Russell Tannor Nketiah

Psychology of Human Development and Learning Russell Tannor Nketiah

Hello! Dear learner, you are warmly welcome to an introductory book in psychology. Do you find it interesting when you observe, question and analyse the behaviour of people around you? What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'psychology'? Does it refers to being able to use 'tricks' to outwit someone for information or something the person is not willing to give out voluntarily? Or does it refers to the science of trying to understand what influences one's behaviour, learning and performance? Or does the word focus your attention on a competent person listening to someone's problem or providing advice to people? Although these are common features of psychology, they provide only a narrow perspective of what psychology is all about. Each, however stresses a salient point of the subject you are about to be introduced to. You are therefore going to be at peace with yourself and find this topic very interesting and useful. Topic Objectives: By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:1. define and outline the scope of psychology;2. mention the goals of psychology;3. explain the various branches of psychology;4. argue that psychology is a social science;5. describe at least two phenomenal milestones in the development of psychology;6. highlight the steps and methods that can be used in scientific inquiry; and7. discuss at least four relevance of psychology to the classroom teacher.