Chevron Left
Back to Introduction to Psychology

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Psychology by Yale University

4.9
stars
29,654 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

BB

Sep 26, 2024

Professor Bloom has quite engaging style of teaching and the animations in this course provided nice visual reference.Overall, it's a nice course if you want to learn basic introduction of psychology.

FJ

Sep 26, 2019

I absolutely enjoyed taking this course! Professor Bloom did an incredible job explaining the course material and providing additional reading materials to further my knowledge throughout this course.

Filter by:

5851 - 5875 of 6,482 Reviews for Introduction to Psychology

By De'Chon F

Jul 31, 2019

I

By Jean-Marc M

Apr 24, 2019

g

By 이은솔

Mar 3, 2019

p

By Lisa V

Jan 19, 2022

An interesting and engaging overview of introductory psychology. I took intro psych in college years ago and thought this course would be a good review and would update my knowledge. I was surprised to find that very little was review; most of it was new to me!

I realize the course is not current. Professor Bloom has apparently since retired, though it looks like someone is curating it because some of the readings mention very recent studies.

Since it won't be updated by Professor Bloom, suggesting improvements seems pointless. I do wish it had been a full semester-long course, or at least followed by a second half with many topics getting more in-depth coverage. I would have liked more on intelligence, for example. Also, the information on autism was outdated, since Asperger's is no longer in the DSM. Now that's part of autism spectrum disorder. In one video, he shows a video of Harlow's experiment with wire and cloth monkey "mothers," never names Harlow as the experimenter, and then refers by name to Harlow in a subsequent lecture. Had I not known this from my own college course, I would have found it confusing.

In the final video, he says he's provided a list of further readings. I can't find the list anywhere. Presumably it was there when the course originally ran. Please restore it.

Last thing: The discussion forums are pretty bleak. I realize this is because people aren't taking the course as a cohort, so you really can't get into a discussion. People just aren't there. The other problem is that it's littered with posts by people wanting to form study groups elsewhere, like on WhatsApp. It would be nice to have a separate forum just for these posts so the weekly forums only have questions and posts related to the course material.

By April G

Feb 9, 2023

An overall great course with lots of useful information. I felt the section on DID was lacking and perpetuated the negative stigma and stereotypes surrounding the disorder, and was disappointed that Yale was partaking in continuing that trend in 2023, however, the course is a couple of years old and for that, I was less inclined to abandon it. Otherwise, the information was easy enough to understand, and what little couldn't be immediately ascertained was defined for me usually at the end of the reading portions. The reading portions were marked as 10 minutes each, which is just wildly inaccurate. They were 40 minutes at minimum for me, and I'm sure others with faster reading skills could get it done in half the time, but it is still certainly not ten minutes worth. They have captions on every video, I wasn't aware of that in the first 2 weeks of the course, but after that, I realized where the subtitles button was (the [...] in the bottom right corner). That was mostly my own fault, though, I hadn't taken the time to hover over the buttons or interact before so I wouldn't have known.

By Sugeeta R C

Oct 4, 2020

Had an encouraging first-time experience of this sort of an online course. Prof Bloom is an engaging teacher. Loved the bite-sized video lecture chunks -- it allows one to learn and absorb well, at one's own pace. Some of the readings were wonderful -- especially those that had interesting video resources appended. It would help to have greater interconnection between lectures and readings although it wasn't bad. Core/compulsory readings could be separated from Optional readings (for those of us interested in exploring a topic/sub-topic more). The availability of textual material in terms of video transcript and readings was very useful. Paid students should get a more fleshed out certificate, which includes a clear statement on their performance & grades. The graded quiz should not be a charade with multiple chances of retaking it -- it makes a mockery of testing one's knowledge. Non-MCQ assignments could be incorporated for the more diligent learner.

By Faisal P

Feb 6, 2021

This is high quality content. A very comprehensive overview of the whole field of psychology is presented in the lectures. The lectures themselves are quite engaging both in terms of Professor Bloom's presentation and how the video animation is designed. Having given a few powerpoint presentations I can only imagine that a good amount of thought must have gone into syncing up the content with the animation as the Prof. talks about each topic.

The reading links are also a goldmine. I've officially completed the course and done the required reading assigned. But I will be going back to look at a lot more of the extra reading material and links given with each video and the books that the prof. mentions during several of his lectures.

I really enjoyed the modules on development and language. Personality and mental illness were of course interesting too. Honestly, psychology is a fascinating field and this course does justice as an intro for beginners.

By Dariga

Aug 15, 2024

Pros 1. Everything is clearly and understandeably given! 2. Animation is entertaining, helping to focus! 3. Short length of lectures allows to finish fastly and take a break. 4. Division for 2-3 themes in the modules are really helpful! Allows to focus on them easier. 5. Material is interesting, i still remember most of them. i took notes even in the 3 minute videos. Cons 1. Needless theory like behaviorism, lateralism, dualism and so on. Too many time is paid for them. 2. Actually a lot of hypothesis and few facts. So what affects children behaviour mostly? How does information master changes over years? Children are better or worse in it? Why are we different? 3. The last topics aren't covered properly. This video could be merely named "End of the course." and nothing would change. Nevertheless, i am fully satisfied! I love this course. It gave me the solid base and now i can master more specific skilld in Psychology. Thank you!

