Course Title: General Psychology
Course Code: Psych 1011Cr.
Hr: 3(5 ECTS)
Target Group: All 1st Year Students
Instructor’s Name:
Elias Kassa (Assistant Professor)
II . Course Description
This introductory course will provide
students with an overview of the
current body of knowledge and the
science of psychology.
This course examines the role of
environmental factors and the
interaction of nature and nurture in
determining behaviors and mental
processes.
III. Course Rationale
The course General Psychology
encompasses the fundamental
concepts and principles of psychology
which have immense application to
human life problems.
Hence, this course is intended to
introduce students to the basic
concepts of psychology and acquaint
them with how to apply psychological
knowledge, principles, and theories to
real life situation and problems.
IV. Learning Outcomes
Up on the completion of this Course,
students will be able to:
Describe basic psychological concepts.
Compare and contrast the major
theoretical perspectives in psychology.
Discuss about sensation and perception
Compare and contrast different learning
theories
Summarize motivational and emotional
processes
Discuss about basic notion of personality.
V. Course Content
Chapter One: Essence of
Psychology
Definition of Basic Concepts
Goals of Psychology
HistoricalBackground and major
perspective in Psychology
Branches of Psychology
Research Methods in Psychology
Chapter Two: Sensation and
Perception
o The meaning of sensation and
perception
o The sensory laws:
o Sensory threshold and sensory
adaptation
o Perception
o Selectivity of perception: Attention
o Form perception
o Depth perception
Chapter Three: Learning
o Definition, Principles and Characteristics
of Learning
Definition of Learning
Principles of Learning
Characteristics of Learning
Factors Influencing Learning
Theories of Learning and their Applications
Behavioral Theory of Learning
Social Learning Theory
Cognitive Learning Theory
Chapter Four: Memory and Forgetting
Memory
Meaning and Process Of Memory
Stages of Memory
Factors Affecting Memory
Forgetting
Meaning and Concepts of Forgetting
Theories of Forgetting
Improving Memory
Chapter Five: Motivation and Emotion
Motivation
Definition and Types of Motivation
Theories of Motivation and their
Applications
Conflict of Motives and Frustration
Emotion
Definition of Emotion
Components of Emotion
Theories of Emotion and their
Applications
Chapter Six: Personality
o Meaning of Personality
o Theories of Personality
A. Psychoanalytic Theory
B. Trait Theory
C. Humanistic Theory
Chapter Seven: Psychological
Disorders and Treatment Techniques
o Nature of Psychological Disorders
o Causes of Psychological Disorders
A. Biological Perspective
B. Psychological Perspective
o Types of Psychological Disorders
o Treatment Techniques
Chapter Eight: Introduction to
Life Skills
o Definition and Nature of Life
Skills
o Components of Life Skills
o Goals of Life Skills
Chapter Nine: Interpersonal and
Intrapersonal Skills
o Self Concept and Self Awareness
o Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
o Self-Control
o Anger Management
o Emotional Intelligence and Managing
Emotion
o Stress, Coping with Stress and
Resilience
o Critical and Creative Thinking
Chapter Ten: Academic Skills
o Time Management
o Note-taking and Study Skills
o Test-Taking Skill
o Test Anxiety and Overcoming
Test Anxiety
o Goal Setting
o Career Development Skill
Chapter Eleven: Social Skills
o Understanding cultural Diversity
o Gender and Social Inclusion
o Interpersonal Communication Skills
o Social Influences
o Peer Pressure
o Assertiveness
o Conflict and Conflict Resolution
o Teamwork
o Overcoming Risky Behavior
Assessment & Evaluation
Techniques
1. Continuous Assessment: 45 %
Classroom Participation…………..5%
Individual Assignments …….…….. 10 %
Group Work /Presentations…….. 10 %
Test………………………………………………
…20%
2. Final
Exam……………………………………………
…55%
Individual Assignment
Topics
1. Topic 1
Life Skills
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Nature and concept definition
Components of life skills
Goals of Life Skills
Practical Examples and applications of
life Skills
Topic 2. Stress and Coping with
Stress
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Causes of stress
Coping mechanisms
Applications of coping mechanisms in
real life events
Topic 3. Anger Management
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Causes of anger
Mechanisms of managing anger
Applications of anger management in
real life
