Psychology: How minds work and why
Psychology explains behavior the way physics explains falling: through lawful mechanisms, not guesswork.
Levels of explanation
The same behavior can be explained biologically (brain circuitry), cognitively (information processing), or socially (context and culture). Good psychological reasoning knows which level a claim is made at.
The empirical habit
Psychology earns the word science through its method: hypotheses, controlled observation, statistical inference and replication. Intuitions about the mind are notoriously unreliable, which is why testing matters.
What this course teaches
Nine units cover the biological bases of behavior, sensation and perception, learning, memory and cognition, lifespan development, personality, social psychology, disorders, and therapy.
Flashcard
Three levels for explaining behavior
Check your understanding
A study finds that students who sleep more get better grades. The safest conclusion is: