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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Psychology by Yale University

4.9
stars
27,753 ratings

About the Course

What are people most afraid of? What do our dreams mean? Are we natural-born racists? What makes us happy? What are the causes and cures of mental illness? This course tries to answer these questions and many others, providing a comprehensive overview of the scientific study of thought and behavior. It explores topics such as perception, communication, learning, memory, decision-making, persuasion, emotions, and social behavior. We will look at how these aspects of the mind develop in children, how they differ across people, how they are wired-up in the brain, and how they break down due to illness and injury....

Top reviews

TP

Dec 17, 2021

An excellent course to get a general idea about psychology as well as understanding of what to do next if you are into learning more. Very useful links for extra reading. And very engaging instructor.

IS

Nov 4, 2023

A very comprehensive course, giving you the insights into the field of psychology, even with no prior background of psychology, and containing interesting references and examples throughout the course

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151 - 175 of 6,107 Reviews for Introduction to Psychology

By Trang C

Apr 6, 2020

A very engaging course and I would recommend it to someone who wants a very basic understanding of the various sub disciplines of psychology. I felt it was just a bit too easy.

By Katharina R

Feb 15, 2021

I did not enjoy the course. Psychology as the Greek terminology states is the study of the soul. If I only want to talk about a lump of meat and how it works as put in this course I can concentrate merely on physiology. The Greeks clearly made the difference between a healthy spirit in a healthy body. To just claim the brain is a lump of meat and is triggered organically is very ignorant and not scientific. Humans are not just bones, meat and blood. The spirit dwells in every organic fibre of our body. Body & spirit is one unity as long as the spirit dwells in it. When a human suffers from a trauma, no matter whether the attack has been on a psychic or physic level it always hurts both parts of a human. An attack with matter hurts the body and the soul. Whereas an attack on a spiritual level hurts the soul and can further influence organic damage. To just ignorantly state that this is not the case, is so very wrong. Therefore I am disappointed of this course and did not find it very useful.

By Flávia O

Aug 19, 2020

This is a very, very basic course. You will not leave with a good grasp of the contents, even if you do all the assigned readings, like I did. This is not a recommended course for anyone willing to start a carreer in psychology, if that's your case, you should seek other courses. I feel that this course was made only for those people who are slightly curious about their own mind and psychology in general, for those people who want to have something to say in a bar with friends. The professor seems competent. I didn't like the videos model because you never get to watch the professor actually saying the things, instead you'll see only animations. I didn't really like that. Overall good for satisfying your curiosity, maybe, but not enough to get a good understanding of psychology and definitely not good enough to start a carreer in the field.

By eli

Jan 1, 2022

i enjoyed the animation honestly - my problem is some of the content discussed was outdated knowledge that it gotten to the point where it did feel a little insulting (as a person on the spectrum I didn't really enjoy the little section calling us "robots" or that we think similarly to children when we approach things). some of the information is helpful, but you couldve easily found a book to tell you all you need to know

By Louise T

Oct 25, 2021

I found it challenging to engage in lectures where you're watching an animated video. I prefer seeing the prof and other students in a discussion forum, so that I feel a part of the education experience. These animated videos are fine for a few, but they don't allow you to feel any connection with the professor.

By Walter M

Dec 2, 2021

One can learn a lot but it is a biased course, completely overlooking humanity's freewill in a purely materialistic way as if we are nothing but brain matter and physical elements and that our nature and the way we are raised predetermines our every action.

By Priyanshu

Sep 13, 2020

It is a good course for someone who has no clue about psychology but for someone who is already familiar with some concepts its a bit vague and not that informative.

By Rachel O

May 20, 2021

Solid content, but incredibly boring videos that made it difficult to stay motivated. No reinforcement of concepts until a tertiary "quiz" at the end of each unit.

By Chelsea E G

May 9, 2020

This intro made no mention of Freud or Jung, both of whom I'd like to study more about. They were pioneers. How could you forget this pertinent info?

By adriana k

Mar 9, 2021

Very superficial. Lots of random information. I don’t feel like I acquired real knowledge on Psychology

By Adhithya S

Sep 25, 2020

Animated video made this course boring.Still informative

By Isabelle M

Dec 3, 2021

Terrible. I added a little bit more Knowledge onto what I already know. Like everybody else says it is very simply drawn comics... nothing that interesting.

