General Psychology
Catalog Description: An overview of the facts, principles, and methods of the science of behavior and psychological processes. Topics typically include learning, research methodology, memory, perception, cognition, psychobiology, social psychology, abnormal behavior and psychotherapy. Students may be required to participate in a limited number of experiments conducted by faculty members or advanced students (or to complete an alternative assignment). Goals: The primary goal in this class is to teach students how to think like psychologists. Because the field of psychology is large and complex, it is impossible to teach “all there is to know” about psychology. It is, however, possible to teach students how to ask the right questions. Important theories and research are covered because these are fundamental to what psychologists believe and what they do. But rather than merely memorizing concepts and theories, it is the goal of this course for students to walk away with a deeper understanding of psychology, and how to apply it in a practical way. Objectives: By the end of the semester, students should: 1. have a basic understanding of the overarching approaches to understanding human behavior. 2. understand how these approaches may conflict or complement one another. 3. understand the complexities with researching human behavior and thought processes. |