Course Description

Psychology is the science of mind, specifically its function and effects on behavior. Through social change, its five schools of thought – biological, behavioral, cognitive, social, psychoanalytic, and existential-humanistic theories – have collectively improved workplace environments, education delivery, mental healthcare, and even military intelligence. Psychologists and psychiatrists collaborate in not only treating mental health conditions, but ascertaining their etiology, whether genetic, iatrogenic, and/or familial, individual, and ethnocultural environment. Along with learning neural mechanisms and associated function, such understanding can uncover potential therapies and preventive care for mental illnesses. Furthermore, much of the brain’s functional anatomy and its associations with behavior and underlying neural mechanisms remain to be discovered. This warrants thorough knowledge of research methods, from computer simulations to animal studies, and the ethics that have coincidingly evolved. Therefore, the application of experimental and principles of psychology can benefit virtually any industrial or organizational setting.

Credentials:

This course may apply toward the Biomedical Sciences Curiosity Badge interdisciplinary badge.

Learner Outcomes

• Apply basic knowledge of neuroanatomy and biological principles to explain behavioral responses.
• Understand the evolution of personality psychology and the four main theories of personality.
• Articulate the basic principles, major theories, and research concerning learning and cognition.
• Understand the physical, cognitive, and emotional development that occurs from infancy through childhood.
• Explain the diagnostic criteria, etiology (environmental, genetic, biological), and therapies indicated for select mental illnesses and disorders.
• Apply the scientific method to critically appraise peer-reviewed research in psychology.