Psychology connects biological processes, thought, emotion, development, and social life. This MIT OpenCourseWare collection follows an undergraduate survey taught by Professor Jeremy Wolfe and provides a substantial path through lecture audio, notes, readings, assignments, study materials, and sample quizzes.
From the brain to social behavior
| Course block | Questions explored |
|---|---|
| Brain and behavior | How does the nervous system support mental life? |
| Sensation and perception | How is information selected and interpreted? |
| Learning and memory | How do associations form and experiences persist? |
| Cognition and language | How do people think, communicate, and develop these abilities? |
| Self and society | How do identity, attitudes, relationships, and groups affect behavior? |
| Mental health | How are psychological difficulties described and explained? |
The calendar contains 23 lectures. Early sessions cover the brain, motivation, learning, sensation, attention, perception, and memory. Later sessions move into cognitive development, language, intelligence, romantic relationships, attitudes, the self, sleep, and several mental-health topics.
Work with evidence, not only definitions
The original class paired lectures with a textbook and discussion sections. The archived materials also include writing assignments based on psychology articles. You can adapt that method by choosing one claim from a lecture and asking three questions:
- What evidence supports the claim?
- Which alternative explanation could produce the same result?
- What observation would help distinguish the explanations?
This approach is especially useful when a familiar experience seems to confirm an idea. Personal examples can make a concept memorable, but they are not a substitute for controlled evidence.
Use the archive as a university course
Create a schedule of two lectures per week and keep a glossary for terms such as reinforcement, working memory, attention, intelligence, and repression. After each lecture, write a short explanation without consulting the notes, then return to the material and correct missing or inaccurate points.
Sample quizzes can be used for retrieval practice. The midterm and final exams are not provided, so they cannot serve as a complete assessment package. The writing prompts are more demanding: the original assignments asked for several papers of about six pages and a revision of one paper.
Important historical context
The course was taught in Fall 2004. Its foundational questions remain useful, but psychology research, diagnostic language, and ethical standards have continued to develop. Treat the collection as a rigorous introduction and historical snapshot, then compare sensitive or fast-changing topics with a current introductory textbook or recent review.
MIT OpenCourseWare provides learning materials rather than enrollment in an active class. There is no instructor feedback or completion certificate. Its main strength is the combination of lectures, readings, written work, and quizzes that lets an independent learner build a serious study plan.