By Larry F

Oct 8, 2021

course needs to be credited..... kind of a waist of time. I was trying to complete core classes. don't spend the money!!!!!!!

By Vital R M

Jun 26, 2021

je ne trouve pas le cours en francais.je ne comprends pas tres bien l'anglais

By Jahanara A J

Jun 7, 2020

Nice but i haven’t found my certificate yet...

By Alfar A

Jun 14, 2020

GOOD COURSE BUT TOO COSTLY

By Deleted A

Jun 7, 2020

want to unenroll

By oğuz ü

Jun 5, 2021

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By Cheng C L

Sep 21, 2020

This is the best and one of the most useful courses I have ever attended. I have learnt so much and this course gives a fantastic overview of the subject of psychology. I took this course because I have always been interested in the way people think and curious about the motivations for their behaviours. But more importantly, i wanted to understand my kids more, and help them in their pursuits in life, if I could. Some of the biggest challenges are in the areas of understanding their motivations and capabilities, and one current challenge is in memory retention for their studies. This course gave me a good overview on that, from encoding and methods of encoding information and how failures of memory can occur. But the sum of all the other parts, in understanding their personalities and perceptions are also important, because their ability to learn and retain information and translate them to knowledge also depends on how they think and where and why they are having challenges. I am reviewing the materials again and again because each time I learn something more than my initial reading.

Prof Bloom has managed to condense the breadth and scope of a very complex and wide subject into a highly informational course. I am very grateful for these materials, to have an expert summarize the critical areas of learning to be further explored, if desired. The world is made better by generous contributions as these, for those who wish to understand oneself and others a little more, there is no parallel as starting point.

I also found the animations cute as helpful mnemonics, well done to the animator! And to the Prof who understood that some of us especially an auditory and visual learner like myself need these to help make the points more distinctive and interesting.

Lastly the last chapter on The Good Life, Subjective Well-Being, so needed to tie everything together, for we are a species who can not only intelligently process the causes and effects of our condition, but to also by our actions and design enrich ourselves and others if we so wish.

Thank you Prof Bloom and Coursera, and Ms Julia Veldman the visual storyteller.

By Jonila S

May 28, 2020

I started this course merely to see if Psychology is a field that interests me. Due to some circumstances, I never had the opportunity to study any part of psychology in high school so I wanted to see where my interest stands to pursue higher education in psychology or even neuroscience. I recommend this course to all the people who are in the same position that I was or who are interested in building a good foundation to their knowledge on psychology. I found this course to be so interesting that I completed it in 6 days rather than the average time of completion being 6 weeks. Maybe a smarter idea would've been to have gone through this course gradually as it's meant to be completed in 6 weeks but the fact is that I became so interested that participation in this course seemed not only educational but fun too. Until 6 days ago I was unsure of what I want to major in college but now I think I can say I know the field I want to study for the upcoming 4 years as I had so much fun studying it. This course was very helpful and efficiently educational. The methods that were used were engaging and always left you wanting to research even more on the topics discussed. While taking this course I found out that many questions in psychology are unanswered. There are a lot of theories left to be proven. The good thing is that upon completing the course I feel motivated to do my own research and find possible answers to those questions. Whether I do find accurate answers is not nearly as important as the point that I have an interest to research those theories. To sum it up this course left me feeling inspired to further my knowledge on psychology.

By Louse A C

Oct 8, 2023

Ever since I was a child, I've been captivated by the incredible diversity of human behavior and how people change throughout their lives. My interest in psychology has always been there, but I stuck to reading and real-life observations because I wasn't sure if formal studies in the field were right for me. This introductory psychology course has been an eye-opener. It's given me a much clearer and broader perspective on what psychology truly encompasses, what it represents, and how it can be a tool not just for understanding the mind and our outlook on life, but also for leading a more fulfilling life – both individually and in society. The course has confirmed that psychology is my passion, and it has opened up exciting paths for me to explore, such as positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and neuroscience. One of the highlights of this course was the instructor's remarkable ability to take complex topics and make them accessible and engaging. The real-world examples and practical insights made the content relatable and thought-provoking. I was particularly impressed by the engaging visuals and subtle sound effects used in the animated videos. I was never bored; everything presented was simply fascinating and mind-expanding. This course is a gem. I'm immensely grateful to the instructor, and the fact that it's freely available is a huge bonus. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone interested in psychology. It's not just informative; it's a captivating journey into the world of the mind.

