🗓 Unit 1 - What is Psychology?

Summary

Learning Objectives

1. What is psychological science? Describe and explain what is meant by psych
2. What are the scientific foundations of psychology?
3. What are the latest developments in psychology?

Prepare for Today

Readings

• 1.1 What is psychology?

• 1.2 History of Psychology

• 1.3 Contemporary Psychology

• 1.4 Careers in Psychology

Annotation Prompt: S-I-T: identify one surprising fact or idea, one interesting fact or idea, one troubling or tricky fact or idea (& explain why)

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Lecture Slides

What is psychological science?

• Psychological science is the study of the mind, brain, and behavior. Psychological science teaches critical thinking.

• Psychological science helps us to understand biased or inaccurate thinking.

• Training in psychology involves developing a range of skills and can be used to pursue many different careers.

Today’s Assignment

History of Psychology

• Explore the APA 125th Anniversary Timeline
• Identify at least one of each of the following that interests you and click to learn more:
  1. People
  2. APA/Research Milestone
  3. Research/Experiment
  4. Publication

I encourage you to select each item from a different decade. 

• Go to your group Tribe page on canvas, find the Unit 1 discussion and post about two things. First, write at least 2-3 sentences that summarize (in your own words) the significance of the item you picked for each category (i.e., for the person you selected, explain who they are and what they did). Second, take a few minutes to reflect on the process and criteria you used to select the items for each category. Ask yourself WHY you made the decision you did and explain your introspection to your tribe-mates.

• Read and reply to at least two posts from a tribe-mate. This should add to the conversation by answering, extending, or adding to the ideas of your peer. If you are having trouble figuring out what to say, try starting with something like:

  • What did you mean by…
  • I think you should…
  • This made me think…

Want to learn more?

Recommended links for additional learning

Title	Description	Link
Psychology Myths	Learn about the popular myths about psychology	Book
History of Psychology	Archive of “classics” in the History of Psychology	Website
APA Career Guide	Learn about diverse career paths	Website