Distance Learning Psychology Introduction Course
Study the basics of human psychology
With this course you have a foundation for further study or for applying a better understanding of human behaviour at work, or in your day to day life.
Options to build on this course for certificates or diplomas in psychology, counselling, management, etc.
self paced, 100 hour course -with personal guidence from highly qualified psychologists with years of industry experience
Student Comment
" The online courses are very easy to use and follow. Prompt friendly replies from tutor to any queries. Course structure flows freely. Very satisfied with course and results..." - Diana (completed ACS Online course in Intro to Psych and Psych & Counselling)
COURSE STRUCTURE
There are seven lessons in this course, as follows:
The nature and scope of Psychology - Different approaches to psychology. It's all common sense isn't it? Key issues in psychology, free will and determinism, applying psychology, developing questionnaires.
Neurological basis of behaviour - Structures of the nervous system, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, how nerves transmit messages, the brain and method, methods of investigating the brain, brain damage, the strange case of Phineas Gage, split brain operations, localisation of function.
Environmental effects on behaviour - Learning and behaviour, modelling, conditioning, extinction, punishment, learning and memory, memory improvement strategies,
Consciousness and perception - Status of consciousness in psychology, nature of consciousness, relationship between consciousness and perception, unconscious and subconscious, altered state of consciousness, day dreams, sleeping and dreaming, chemically altered perception, perception, selective attention, factors affecting perception, perceptual biases.
Personality - Theories of personality, personality traits, theoretical approaches to human personality, id, ego and superego, Oedipus Complex, Electra Complex, psychological defence mechanisms, genes and personality, personality disorders, multi-trait theories.
Psychological development - Nature vs nurture, environment and development, stages of development, moral development, psychosexual development, psychosocial development, adolescence, adult psychological development, criticisms of stage theories.
Needs, drives and motivation - motivation, behaviourist theories of human motivation, drives, Maslow's theory of human motivation, complementary and conflicting motives.
Duration: 100 hours
AIMS
This course aims to teach the student how to
Explain the nature and scope of psychology.
Explain characteristics of the neurological basis of behaviour.
Explain environmental effects on behaviour.
Explain the differences between consciousness and perception.
Explain the effect of personality on behaviour.
Explain psychological development.
Apply different techniques to motivate people.
WHAT WILL YOU DO IN THE COURSE?
Students may carry out the following tasks in this course:
Define different psychological terms such as ambivalence, apathy, behaviour, catalyst, cognition, empirical, fixation, homeostasis, obsession, perception, performance, psychosomatic, socialisation, stereotype, temperament, trait.
Explain how a knowledge of psychology can be applied in different types of jobs.
Explain risks involved in applying psychology in two different specified situations.
Differentiate between developmental and interactive explanations of behaviour, in a case study.
Describe how the nervous system functions to transmit messages throughout the body.
Explain how the dysfunctioning of different parts of the nervous system, can influence behaviour.
Compare the function of the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
Explain two examples of conditioning, which you observe.
Explain an example of behaviour affected by modelling, observed by yourself.
Compare the likely affects of positive and negative reinforcement in a case study.
Distinguish between consciousness and perception, in the attitude of an observed individual.
Explain selective attention, in a case study.
Explain in summaries, different states of consciousness including daydreams, sleeping and dreaming, meditation.
Explain the relationship between consciousness and behaviour in a case study.
Explain three different theories of personality.
Distinguish between the "id" and "superego" in a person you are familiar with.
Compare the application of humanistic approaches with the social learning approach with the psychoanalytic approach, in educating children.
Explain through examples, different defence mechanisms, including repression, displacement, rationalisation, projection, denial, evaluation, sublimation, reaction/formation, intellectualisation
Explain the factors which may have influenced the psychological development of a teenager who you know.
Compare cognitive development with physical development, in a case study.
Explain through a summary, the four main stages of development including sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational.
Explain moral development in two different case studies.
Explain psychosexual stages of development in a case study.
