Psychology 101: Intro to Psychology
- Course type: Self-paced
- Available Lessons: 121
- Average Lesson Length: 8 min
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Eligible for Credit: Yes
Earn transferable credit by taking this course for credit.
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Watch a preview:
chapter 1 / lesson 1Why Study Psychology? - Overview & Experiments

Course Summary
Psychology 101: Intro to Psychology has been evaluated and recommended for 3 semester hours and may be transferred to over 2,000 colleges and universities. Though a series of simple lessons and quizzes, you'll quickly learn about the basics of psychology. The course is a great option for anyone who wants to get a head start in a degree program.To Start This Course Today
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15 chapters in Psychology 101: Intro to Psychology
Course Objective
The course objective of Psychology 101 is to demonstrate an understanding of human psychology and behavior, including common mental health disorders. You will connect this knowledge with current treatment methodologies and with the work of notable psychologists in fields ranging from developmental psychology to social psychology.
Grading Policy
Your grade for this course will be calculated out of 300 points. The minimum score required to pass and earn real college credit for this course is 210 points, or an overall course grade of 70%. The table below shows the assignments you must complete and how they'll be incorporated into the overall grade.
Assignment | Possible Points |
---|---|
Quizzes | 100 |
Proctored Final Exam | 200 |
Total | 300 |
Quizzes
Quizzes are meant to test your comprehension of each lesson as you progress through the course. Here's a breakdown of how you will be graded on quizzes and how they'll factor into your final score:
- You will have 3 attempts to take each quiz for a score.
- The highest score of your first 3 attempts will be recorded as your score for each quiz.
- When you've completed the course, the highest scores from your first 3 attempts at each quiz will be averaged together and weighed against the total possible points for quizzes. For instance, if your average quiz score is 85%, you'll receive 85 out of 100 possible points for quizzes.
- After your initial 3 attempts, you can take a quiz for practice as many times as you'd like.
- You will need to pass each quiz with a score of at least 80% to earn course progress for the lesson. However, it is not necessary to earn 80% within the first three quiz attempts.
Proctored Final Exam
The proctored final exam is a cumulative test designed to ensure that you've mastered the material in the course.
- You'll earn points equivalent to the percentage grade you receive on your proctored final. (So if you earn 90% on the final, that's 180 points toward your final grade.)
- If you're unsatisfied with your score on the exam, you'll be eligible to retake the exam after a 3-day waiting period.
- You can only retake the exam twice, so be sure to use your study guide and fully prepare yourself before you take the exam again.
Items Allowed on Study.com Proctored Exam for Psychology 101:
- One sheet of blank scratch paper
- Pen or pencil
Items NOT Allowed on Study.com Proctored Exam for Psychology 101:
- Office programs, web browsers, or any programs other than Software Secure (including Study.com lessons)
- Textbooks (digital or physical)
- Mobile phones, headphones, speakers, TVs, or radios
- Notebooks or notes
- Any calculators
Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe the elements of the study and history of psychology, including how the scientific method applies to psychology
- Differentiate sensation and perception
- Categorize the states of consciousness
- Differentiate between operant and classical conditioning and examine famous experiments that contributed to understanding of conditioning
- Summarize how memory is stored and categorized
- Interpret the contributions of developmental psychologists, including Piaget and Kohlberg
- Analyze Freud's theories of psychosexual development and defense mechanisms
- Evaluate concepts of social psychology, including stereotypes and attraction
- Diagram and explain different types of psychological disorders, including anxiety and mood disorders
- Outline the basics of statistics, tests, and measurement used in psychology
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Format
Psychology 101 consists of short video lessons that are organized into topical chapters. Each video is approximately 5-10 minutes in length and comes with a quick quiz to help you measure your learning. The course is completely self-paced. Watch lessons on your schedule whenever and wherever you want.
