2.0.0 Intro to Psychology
Have you ever stopped to wonder why you act the way you do, or why others behave differently? This course invites you on an incredible journey to uncover the fascinating, often surprising, true roots of human behavior. You might think some answers are obvious, but psychology thrives on challenging those intuitions, revealing how things we take for granted, like why we’re happier on weekends, can yield unexpected insights when tested scientifically. Sometimes, what seems obvious is proven wrong, showing us the powerful, unseen forces at play, like the immense impact of peer pressure on our choices.
This course will show you how psychology operates as a rigorous science, employing the scientific method to systematically analyze behaviors and their causes, even those seemingly abstract internal processes like feelings and thoughts. You'll explore foundational questions about how we think, feel, and behave, delving into major perspectives like biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic approaches that guide modern research.
You'll gain insights into the intricate workings of your mind, from how we process and categorize emotions—whether they’re basic, universal expressions like happiness or fear, or more complex, culturally influenced feelings. Discover how our bodies and minds interact in emotional experiences, from the instantaneous fight-or-flight response to the nuanced cognitive appraisal that shapes what we feel. Beyond emotions, you’ll unravel the mysteries of motivation, understanding what drives us through concepts like Maslow's hierarchy of needs and various theories explaining our desires. The course will also illuminate how we acquire and retain information, explaining the processes of memory—from encoding to retrieval, and the fascinating ways our memories can be both improved and distorted by our own minds and schemas. You'll even explore different types of intelligence and the nature of creativity.
From the very beginning, you'll see how psychology charts our developmental journey, from the critical stages of prenatal and infant growth to the complex formation of identity throughout our lives, exploring the interplay of nature and nurture. The course will illuminate the profound impact of our social world, examining how we form attitudes, perceive others through stereotypes, and are swayed by conformity, persuasion, and authority. You'll analyze fascinating group dynamics, from why we sometimes perform better in a crowd to why individuals might make surprising decisions within a group setting.
Ultimately, this course is about understanding ourselves and our place in the world. It's about recognizing the psychological forces that influence our choices, from how we learn new behaviors through conditioning and shaping to how we cope with stress and cultivate positive traits like optimism and self-efficacy. Prepare to have your perceptions challenged and your understanding deepened, as you gain invaluable tools to interpret the richness of human experience and make sense of why we do what we do.
This course will show you how psychology operates as a rigorous science, employing the scientific method to systematically analyze behaviors and their causes, even those seemingly abstract internal processes like feelings and thoughts. You'll explore foundational questions about how we think, feel, and behave, delving into major perspectives like biological, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic approaches that guide modern research.
You'll gain insights into the intricate workings of your mind, from how we process and categorize emotions—whether they’re basic, universal expressions like happiness or fear, or more complex, culturally influenced feelings. Discover how our bodies and minds interact in emotional experiences, from the instantaneous fight-or-flight response to the nuanced cognitive appraisal that shapes what we feel. Beyond emotions, you’ll unravel the mysteries of motivation, understanding what drives us through concepts like Maslow's hierarchy of needs and various theories explaining our desires. The course will also illuminate how we acquire and retain information, explaining the processes of memory—from encoding to retrieval, and the fascinating ways our memories can be both improved and distorted by our own minds and schemas. You'll even explore different types of intelligence and the nature of creativity.
From the very beginning, you'll see how psychology charts our developmental journey, from the critical stages of prenatal and infant growth to the complex formation of identity throughout our lives, exploring the interplay of nature and nurture. The course will illuminate the profound impact of our social world, examining how we form attitudes, perceive others through stereotypes, and are swayed by conformity, persuasion, and authority. You'll analyze fascinating group dynamics, from why we sometimes perform better in a crowd to why individuals might make surprising decisions within a group setting.
Ultimately, this course is about understanding ourselves and our place in the world. It's about recognizing the psychological forces that influence our choices, from how we learn new behaviors through conditioning and shaping to how we cope with stress and cultivate positive traits like optimism and self-efficacy. Prepare to have your perceptions challenged and your understanding deepened, as you gain invaluable tools to interpret the richness of human experience and make sense of why we do what we do.
Section 1 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
Section 2 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
Section 3 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
Section 4 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
Section 5 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
Section 6 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
- define the aspects of Psychology and recognize its effects on leadership
- summarize the most popular approaches to Psychological study and research
- explain how the study of Psychology is a scientific pursuit
- discuss the early approaches to Psychology
- compare and contrast early approaches to 21st century Psychological study
- classify the modern day study of Psychology into its different areas of specialization
- consider the ethical ramifications of Psychological Experiments
Section 2 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
- define the function, components and effects of emotions
- define and categorize the different human emotions
- examine the relationships between emotions and physical, biological reactions
- summarize the effects of stress and it impact on the body
- Distinguish between positive and negative stressors
- practice and model techniques of Positive Psychology
- describe Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and its effects on human development
Section 3 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
- describe the factors contributing to intellectual development
- explain the different definitions of human intelligence
- organize the biological and environmental factors of human intelligence
- categorize and describe the 8 multiple intelligences
- employ techniques that build creativity and divergent thinking
- explain the three components of information processing
- state the different categories of memory
- summarize strategies for developing and improving memory functions
Section 4 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
- summarize the definition and application of Developmental Psychology
- describe the components and contributors of prenatal development
- identify the biological and environmental factors of infant development
- explain how assimilation and accommodation affect a child’s intellectual growth
- discuss the key stages of Piaget’s Cognitive Development
- discuss the key stages of Kohlberg’s Moral Development
- discuss the key stages of Erikson’s Identity Formation
Section 5 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
- describe the conditions, requirements and effects of classical conditioning
- develop techniques of classical conditioning that can be applied in a classroom
- describe the conditions, requirements and effects of operant conditioning
- compare and contrast elements of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
- compare and contrast elements of positive and negative reinforcement
- explain the steps and conditions of the shaping process
- discuss how scheduling reinforcement can increase positive behaviors
Section 6 Objectives
By the end of this topic, students should be able to:
- summarize the definition and application of Social Psychology
- discuss the positive and negative effect of stereotyping types of people
- list and explain the three components of social attitudes
- describe how behaviors can affect attitude
- explain how attraction can help form relationships
- compare and contrast the contributors and effects of conformity and obedience
- list the positive and negative effects that are caused by group behavior