Explain psychosocial stages of development in a case study.
Distinguish between needs, drives and instincts in a specific workplace.
Explain the cyclical nature of primary drives, in a case study.
List examples of secondary drives.
Explain how to motivate a worker in a specified situation using the psychoanalytical approach.
Summarise Maslow's theory of human motivation.
Demonstrate the application of three different motivation techniques, in three different specified situations, through role playing.
SAMPLE COURSE NOTES
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE FASCINATING STUDY OF THE HUMAN MIND.
BUT IT’S ALL COMMON SENSE ISN’T IT?
Many people argue that psychology is just common sense. Many people will say things like someone behaves like this because of that – we are all “armchair psychologists”. But how do we know that what we are saying is correct? This is the starting point that psychologists use when studying human behaviour. An example of common sense being not so ‘common’ is the murder of Kitty Genovese. She was stabbed to death in the middle of a busy residential area of New York. Thirty-eight witnesses saw the attack and none of them did anything to intervene, not even to phone the police. Why? The common sense answer might be that they thought someone else had or would intervene, or that the witnesses didn’t care.
Darley and Latane (1968) carried out research into why the witnesses did nothing. They arranged for students to discuss personal problems over an intercom. Only one actual student was involved the others were confederates (i.e. working with the researchers, pretending to be students). During the conversations, a confederate would appear to have an epileptic seizure. If the real student thought that five other people were also listening to this person have a seizure, it took them three times as long to react as if they thought there were only two people in the discussion. This suggests that in emergency situations, if we think lots of other people are involved, we may be less likely to do anything – we think someone else will. This is called bystander apathy.
Definitions:
Bystander Apathy – The tendency of people in social situations not to help strangers in an emergency. The more bystanders there are, the greater the apathy, as responsibility is perceived as not belonging to one individual.
Apathy - Listlessness, passiveness.
So when you consider this, if psychologists had not carried out this research, the overriding view would be that New Yorkers did not care that a woman was being murdered.
This course will develop your ability to analyse aspects of a persons psychological state and apply derived knowledge to motivate that person. This provides a solid introduction/foundation for further studies of psychology covering such things as the nature and scope of psychology, neurological and environmental effects on behaviour, personality, consciousness, perception, needs, drives and motivation.
Psychologists study human and animal behaviour and their experience.
*Behaviour
Behaviour includes being kind, aggressive, breathing, walking, being idle, changing, becoming a grandparent and so on. Often psychologists can not perform experiments on humans for ethical reasons and may use animals to try to gain understanding of human behaviour. For example, by trying to teach monkeys to talk, researchers have gained insight into how humans may develop their language skills.
*Experience
If we study behaviour, we need to understand what the experience of that behaviour is like for the individual i.e. if we study someone being angry, we need to know what that feels like for the person.
A generally accepted definition of psychology is "the study of human behaviour”. Behaviour can provide us with valuable windows into a person’s emotional and cognitive states, and if we can understand the psychological influences on behaviour, we can try to better understand a person’s inner experience.
EXAMPLE ASSIGNMENT
1. In your own words define:
Consciousness.
Perception
Selective attention
2. Submit the written results of your set task (write at least a page).
3. Explain the levels of consciousness, according to Freud.
4. What is the difference between consciousness and perception? Give examples to support your answer.
5. Why is it difficult for us to change our perceptions? Use examples to support your answer.
If you think you know about psychology and would prefer another psychology course, we offer a wide range of courses such as Criminal Psychology, Adolescent psychology, Child Psychology and much more. If you want more information, contact us on info@acsedu.co.uk or click on courses - psychology above.
Common Questions
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.
You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.
You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses
Who are our tutors?
Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.
Sample Course Notes
Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.
What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Enrolment” box above, then “Learning Methods.”
How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”
What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.
I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk
Recognition and Accreditation
For more information on our recognition and accreditation, click on “The School”, then “Recognition”.
Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”
What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?
This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.
If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.
If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.
If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.
There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.
Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process. You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above. You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.
