Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Psychology (LLLI07031)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course is for students on the CAHSS International Foundation Programme.
Introduction to Psychology introduces a range of topics in psychology, including social psychology, individual differences, child development, memory, perception, and psychological disorders. Combining short lectures, class discussions and practical exercises, it will build new students' skills in academic study in the UK. |
| Course description |
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of Psychology and to develop academic skills in readiness for further study. Topics and individual classes are outlined in the indicative syllabus below.
1. Introduction: What is psychology?
a. Historical approaches to psychology
b. Psychology in everyday life
c. Current research: questions and methodologies
2. Individual differences (1): Personality
a. Personality traits
b. Methodology: how do we obtain the most robust evidence
c. Personality: Bio-psycho-social perspective
3. Individual differences (2): Intelligence
a. Intelligence - is there just one type?
b. Intelligence: how do we best measure it? Fancy a test?
c. Heritability and intelligence
4. Cognitive psychology (1): Remembering and forgetting
a. Types of memory and why do we forget
b. What is the mis-information effect and why is it so important?
c. In class experiment: research exercise
5. Cognitive psychology (2): Attention and perception
a. Selective attention: What do we attend to?
b. Perceptual constancies and illusions: do I see what I think I see?
c. Neuropsychology - what does it tell us about our mind, choices and behaviour?
6. Social psychology (1): Thinking about others
a. Stereotypes and schemas
b. Biases in social judgement
c. In-groups and out-groups
7. Social psychology (2): Acting around others
a. Bystander effect: when don't we act?
b. Conformity and obedience
c. Pro-social behaviour: Do we learn to be prejudiced or can we learn to overcome it?
8. Child development (1): Language acquisition
a. Theories about language acquisition
b. Bilingualism - is it worth it to learn another language?
c. Language and brain, language and culture - what do we take from relevant evidence?
9. Child development (2): Social development
a. Theory of mind
b. Developing moral judgments
c. Attachment behaviour
10. Mental health (1): Psychological/Psychiatric disorders
a. Abnormal psychology
b. Overview of some of the most cited psychological/psychiatric disorder
c. Addiction and phobias
11. Mental health (2): Therapy and coping strategies
a. Presentation of choice: Freud and PTSD; history and application of evidence from criminal psychology
b. How to write a first-class essay?
c. Revision: Q & A
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify a number of major research topics within psychology, and understand some of the central issues within these topics
- Understand and be able to explain key concepts in psychology and psychological research
- Identify key methodologies and understand the advantages/ limitations of various techniques
- Summarise and apply ideas from readings
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will have started to develop a range of skills that are crucial for success in undergraduate study and employment including critical thinking, summarising, participation in classes and academic planning and writing |
| Keywords | Psychology,memory,child development,mental health |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Maximillian Jaede
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: |
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