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Why Study Psychology… Because it’s fun and practical. Everyone uses psychology every day: any time you wonder why you or someone else did something (behavior and motivation). Why do you feel the way you do (emotion)? Why do (other) people think irrationally (cognition)? How can you get someone else to do what you want? We are continually asking these questions relating to the four goals of psychology: • to describe behavior • to understand behavior • to predict behavior • to change or manipulate behavior Being able to understand and apply these skills helps students to improve their thinking, problem solving skills, and interpersonal skills necessary for success on many levels and in many contexts. These are a few brief answers to the question: Why take psychology?
In Psych 12 we will look at a number of interesting topics: • Memory: Did you know that your memory is not very accurate and tricks you on a regular basis - as a matter of fact, your most vivid memories are probably wrong! • The Brain: Are you left or right brained? What does that mean? How are teen brains very unique from other brains? • Sleep and Dreams: Why do you dream? Do your dreams have hidden meanings? Can you learn to control your dreams and possibly even manipulate them like in the film Inception? • Intelligence: What makes a person intelligent? Are there different kinds of intelligence? In what area do YOU excel? • Fear: Why do some people fear snakes yet a few think they are cuddly? • Drugs : Why do people get addicted to things? What exactly happens to your brain when you take drugs? • Mental Illness: What does it mean to be mentally ill? Do you know you have a 1 in 5 chance of developing a mental illness? • Social Psychology: How far will a person go if they know there are no consequences to their actions? • Abnormal Psychology: What does it mean to have multiple personalities? Schizophrenia? To be a psychopath?