By Jorge L M M

Jun 18, 2020

Soy principiante y en lo particular fue una decisión excelente al haberme decidido a tomar este curso; ya tenia varios años buscando este tipo de conocimientos y ahora me topo con este curso que me pareció excelente; lo único que si no fue de mi agrado fueron los videos en ingles y los cuestionarios, debido al tiempo me fue dificil traducirlos, es por eso que se me hizo un poco aburrido en ese aspecto. El profesor, los tiempos, el temario, la información y todo lo demás relacionado al curso estuvo excelente:

No soy Psicólogo pero siempre me ha interesado el tema del porque existen muchas personas con pensamientos diferentes, que inclusive llegan a matar, violar, mutilar (asesinos seriales, etc.) y/o con trastornos del cerebro que los imposibilita para llevar una vida saludable. Este curso me ayudo mucho a comprender el tema en cuestión. Gracias y excelente tarde

By Deleted A

May 28, 2022

Education is a fundamental right and one that can not and, moreso, should not be denied.

As an early supporter of OCW, Yale has tremendous respect in my eyes. Some of the lectures that I stumbled upon many, many (blue cheese, inside joke :P) moons ago on the Yale OCW platform changed my life entirely, providing me with at least an inkling of light in moments of utter confusion in my development as a person. Notably, the course on Black History and the poetics/music classes added immense perspective to my understanding of history and who/what we as humans are (as I watched them over and over again, haha). The lessons learned in those classes still help me in elucidating and dealing with the difficult positions that life throws at me!

Wow, what a feeling it must be to graduate from a school such as Yale!

By Fatima L

Jun 2, 2021

There is no good learning model (multidimensional instead of linear) that underlies the lectures, particularly at Week 4, 5 and 6. Such a model, I believe, would've strengthened the aspect of critical learning in the course. Without such a model, the lectures resembled propaganda. I would probably be more comfortable if I could ask questions directly to Dr Bloom (as in a face-to-face class).

There were numerous negative reviews regarding the animation (and the sound effects). I actually enjoyed the animation and sound, which reinforced learning (until I got to week 4-6 hahaha), but the real difficulty became apparent when I listened to the lecture whilst reading the transcript. Without seeing the animation, the sound effects made no sense, becoming instead rather disturbing startling noises.

By YOGESH K

Apr 23, 2021

Dear Sir,

I hope you and your family is safe and healthy, in this pandemic all are fighting for surviving.In these circumstances, Coursera is really creating a history with the collaborations of one of the best universities Yale not even in the online services but in Stock Market also. Professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller had already done a great job and planting the futures of so many students and teachers. I'd also successfully completed a Online course "Introduction to Psychology",at the time of joining it was free but after the completion of this courses, Courseera asking for Fee, Its not fair.I'd invested my time and they want to invest my money too.I hope you will do something is this, and Issue my Completion Certificate.

Thank You Yale and Course Era

By Konstantin C

Oct 21, 2022

Nice course in psycology, but as for me, it's not intensive enough. One often has to hear some school information about brain, evolution etc. Of course lecturer does not pretend to teach a dense course for the professionals, but I think, school information should be left for school, or should be separated as reading. Or should be more intense providing new level of knoledge. Nevertheless Week 2 is marvellous because it contains examples of many experiments concerning development. It is very convincing. The reason is obvious -- it's professor's topic. Week 5 is interesting, especially part about parenthood. Although no rigorous experiment designs are provided. Quizes are mostly simple, but sometimes disappointing. For some questions I see no reasonable answer.

By William L

Jul 24, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed this course! It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The lessons were well organized and provided a variety of ways to absorb the information, (readings, lectures, reference materials etc. I have always been fascinated with Psychology and I am so glad I had the opportunity to experience this online course with Yale. I do wish there were more lessons and exams, as well as the ability to "fill in the blanks", short essays, etc. rather than multiple choice across the board. I would gladly pay for the additional testing so it would feel more satisfying when I receive my graded exams. Although, the questions were challenging and I did need to retake some of the exams. Thanks for a great experience and I am looking forward to many more.

By Farah

Apr 3, 2021

Overall, I learnt a lot and have been deeply interested in Sigmund Freud's theory. In fact, if he was to live today, I would be signing up for his classes. It's hard to find a psychology class that teaches Sigmund Freud's theory. There are a lot of statements by the lecturer of this course that I am a bit disagreed with and there are things that I agreed with. I hope one day there will a platform available for students to interact with the lecturer to discuss the materials. I felt like the course is too short and I only learnt a little. The course is a bit biased on the materialism concept. The dualism concept hasn't been spoken much. It seems like this course is filtering the whole psychology field towards with materialism concept. It's a bit okay.

