Free Psychology Classes

Internet Psychology Courses Online

Psychology classes let you study and understand the underlying emotions, thought processes, and brain functions of the human mind. The brain is a complex and mysterious biological device that has been the focus of studies by scholars, academics, philosophers, biologists, neurologists, and psychologists throughout the years. The term "psychology" originally referred to the study of the human mind through introspection and was a branch of philosophy. But since the 19th century, the science of philosophy has been about applying the scientific method and experimental data to solving the problems of the mind.

Such a complex field of study is going to have a wide-ranging number of courses and subjects attached to it. Below are just some of the free online college courses you can study online to learn what psychologists know and discuss. You can become familiar with the basic theories of psychology or explore more in-depth niche subjects within the wider field of psychology.

Introduction to Psychology is MIT's OpenCourseWare treatment of the subject of psychology on the basic level. You'll discuss some of the classic questions of psychology, such as "Nature versus Nurture" and free will. You'll explore questions of consciousness, the self, and society. Discuss human development, the full range of emotions, and how people perceive the world (and think about it). After this course, you'll have a grounding in the basic psychological theories.

Brain and Cognitive Sciences I is a survey of the human being's nervous system, including the molecular and cellular structure of the brain and the various functions of the brain organ. You'll cover subjects like the sensory systems, motor functions, and the development of the biology and chemistry of the brain through human maturity.

Brain and Cognitive Sciences II go a little further into the cognitive, neural, and behavioral perspectives of how the human mind works. Students of this free online college course will discuss cognitive development, reasoning, learning, decision making, memory, language, and visual perception.

Gender Psychology is a study of how ones gender affects a person's inner psychology. You'll look at legitimate differences in cognitive abilities, while at the same time studying the social construction of gender. This course surveys every factor which might affect the development of gender psychology, including political factors, economic forces, developmental influences, family traits, family upbringing, educational influences, and medical issues.

Social Psychology is a course designed to immerse students in a shared and consensual study environment. The subject of the study is the kind of group the students will form during this course, extrapolated to a wider society. The subject is the exchange of ideas, the process of collective scientific study, and what happens when you divide into small or large groups.

Evolutionary Psychology discusses the evolution of cognition over time. Emotions, sexuality, language, and social relations are all topics for discussion in this free online college course. Among the disciplines which might be interested in this class are those taking psychology, sociology, biology, and even physics.

Neuroscience and Behavior is a study of the neurology behind human brain functions and human psychology. Included in the topics for discussion are emotional displays, motivation, reward, sleep, dreaming, and centrally programmed behavior.

Whether you want to become a psychological counselor or a full psychiatrist, you can find classes which challenge and reward you for your study. The distance learning resources at the MIT online site lets you study modern psychology at home on your computer, so you'll be prepared for whatever psychology concerns or problems you face in life.