.png?lmsauth=aeb003561ff92466c0363039bcfbf9b70d9841ad){kind=logo}
INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY - PSY150/1 Spring 2024
Course
Charlotte Longley
This course will provide you with an overview of theoretical and applied psychological approaches, methods and tools, with particular focus on personality characteristics and their measurement, intelligence, decision making, managing emotions and stress, motivation, effective communication and presentation skills. You will have the opportunity to gain knowledge of key psychological concepts, practically develop your skills, and apply them in real life.
Here is the course outline:
1. Session 1: Overview of course, plus What is Psychology?
Feb 8
Review of the syllabus and class expectations. How we can define psychology and answer the question What is Psychology? |
2. Session 2: Biological Psychology
Feb 15
An introduction to the anatomy of the brain, links to human behavior and the impact of drugs. |
3. Session 3: Development
Feb 22
Understanding human development, including cognitive development in infancy and childhood, social and emotional development, and the role of diversity. |
4. Session 4: Learning
Feb 29
Learning mechanisms, including conditioning, and shaping and alternative explanations. |
5. Session 5: Memory
Mar 7
An introduction to types of memory, memory systems and forgetting. |
6. Session 6: Cognition and Language
Mar 14
Exploring attention, categorization, problem solving, decision making and language |
7. Session 7: Recap and Midterm Exam
Mar 21
This class will involve a recap of the previous lectures and an in-class exam. |
8. Session 8: Intelligence
Apr 4
What is intelligence and how do we test it? |
9. Session 9: Motivated Behaviours
Apr 11
What motivates humans to act (discussion of work, hunger, and sexual motivation) |
10. Session 10: Emotions, stress and health
Apr 18
The nature of emotions, fear, anger, happiness and sadness, stress, mental health, and coping. |
11. Session 11: Social Behaviour
Apr 25
Antisocial and prosocial behavior, social perception, attitudes, and persuasion. Interpersonal attraction and influence. |
12. Session 12: Personality
May 2
Theories of personality, personality traits and testing. |
13. Session 13: Abnormal Psychology: Disorders and Treatment
May 9
Defining abnormal behavior. An overview of anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance misuse disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and autism and treatments for mental disorders. |
14. Session 14: Final Exam
May 16
This class will involve a recap of the previous lectures and an in-class exam. |