Focuses on the scientific study of behavior including motivation, emotion, physiological psychology, stress and coping, research methods, consciousness, sensation, perception, learning and memory. This course is a state guaranteed transfer course GT-SS3. Three credits.

This course is a one-semester introduction to the basic principles and major theoretical approaches that are used to explain human behavior, with emphasis on understanding and application of such principles and theories as they relate to ourselves and our surroundings.Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: Explain the nature of psychology and describe the methods used by psychologists to study behavior. Identify the major physiological structures involved in the study of behavior. Identify the principles of sensation and perception. Describe current theories of learning and thinking explaining their influence in education, life-span development, and other life situations. Describe the major trends in explaining human emotion and motivation and how they are assessed. Identify the major theories of human personality and development. Evaluate the impact of major trends in analyzing ourselves, interpersonal and social relationships and the origins, classification and treatment of mental disorders. Explain the relationship among physiology, perception, learning, cognition, motivation, and personality, applying them to understanding life situations.