Introductory Psychology: study guide and practice
Also known as: psyc 101, psyc 1001, psyc 2301, psy 101, psy 1010, psy 100, general psychology, psych 100, introduction to psychology, psychology 1
What you will be able to do
- Explain how psychologists design studies and tell correlation from causation
- Describe the main parts of the nervous system and what they do
- Distinguish classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning
- Explain how memory is encoded, stored, retrieved and sometimes distorted
- Outline major theories of lifespan development
- Compare major approaches to personality
- Describe common psychological disorders and treatments
- Explain how people influence one another in social settings
Topics
- Research methodsHow psychologists test ideas: variables, experiments, correlations, sampling and ethics.
- Biology and behaviourNeurons, neurotransmitters, the nervous system and what the major brain regions do.
- Learning and conditioningClassical conditioning, operant conditioning (reinforcement and punishment) and observational learning.
- MemoryHow information is encoded, stored and retrieved, and why we forget or misremember.
- Lifespan developmentMajor theories of how people change from infancy through adulthood: Piaget, Erikson, attachment, Kohlberg and parenting styles.
- PersonalityTrait, psychodynamic, humanistic and social-cognitive views of personality, and how it is measured.
- Psychological disorders and treatmentHow disorders are defined, the main categories and the main treatments, including therapy and medication.
- Social psychologyHow other people shape our thoughts and actions: attribution, conformity, obedience, helping, attitudes and groups.