What topics are covered in the free Intro to Psychology course?

The course explores psychological research, the brain and nervous system, sensation, consciousness, learning, memory, intelligence, motivation, emotion, development, personality, gender, sexuality, and stress.

Does the Intro to Psychology course explain how psychologists study behavior?

Yes. It introduces research design, observational methods, bias in psychology, and why critical methods are essential for reliable findings.

What psychology concepts about memory, learning, and emotion are included?

Lessons cover classical conditioning, memory encoding, storage and retrieval, theories of intelligence, motivation, circadian rhythms, and theories explaining emotion.

Free online course Intro to Psychology

Duration of the online course: 3 hours and 28 minutes

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Understand behavior and the brain with a free psychology course—research methods, memory, stress, and development, plus exercises to test your skills.

In this free course, learn about

Core aims of psychology and major perspectives on how minds and behavior are studied
Key subfields of psychology, including biological psychology and its focus on brain/behavior links
Research methods: naturalistic observation, experiments, and why strong design reduces bias
Basic nervous system organization; autonomic system control of involuntary functions
How sensation differs from perception; how sensory systems build experience beyond five senses
States of consciousness, sleep/dreams, and circadian rhythms’ role in regulating daily cycles
Learning foundations, especially classical conditioning and the role of the neutral stimulus
Memory basics: encoding, storage, retrieval, and practical ways to improve remembering
Intelligence measurement and theories, including fluid vs crystallized intelligence
Motivation components, including persistence toward goals despite obstacles (grit/effort)
Emotion theories, including cognitive labeling of arousal (Schachter-Singer two-factor theory)
Human development across the lifespan; physical, cognitive, psychosocial change and sociocultural influences
Psychology of sex, gender, sexuality; and personality via the Big Five trait model
Stress psychology: what counts as a stressor and how stress impacts behavior and health

About the free online course

Psychology helps you make sense of what people think, feel, and do, and why those patterns sometimes change in surprising ways. This free online course gives you a clear, modern entry point into the science of mind and behavior, connecting everyday experiences—like habits, motivation, sleep, relationships, and stress—to the evidence-based methods psychologists use to study them. If you want practical insight for your career, your studies, or simply to better understand yourself and others, you will build a strong foundation without needing a prior background.

You will explore how psychologists ask questions and turn them into testable ideas, why careful research design matters, and how bias can shape what we assume is true. Along the way, the course links history and contemporary perspectives so you can recognize where key concepts come from and how psychology continues to evolve. You will also learn how the brain and nervous system support behavior, and how sensation and perception work together to create the reality you experience—highlighting why people can interpret the same situation in very different ways.

As you move forward, you will connect states of consciousness to daily functioning, including the role of circadian rhythms and the many influences on sleep. Learning and memory are presented in a way that supports real study and work scenarios, emphasizing how information is encoded, stored, and retrieved, and why forgetting can be a feature of the system rather than just a failure. You will examine how intelligence is measured and debated, how motivation drives goals and persistence, and how emotions can be understood through both physiological reactions and cognitive interpretation.

The course also emphasizes human development across the lifespan, showing how physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes interact with social and cultural contexts. You will engage with nuanced discussions of gender, sexuality, and personality to better understand individual differences without reducing people to stereotypes. Finally, you will learn how stress functions as a psychological and biological process, how stressors affect health and performance, and how to think critically about coping in a way that respects both individual experience and scientific evidence. Built-in exercises help you check understanding and strengthen your ability to apply core ideas in real-life situations.

Course content

Video class: Preview: Introduction to Psychology | Study Hall 03m
Exercise: What is one theory about the purpose of dreams mentioned in the text?
Video class: How do we study our minds? | Introduction to Psychology 1 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: Which of the following domains of psychology focuses on understanding the biological processes behind our behaviors and mental states?
Video class: The Roots of Psychology | Introduction to Psychology 2 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: Which of the following concepts emphasizes the interconnectedness of human existence and the natural world, often drawing from indigenous perspectives?
Video class: How Psychologists Research People | Introduction to Psychology 3 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: Which research method involves observing participants without interference to understand patterns in their behavior?
Video class: Is Psychology Unbiased? | Introduction to Psychology 4 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: Why is critical research design important in psychological studies?

Video class: Getting to Know Your Brain | Introduction to Psychology 5 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: Which part of the nervous system is primarily responsible for involuntary actions such as heart rate and digestion?
Video class: How Our (More Than) Five Senses Work | Introduction to Psychology 6 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: How do sensation and perception differ in the context of processing sensory information?
Video class: Our Different States of Consciousness | Introduction to Psychology 7 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: What is one of the purposes of the circadian rhythm in humans?

Video class: What Even Is Learning? | Introduction to Psychology 8 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: In classical conditioning, what is the term for the stimulus that initially produces no specific response until it is associated with an unconditioned stimulus?
Video class: How to Utilize Your Memory | Introduction to Psychology 9 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: What are the three main processes involved in human memory?
Video class: Can you measure intelligence? | Introduction to Psychology 10 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: Which theory suggests that intelligence is made up of two different kinds, fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence?

Video class: What drives our goals? | Introduction to Psychology 11 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: What component of motivation involves the continued effort towards a goal despite obstacles?
Video class: Where Do Emotions Come From? | Introduction to Psychology 12 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: Which theory of emotion suggests that emotions occur when we label our physiological responses to a situation, taking both the physical reaction and our interpretation into account?
Video class: Stages of Human Development | Introduction to Psychology 13 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: What type of development primarily involves changes in how humans grow, develop, and change from birth through elderhood, focusing on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial aspects?
Video class: Influences on Development | Introduction to Psychology 14 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: Which of the following theories emphasizes the importance of social and cultural influences on child development?

Video class: Unpacking Gender and Sexuality | Introduction to Psychology 15 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: What is the primary difference between sex and gender as discussed in psychology?
Video class: Do You Really Know Your Personality? | Introduction to Psychology 16 of 30 | Study Hall 12m
Exercise: What does the 'Big Five' model measure in the context of personality psychology?
Video class: The Psychology of Stress | Introduction to Psychology 17 of 30 | Study Hall 11m
Exercise: Which of the following best describes a stressor in the context of psychology?