorizing slides without real understanding.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Directed Study is an independent mentored study with a faculty member.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
PSYCH 990

Research

1–12 credits

Research course involving independent experimental, observational, or statistical investigation under staff supervision.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

No recorded grade history

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027NTP 990Research and Thesis
Spring 2027PSYCH 454Behavioral Neuroscience
Spring 2027PSYCH 699Directed Study
Spring 2027PSYCH 990Research
Fall 2026NTP 990Research and Thesis
Fall 2026PSYCH 621Mentored Research and Seminar
Fall 2026PSYCH 699Directed Study
Fall 2026PSYCH 990Research

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance
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