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Introduction to Psychology


Module name (EN):
Name of module in study programme. It should be precise and clear.
Introduction to Psychology
Degree programme:
Study Programme with validity of corresponding study regulations containing this module.
Business Psychology, Bachelor, regulation 01.10.2026
Module code: BWP-101
SAP-Submodule-No.:
The exam administration creates a SAP-Submodule-No for every exam type in every module. The SAP-Submodule-No is equal for the same module in different study programs.
P470-0001
Hours per semester week / Teaching method:
The count of hours per week is a combination of lecture (V for German Vorlesung), exercise (U for Übung), practice (P) oder project (PA). For example a course of the form 2V+2U has 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of exercise per week.
4V (4 hours per week)
ECTS credits:
European Credit Transfer System. Points for successful completion of a course. Each ECTS point represents a workload of 30 hours.
5
Semester: 1
Mandatory course: yes
Language of instruction:
German
Assessment:
Written exam

[updated 09.11.2026]
Applicability / Curricular relevance:
All study programs (with year of the version of study regulations) containing the course.

BWP-101 (P470-0001) Business Psychology, Bachelor, regulation 01.10.2026 , semester 1, mandatory course
Workload:
Workload of student for successfully completing the course. Each ECTS credit represents 30 working hours. These are the combined effort of face-to-face time, post-processing the subject of the lecture, exercises and preparation for the exam.

The total workload is distributed on the semester (01.04.-30.09. during the summer term, 01.10.-31.03. during the winter term).
60 class hours (= 45 clock hours) over a 15-week period.
The total student study time is 150 hours (equivalent to 5 ECTS credits).
There are therefore 105 hours available for class preparation and follow-up work and exam preparation.
Recommended prerequisites (modules):
None.
Recommended as prerequisite for:
Module coordinator:
Studienleitung
Lecturer:
Kristin Altmeyer, M.Sc.


[updated 18.09.2026]
Learning outcomes:
After successfully completing this module, students will be able to:
- put the intellectual history and major trends of the discipline in their historical context
- explain the fundamental scientific principles and critically reflect on their assumptions
- distinguish this field from other disciplines
- systematize the core theoretical and applied subjects of psychology
- distinguish between scientific and non-scientific approaches
- critically evaluate the possibilities and limitations of psychological inquiry
- critically examine psychological statements and research findings and evaluate them based on evidence
- reflect on their own view of human nature and on ethical issues in psychological research and practice
- describe fundamental psychological processes and individual differences and use them to explain human experience and behavior
- analyze current developments and challenges in psychology and critically assess their significance

[updated 09.11.2026]
Module content:
1. Psychology as a discipline and a field of study
- The subject matter and objectives of psychology; the relationship between psychology and related disciplines (e.g., business administration, sociology)
- History and major schools of thought in psychology (behaviorism, humanism, cognitive psychology, biological psychology)
- Modern psychology (biopsychosocial approach)
- Subfields of psychology (general psychology, differential psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, biological psychology, methodology courses, applied courses)
- Fields of psychology
- Major debates (nature vs. nurture, the mind-body debate, neuroscience vs. psychology)
- Challenges in contemporary psychology (e.g., publication bias, the theory-practice gap, the replication crisis, open science, the WEIRD problem)
2. Scientific approach
- The difference between naive psychology and scientific psychology
- Scientific approach and critical thinking
- What makes studying humans as a subject of research so special
- Ethical responsibility in psychological research and practice
3. Theory und research
- Theories and scientific models
- The criteria for a good theory
- Epistemology, Positivism, Principle of Falsification (Popper)
- From research question to hypothesis
- Induction and deduction
- Descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory research
- Causality and the nature of psychological explanations
4. Operationalization and measurement
- Psychological characteristics and their operationalization
- Fundamentals of psychological measurement
- Scale niveaus
- Quality criteria: objectivity, reliability, and validity
5. Data collection and the psychological experiment
- Methods of psychological data collection: surveys, observation, quasi-experiments, experiments
- Characteristics of an experiment
- Variables (IV/DV)
- Control groups
- Randomization
- Internal and external validity
6. An overview of key psychological processes and individual differences
- Perception and information processing
- Learning and memory
- Motivation and emotion
- Personality and individual differences
- Development across a lifetime
7. Psychology in a changing world
- Digitalization and digital living and working environments
- Artificial intelligence and psychology, human-AI interaction
- Big Data and data-driven insight generation
- Evidence-based practice and decision-making
- Ethical challenges (for example: bias, data protection, fairness)
- The future of psychological professions

[updated 09.11.2026]
Recommended or required reading:
Bak, P. M. (2025). Psychologie als Wissenschaft. Springer.
Lück, H. E., & Guski-Leinwand, S. (2014). Geschichte der Psychologie: Strömungen, Schulen, Entwicklungen (7. Aufl.). Kohlhammer.
Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2023). Psychologie (4. Aufl.). Springer.


[updated 09.11.2026]
 
[Sun Nov 15 00:34:48 CET 2026, CKEY=weidpa, BKEY=wpsy, CID=BWP-101, LANGUAGE=en, DATE=15.11.2026]