Overview
Course overview
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. This introductory short course gives you a clear, evidence based grounding in the main areas of the subject without assuming any previous study. You will explore how the brain shapes behaviour, how memory and learning work, what drives emotion and motivation, how personality is described and measured, and how groups influence the way people act.
Every topic is linked to real situations, such as making decisions under pressure, managing stress, persuading others, giving feedback and working in teams, so you leave with ideas you can use straight away.
What you will study
Meet the main approaches to psychology (biological, behavioural, cognitive, humanistic and psychodynamic) and how psychologists test ideas through experiments, observation and surveys. Learn to tell evidence based findings apart from pop psychology and myths.
The basics of the nervous system, key brain structures and the chemical messengers that affect mood and behaviour, plus what sleep and stress do to the way we think and act.
How we take in and make sense of information, why attention is limited, how memories are formed and stored, and why they fade or become distorted. Includes practical techniques for learning and remembering more effectively.
Classical and operant conditioning, learning by observation and the role of reinforcement and feedback. Apply these ideas to building good habits, breaking unhelpful ones and shaping behaviour in teams.
How people solve problems and make judgements, the mental shortcuts we rely on and the common cognitive biases that lead to poor decisions, with simple methods for making better choices at work.
Major theories of emotion and motivation, including Maslow and self determination theory, together with stress, resilience and what research says about wellbeing and performance.
Trait approaches to personality including the Big Five, ideas about intelligence, and a critical look at the personality tests often used in recruitment and team building.
Conformity, obedience, persuasion, group behaviour, prejudice and helping, drawing on classic and modern studies and showing how social influence works in organisations and everyday life.
Who is this for?
Beginners who are curious about how the mind works, professionals who want to understand colleagues and customers better, managers and HR staff, and anyone thinking about further study in psychology. No psychology or science background is needed.
Learning outcome
Learners leave able to explain the main approaches and key findings in psychology, judge psychological claims against the evidence, and apply ideas about memory, motivation, bias and group behaviour to their own work and life.
Assessment and delivery style
Teaching is designed to be interactive, applied and professionally relevant. Activities may include case discussion, guided exercises, workplace examples, short presentations, reflective planning and tutor-led feedback.