At the end of each chapter, you can complete a chapter test to see if you're ready to move on or have some material to review. Once you've completed the entire course, take the practice test and use the study tools in the course to prepare for the proctored final exam. You may take the proctored final exam whenever you are ready.
How Credit Recommendations Work
This course has been evaluated and recommended by both ACE and NCCRS for 3 semester hours in the lower division baccalaureate degree category. To apply for transfer credit, follow these steps:
- If you already have a school in mind, check with the registrar to see if the school will grant credit for courses recommended by either ACE or NCCRS.
- Complete Psychology 101 by watching video lessons and taking short quizzes.
- Take the Psychology 101 final exam directly on the Study.com site.
- Request a transcript to be sent to the accredited school of your choice!
- Check out this page for more information on Study.com's credit-recommended courses.
Additional Information
Course Topics
Category | Objectives |
---|---|
History and Approaches | Define psychology and its role in science. Look at various approaches over the years and how specializations developed. Review the ethics of psychological experiments. |
Biological Bases of Behavior | Learn about what biological psychology entails. Study neurons, the nervous system and the anatomy and function of the brain. |
Sensation and Perception | Get a foundational knowledge of sensation and perception. Explore vision, hearing, taste, touch and smell and how they develop. |
States of Consciousness | See what is meant by states of consciousness. Look at the sleep cycle, dreaming, hypnosis and psychoactive drugs. |
Learning | Discuss classical and operant conditioning, including Watson's work with Little Albert. Examine the prisoner's dilemma and biological limits on conditioning. |
Cognition | Define intelligence, learn about intelligence testing and get an overview of how language develops. Learn about memory and how it can be improved. |
Motivation and Emotion | Study the theories of emotion and how emotions can be categorized. Look at the impact of stress, and learn about positive psychology, motivation and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. |
Developmental Psychology | Find out about developmental psychology and learn about cognitive development before birth and in infants. Examine the work of Piaget, Harlow, Kohlberg and Erikson. |
Personality | Learn what personality is, how genetics influence personality and how psychologists assess personality traits. Get an overview of Freud's work with personality, including the id, ego and superego and the states of psychosexual development. |
Social Psychology | Define social psychology and stereotypes. Learn about attitudes, attraction, persuasion, conformity, group behavior and aggression. |
Psychological Disorders and Health | See how disorders are classified and diagnosed. Look at several types of disorders, including anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, eating disorders and schizophrenia. |
Psychological Treatments | Look at drug treatments and several types of therapies and why they are used. Examine the effectiveness of treatments. |
Statistics, Tests and Measurement | Get information on statistics, research and measurements. Learn to gauge reliability and validity. |
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What to Expect For the Exam
This Study.com course has been evaluated and recommended for college credit. Once you've completed this course, you can take the proctored final exam and potentially earn credit. Follow the steps below to take the exam.
Exam Steps
Pre-Exam Checklist
Before taking the exam, all of the following requirements must be met:
A College Accelerator Study.com membership. | |
Completed the entire Psychology 101: Intro to Psychology course and achieved 100% Course Progress. | |
Not attempted to take this exam within the last three days. | |
Have available proctored exams in this month of membership. | |
Complete the exam readiness quiz. |
Please complete all of the pre-requirements in the Pre-Exam Checklist in order to take the exam.
Exam Process Details
1. Register For Exam
Registering for the exam is simple. First, be sure you meet the system requirements. Next, you'll need to agree to the academic integrity policy. Then just confirm your name and the exam name, and you're ready to go!
2. Download Software Secure
You'll receive an unique access code. Please write this down — you'll need it to take the exam. Then download Software Secure and follow the installation instructions.
3. Take Exam
The exam contains 50 - 100 multiple choice questions. You will have two hours to complete the exam, so don't start until you're sure you can complete the entire thing. And remember to pace yourself!
4. Get Exam Results
We will send you an email with your official exam results within 1 to 2 weeks.
Earning College Credit
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To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page
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