Sample Course Unit

Each PMAP course module is broken into sections called, units. Units are simply sections of related material within a module. Just as each course usually includes approximately five modules, each module usually includes 3-6 units.

What is Psychology?

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. It includes things you can see such as sitting down and opening your book. It also includes things you cannot see such as thinking about what to have for lunch or deciding where to sit.

Psychology is a new science. Just over one hundred years ago, it was just a part of philosophy. But it has grown. There have been many, many different theories developed about why we behave as we do and there are volumes of research to back up these theories. Much of our work is based on theory, but nothing is certain. In physics and other "hard sciences" relative certainty can be used to predict events under the right circumstances (i.e., the law of gravity). There are no "laws" in psychology - nothing about human behavior is absolute or definitely predictable. This difference is one reason that psychology is sometimes referred to as a "soft science."

Despite all this research, there are still gaps in our knowledge. The reason you may notice that there are so many ways to explain the same thing is because unlike the natural sciences, there is no absolute truth. We are learning new things everyday. If you are offered the chance to assist a professor or doctoral student in his or her research, you should see that as an opportunity and as a privilege to help mold the direction of psychology.

Before going any further, it is important to note the distinctions between psychologists and psychiatrists.

A psychologist has a Ph.D. in psychology. This individual typically has an undergraduate degree in psychology followed by six to eight years of graduate study in psychology. A psychologist may provide therapy and assessment to help those in psychological distress, teach in a university, or engage in some type of research.

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who then completes a three-year residency in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal behavior. This individual is likely to prescribe medication to alleviate psychological symptoms.

You may wonder why your tutor does not have solid answers for all your questions in introductory psychology. No one person can work on the hundreds of topics or types of studies needed to learn about humans, so psychologists choose what they are interested in to study. Ask your professors about their dissertation topics. That will be one topic they can expound on for hours.

Today the distinction between the clinical and counseling psychologists is barely discernable, especially in the U.S. Historically, however, the clinical psychologist focused on the diagnosis, causes, and treatment of abnormal behavior such as depression and eating disorders, whereas the counseling psychologist was involved primarily with the "normal" problems of adjustment that most of us face sooner or later, such as career choice and marital problems. Now many counseling psychologists find themselves working in acute mental hospitals and many clinical psychologists find themselves dealing with clients with adjustment issues. Counseling and clinical psychologists have doctoral degrees (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) which typically requires five or more years of study beyond the undergraduate degree.

The personality psychologist studies differences in traits such as anxiety, self-esteem, and aggressiveness among people. They might try to determine, for example, what makes one person engage in more creative behavior than another. They may be interested in why one person is outgoing and enjoys social interaction and one becomes anxious around other people.

The developmental psychologist studies mental and physical growth in humans from prenatal (before birth) through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. An example of a question that might be asked by this psychologist is 'How do people in their 20's deal with divorce and remarriage differently from people in their 60's?'

Physiological psychology, also known as biological psychology, specializes in the relationship between behavior and biological aspects of the body such as genetics, the brain, and the nervous system. They may investigate, for example, the extent that depression and alcoholism run in families. As a result of studies in this area, we know that people who are depressed feel better after they exercise.

The experimental psychologist examines inner processes that account for behavior (learning, memory, sensation, motivation, emotion). They are interested in answering such questions as: How do people remember and what makes them forget? How does reinforcement affect creativity? One type of experimental psychologist is the cognitive psychologist. Cognitive psychologists focus on such mental processes as memory, problem-solving, language, and creativity.

Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. The field emphasizes the power of the situation, the power of the person, and the importance of cognition. For example, does behavior determine attitudes or do attitudes determine behavior? Do people behave differently when they are part of a crowd than when they are alone?

Industrial and organizational psychology explores the relationship between people and work. It is concerned with management, the impact of computerization, improving working conditions, job satisfaction, and training. For example, how does morale affect productivity? What are some things that affect worker morale?

Health psychology studies the role of psychological factors in the development, prevention, and treatment of disease. They are concerned, for example, with the impact of stress on illness and with discovering ways to alleviate its negative consequences. In addition, they might seek to evaluate techniques to encourage maintaining an exercise program.

Educational psychologists study how individuals learn. Further, they may develop instructional materials and methods to promote the intellectual, social, and emotional development of individuals. One related area of educational psychology is school psychology. A school psychologist is employed by school systems to administer psychological tests to evaluate problems in academic or behavioral domains experienced by school-age children.

Click here to view some sample exam/quiz questions based on this introductory module.