week 1: intro to psychology

• Psychology


  The scientific study of how people think, feel, and behave. It is both a science and a profession.
• Fields within psychology


  • Learning psychology
  • Biological psychology
  • Social psychology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Personality psychology
  • Cross-cultural psychology
  • Perception
  • Organisational psychology
  • Neuropsychology
  • Forensic psychology
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Indigenous psychology
• Learning psychology


  The study of how people learn and interact with the environment
• Biological psychology


  The study of how our biology impacts our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours (genetics)
• Social psychology


  The study of how other people impacts our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
• Clinical psychology


  The study of disordered thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
• Personality psychology


  The study of individual characteristics
• The big five personality traits (OCEAN)


  • Openness
  • Conscientiousness
  • Extroversion
  • Agreeableness
  • Neuroticism
• Cross-cultural psychology


  The study of human behaviour in different cultural contexts
• Perception


  The study of our sensory perception of the world
• Organisational psychology


  Aims to improve productivity and wellbeing in the workplace
• Neuropsychology


  The study of the brain and its influences
• Forensic psychology


  The practice of applying psychology in the area of investigation, research, and observations related to criminal, civil, and family matters
• Cognitive psychology


  The study of how brains compute information e.g. understanding how we read and helping others to do so
• Developmental psychology


  The study of human growth and development over the lifespan
• Indigenous psychology


  The scientific study of human behaviour or mind that is native, that is not transported from other regions