What do you think about when you think about psychology? Psychologists deal with important problems about how the human mind works, and why. The following video clip explains just one fascinating phenomenon called the McGurk Effect:

Did you find yourself hearing the wrong sound when the picture changed?

I have to admit, I couldn’t help myself! This might seem like a trivial example, but it represents how our minds can be easily tricked — and is just the tip of the iceberg. This is this kind of problem that inspires psychologists to understand the human mind and our behavior.

This course is an introduction to psychology, and as we work through objectives and activities you’ll want to try to connect your life experiences — things you’ve seen, heard, or experienced first-hand — to the research, findings, and theories that we’re learning about. 

Introduction to Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. The word “psychology” comes from the Greek words “psyche,” meaning life, and “logos,” meaning explanation. Psychology is a popular major for students, a popular topic in the public media, and a part of our everyday lives. Television shows such as Dr. Phil feature psychologists who provide personal advice to those with personal or family difficulties. Crime dramas such as CSI, Lie to Me, and others feature the work of forensic psychologists who use psychological principles to help solve crimes. And many people have direct knowledge about psychology because they have visited psychologists, for instance, school counselors, family therapists, and religious, marriage, or bereavement counselors.

Because we are frequently exposed to the work of psychologists in our everyday lives, we all have an idea about what psychology is and what psychologists do. In many ways I am sure that your conceptions are correct. Psychologists do work in forensic fields, and they do provide counseling and therapy for people in distress. But there are hundreds of thousands of psychologists in the world, and most of them work in other places, doing work that you are probably not aware of.

This lesson provides an introduction to the broad field of psychology and the many approaches that psychologists take to understanding human behavior. We will consider how psychologists conduct scientific research, with an overview of some of the most important approaches used and topics studied by psychologists, and also consider the variety of fields in which psychologists work and the careers that are available to people with psychology degrees. I expect that you may find that at least some of your preconceptions about psychology will be challenged and changed, and you will learn that psychology is a field that will provide you with new ways of thinking about your own thoughts, feelings, and actions.