Psychology professors teach psychology concepts to students at different levels, with a doctorate required for college-level teaching. They cover a range of topics, including introductory psychology, research methods, and specialized areas such as abnormal and developmental psychology, as well as social psychology and its impact on social issues.
A psychology professor is a professionally skilled educator who specializes in instructing students in psychology concepts. If a psychology professor receives a bachelor’s degree, he or she can instruct high school students, while teaching psychology at the college level requires a doctorate. The range of psychological topics a professor teaches on will generally depend on the age range of his students and the specialization of the class.
One of the most common duties of a psychology professor is to teach students introductory psychology concepts. Many introductory psychology courses provide overviews of the seven major approaches to behavior: cognitive, behavioral, evolutionary, psychodynamic, sociocultural, biological, and humanistic theories. Teachers will usually also focus on scientific issues related to psychology, such as the functions of different areas of the brain and how they contribute to mental illness.
More advanced psychology classes may involve a psychology professor focusing on research methods used in psychological studies and experiments. He or she can teach students the history of famous psychological experiments and their effects on the study of behavior. A professor may also give lectures on topics involving research ethics, such as the importance of impartial observation and not causing psychological trauma to participants in the name of research. Research-based psychology courses also usually involve courses that involve how to properly determine statistics.
A psychology professor who teaches at a higher level may choose more specialized topics. A common specialty psychology class involves studying abnormal psychology. Abnormal psychology is a category that generally includes mental disorders such as personality disorders, depression and manic disorders, and drug or alcohol addiction.
Another common specialty psychology class that a teacher might teach is developmental psychology. This subset of psychology generally focuses on the different psychological issues that occur throughout the lifespan, from the early stages of development through adolescence, middle age, and the elderly dealing with mortality. Psychology professors who lecture on developmental psychology can also teach students about different parenting styles and how children learn most effectively at different stages of their development.
Psychology professors may also choose to focus their classes on psychology’s effect on different social issues. Social psychology classes often focus on different communication styles and which ones work most effectively. These classes can also address topics such as psychological issues of gender or race, how to discuss the origins and effects of discrimination, or research how different genders or races are portrayed in the media and how this possibly influences people’s perspectives.
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