PSYC 1101 Syllabus

Subject Code

PSYC

Course Number

1101

Course Title

Introductory Psychology

Prerequisites

Degree program admission language competency or successful completion of required English and reading learning support courses with a grade of C or higher

Corequisites

Terms Offered

Offered every semester

Credit Hours

(3-0-3)

Course Description

This course introduces the major fields of contemporary psychology. Instructors place emphasis on the fundamental principles of psychology as a science. Topics include research design, the organization and operation of the nervous system, sensation and perception, learning and memory, motivation and emotion, thinking and intelligence, lifespan development, personality, psychological disorders and treatment, stress and health, and social psychology.

Course Outcomes

Foundations and Research Methods

Order

Description

1

Describe the foundations of modern psychology.

2

Identify who psychologists are and what they do.

3

Outline methods of research.

4

Demonstrate critical thinking skills.

 

Biological Foundations of Behavior

Order

Description

1

Describe the structure of neurons and the process of neural transmission.

2

Outline the structure and function of the central nervous system.

3

Outline the structure and function of the endocrine system.

4

Explain genetic influences on behavior.

 

Sensation and Perception

Order

Description

1

Describe basic concepts related to sensation.

2

Identify the structure and function of the visual, auditory, chemical, skin and other body senses.

3

Describe perceptual organization and the perception of distance, depth, movement and illusions.

 

States of Consciousness

Order

Description

1

Differentiate states of conscious, sleeping, and dreaming.

2

Describe sleep disorders.

3

Compare and contrast altering consciousness through drug use, meditation, and hypnosis.

 

Learning

Order

Description

1

Differentiate classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and cognitive learning.

2

Describe elements of classical conditioning.

3

Demonstrate classical conditioning in human behavior.

4

Describe the elements of operant conditioning.

5

Differentiate principles of reinforcement and punishment.

6

Demonstrate operant conditioning in human behavior.

7

Identify the types of cognitive learning and their application to humans.

 

Memory

Order

Description

1

Describe theories of remembering and forgetting.

2

Compare sensory registers, short-term memory, and long-term memory.

3

Identify and practice methods of improving memory.

 

Cognition and Mental Abilities

Order

Description

1

Describe the building blocks of thought: language, images, and concepts.

2

Apply principles of cognition to strategies for problem-solving and decision-making.

3

Identify the components of language and the stages of language development.

4

Discuss the influences of culture on language and how humans think.

5

Define intelligence and describe how intelligence is measured.

6

Identify gender differences in cognitive abilities.

7

Describe the influences of heredity and environment on intelligence.

 

Motivation and Emotion

Order

Description

1

Explain the biological and psychological sources of motivation.

2

Contrast the theories of emotion.

3

Identify the basic emotions and how they are communicated.

4

Describe emotional intelligence and how to manage emotions.

 

Lifespan Development

Order

Description

1

Identify the stages of prenatal development and threats to development.

2

Describe cognitive, physical, psychosocial and gender- and sex-role development in infancy and childhood.

3

Describe cognitive, physical, psychosocial and gender- and sex-role development in adolescence.

4

Describe cognitive, physical, psychosocial and gender- and sex-role development in adulthood.

5

Describe cognitive, physical, psychosocial and gender- and sex-role development in late adulthood.

 

Personality

Order

Description

1

Explain psychodynamic theories of personality.

2

Describe humanistic theories of personality.

3

Discuss trait theories.

4

Describe social-cognitive theories of personality.

5

Identify methods of personality assessment.

 

Psychological Disorders and Treatment

Order

Description

1

Differentiate between abnormal and normal behavior.

2

Discuss psychological disorders and models of abnormal behavior.

3

Examine the types, causes and treatment of anxiety disorders.

4

Examine the types, causes and treatment of mood disorders.

5

Examine the types, causes and treatment of dissociative and somatoform disorders.

6

Examine the types, causes and treatment of schizophrenia.

7

Examine the types, causes and treatment of sexual and gender identity disorders.

8

Examine the types, causes and treatment of developmental and cognitive disorders.

9

Examine the types, causes and treatment of eating and sleep disorders.

10

Examine the types, causes and treatment of personality disorders.

 

Stress and Health Psychology

Order

Description

1

Define stress and describe what it does to the body.

2

Identify ways to cope with stress and to stay healthy.

3

Describe psychosocial effects on physical disorders.

4

Describe psychosocial treatment of physical disorders.

 

Social Psychology

Order

Description

1

Describe fundamentals of social cognition.

2

Examine the nature of attitudes, prejudice and discrimination.

3

Describe social and cultural influences on behavior, thoughts and emotions.

4

Examine the psychological processes involved in social action.