Introduction to Psychology: The History and Science of Psychology (FutureLearn)

Investigate the history and science of psychology while mastering the basic principles of the scientific method. Learn about the origins of modern psychology and improve your science skills. Contemporary psychology is a well established scientific field, but where did it start? On this course, you’ll explore the origins of psychology.

Starting with the breakaway from philosophy, you’ll investigate the early schools of thought, look into some of the key individuals who shaped the field, and then discover how it emerged as the discipline we know it today.

You’ll also examine what it means for a discipline to be a science, find out how modern psychology evolved, and then master the basic principles of the scientific method that you can apply in your academic or professional career.

What topics will you cover?

– The science of psychology

– The origins of psychology

– Early behavioural psychology

– Cognitive psychology

– Clinical psychology

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to…

– Assess the principles by which psychology is considered a science.

– Examine the central tenets of the major theoretical frameworks that have shaped the modern discipline of psychology.

– Identify the pioneers of psychology associated with structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, cognitivism, and psychoanalysis.