Introduction

• Less traditional approach


  • Cutting-edge research
  • Lecturers' areas of expertise
  • Related to real-world issues
• Psychology in the Real World

  • Less traditional approach
  • Cutting-edge research
  • Lecturers' areas of expertise
  • Related to real-world issues
  • Lectures on different topics
  • No previous psychology knowledge is assumed
  • Just interesting observers of human behaviour
• Psychology


  The scientific study of behavior (what we do) and mental processes (inner thoughts and feelings)

  
• We humans are intuitive psychologists. That is, we try to understand and predict others' behavior and thoughts.
• Our intuitions might be wrong...
• To understand ourselves and others, to solve problems that arise on a human scale, psychology as a science tells us why and helps us find truth, beyond mere intuition.
• What makes psychology scientific


  • Use systematic and objective methods of observation to learn about and explain phenomena

  
• Diverse subfields of psychology


  • Clinical
  • Cognitive
  • Developmental
  • Educational
  • Experimental
  • Health
  • Industrial/Organizational
  • Neuropsychology
  • Personality
  • Quantitative
  • School
  • Social
• Levels of analysis


  • Biological
  • Psychological
  • Social
• Connections to other disciplines


  • Natural sciences (Biology, Physics, Chemistry)
  • Social sciences (Anthropology, Sociology, Political science)
  • Humanities (Language, Music, Art, Philosophy)
  • Math (Logic)
• PS123/124 is about exploring snapshots of current Psychology, linking to everyday behaviour, taking you beyond your previous experience and knowledge, and whetting your appetite.
• Opportunities to participate in paid behavioural science research at Warwick