What are people most afraid of? What do our dreams mean? Are we natural-born racists? What makes us happy? What are the causes and cures of mental illness? This course tries to answer these questions and many others, providing a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of thought and behavior. It explores topics such as perception, communication, learning, memory, decision-making, persuasion, emotions, and social behavior. We will look at how these aspects of the mind develop in children, how they differ across people, how they are wired-up in the brain, and how they break down due to illness and injury.
Introduction to Psychology
Yale UniversityAbout this Course
2,387,450 recent views
Learner Career Outcomes
18%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
Approx. 15 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Skills you will gain
reasoningProblem Solvingabstract thinkinganalytical thinkingCritical Thinking
Learner Career Outcomes
18%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Beginner Level
Approx. 15 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazilian)
Offered by
Yale University
For more than 300 years, Yale University has inspired the minds that inspire the world. Based in New Haven, Connecticut, Yale brings people and ideas together for positive impact around the globe. A research university that focuses on students and encourages learning as an essential way of life, Yale is a place for connection, creativity, and innovation among cultures and across disciplines.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1 hour to complete
Welcome to Introduction to Psychology
Meet Paul Bloom, your instructor.
1 hour to complete
1 video (Total 3 min), 3 readings
1 video
3 readings
About this course10m
Optional Happiness Survey10m
Introductory readings10m
3 hours to complete
Foundations
In this module, you will learn about foundational psychological theories and findings in psychology. We will start with the discovery that our mental lives have a physical basis, introducing the field of neuroscience. And then we will turn to two major psychological theories that have come to shape the world that we now live in—Freud’s psychodynamic theory and Skinner’s theory of behaviorism.
3 hours to complete
17 videos (Total 136 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz
17 videos
Dualism14m
Neurons14m
Parts of the brain9m
Our two brains5m
A bit of humility5m
Sigmund Freud3m
The psychodynamic approach10m
Stages of development5m
Defense mechanisms6m
Scientific assessment of Freud7m
Taking Freud seriously3m
B.F. Skinner4m
Habituation2m
Classical conditioning12m
Instrumental conditioning14m
Scientific assessment of Skinner11m
3 readings
The Brain10m
Freud10m
Skinner10m
1 practice exercise
Foundations30m
3 hours to complete
Development and Language
In this module, you will learn about foundational psychological research into development and language. Specifically, you will learn about methods for studying how infants and children think and the core discoveries that they have led to. Then you will learn about the structure of language, how language is learned, and end with a little bit on animal communication, language processing, and relationship between language and thought.
3 hours to complete
14 videos (Total 111 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
14 videos
Piaget4m
Piaget's Developmental Stage Theory7m
Scientific evaluation of Piaget4m
Methods for studying infants14m
How are children different from adults?6m
Explanations for development11m
What is language?2m
Basic facts about language11m
Phonology3m
Morphology5m
Syntax8m
Language acquisition13m
Language and thought10m
2 readings
Development10m
Language10m
1 practice exercise
Development and language30m
2 hours to complete
Cognition
In this module, you will learn about cognitive psychology. Specifically, you will learn about how we perceive the world, how attention works, and we store our experiences in memory.
2 hours to complete
12 videos (Total 65 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
12 videos
Problems of perception5m
Perception of brightness2m
Perception of objects4m
Perception of depth5m
Attention8m
Important memory distinctions2m
Memory storage6m
Learning5m
Remembering4m
Failures of memory10m
False memories6m
2 readings
Perception and attention10m
Memory10m
1 practice exercise
Cognition30m
3 hours to complete
Self and others
In this module, you will learn about psychology examining the self and others. Specifically, in the first half, you will learn about social and non-social emotions. In the second half, you will learn about how we deal with other people—social psychology.
3 hours to complete
15 videos (Total 122 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
15 videos
Why evolution matters13m
Facial expressions7m
Fear4m
Kinship7m
Attachment8m
Prisoner's dilemma12m
Irrationality and culture8m
Social animals3m
Self12m
Attribution4m
Liking8m
The psychology of groups4m
Social categories4m
Social categories II11m
2 readings
Emotions10m
Social10m
1 practice exercise
Self and others30m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
by OBJul 27, 2020
This course is very insightful and I have learned quite a lot. My favourite area though is Clinical Psychology and Positive Psychology. I believe I will be better able to understand persons around me.
by SSAug 4, 2020
Professor Bloom has quite engaging style of teaching and the animations in this course provided nice visual reference.Overall, it's a nice course if you want to learn basic introduction of psychology.
by FRSep 26, 2019
I absolutely enjoyed taking this course! Professor Bloom did an incredible job explaining the course material and providing additional reading materials to further my knowledge throughout this course.
by ARJun 26, 2020
This was my second course using this site, and with Professor Bloom, and once again it was great. I've genuinely learnt a lot, and I've found a new love for psychology I never would have found before.
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Wow, the animations in this course are great! Who did them?
This course combines complex subject matter with high-end animation. Learn about Julia Veldman, a visual storyteller at http://www.juliaveldmanc.nl/
Will I earn university credit for completing the Course?
This Course doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Course Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more. Online Degrees and Mastertrack™ Certificates on Coursera provide the opportunity to earn university credit.
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