This course provides a general introduction to the psychological
theory and research in the areas of social, personality,
developmental, health, and abnormal psychology. Broadly speaking, the
course highlights the scientific approach to the study of behavior. We
will examine such topics as how social interactions affect
self-perception, how people make decisions about the causes of their
own behavior, how psychological and biological processes contribute to
personality development, what is the structure of personality, what
processes might underlie normal development of cognition, speech, and
emotional expression, what are the important stages of development,
what is "mental illness", what are the biological, social, and
psychological processes that influence the development of abnormal
behavior, and how can psychological disorders be effectively treated
or prevented.
It is assumed that all students enrolled in P102 have a sound
background of knowledge in the concepts covered in P101, especially
behavioral principles such as classical and operant conditioning.