1. UNDERSTANDING psychology
DC II COURSE

2. Welcome to the DCII Course in Psychology
This course offers you many useful applications in everyday life and YES many different career opportunities & choices.
Provided you choose to work hard and take the course seriously!!!

3. Considerations before choosing the Course
What Is Psychology?
Psychology: the study of behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by an organism’s physical state, mental state, and environment.
What does it entail Studying?
Behavior is anything we do
overt actions and reactions
Mental processes are our internal experiences
thoughts, feelings, memories…

4. Why should I study Psychology ?
Psychology helps us scientifically evaluate common beliefs and misconceptions about behavior and mental processes.
Can you identify which of the beliefs on the following slides are true or false?

5. The best way to learn and remember information is to “cram,” or study it intensively during one concentrated period.
FALSE!
This is the worst way to prepare for an exam! Don’t confuse this for a quicker method of study- students who cram often perform more poorly than those who do not study at all!
Punishment is the most effective way to permanently change behavior.
We will examine this ineffective practice when we begin our study of learning! Think about the prison system…a large scale example of punishment…does it work?

6. Eyewitness testimony is often unreliable.
TRUE!
Our memories are very fragile and subject to many variables. We will examine the influence of memory formation.
Police often use psychics to help solve crimes.
FALSE!
It’s important to recognize the difference between psychology and pseudo-psychology, which includes the area of psychics.

7. A Pertinent Question Psychology is Scientific & Empirically Based
Is Psychology the same as Common Sense?
No, Psychology is not the same as Common Sense Information.
As evident from the preceding slides psychological information is often misunderstood.
Psychology is Scientific & Empirically Based
We will examine each of these questions/ concerns in detail during this course.

8. Course Objectives & Organization
To Introduce the field of psychology
Help students develop an understanding of the Basic psychological processes
Acquaint students with relevant applications of psychology as well as in everyday life.
Organization
It is organized in four units.
The units bring forth the nature, scope diverse domains, and utility of different psychological processes in different fields as well as our day-to-day lives.

9. Unit I: Orientation to Psychology
Nature, Fields & Applications
Basic Psychological Processes
Learning & Memory
Motivation
Positive & Negative Emotions

10. Multiple Intelligences
UNIT II: Understanding Individual Differences Personality Intelligence Abilities & Interests and more … …
Intelligence
Personality
Multiple Intelligences

11. Is there something called Emotional Intelligence?
Hummm… I didn’t know this buddy!!!

12. How do we become who we are?
Drive for Self-
Actualization
Culture
Learning
Experiences
Unconscious
Conflicts &
Defenses
Genetics
PERSONALITY

13. Personality
Personality: the distinctive pattern of behavior, mannerisms, thoughts, and emotions that characterizes an individual over time
Someone’s personality is comprised of various traits
Traits: habitual ways of behaving, thinking, and feeling (e.g., confident, pessimistic)

14. UNIT III: Understanding Developmental Processes

15. UNIT III: Understanding Developmental Processes

16. Cognitive Development: Piaget’s Theory
Cognitive development consists of mental adaptations to new observations & experiences.
Adaptation takes two forms:
Assimilation: Absorbing new information into existing cognitive structures.
“Bird”
Accommodation: Modifying existing cognitive structures in response to experience and new information.
“Bat”

17. Piaget’s Theory: Developmental Stages
Sensorimotor (birth-2 years)
Object permanence
Preoperational (ages 2-7)
Symbolic thought
Egocentric
Concrete Operational (ages 7-12)
Conservation
Reversible operations
Formal Operational (age 12-adulthood)
Abstract reasoning

18. Childhood: Kohlberg’sMoral Development
Preconventional Level: doing the right thing is obeying authority and avoiding punishment. Later in this stage, there is the recognition of reciprocity (I’ll be good now because I might be rewarded for it later)
Conventional Level: recognition that members of society must uphold its values, norms, and (later) laws
Postconventional Level: people are less concerned with maintaining society for it own sake, and more concerned with the principles and values that make for a good society (e.g., justice, freedom, treating others as you’d like to be treated)

19. Erikson: Psychosocial Theory
Trust vs. Mistrust
Infancy (0-1 year)
Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt
Toddler (1-2 years)
Initiative vs. Guilt
Preschool (3-5 years)
Industry vs. Inferiority
Elementary School (6-12 years)
Identity vs. Role confusion
Adolescence (13-19 years)
Intimacy vs. Isolation
Young adulthood (20-40 years)
Generativity vs. Stagnation
Middle adulthood (40-65 years)
Integrity vs. Despair
Late adulthood (65 and older)

20. UNIT IV: Application of Psychology
Work
Law
Health