How are we so good at recognizing faces and objects? How do we selectively attend to relevant pieces of information (and why do we sometimes fail to do so)? How do we remember what we learned in class (and why do we sometimes forget)? How do we comprehend sentences, make decisions, and solve problems?

These are all questions asked in the field of cognitive psychology, which focuses on the internal mental processes involved in representing concepts, remembering, reasoning, language processing, decision making, and problem solving. More specific questions include: Is it safe to talk on a hands-free cell phone while driving? Is eyewitness testimony reliable? How can you better remember information? What are the pitfalls that lead to bad decisions, and how can they be avoided?

This site is a set of always-in-development open educational resources (OER) related to the field of Cognitive Psychology. The content has mostly been adapted from various other sources (with support from the Maryland Open Source Textbook Initiative - thanks!) in order to serve as the textbook for Introduction to Memory and Cognition PSYC 341 at the University of Maryland, College Park.

As OER they are completely free for students (and anyone else) to use and/or revise/redistribute.

The goal of these materials (and the corresponding PSYC 341 course at UMD) is to promote a good understanding of current theories and debates that motivate research in cognitive psychology, understand which research methods are appropriate to address different questions in the field, and have an improved ability to understand and discuss this knowledge through class participation and assignments. We hope to do this in a way that allows you to see the relevance of cognitive psychological research and theories to your own lives.

If you are an instructor of a class related to cognitive psychology, these materials are free for you to use / adapt as you like – please see the GitHub README for some basic info on how to adapt these materials for your own purposes. If you are neither a student nor a teacher, well, I’m not sure why you’re here, but I hope you find this useful!

Organization of synaptic connectivity as the basis of neural computation and learning. Single and multilayer perceptrons. Dynamical theories of recurrent networks: amplifiers, attractors, and hybrid computation. Backpropagation and Hebbian learning. Models of perception, motor control, memory, and neural development. Alternate years.

This class will provide an introductory-level introduction to mammalian neuroanatomy. You will be taught through lectures (the introductory lecture focusing on structure, and the concluding lecture focusing on function), and through hands-on lab experience.

" This course is an introduction to the mammalian nervous system, with emphasis on the structure and function of the human brain. Topics include the function of nerve cells, sensory systems, control of movement, learning and memory, and diseases of the brain."

When you teach Introduction to Psychology, do you find it difficult — much harder than teaching classes in statistics or research methods? Do you easily give a lecture on the sympathetic nervous system, a lecture on Piaget, and a lecture on social cognition, but struggle with linking these topics together for the student? Do you feel like you are presenting a laundry list of research findings rather than an integrated set of principles and knowledge? Have you wondered how to ensure your course is relevant to your students? Introduction to Psychology utilizes the dual theme of behavior and empiricism to make psychology relevant to intro students. The author wrote this book to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. Five or ten years from now, he does not expect his students to remember the details of most of what he teaches them. However, he does hope that they will remember that psychology matters because it helps us understand behavior and that our knowledge of psychology is based on empirical study.

This is a derivative of INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution, which was originally released and is used under CC BY-NC-SA. This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Comprehensive coverage of core concepts grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research, including coverage of the DSM-5 in discussions of psychological disorders. Incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of psychology. It begins with a short overview of the discipline's development and principal methodologies. The subsequent units are arranged around broad areas of research, including emotion, development, memory, and psychopathology. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Identify the steps of the scientific method and explain how this method applies to psychological research methodology and statistical analyses; Demonstrate an understanding of the general history of the field; Explain the nature versus nurture argument and the current status of thinking regarding gene-environment interaction; Identify the basic components and mechanisms of the major biological systems often studied in psychology; Demonstrate an understanding of the basic findings within a variety of areas of psychology, including sensation and perception, memory and learning, development, social psychology, and psychopathology. (Psychology 101)

This book is designed to help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. The focus on behaviour and empiricism has produced a text that is better organized, has fewer chapters, and is somewhat shorter than many of the leading books. The beginning of each section includes learning objectives; throughout the body of each section are key terms in bold followed by their definitions in italics; key takeaways, and exercises and critical thinking activities end each section.