Topic 4. Time Management
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Characteristics of people with good
time management skills
Time management Skills
Topic 5. Test Anxiety
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Effects of test anxiety
Mechanisms of reducing test anxiety
Applications of test anxiety reduction
skills
Group Work
Topic 1. Cultural diversity
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Benefits of cultural diversity
Mechanisms of managing diversity
Practical examples of managing
diversity in the Ethiopian context
Topic 2. Peer pressure
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Mechanisms of handling peer pressure
Effects of peer pressure
Practical examples of peer pressure
Topic 3. Conflict and conflict
resolution
mechanisms
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Sources (causes) of conflict
Levels of conflict
Mechanisms of conflict resolution
Practical examples of conflict resolution
in the Ethiopian context
Topic 4. Interpersonal Skills
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Components or elements of
interpersonal skills
Benefits of interpersonal skills
Topic 5. Overcoming Risky Behaviors
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Effects of risky behaviors
Topic 6. Teamwork
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Goals of teamwork
Characteristics of effective teamwork
Topic 7. Decision Making
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Steps in Problem Solving
Conditions/factors that improve
Topic 8. Gender and Social Inclusion
Specific Guidelines for writing the
summary
Concept definition
Methods of enhancing gender inclusion
Practical examples of gender inclusion
in Ethiopia
General Guidelines for the Assignment
1. Students are expected to organize
themselves and get in to 8 groups consisting of
3-5 students. The group must have a
chairperson and a secretary.
2. Each group will be assigned a topic
randomly and
produce a summary paper not more than 6
pages
3. The group will have a 10 to 15 minutes
presentation of
the group work at the end of the class
4. Copying the works of other students is
Chapter 1.
Introduction
( Essence of) to
Psychology
Chapter One: Introduction to ( Essence) of
Psychology
1.1. Definition
Origin: Two Greek words
Psyche which represents, Spirit, Soul , Mind
logos refers to Study, Knowledge or Science
Scientific Definition states that
The scientific study of Human behavior
and mental processes
Key words in the definition
Science
is a collection of data or information
Psychology does not rely on common sense or
Scientific Characteristics
is based on research and
Experiment
has developed its own theories/
Principles
employs scientific techniques to
study behavior
Behavior
an activity of an organism
1.2. Goals of Psychology
A. Description of Behavior
Every behaviour has its own way of
occurring
In describing behaviour, a psychologist
focuses on how, when and under what
conditions a behaviour occurs.
Examples:
How does an angry person behaves?
How do two people who are in love
interact
B. Explanation
In explanation of behaviour, a
psychologist becomes concerned
about why behaviour occurs as it
does
Every behaviour has its own causes.
No behaviour occurs without a cause.
Examples:
why do people go to colleges/
universities?
why do people marry?
C. Prediction
involves forecasting the
likelihood of a behaviour under
certain circumstances.
Prediction of behaviours is
possible through the use of
theories or principles
D. Control ( Modification)
involves changing a behaviour which
is anti social or unacceptable.
For healthy functioning of society
and the individual, these kind of
negative (maladaptive ) behaviours
should be avoided
In psychology, there are
psychological techniques to help an
individual avoid a maladaptive
behaviour.
1.3. History and Major Perspectives
in
Psychology
Psychology has a short history as a
science and began as independent
science in 1879 in Germany by
Wilhelm Wundt who is considered
as the founder or father of Modern
Psychology.
With the use of scientific methods,
different schools of thought
developed
1.3.1. Early Schools of Psychology
School of psychology or thought refer
to a system or way of thinking about a
phenomenon.
A set of ideas or opinions that a group
of people share among themselves
There are five major early schools of
thought
A. Structuralism
views psychology as the study of
structures of the mind and is founded
by Wilhelm Titchener(1867-1927).