By Janita A

Aug 25, 2021

I am glad that I took this course. I believe I have some understanding of how the brain works at times. To be able to deal with some issues of behaviour should they arise. To be able to work on some personality traits and how I can make myself happier each day. Thank you for allowing me to do this at my pace. To get more out of it, I will review the topics to better grasp the skills taught. I was hoping that there would have been an instructor in the chat to guide us along. Not sure I that happened because I did not join the discussions regularly. However, I was able to get a grasp by reading and watching the videos several times. Thanks a lot for the encouragement each week. I will try to put what I have learnt into practice.

By Katharine B

Jul 5, 2020

Dr. Paul Bloom, a psychology professor at Yale University, engaged me throughout this online course. His real-world examples furthered my understanding of the material, and each video felt like a live lecture. In the future, I think Coursera should explore other ways of communicating--such as discussion boards and more interactive activities--but I completely understand that this is hard to accomplish given the thousands of students enrolled in each course. After enrolling in this six-week psychology class, I can confirm that I now have a better idea of the psychological field. I will most likely pursue it in the future!

By Kirina T

Aug 3, 2020

I really enjoyed this course overall. In fact, the only reason I rated 4 and not 5 was because the animation and unnecessary sound effects at times detracted from the lecture and were a little bit annoying. However, in some instances, the animation was helpful. Most importantly, the content was great. I took this course as a refresher and discovered some areas in psychology that I would like to delve into more deeply. The supplemental videos and articles are perfect for further learning and research. I found the review quizzes to be easy and I think I would have enjoyed additional tasks or assignments.

By Ramez H

Jun 22, 2020

The course in very interesting and touches the ground of most of the psychology aspect with a brief and to the point style with straight to the point ideas and thoughts that get the subject well grasbed. the only issue that i would give this course 4 stars is Dr. Paul Bloom. Although he is extremely knowledgeable and very intresting instructor but consistently incepting some of his own personal opinion and sometimes radical beliefs such as his beliefs of evolution theory, some covert hints about atheism into the content. Aside to such issue, i found the course to be extremely good and very helpful.

By SAKHSHAM S

Oct 24, 2024

To be genuine, it was a nice breif introduction about the PsycologyTo be genuine, it was a nice breif introduction about the Psycology, but to truly grasp its depth requires a much longer journey. It's a fascinating field, exploring the complexities of the human mind, from the mundane to the extraordinary. There's so much more to uncover, so many intriguing avenues of research, from the intricacies of memory and perception to the profound impact of social interactions and cultural influences. It's a subject that constantly evolves, revealing new insights into what makes us tick.

By Bames P

Aug 21, 2022

I learned many things about psychology and I intend to take more courses related to that field. The lessons were clearly discussed. The reading materials were very informative and i appreciate having the transcripts of the videos readily available as I sometimes am unable to follow the video (I am from an era when notetaking was the most important thing and i just had to write things down so it is easier to read the transcripts when I miss anything on the videos.)

I would like to thank Prof. Bloom for all his hardwork. His voice reminds me of very calm waters.

By Craig C

Nov 16, 2020

I really like the way he talks about complex subjects and makes ways for us to understand it, or at least begin to :)

He has made a wonderful foundation on which to build, and covered many very interesting facets of psychology.

There are some very challenging and contentious points. I guess this makes it motivating for us to pursue our study and continue to learn more, and perhaps one day even refute some of them.

I really appreciate the effort it would have taken, and the fact it was made free. Thank you, Dr Paul and the team who made this wonderful course.

By DURU A

Aug 22, 2024

I'd give it a five stars if almost the whole course wasn't animated. It adds character but for me it just made it seem boring, I'd prefer if Professor Bloom recorded all of the lectures in the backyard of Yale haha. But overall this course taught me a lot about the human mind and made me question a lot of things. Especially the childrens' development part of the course was extremely interesting to me because I never thought about how mysterious the child mind actually is. I thank Professor Bloom a lot for this course, overall it was an amazing experience.

By Julia R

May 2, 2020

This was a fantastic course. I've always been drawn to psychology, but never pursued it as a career choice. Taking this course has really got me excited about the possibility of diving deeper into the profession. I am also a visual learner, so appreciated the silly animations with each video and that I could follow along with the script of each video. It's also kind of fun that I can say I took a course at Yale, lol. Thank you for offering this online and for free. It was a great and I hope to take some more psychology courses from here.

By Caleb O

Oct 4, 2020

The course gives a great overview of western psychological principles and practices with engaging videos and a plethora of learning resources to choose from. The pedagogy is easy to understand and the assessments are increasingly relevant and challenging.

For the intellectually curious there is a great deal of material to explore. I would have loved to learn about eastern psychological principles and practices and their integration into modern psychological practices, but maybe for an intro psych course, that is simply asking too much.