Online Psychology Course. Study this psychology diploma qualification by distance learning.
This course will give the student a fascinating and in depth insight into the human mind. It allows the student to specialise in areas that interest them most, with practical, real-life applications. Some of the topics you can cover include:
- Biopsychology - how does the brain work?
- Psychology - what are the important theories?
- Child Psychology - learn to understand and deal with children better
- Counselling - develop techniques to help people
- Industrial and Marketing psychology - learn about the applications of psychology to the business world
- Life Coaching - interested in providing life coaching services?
- and many more
Duration: 1500 hours
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course is divided into 15 modules. Eight compulsory modules must be undertaken by all students, and seven elective modules can be selected from a range of options listed below.
Click on the links below for more information.
Compulsory Modules
Introduction to Psychology
Psychology and Counselling
Counselling Techniques
Industrial Psychology
Child Psychology
Starting a Small Business
Elective Modules
Choose 7 from the following options:
Biopsychology 1
Neuropsychology
Educational Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Conflict Management
Stress Management
Sports Psychology
Life Coaching
Marketing Psychology
Relationships and Communication Counselling
Counselling Skills 1
Careers Counselling
Social Psychology
Abnormal Psychology
Psychological Assessment
Research Project 2
Statistics
You can also choose other psychology modules - View Psychology modules here.
SAMPLE COURSE NOTES
Behavioural Characteristics Evolve through Life
Although a person’s behaviour is largely influenced by their environment, there are certain characteristics that are predetermined by the person’s biological make up. Some of these characteristics are common to all people (to all human beings) while others may be specific to different people. For instance, all normal infants have a startle reflex, and all tend to be fearful of heights. Some children, however, seem to startle more easily because their neurons fire more anxiety messages. If a person’s nervous system is damaged, it might be impossible for them to name another person even though that other person is familiar to them. These are matters investigated by neurobiological psychology, which is concerned with the relationship between the person’s biology and nervous system and their psychological make up and behaviours.
The nervous system is not completely developed upon birth, but continues to develop as the body matures, and we become capable of more complex physical and psychological activities. Maturation is the process of growth development which enables a person to learn a new form of behaviour. Most maturation processes are complete in the human being before the age of twenty. The two periods which involve the most rapid maturational changes are the first five years of life, and puberty. In an infant, the cerebral cortex is incomplete, and the synapses that allow messages to pass from one nerve to another are not yet linked to the appropriate nerves. Also, the axons, which are crucial in the transmission of messages between nerves, lack the myelin sheath, an insulating sheath that allows for much more rapid transmission of messages.
Learning Counts Too
Even where a behaviour is genetically programmed, however, its expression (the form it takes and whether the behaviour is expressed) can be profoundly influenced by learning. Throughout life, our natural tendencies to behave in one way or another are changed, largely as a result of learning from our environment. For instance, though all normal infants express fear when confronted with a long fall, or the illusion of it, they can also learn to be less fearful, and eventually, to overcome this inherent fear.
Learning can be defined as a relatively permanent change in behaviour as the result of practice or environmental influence. It can and does occur in many ways, often as a result of our experience rather than as an intentional activity. In fact, most of our learning occurs naturally, not within the context of a formal educational situation.
Modelling and Conformity
Perhaps the most basic form of learning is vicarious learning or modelling, which refers to learning by imitating the behaviour of others. Much of what a child learns is acquired by imitating the behaviour of a parent or significant other whom they love or admire. Children learn their social and gender roles through modelling, and will generally acquire their basic belief and value system through modelling and conformity (which is modelling behaviour on the behaviour of others in order to be accepted by them).
Conditioning
Most learning, including modelling, would not have far reaching effects unless it was influenced and encouraged by the environment and the people who surround us. Parents reward their children for behaviour of which they approve, and the child learns to associate a particular behaviour with positive stimuli. The learning that results is called conditioning.
Growing Your Understanding of Human Behaviour
As you progress through this course, your insight into human behaviour will continue to develop, and with an increased knowledge you should also develop an ever increasing awareness and empathy in your dealings with other people in all areas of your life: personal and public; at work, home and play.
For some students, this course may lead on to a professional career or further study in the area of psychology, while for others, it may lead to working with people in any number of other situations.
A lot of people do study psychology, both with us, and with other universities and colleges; and while many might start out with the aim of becoming a psychologist or counsellor, often the course ends up taking them off on a tangent to some other career path. Few however, who study psychology, will find that what they learn does not help them -wherever they end up.
There are very few jobs that don't involve working with other people in some way or another; and the ability to understand human behaviour better will always enhance your capacity to work with others better.
It doesn't matter whether you are a teacher, salesperson, office worker, tradesperson or something else - if you have better relationships with clients, customers, employers and colleagues, you will have more job opportunities and more career security.
Any questions?
If you would like to learn more about your chosen field in psychology? If you want to learn more about how people and animals think and behave, why not enrol today or please ask a tutor if you have any questions.
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