Course Details
Course Information Package
Course Unit Title | INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY | ||||||||
Course Unit Code | APSY101 | ||||||||
Course Unit Details | BA Audio Visual Communication (Human & Social Sciences ) - | ||||||||
Number of ECTS credits allocated | 5 | ||||||||
Learning Outcomes of the course unit | By the end of the course, the students should be able to:
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Mode of Delivery | Face-to-face | ||||||||
Prerequisites | NONE | Co-requisites | NONE | ||||||
Recommended optional program components | NONE | ||||||||
Course Contents | � Psychology and personality formation: Origin of psychological perspectives. The main areas of concentration of psychology. Psychology as a profession. Methods of Psychology: Experimental, correlational, and observational. Basic elements of the theories of personality. The main differences between the psychoanalytic theory, the behavioural, the theories of social learning and the humanistic theories.
� Development and learning methods: The role of heredity and environment to the psychosocial development of individuals. The different stages of development according to E. Erickson and Jean Piaget. The importance of the first experiences in life to future development. The main feeling, thoughts and behaviours of people at different stages of life. Learning within the context of behaviourism and factors facilitating learning. The theoretical perspective of behaviourism and classical conditioning. Methods of learning and behavioural modification.
� Perception, learning and conditioning: The study of the relationship between the brain, the nervous system and that of human behaviour. Basic elements of knowledge related to the perception of humans, memory and thinking. The major theories on perception, the basic processes of memory and models of organising information. The main concepts of thinking, structures and thinking mechanisms. Elements related to subjective social perception due to incoming information and experience from intimate others. Learning, classical, operant conditioning and the nature of reinforcement.
� Motivation and attitude change: The importance of psychological motivators, feelings and conscience for the average individual. Elements related to Maslow’s theory of motivation. An overview of the important approaches to motivation and the goal setting theory. Feelings and their relationship to our conscious processes. Attitudes and attitude change: the functions of attitudes, the development of attitudes, attitudes and behaviour. The change of attitudes after a group discussion and cognitive dissonance.
� Groups processes: The main characteristics of small groups. Elements related to group performance and group polarisation. Social influence and experiments on conformity. Obedience to authority and its consequences to our everyday life. Factors that contribute to maintaining changes of behaviour.
� Methods of therapy: The main benefits of psychotherapy to individuals. The differences between the main psychotherapeutic methods: the psychoanalytic model, the behavioural therapy model, Gestalt, humanistic psychotherapy and the systemic approach to therapy. The basic methods of objective evaluation of intelligence and personality. Projective techniques TAT and CAT. Innovative ideas related to the future and functions of psychology.
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Recommended and/or required reading: | |||||||||
Textbooks |
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References |
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods | The major teaching methods to be implemented are the following: a).Direct dialogue: the lecturer, by using carefully selected and formulated questions, leads students towards a specific topic of knowledge. b).Brain storming: the topic to be studied is presented to students and then they are requested to express freely their ideas and thoughts related to the specific topic. c). Group work: students are divided in groups, with the aim to exchange ideas and experiences related to a specific subject that they are studying. d).Role play: the scenario related to situations, at the professional or social level is presented to students. Students play roles, like actors, which aim to understand better the situation that is presented in the scenario.
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Assessment methods and criteria |
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Language of instruction | English | ||||||||
Work placement(s) | NO |