Hocbigg - Psychology
Contents
Summary
The Psychology curriculum is a complete education in Psychology using online materials.
Organization
This repository is organized into three main components:
- Core Curriculum (this page): the foundational knowledge of the field;
- Advanced Topics: focused study in specific areas;
- Projects: support learning through practical application throughout the curriculum.
Process: Learners may work through the curriculum independently or collaboratively, and either sequentially or selectively.
- For simplicity, courses in the Core Curriculum are ordered according to their prerequisites.
- The Core Curriculum provides a shared foundation and is intended to be completed in full.
- Advanced Topics are optional; learners are encouraged to select one area of focus and complete all courses within that topic.
Practical work is integrated through the Projects section and may be undertaken alongside coursework.
Note: When there are courses or books that don't fit into the curriculum but are otherwise of high quality, they belong in extras/courses, extras/readings.
Communities
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Forums:
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Subreddits:
- Discord servers:
- Other:
- You can also interact through GitHub issues. If there is a problem with a course, or a change needs to be made to the curriculum, this is the place to start the conversation. Read more here.
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Join our Discord server (for discussions around this and other curricula):
Curriculum
- Foundations of Psychology
- Scientific Tools of Psychology
- Biological & Perceptual Systems
- Core Cognitive & Learning Systems
- Development & Motivation
- Personality & Measurement
- Social & Cultural Systems
- Mental Health & Applied Psychology
Note: Personality & Measurement is not required for a solid general understanding of the field.
Foundations of Psychology
What psychology is, where it came from, and how it thinks.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Psychology | OpenStax – Psychology 2e (free web/PDF) | Yale PSYC 110 (full lectures/videos) |
| History & Systems | Benjafield – A History of Psychology (free borrowable scan on Internet Archive) | Yale PSYC 110 (historical lectures) |
| Ethics in Psychology | APA Ethics Code + OpenStax Research Ethics | Noba Ethics Modules (includes ethics in research/science) |
Scientific Tools of Psychology
How psychologists generate and evaluate knowledge.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics for Psychology | Gravetter & Wallnau – Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (free borrowable scan) | Khan Academy Statistics (full free course) |
| Research Methods | Shaughnessy et al. – Research Methods in Psychology (free borrowable scan) | edX Introduction to Psychological Research Methods (free to audit) |
Biological & Perceptual Systems
How brains produce experience.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Psychology | OpenStax Psychology 2e (Neuroscience chapters) | Stanford Human Behavioral Biology (full Sapolsky lectures on YouTube) |
| Sensation & Perception | OpenStax Psychology 2e | MIT OCW Sensation & Perception (full course materials) |
Core Cognitive & Learning Systems
How minds process information and change.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Psychology | Noba – Cognitive Psychology Collection (browse modules) | Yale Cognition lectures (PSYC 110 subset) |
| Learning & Conditioning | Noba – Learning | MIT OCW Neural Basis of Learning and Memory (related full course) |
| Memory & Attention | Noba – Memory & Attention (related modules) | MIT OCW Cognitive Science |
Development & Motivation
How humans grow and what drives them.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental Psychology | OpenStax Psychology 2e (Lifespan) | Open University Introduction to Child Psychology (free course; extends to lifespan concepts) |
| Motivation & Emotion | Noba – Motivation & Emotion (related modules) | Yale PSYC 110 Emotion Lectures (e.g., Emotions Parts I/II) |
Personality & Measurement
How people differ and how we measure it.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Personality Psychology | Noba – Personality | YouTube: Personality Theory (APA-aligned) |
| Psychological Testing | Noba – Psychological Measurement | Open University Psychometrics |
Social & Cultural Systems
How humans influence each other.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Social Psychology | Noba – Social Psychology | Yale SOM Social Psychology |
| Cultural Psychology | Noba – Cultural Psychology | MIT OCW Culture & Cognition |
Mental Health & Applied Psychology
When systems break—and how we intervene.
| Subject | Book | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Abnormal Psychology | OpenStax Psychology 2e + Noba Abnormal | Yale Psychopathology |
| Health Psychology | OpenStax Psychology 2e | Stanford Health Psychology |