The goal of structuralism is to find
out the units or elements of the mind
( what constitutes the mind) such as
sensations, feelings, thinking,
perception and images which are
considered as the building blocks of
the mind.
The best known method of studying
this elements is known as
introspection:- looking inward in to
our consciousness
B. Functionalism
Views psychology as the study of the
functions of the mind and was founded on
the work of William James (1848-1910)
W. James was the first American
Psychologist and author of the first
psychology book.
Focused on how the mind allows people
to function in the real world; how people
work, play, and the role of behavior in
helping people adapt to their
environment. (Ex; fear and how it helps
deal with emergency situations)
Believed
that psychological processes
are adaptive and allow humans to
survive
In
addition to introspection, he used
tests and questionnaires and believed
that
c. Gestalt Psychology
Was founded by Max Wertheimer and
his colleagues in Germany.
Emerged as a response to structuralism
and functionalism and believed that the
mind is not made up of combinations of
elements.
Theyviewed the mind as greater than
and different from its parts and that
the mind must be seen as a result of
the whole pattern of sensory activity
and the relationship and organization
Our perception (or understanding) of
objects is greater and more
meaningful than the individual
elements that make up our
perceptions
D. Behaviorism
Isfounded by J.B. Watson and his
colleagues
Assumes that the mind is an
internal , non visible and hidden
experience and is very subjective
and can not be the object of
scientific study
Believes that psychology is the
study of observable and
measurable behavior which is
learned.
E. Psychoanalyses
was founded by Sigmund Freud
((1856-1939)
Believes that psychology must be
the study of the unconscious forces
of the mind which explains human
functioning
based on his medical background ,
he believed that some physical
illnesses did not have medical or
bodily causes. Such illnesses are
caused by non physical or emotional
Such cause remain hidden or
unconscious and aff ect behavior
The unconscious consists of hidden
wishes, passions, hidden secrets,
conflict between desire and duty which
are not available to the conscious mind
These hidden experience make
themselves known in dreams , slip of the
tongue, jokes and accidents which are
indications of what a person is truly
feeling
Hypnoses and dream analyses are used
as a method.
1.3.2. Modern Schools of
Psychology
A. The Psychodynamic Perspective
Ithas its origin in Freud’s theory of
psychoanalyses
This approaches emphasizes the
The influence of the unconscious mind
on behavior
The role of childhood experiences on
adult behavior
Therole of intrapersonal conflict in
behavior
B. Behavioral Perspective
emphasizes the role learning play in
shaping the behavior of an organism.
It is concerned with how the
environment affects the person‘s
actions.
is sometimes called the "black box"
approach in psychology because it
treats the mind as less useful in
understanding human behavior.
The approach believes the field
should focus on observable behavior
C. Humanistic Perspective
Emphasizes on the uniqueness of
human beings.
Suggests that all individuals
naturally strive to grow, develop, and
be in control of their lives and
behavior.
Humanistic psychologists maintain
that each of us has the capacity to
seek and reach fulfillment.
The goal of humanistic psychology
was helping people to express
themselves creatively and achieve
their full potential or self-
actualization (developing the human
potential to its fullest
D. Cognitive Perspective
IsConcerned about mental
processes and how people
remember, reason, solve problems,
explain experiences affects their
actions.
Inthis view, thinking is information
processing and is compared with a
computer
E. Biological Perspective
Focuses on studying how bodily
events or functioning of the body
affects behavior, feelings, and
thoughts
This perspective underscores that
biology and behavior interact in a
complex way; biology affecting
behavior and behavior in turn
affecting biology
F. Socio Cultural Perspectives
Itfocuses on the social and cultural
factors that affects human behavior.
As a fish cannot leave without
water, human behavior cannot be
understood without sociocultural
context (the social and cultural
environment) that people "Swim" in
every day.
