
Basic Psychology Course
Understand why people think, feel, and behave the way they do — with real science behind every answer. This course covers the full scope of psychology, from brain biology and memory to personality, mental health, and social influence. Whether you are pursuing a career in psychology or simply want to understand human nature, this is where you start.
What you will learn:
This course gives you a thorough grounding in psychological science, covering everything from neuroscience and sensation to learning, memory, motivation, and development across the lifespan. You will study major theories of personality, explore how psychological disorders are defined and treated, and examine how social context shapes behaviour. Applied topics include health psychology, workplace behaviour, cross-cultural competence, and research methods. By the end, you will have the knowledge and vocabulary to think critically about human behaviour in any professional or personal context.
How you study practically Basic Psychology Course
How you practise Basic Psychology Course
For companies looking to train their teams
With Dedika for businesses, the course includes exercises and examples tailored to your own business and the way your company needs.
Course content
8 Chapters • 32 LessonsDuration between 4 and 360 hours (you decide)
Chapter 1HideHide detailsSee detailsFoundations of Psychological Science
Foundations of Psychological Science
Lesson 1 • Defining Psychology and Its Scope
Covers psychology's definition, major goals, and boundaries as a discipline. Anchors all subsequent study in a shared conceptual vocabulary.
Lesson 2 • Ethics in Psychological Research
Examines informed consent, confidentiality, and participant protection standards. Establishes ethical reasoning as a core professional competency.
Lesson 3 • History and Schools of Thought
Traces psychology from structuralism through modern cognitive science. Reveals how competing schools shaped current theories and methods.
Lesson 4 • Scientific Methods in Psychology
Introduces empirical reasoning, hypothesis formation, and research design. Equips students to evaluate psychological claims critically.
Chapter 2HideHide detailsSee detailsBiological Bases of Behaviour
Biological Bases of Behaviour
Lesson 1 • The Nervous and Endocrine Systems
Distinguishes central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems and hormonal regulation. Shows how these systems coordinate stress, arousal, and homeostasis.
Lesson 2 • Brain Structures and Functions
Maps major brain regions to specific behavioural and cognitive functions. Connects neuroanatomy to real-world psychological phenomena.
Lesson 3 • Genetics, Evolution, and Behaviour
Introduces heritability, gene-environment interaction, and evolutionary psychology. Explains how inherited predispositions interact with experience.
Lesson 4 • Neurons and Neural Communication
Explains neuron anatomy, action potentials, and synaptic transmission. Provides the cellular foundation for understanding all brain-based behaviour.
Chapter 3HideHide detailsSee detailsSensation, Perception, and Consciousness
Sensation, Perception, and Consciousness
Lesson 1 • States of Consciousness
Surveys waking awareness, sleep stages, dreams, and altered states. Connects consciousness research to everyday functioning and well-being.
Lesson 2 • Visual and Auditory Perception
Details how the eye and ear convert stimuli into neural signals and percepts. Illustrates core perceptual principles through vision and hearing.
Lesson 3 • Principles of Sensation
Covers transduction, thresholds, and sensory adaptation across modalities. Establishes the physiological limits of human sensory experience.
Lesson 4 • Perceptual Organisation and Interpretation
Explores depth perception, constancies, and top-down influences on perception. Shows how prior knowledge shapes what you perceive.
Chapter 4HideHide detailsSee detailsLearning and Conditioning
Learning and Conditioning
Lesson 1 • Cognitive and Observational Learning
Introduces latent learning, insight, and Bandura's social learning model. Extends learning theory beyond stimulus-response associations.
Lesson 2 • Applying Learning Principles
Translates conditioning theory into behaviour therapy, education, and workplace settings. Bridges laboratory findings to practical intervention.
Lesson 3 • Classical Conditioning Principles
Explains Pavlovian conditioning, acquisition, extinction, and generalisation. Grounds students in the foundational learning paradigm.
Lesson 4 • Operant Conditioning Principles
Covers reinforcement schedules, punishment, and shaping of behaviour. Enables students to design effective behaviour modification strategies.
Chapter 5HideHide detailsSee detailsMemory and Cognition
Memory and Cognition
Lesson 1 • Memory Distortion and Reliability
Analyses misinformation effects, source monitoring errors, and false memories. Highlights the reconstructive nature of human memory.
Lesson 2 • Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making
Covers concept formation, heuristics, biases, and creative problem-solving. Connects cognitive psychology to everyday reasoning and judgement.
Lesson 3 • Memory Systems and Encoding
Distinguishes sensory, working, and long-term memory and encoding strategies. Provides the structural model for all subsequent memory topics.
Lesson 4 • Storage, Retrieval, and Forgetting
Examines consolidation, retrieval cues, and causes of forgetting. Explains why memories fail and how retrieval can be improved.
Chapter 6HideHide detailsSee detailsMotivation, Emotion, and Stress
Motivation, Emotion, and Stress
Lesson 1 • Nature and Theories of Emotion
Compares James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, and two-factor theories of emotion. Establishes the physiological and cognitive components of emotional experience.
Lesson 2 • Hunger, Sex, and Achievement Motivation
Analyses biological and social factors in hunger, sexual motivation, and achievement. Illustrates how multiple forces interact to direct behaviour.
Lesson 3 • Stress, Coping, and Health
Defines stressors, the general adaptation syndrome, and evidence-based coping strategies. Links chronic stress to physical and mental health outcomes.
Lesson 4 • Theories of Motivation
Surveys drive reduction, humanistic, and self-determination theories of motivation. Provides a comparative framework for understanding goal-directed behaviour.
Chapter 7HideHide detailsSee detailsDevelopmental Psychology Across the Lifespan
Developmental Psychology Across the Lifespan
Lesson 1 • Adolescence and Identity Formation
Examines puberty, Erikson's identity stage, and moral development in adolescence. Connects biological change to psychological and social development.
Lesson 2 • Infancy and Childhood Development
Covers prenatal development, infant reflexes, Piaget's stages, and attachment theory. Establishes the cognitive and social foundations formed in early life.
Lesson 3 • Adulthood and Aging
Surveys cognitive, physical, and social changes across early, middle, and late adulthood. Addresses ageing myths and evidence-based views of later life.
Lesson 4 • Research Methods and Core Debates
Introduces longitudinal, cross-sectional designs and nature-nurture debates. Frames the methodological tools used throughout developmental psychology.
Chapter 8HideHide detailsSee detailsPersonality, Psychological Disorders, and Treatment
Personality, Psychological Disorders, and Treatment
Lesson 1 • Theories of Personality
Compares psychoanalytic, trait, humanistic, and social-cognitive personality models. Provides a multi-perspective lens for understanding individual differences.
Lesson 2 • Defining and Classifying Psychological Disorders
Explains criteria for abnormality, diagnostic classification systems, and stigma. Establishes a principled framework for identifying mental health conditions.
Lesson 3 • Major Psychological Disorders
Surveys anxiety, mood, psychotic, and personality disorders with symptom profiles. Builds clinical literacy for recognising common mental health conditions.
Lesson 4 • Psychological and Biomedical Treatments
Compares psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, humanistic, and biomedical therapies. Equips students to evaluate treatment options based on evidence and fit.
Your valid completion certificate
This course is for you:
Aspiring counsellors: seeking a rigorous scientific entry point into the field.
HR and people managers: wanting evidence-based tools for understanding workplace behaviour.
College students: preparing for psychology majors or related degree programmes.
Healthcare workers: looking to add psychological context to patient-centred care.
Career changers: exploring mental health or behavioural science as a new direction.
Curious lifelong learners: driven to understand the forces shaping human experience.
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