The Introduction to Psychology course was developed through the Ohio Department of Higher Education OER Innovation Grant. This work was completed and the course was posted in September 2018. The course is part of the Ohio Transfer Module and is also named OSS015. For more information about credit transfer between Ohio colleges and universities please visit: www.ohiohighered.org/transfer.Team LeadVincent Granito                                    Lorain County Community CollegeContent ContributorsNicole Brandt                                       Columbus State Community CollegeLynne Gabriel                                      Lakeland Community CollegeJackie Sample                                     Central Ohio Technical CollegeLibrarianRachel Dilley                                       Columbus State Community CollegeReview TeamMelissa Beers                                      Ohio State UniversityBryan Gerber                                        Stark State College

How to Use this GuideThis guide provides information and resources on introducing the topic of emotions. All resources are Open Access and can be downloaded or added to a Course Management System (LMS) via the hyperlinks.IntroductionThe chapter on emotion is usually presented with motivation, but for this OER project, it is presented as a separate concept.  Most of the chapters in the recommended resources cover much more information then should be presented in an introduction class, so faculty may want to choose what pieces work best.  The most comprehensive covering of this topic come from the various chapters in the NOBA project, but to assign all of these to students might be information overload. Faculty will need to pick and choose what sections work best for their approach.  Remember that Emotion falls within Pillar 4: Social and Personality, which also includes Social, Personality, Emotion, Multicultural, Gender, and Motivation. Social and Personality are both required topics under the Ohio TAG, so instructors should only plan to add Emotion if time permits.

 How to Use this GuideThis guide provides information and resources on introducing the field of psychology as a science in an Introduction to Psychology course.  All resources are Open Access and can be downloaded or added to a Course Management System (LMS) via the hyperlinks.IntroductionThis section covers the topic of gender and sexuality.  Gender and Sexuality falls under Pillar 4: Social and Personality. In the Ohio TAG, the topics of Social and Personality are required, which meet the expectation of two topics in this pillar. However, if you have time to include this topic it would not only enhance this Pillar, it is an important enhancement to the cross-cutting themes of Variations in Human Functioning and Social Diversity.If time does not permit covering a separate unit on Sexuality and Gender, these topics can also be folded into other units as supplementary content in Human Development (e.g., the development of gender identity) as well as Motivation (sexual motivation).

How to Use this GuideThis guide provides information and resources on teaching human development across the life span in an Introduction to Psychology course. All resources are Open Access and can be downloaded or added to a Course Management System (LMS) via the hyperlinks.  According to the TAG, Lifespan Development falls within Pillar 3 (Development) and is a required topic for all Ohio Introduction to Psychology courses, along with Learning. These two chapters meet the APA recommendations for Strengthening General Psychology (Gurung, et al., 2016). In approaching this topic, you may want think about what Learning and Development have in common by emphasizing learning across the lifespan.IntroductionThis section will explore human development across the life span. This section provides an overview of physical development, cognitive development, and socioemotional development from conception to death.

How to Use this GuideThis guide provides information and resources on instroducting the field of psychology as a science in an Introduction to Psychology course.  All resources are Open Access and can be downloaded or added to a Course Management System (LMS) via the hyperlinks.IntroductionThis section will explore intelligence. In line with the APA recommendations and the Ohio TAG, Intelligence falls in Pillar 2 (Cognitive) along with Cognition, Memory, and Perception. Memory is required in Ohio TAG courses, so courses that cover Intelligence in addition to Memory have met the requirement for that pillar. Thus, it may not be necessary to cover Intelligence as a full topic in your course if you already cover Cognition or Perception.  

This OER Adoption Guide, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Education, provides teachers of Introduction to Psychology in Ohio with a collection of free, openly accessible online resources for use in your course.  The authors of this guide have reviewed and compiled free online readings, resources, and activities for Introduction to Psychology. Further, these resources are aligned with the learning objectives outlined in the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Transfer Assurance Guides (TAG) for Introduction to Psychology so that they meet the needs of instructors teaching general education courses in the Ohio Transfer Module.