Psychology

Psychology

This course at a glance

• Gain a foundational knowledge of the human mind and behaviour
• Explore topics from emotion and memory to social influence and prejudice
• No prior experience or qualifications needed to enrol
• Study online, at home, at your own pace
• Perfect for personal interest or as a stepping stone to further study
• Gain a learndirect Certificate of Completion in Psychology

About your course

Getting started

Modules

Module 1 - What is Psychology?

• Describe the characteristics of psychology indicating the levels of relevance
• Discuss your understanding of psychology
• Evaluate how a psychiatrist uses different levels of explanations

Module 2 - Different Approaches to Psychology.

• Analyse the different areas of psychology
• Examine your perception of cognitive Psychology
• Identify how comparative psychology and animal psychology vary
• Describe the important points of cognitive psychology

Module 3 - Research in Psychology.

• Examine the different types of sampling
• Discuss your understanding of random sampling
• Summarise how you would explain representative sampling

Module 4 - Signs of Emotion.

• Identify the characteristics of emotion
• Describe the system linking the mind to the body in an emotional system
• Examine your understanding of the word ‘innate’
• Discuss how emotional signs are categorised

Module 5 - Theories of Emotion.

• Discuss the various Theories of Emotion including supportive and challenging research
• Analyse the psychologists who challenged the view that physiological changes are caused by emotions
• Identify the psychologists objected to the work of the above

Module 6 - Stress and Anxiety.

• Evaluate stress and the ways in which it can be controlled
• Introduce two psychological reactions to stress
• Introduce four coping mechanisms against stress

Module 7 - Sensation and Perception.

• Summarise visual perception
• Introduce an alternative term for the retinal image
• Discuss three ways you could give a picture an impression of depth or distance

Module 8 - Factors Affecting Perception.

• Summarise the characteristics of perception
• Evaluate how mistakes are made in the following perceptions:
  • Size
  • Distance
  • Movement
• Define how you would test the effect of motivation on visual perception

Module 9 - How Do We Remember?

• Identify and explain the various memory processes
• Examine the difference between short and long term memory
• Define the memory store you would use to test immediate recall

Module 10 - Remembering and Forgetting.

• Discuss the problems of accessing information stored in LTM

Module 11 - The Reliability of Memory.

• Evaluate how you would carry out a psychological project
• Describe dependent and independent variables

Module 12 - Classical and Operant Conditioning.

• Define the principles of classical and operant conditioning
• Explain what action you would take if a learner produces unwanted behaviour during Operant conditioning
• Judge the techniques used to condition animals to schedules of reinforcement

Module 13 - Applications of Classical and Operant Conditioning.

• Introduce the applications of classical conditioning
• Discuss how aversion therapy is carried out
• Summarise the type of people who might benefit from behaviour modification

Module 14 - Other Kinds of Learning.

• Introduce and explain the different forms of learning, giving examples and their implications in society

Module 15 - Parent–Child Interaction.

• Summarise the Nature/Nurture debate
• Identify the evidence that shows human behaviour is innate

Module 16 - Attachment and Separation.

• Examine the characteristics of attachment
• Define what is necessary to bring about the feeling of attachment

Module 17 - Sexual Development and Gender Identity.

• Analyse sexual and gender identity
• Evaluate the difference between sexual and gender identity
• Summarise the factors that influence each of them

Module 18 - Impressions of People.

• Discuss the concept of perception
• Judge the way in which we form impressions of other people
• Explain how impression formation studies can be applied to our daily lives

Module 19 - Prejudice and Discrimination.

• Describe the behavioural consequences of prejudice
• Summarise ways in which behavioural components of prejudice can emerge

Module 20 - Reducing Prejudice.

• Introduce strategies for reducing prejudice
• Compare how individual, inter-personal and inter-group levels differ in modification of prejudice
• Define ways you would apply prejudice reduction techniques to real-life situations and assess how successful you think they would be

Module 21 - Social Pressure on the Individual.

• Examine and discuss social influence showing the “bystander” effect
• Summarise what affects our ability to perform well or to be decisive when we are with other people
• Identify studies that have been carried out on the audience and bystander effect

Module 22 - Group Norms and Conformity.

• Analyse Group Norms and Conformity
• Summarise what aspect affects the conformity rate in a group
• Describe how the formation of norms is influenced by the group majority

Module 23 - Conformity to Roles and Obedience.

• Evaluate conformity to roles and expectations
• Define how roles conform to expectations
• Judge the strategies used in modifying negative expectations

For a more detailed syllabus on this course, click here

Entry Requirements

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

All course fees, inclusive of all payment plans including our Premium Credit Limited option, must be settled before certification can be ordered.

*You will have access to the course for 24 months.

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

On successful completion of your course you will receive the learndirect Certificate of Completion of Training in Psychology.

Your course certificate will also state the number of CPD points/hours the course is eligible for.

View a sample of the certificate (opens in new window)

learndirect is one of the largest integrated providers of courses and qualifications, training, and employment services in the UK

• Each year around 6,000 businesses equip their staff for success with learndirect
• learndirect have helped more than 75,000 businesses equip their employees with the skills needed to improve productivity.
• Almost 700,000 maths and English test passes have been achieved with learndirect.
• 300,000 people fulfilled their career ambitions last year with learndirect.
• Over 250,000 apprentices have achieved with learndirect.

Career

Completing this short course in psychology can provide a strong foundation for a variety of career paths. While it's a great stepping stone towards a psychology degree, the knowledge you gain is also useful in roles such as a counsellor, life coach, or psychotherapist. The understanding of human behaviour and emotion can be applied in many professional settings, helping you to enhance your current career or to find a new job.

Frequently Asked Questions