Psychology

Course summary

Psychology is the study of how the mind works and of behaviour. It is interested in people and animals, in how they think and behave, and in how we can account for, predict and control that behaviour. Psychologists are therefore concerned with collecting evidence to explore ideas about how mental and behavioural processes work. It is a science and uses systematic methods to gather and analyse information about behaviour. The study of Psychology looks at areas such as thinking, memory, conformity, mental illness and child development. It will help you to think and argue in depth about the value of different kinds of evidence, and to understand current and previous theories and research work that has been done. You will also carry out some basic research of your own using methods employed by psychologists. You will begin to understand the way that the findings and theories of psychologists have been widely applied in our daily lives, such as in understanding and reducing the following: prejudiced behaviour; errors in eyewitness testimony; addictive behaviours such as playing the lottery! Course content • Introductory topics in Psychology - Memory, Attachment, Social Influence and Psychopathology. • Psychology in context - Psychological Approaches, Biopsychology and Research methods. • Issues and options in Psychology - Issues & Debates in Psychology, Schizophrenia, Relationships and Forensic Psychology