The APA encourages introductory psychology instructors to teach the foundations of psychology and to choose at least one topic to cover in depth within each of the five domains of biological psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, social and personality psychology, and mental and physical health (see “Strengthening Introductory Psychology: A New Model for Teaching the Introductory Course” and “Strengthening the Common Core of the Introductory Psychology Course“). As this introductory course is large and comprehensive, we do NOT recommend teaching all 16 modules in one semester.
Some of the smaller modules that could potentially be combined with other modules include:
- Module 4: State of Consciousness
- Module 6: Thinking and Intelligence
- Module 7: Memory
- Module 16: Stress, Lifestyle, and Health
The largest modules, which may take even more than one week, include:
- Module 9: Lifespan Development
- Module 10: Social Psychology
- Module 14: Psychological Disorders
The order of the modules may also be rearranged to suit personal preferences. Some like to teach Personality next to Psychological Foundations at the beginning of the course, then jump into Psychological Research and Social Psychology. You can adjust the order of the modules inside your LMS.
The five pillars, or domains, of psychology. The APA recommends picking one or two modules within each pillar to spend more time going in-depth with the content. Image adapted from Gurung, R. A., Hackathorn, J., Enns, C., Frantz, S., Cacioppo, J. T., Loop, T., & Freeman, J. E. (2016) article “Strengthening introductory psychology: A new model for teaching the introductory course” from American Psychologist.
- Psychological Foundations and Research Methods
- Module 1: Psychological Foundations
- Module 2: Psychological Research
- Domain 1: Biological Psychology
- Module 3: Biopsychology
- Module 4: State of Consciousness
- Domain 2: Cognitive Psychology
- Module 5: Sensation and Perception
- Module 6: Thinking and Intelligence
- Module 7: Memory
- Domain 3: Developmental Psychology
- Module 8: Learning
- Module 9: Lifespan Development
- Domain 4: Social and Personality Psychology
- Module 10: Social Psychology
- Module 11: Personality
- Module 12: Emotion and Motivation
- Module 13: Industrial-Organizational Psychology
- Domain 5: Mental and Physical Health
- Module 14: Psychological Disorders
- Module 15: Therapy and Treatment
- Module 16: Stress, Lifestyle, and Health
Pacing Examples
Below is a reference table for potential module organization in courses of various lengths.
| Course Length | 16 Weeks | 14 Weeks | 12 Weeks | 12-14 Weeks | 8 Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | All modules covered (not recommended) | Possibly includes all modules, or combines select modules from cognitive psychology and social/personality psychology | Excludes states of consciousness and select modules from cognitive psychology and social/personality psychology | Devote 2 weeks to each of the main psychological domains | Focuses on 1 or 2 modules in each domain |
| Week 1 | Psychological Foundations | Psychological Foundations | Psychological Foundations | Psychological Foundations | Psychological Foundations AND Psychological Research |
| Week 2 | Psychological Research | Psychological Research | Psychological Research | Psychological Research | Biopsychology |
| Week 3 | Biopsychology | Biopsychology | Biopsychology | Domain 1: Biological Psychology | Sensation and Perception OR Thinking and Intelligence OR Memory |
| Week 4 | State of Consciousness | State of Consciousness | Sensation and Perception | Domain 1: Biological Psychology | Learning |
| Week 5 | Sensation and Perception | Sensation and Perception | Thinking and Intelligence OR Memory | Domain 2: Cognitive Psychology | Lifespan Development |
| Week 6 | Thinking and Intelligence | Thinking and Intelligence AND/OR Memory | Learning | Domain 2: Cognitive Psychology | Social Psychology |
| Week 7 | Memory | Learning | Lifespan Development | Domain 3: Developmental Psychology | Psychological Disorders |
| Week 8 | Learning | Lifespan Development | Social Psychology | Domain 3: Developmental Psychology | Therapy and Treatment |
| Week 9 | Lifespan Development | Social Psychology | Personality OR Emotion and Motivation OR Industrial-Organizational Psychology | Domain 4: Social and Personality Psychology | |
| Week 10 | Social Psychology | Personality | Psychological Disorders | Domain 4: Social and Personality Psychology | |
| Week 11 | Personality | Emotion and Motivation AND/OR Industrial-Organizational Psychology | Therapy and Treatment | Domain 5: Mental and Physical Health | |
| Week 12 | Emotion and Motivation | Psychological Disorders | Stress, Lifestyle, and Health | Domain 5: Mental and Physical Health | |
| Week 13 | Industrial-Organizational Psychology | Therapy and Treatment | |||
| Week 14 | Psychological Disorders | Stress, Lifestyle, and Health | |||
| Week 15 | Therapy and Treatment | ||||
| Week 16 | Stress, Lifestyle, and Health |