By Elise M A

May 1, 2020

This was my first Coursera course and I have to say, that I am fairly impressed! The course wasn't too difficult to understand and Professor Bloom was always asking deeply thought questions which required his audience to think a lot more about their own behaviors. Throughout this course I myself was able to come to my own hypotheses and theories as to why I and others act a certain way and I'm ready to ask even more questions after doing this course. I'm not an Ivy league student by any means, (I'm in high school.) but I really do think that this course is well fitted for most people. Professor Bloom provides much visual representation throughout his videos. (He's a cartoon.) and speaks at a rate that's not too fast or too slow. (Plus subtitles help.) He further provides articles that are very reliable and relevant to what he's teaching and quizzes that can be redone easily if the student answers a few questions wrong. (or a lot.) I think it would be really interesting if Professor Bloom added courses that a person could do after Intro. to Psychology that were more focused on the specific subcategories of psychology, rather than psychology as a whole itself. For example, a whole class on developmental psychology, personality psychology, criminal psychology, and much more. Overall, I would recommend this course to anyone who just wants to understand people a little bit better. I give this course a 5/5.

By Erica S

Sep 16, 2023

Professor Bloom has an exciting and humbling way of expressing and explosively creating realms within his course load. He has impeccable ways of earning his students' trust and foregoes all of the unnecessary info that does not make sense to anyone. He is very soft spoken and maintains composure whilst exemplary teaching his students many different topics relating to how the mind works in different settings among those whom fully understand their experiences and with whom are still witnessing the varying degrees of human nature, in every sense of the word. All while using very harmless and useful language that makes his students feel seen, become more present, and relatively engaged for many of the lecture slides as well as the suggested readings, which have the potential to help those whom had the opportunity to give this class a chance, a leg up in their studies, if they so choose to continue to study this field upon establishing themselves as rock stars who have tumultuous pulses in their arteries, their hearts, and in their minds' eye. To those whom were present and were able to complete this course, while the mind wanders, try and follow it, and maybe even give it a chance to find its own way direction home. all the best, e

By Yeşim E

Oct 3, 2020

Dear Prof Bloom

I had 2 Psych courses as an undergrad, but it had all turned rather hazy in time, which is why I enrolled. Now, I'm relishing the course, and definitely taking all the time I need to LEARN it. I'm constantly behind schedule, but that's because I want to make the best of it, and I have other obligations as well. The second module gave me great insight into language teaching; I already had some knowledge of Skinner, Piaget and Chomsky, but it was superficial. Do I need it to teach English? Maybe not everyone, but I do. I need to see the foundation of the building in order to feel safe manipulating the top floor. I'm in the third part now, and the information I got from your talk as well as the appended articles about attention (esp. inattentional blindness) is going straight into a PP presentation I'm making about why my students shouldn't be checking Instagram while we're doing grammar (with proper referencing, of course). I've talked about it over the years, but with the proper references I'm hoping it'll be more effective.

So thank you already, although I might be writing a second review when I actually finish the course.

Yesim Erdogru

By Ms. M A

Aug 1, 2023

Hello, I have been out of school since 2013, I am changing careers, and I felt like I was a little rusty. So, my brother told me about this website, and nervously, I decided to try it out to prepare myself for going back to college in the Fall of this year. This was my first course on Coursera. I really enjoyed it and Professor Bloom because I am a visual learner; therefore, it is a little hard for me to get it when the professor is just lecturing without any type of visual aid. However, I loved all of Professor Bloom's animations, Avtar's outfits, and videos. They were nice and helped me to grasp what he was talking about, easily. I am planning to take other courses on this website and if they are half as enjoyable as my Introduction to Psychology course was, then I am looking forward to having a wonderful time learning.

Thank Coursera staff and Professor Paul Bloom for helping me with the start of my new career. Be blessed and may God continue to keep you in your endeavors to help others learn. - Marylyn Alexander