Introduction to Psychology
Learn Path Description
Gain a broad overview of psychology and master its basic principlesDeveloped by one of the world’s top-ranked universities, Monash, this ExpertTrack has been created to provide a broad overview of the science of psychology, from developmental and biological psychology, through to sensation perception and the psychology of learning. The principles of psychology can be applied across a range of industries, such as teaching, counselling, marketing and human resources. Once you’ve understood them, they’ll be invaluable in helping you excel in your chosen field. Discover the history of psychology You’ll find out about the history of psychology, covering its split from philosophy, examining the contributions of key figures, and exploring how it became the fascinating discipline it is today. You’ll master the fundamental principles of the scientific method, which you can then apply across your professional and academic work. Once you’ve understood the background of psychological enquiry, you’ll move onto more detailed discoveries around early behavioural psychology, cognitive psychology and clinical psychology. Explore the world of developmental psychology As you grow your understanding of human development and lifespan theories you will consider the various stages of human development and the impact they have as life progresses. You’ll also examine the nature versus nurture discussion and explore the critical thinking skills required to carry out research within the discipline. Understand the psychology of sensation and perception Discover how the senses combine to help us perceive and respond to our environment. Once you’ve completed this section of the course, you’ll understand how the study of sensation helps to further our understanding of perception and how it shapes our view of the world. Learn with psychology experts at Monash University The Monash University School of Psychological Sciences is ranked amongst the best in the world. [1] It offers a full programme of award courses accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC), including its fully-online Graduate Diploma of Psychology. You’ll learn with expert academics from a school that is also world-renowned for its research into key issues around sleep, addiction, neurodevelopment and neuro-degeneration.
Skills You Will Gain
Courses In This Learning Path
Total Duration
2 weeks
Level
Advanced
Learn Type
Certifications
Introduction to Psychology: Sensation and Perception
This course will explore how our five senses interact to help us understand the environment and our behaviour. It will also examine how perception and sensation differ from one another and how attention can combine to create a unique way to perceive the environment. The course will also examine why psychologists study sensation as a component of our behaviour and mental processes. To properly study perception you will need to be able to comprehend the structure and function of your sensory systems, and to compare the pros and cons to the various psychological methods. This course will help you to gain this knowledge and an understanding of the mechanisms behind perceptual constancies. This course will teach you how to understand the way that perceptual elements are grouped and how to confidently talk about Gestalt principles.
Total Duration
2 weeks
Level
Beginner
Learn Type
Certifications
Introduction to Psychology: Biological Psychology
This course will introduce you to a fascinating branch of psychology: it examines the relationships between behavior and biological functions of humans, with a special focus on the nervous system.
Learn about the roles of genes, heredity and the nervous system in our physical and emotional well-being. Also, learn how neurotransmitters and heritable diseases can affect our behavior.
This course covers many important topics such as genetics and nervous-system, heredity and specific genetic disorders, and the impact of the brain, spinal cord, and other genetic conditions. After completion, you will be able to explain how neurotransmitters play a role in psychology and interpret examples of heritable disorders that affect behavior.
After completing the course, your unique insights will be available into some of the most important biological psychology research in the world.
You will be able to understand how environment and genes affect behavior and identify which diseases might influence it.
Additionally, you will gain specific neurological knowledge about cell types and functions, how synapses communicate across nervous systems, and the role that the endocrine is in managing bodily functions.
Total Duration
2 weeks
Level
Beginner
Learn Type
Certifications
Introduction to Psychology: Developmental Psychology
Three types of human growth are present throughout our lives: cognitive and social. This course will help you identify the key transitions in these development types. They will be linked to psychological changes, and you'll learn how and why these occur. This course will examine the effects of genes and the environment on development, and whether it is continuous or discontinuous.
Additionally, you will examine the skills required to conduct psychology research.
Modern psychology draws on many theories to understand cognitive and social development. You will learn how to distinguish them and use this course to help you understand developmental psychology. This course will help you identify the key transitions in human development and explore different research models.
Anyone who wants to study or work in developmental psychology will need to have a solid understanding. This knowledge can also be very useful for parents, educators, and anyone who just wants to better understand their way of looking at the world.
No prior experience is required. However, a keen interest and passion for psychology will suffice.
Total Duration
2 weeks
Level
Beginner
Learn Type
Certifications
Introduction to Psychology: The Psychology of Personality
What is it that makes us who we are? This is a key question in psychology, and it has been the subject of endless research and theory. This course will help you understand psychological theories and examine factors that affect personality. Before you learn about Freud's groundbreaking psychodynamic view of personality, we will also discuss theories of behaviourism and personality-traits. We'll also examine how culture affects individual personalities. Before you examine the theories, models, and approaches of these pioneering figures, we will also explore the effectiveness of personality-tests to help us understand the human decision-making process.
You'll gain a better understanding of the personality traits and the tools psychologists use to identify them. Also, you will learn how to explain the psychometric properties of personality tests as well as how different theories of personality apply to a case study. Each personality type has its own set of defense mechanisms. These are a result of childhood experiences as well as other personality traits. This article will show you how to identify at most five of these defense mechanisms, and give examples of their effectiveness. You can only change your self-efficacy if you believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. This course will help you understand the factors that determine self-efficacy and how they can be improved.
Total Duration
2 weeks
Level
Beginner
Learn Type
Certifications
Introduction to Psychology: The History and Science of Psychology
Although modern psychology is an established science, what are its roots?
This course will help you understand how psychology evolved into the multi-disciplinary field that it is today. Before moving on to the study of the most significant figures in science, you will examine psychology's differences from philosophy.
Understanding the scientific method and psychology's evolution will give you a foundation that you can use in all aspects of your life.
This course covers many psychology science topics such as the science of psychology. It also includes early behavioural psychology, cognitive and clinical psychology.
These topics together will provide a broad overview of science and help you to identify areas you would like to specialize in the future.
After you have mastered the fundamentals of psychology, you can move on to learn more about the key figures involved in the development and maintenance of behaviorism, structuralism and functionalism.
This course will end with a discussion about the theoretical foundations of contemporary psychology.
Total Duration
2 weeks
Level
Beginner
Learn Type
Certifications
Introduction to Psychology: The Psychology of Learning
What is the best way to learn new behaviours? How does biology affect our ability to learn?
This course examines the psychology behind learning. It includes both historical and current research.
This course will examine the differences between learned and instinctive behaviours and how they can be taught.
This course will build upon your knowledge of Pavlov's Dog as a form classical conditioning. It will also explore operant conditioning, observational learning, and more.
These additional structures allow you to think about the effects of learning behaviors and the extent that we learn from imitating and watching others.
You'll be able to build on your previous knowledge in the ExpertTrack of developmental psychology and biological psychology, and combine it with learning theories to discover how biological factors influence learning. The influence of behaviourism in learning will also be discussed.
