Psychology I

Psychology I

Describe the historical traditions, perspectives, career opportunities, and modern empirical nature of the psychological inquiry.

Distinguish the various methods and tools employed by researchers to explain human mental and behavioral processes.

Describe the biological structures and processes that give rise to and influence human behavior and cognitive experiences.

Explain the ways in which human sensory and perceptual systems translate and interpret information from the environment.

Describe the various states of consciousness including sleeping and dreaming and the impact on consciousness of both internal and external factors.

Describe the processes through which humans learn, including behavioral and cognitive learning processes.

Combine the elements of memory and concept formation to examine how those cognitive processes contribute to perception and judgment.

Distinguish the elements that give rise to emotions, explain the various theories of emotion, and summarize the significance of emotional intelligence on mental wellness.

Identify the major historical traditions in psychology (e.g., structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, psychodynamics, humanistic psychology, etc.).

Explain the influence of various perspectives (e.g., biological, social, behavioral, cognitive, etc.) on approaches to empirical investigation in psychology.

Distinguish modern psychological science from historical perspectives on the mind and contemporary and historical examples of pseudo psychology.

Explain the scientific method and the role of experimental research in determining cause and effect relationships.

Describe and distinguish experimental and non-experimental methods of inquiry in psychological research including controlled experiments, surveys, naturalistic observations, correlational studies, longitudinal studies, and case studies.

Illustrate the structures of a neuron and the process of neural transmission.

Identify the role of neurotransmitters on human behavior and cognitive experiences.

Sketch the major structures of the brain and describe their functions (e.g., the cerebellum, brain stem, limbic system, and cortex).

Explain the concept of transduction and outline the ways in which stimuli in the environment are translated into sensory experiences.

Demonstrate absolute and difference thresholds as they relate to vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Define the differences between sensation and perception.

Examine the factors that influence perception (e.g., top-down and bottom up processing, priming forces, expectancy bias, environmental factors, perceptual sets, change blindness, etc.).

Diagram the stages of the sleep cycle and the characteristics and brain wave patterns of each.

Examine the major disorders associated with sleep (e.g., insomnia, night terrors, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, etc.).

Distinguish the impacts of various drugs (e.g., depressants, stimulants, opiates, hallucinogens, etc.) on consciousness, mental, and physical health.

Interpret the major elements of classical conditioning (e.g., conditioned and unconditioned stimuli, conditioned and unconditioned responses, neutral stimuli, acquisition, stimulus generalization, etc.).

Explain the development of operant conditioning and evaluate the usefulness of reward versus punishment as it relates to learning.

Examine cognitive and observational learning processes.

Diagram the stages of memory formation (e.g., the processes of sensory memory, working memory, long-term memory, etc.).

Distinguish between concepts, concept hierarchies, schemas, and prototypes.

Explain the universal nature of emotion (e.g., the works of Paul Ekman, Robert Plutchik, etc.).

Compare and contrast theories of emotion (e.g., James-Lange, Canon-Bard, Schacter-Singer (Two Factor), Cognitive Appraisal, Opponent Process theories, etc.).

Discuss emotional intelligence and its impact on mental wellness and interpersonal relationships.