1.4. Branches (Subfields) in Psychology
Psychology is a broad field, there are many
specialization under its umbrella
A. Developmental Psychology
Studies how people develop overtime
thorough the process of maturation and
learning.
studies age related changes through the life
span
Aspects of Development( Physical, Cognitive,
Social, etc)
Stages of Development( Infancy, Babyhood,
childhood, adolescence, adulthood, old age)
B. Educational Psychology
deals with the general process of
education in general.
It tries to make use of psychological
knowledge in improving the teaching
learning process
Learning is a central focal area
C. Counseling Psychology
deals with providing counselling service to
people who are troubled by a problem in
their life.
assists people on issues of personal
adjustment, vocational and career planning,
family life and may work in schools,
hospitals, clinics or offices
D. Personality Psychology
Studies the ways in which people
develop a characteristic that makes
them unique
studies individual differences in
personality and their effects on
behaviour.
E. Industrial ( Organizational)
Psychology
Studies human behaviour in the
workplace and how behaviour affects
production
It focuses on improving employee
productivity and organizational
performance by studying a company’s
culture, employee behaviour and work
processes.
F. Social Psychology
Itstudies the role of social forces
in governing individual
behaviour.
Examines the ways in which the
pattern of a person’s feeling,
thinking and acting is affected by
others
G. Cross Cultural Psychology
Studies the ways in which context and
culture affects behavior, thought and
emotion. It is interested in determining
whether or not psychological processes
are universal or culture specific
The study of variability and
invariance under different cultural
conditions
EX: Submissiveness and
Aggressiveness
H. Forensic Psychology
Is a branch of psychology that applies
principle in the legal system. It is concerned
with the study of such issues as
o Is someone emotionally and mentally
capable to stand trial?
o How should a minor’s testimony be handled
in court?
Forensic psychologists work with law
professionals to deal with psychological
elements in legal cases such as counseling
victims and at risk youths, analyzing mental
state, the trial process and prison conditions
I. Health Psychology
Studiesthe ways in which biology,
psychology, behavior and social factors
influence health and illness.
Thereare a number of factors that
allow people to be healthy, recover
from an illness and or cope with a
chronic condition
J. Clinical Psychology
isa field that applies psychological
principles to the prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment of
psychological disorders.
1.5. Research Methods in Psychology
The research method that
psychologists use to study human
behaviour can be classified in to
several categories based on the
nature and purpose of the research.
The major classifications include:-
Descriptive, Correlational and
Experimental
1.4.1. Descriptive Methods
Involves the systematic recording of
an observation of an event
A. Naturalistic Observation
It is a systematic process of recording
the behavioural patterns of people,
objects and occurrences as they are
witnessed in the naturalistic
observation.
Observer effect and observer bias
are major limitations of this method
B. The Survey Method
Surveys require asking people who are
called respondents, for information,
using either verbal or written questions.
Interviews or questionnaires are utilized
to collect data on the telephone, face to
face and through other communication
media.
Is useful to collect data from a large
group of people
requires selecting a representative
sample
C. Case Study
Case study is a prominent research
method in psychology that intensively
investigates one or a few situations in
detail over a long period of time.
Examples
studying the effect of isolation on
language development
Generalization is limited
4.
1.4.2. Correlational Research
Involves
studying the relationship
between two variables without
manipulating any conditions
Causeand effect relationship is not
determined since variables are not
manipulated
Ex: Interest and Academic
achievement
Smoking and Lung cancer
1.4.3. Experimental Method
is used when a researcher wants to
determine cause and effect
relationships between events or
variables
Variables
Variables in the experimental method
are attributes or characteristics of a
situation, person or a phenomenon
which may differ or fluctuate across
situations, persons or phenomena
1. Independent Variable
Is a variable that produces effects on the
other variable
2. Dependent variable
Is a variable that is affected by the
independent variable
Groups in the Experimental Group
1. The experimental Group
is the group to which the experimental
treatment or independent variable is given
2. The control ( comparison ) Group
The group which is formed for comparison
purpose and receive no treatment
