A strong foundation in science (including this social science) has always been an essential element of post-secondary education. The current White House administration demonstrates that people are much more impressionable when they don't have the critical tools to question so-called experts. Critical analysis of research has always been integral to the sciences, but with so much misinformation coming out of those in power, it is more important than ever to have a strong background in science and research. 

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Define aggressionDefine cyberbullyingDescribe the bystander effect

This collection of articles discusses findings in the field of cognitive science and cognitive psychology.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain what a correlation coefficient tells us about the relationship between variablesRecognize that correlation does not indicate a cause-and-effect relationship between variablesDiscuss our tendency to look for relationships between variables that do not really existExplain random sampling and assignment of participants into experimental and control groupsDiscuss how experimenter or participant bias could affect the results of an experimentIdentify independent and dependent variables

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the different research methods used by psychologistsDiscuss the strengths and weaknesses of case studies, naturalistic observation, surveys, and archival research

After reading this module, you will be able to:Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of archivall research and case studiesDescribe longitudinal, cross-sectional, and sequential research designs

After reading this module, you will be able to:Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of archivall research and case studiesDescribe longitudinal, cross-sectional, and sequential research designs

Love is deeply biological. It pervades every aspect of our lives and has inspired countless works of art. Love also has a profound effect on our mental and physical state. A “broken heart” or a failed relationship can have disastrous effects; bereavement disrupts human physiology and may even precipitate death. Without loving relationships, humans fail to flourish, even if all of their other basic needs are met. As such, love is clearly not “just” an emotion; it is a biological process that is both dynamic and bidirectional in several dimensions. Social interactions between individuals, for example, trigger cognitive and physiological processes that influence emotional and mental states. In turn, these changes influence future social interactions. Similarly, the maintenance of loving relationships requires constant feedback through sensory and cognitive systems; the body seeks love and responds constantly to interactions with loved ones or to the absence of such interactions. The evolutionary principles and ancient hormonal and neural systems that support the beneficial and healing effects of loving relationships are described here.

This is an Open Educational Resource created by University College Groningen (The Netherlands) students taking the course Biopsychology in Spring 2021.

In small teams, students were tasked with creating, composing, and curating an online portfolio dedicated to an interdisciplinary exploration of a topic of their choice. Their portfolio needed to be grounded in neuroscience, incorporate peer-reviewed research, and propose active learning exercises for future students and viewers.

Included topics:
- A trip through the world of psychedelics
- Alzheimer's disease
- Animal minds
- Biopsychological aspects of sexuality
- Consciousness
- Go with the flow: an interdisciplinary exploration of the flow state
- Happiness and well-being
- Hypnosis
- Intergenerational trauma
- Lucid dreaming
- Machine learning for mind reading
- Social and cultural neuroscience of prejudice
- Our sense of self
- Out of body experiences
- You and aesthetics

Please enjoy exploring their work!

The human brain is responsible for all behaviors, thoughts, and experiences described in this textbook. This module provides an introductory overview of the brain, including some basic neuroanatomy, and brief descriptions of the neuroscience methods used to study it.

Making a lasting change in our behavior is not an easy process. It usually involves significant effort, time, and a roller coaster of emotions. Think about how many times have you attempted to make a change (e.g. lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more) and either you never got started or you started but found yourself slipping back into old habits.In this module, learners will learn about factors that affect behavioural change. This module is part of a larger course on how behaviour change can positively impact the workplace.

Basic principles of learning are always operating and always influencing human behavior. This module discusses the two most fundamental forms of learning -- classical (Pavlovian) and instrumental (operant) conditioning. Through them, we respectively learn to associate 1) stimuli in the environment, or 2) our own behaviors, with significant events, such as rewards and punishments. The two types of learning have been intensively studied because they have powerful effects on behavior, and because they provide methods that allow scientists to analyze learning processes rigorously. This module describes some of the most important things you need to know about classical and instrumental conditioning, and it illustrates some of the many ways they help us understand normal and disordered behavior in humans. The module concludes by introducing the concept of observational learning, which is a form of learning that is largely distinct from classical and operant conditioning.

Our thoughts and behaviors are strongly influenced by affective experiences known as drive states. These drive states motivate us to fulfill goals that are beneficial to our survival and reproduction. This module provides an overview of key drive states, including information about their neurobiology and their psychological effects.

 Dynamics of Interpersonal Relations I, is an exploration of the small-group process through participation, interpretation and study. Major focus is on the class itself as an interacting group providing for personal, interpersonal, and intellectual challenge.The modules are designed for undergraduate students to become familiar with group dynamics. This resource has a syllabus, OpenStax text chapters, TedTalks and group activities. 

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss the guiding principles of ethical researchDiscuss how research involving human subjects is regulatedSummarize the processes of informed consent and debriefingExplain how research involving animal subjects is regulated

This is a collection of blogs written by students in a Psychology course focusing on Adolescent and Adult Development at Boise State University. Topics covered include but aren't limited to: Parenting, Media, Love & Relationships, and Puberty.      Authors: Heather Whittaker, Jesse Peters, Parker Rising Evans, Rael Jensen, & Shyann Gambill

We think important objects and events in our world will automatically grab our attention, but they often don’t, particularly when our attention is focused on something else. The failure to notice unexpected objects or events when attention is focused elsewhere is now known as inattentional blindness. The study of such failures of awareness has a long history, but their practical importance has received increasing attention over the past decade. This module describes the history and status of research on inattentional blindness, discusses the reasons why we find these results to be counterintuitive, and the implications of failures of awareness for how we see and act in our world.

Emotions play a crucial role in our lives because they have important functions. This module describes those functions, dividing the discussion into three areas: the intrapersonal, the interpersonal, and the social and cultural functions of emotions. The section on the intrapersonal functions of emotion describes the roles that emotions play within each of us individually; the section on the interpersonal functions of emotion describes the meanings of emotions to our relationships with others; and the section on the social and cultural functions of emotion describes the roles and meanings that emotions have to the maintenance and effective functioning of our societies and cultures at large. All in all we will see that emotions are a crucially important aspect of our psychological composition, having meaning and function to each of us individually, to our relationships with others in groups, and to our societies as a whole.

This module discusses gender and its related concepts, including sex, gender roles, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexism. In addition, this module includes a discussion of differences that exist between males and females and how these real gender differences compare to the stereotypes society holds about gender differences. In fact, there are significantly fewer real gender differences than one would expect relative to the large number of stereotypes about gender differences. This module then discusses theories of how gender roles develop and how they contribute to strong expectations for gender differences. Finally, the module concludes with a discussion of some of the consequences of relying on and expecting gender differences, such as gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and ambivalent sexism.