Psychology 131 Course Offerings
Course Information
- Department: Psychology
- Prepared By: Psychology Department
- Prepared Date: Fall 2015
- Course Title: Introduction to Psychology (Personality, Abnormal, Therapy, Social)
- Course Code: PSY 131
- Credits: 3
- Contact Hours: 45
Catalog Description
This course is designed to present basic concepts in the scientific study of interpersonal behavior. Topics covered include methods of psychological research, psychology as a profession, human development, intelligence, theories of personality, mental health/abnormality/stress, psychological assessment of emotional/behavioral disorders, psycho-therapy, and social psychology. Psychological theories, uses of psychology (individual and general), and careers in psychology will be discussed.
- Prerequisites: None Prerequisites
- Required For:
- Elective For: All curricula with a social science elective
- Texts Currently in Use: Modules for Active Learning, Custom 13th Edition, Dennis Coon/John O Mitterer; Cengage Learning. ISBN# 9781305385504
Course Outline
UNIT I Introduction to Psychology
- History of Psychology
- Psychologists and other Mental Health Professionals
- Research Methodology in Psychology
- (observation, correlational studies, experimental method, the clinical case study, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies; placebo effect, ethicalissues in research)
UNIT II Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral genetics, nature vs. nurture
- Pre-natal development and environmental influences
- Birth process
- Characteristics of the neonate
- Infant and child development: social, language, cognitive, moral
- Life-Span Development
- Psychosocial stages of development (Erikson)
- Cognitive stages of development (Piaget)
- Typical childhood problems
- Childhood disorders
- Parenting styles
- Dysfunctional families, child abuse
- Adolescence and puberty
- Adulthood and aging
- Death and dying; bereavement and grief
UNIT III Intelligence
- Defining intelligence; the IQ controversy
- Assessment and psychometric testing
- Cognition, problem solving and creativity
- Mental retardation
UNIT IV Personality
- Defining personality
- Traits, types, theories
- Structure of personality: id, ego, superego
- Psychosexual stages of development (Freud)
- Humanistic theory: Maslow, Rogers
- Assessment: interviews, questionnaires
- Inventories and projective techniques
UNIT V Abnormal Psychology
- Historical background: from superstition to science
- Definition of abnormality; concepts of normality
- Psychiatric labeling, self-fulfilling prophecy
- Mental health professionals
- Models of psychopathology
- Assessment and classification (DSM IV)
- Mental disorders: anxiety, depression, substance-abuse, psychosis
- (schizophrenia), paraphilias, dementia, dissociation
- Etiology, diagnosis and treatment of mental illness
- Institutionalization; legal issues
- Community mental health programs; self-help groups
- Psychotherapy
- Types of therapy: individual, group, family, marital
- Psychoanalysis; concept of the unconscious mind
- Humanistic therapy; client-centered therapy
- Behavior therapy: desensitization, reinforcement
- Cognitive therapy
- Psychopharmacological therapy, ECT, psychosurgery
UNIT VI Social Psychology
- Definition and concepts of social psychology
- Relation to psychology and sociology
- Social roles and expectations
- Personal space and boundaries
- Attitudes, persuasion, stereotypes, prejudice
- Brainwashing and cults
- Interpersonal attraction
- Cognitive dissonance theory
- Process of social influence: compliance, conformity, ower, obedience,
- helping behavior
- Social cognition, comparison and perception
- Theories of aggression
- Attribution theory
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