Program overview
Basic psychology is the "hardcore" branch of psychology, focusing on the fundamental laws of human mental activity—like how you remember things, why certain images catch your eye, and how the brain controls emotions. Core courses include cognitive psychology, experimental psychology, psychological statistics and measurement, physiological psychology, and developmental psychology. You'll learn how to design experiments, analyze data, and even operate EEG or eye-tracking devices to observe brain responses. This major is perfect for students who are curious about "why people think and act the way they do" and enjoy using scientific methods to find answers. If you have a solid foundation in math and biology, or an interest in programming (e.g., using Python for data processing), you'll find it easier. Chinese universities are strong in this field—for example, Beijing Normal University's cognitive neuroscience program, the Institute of Psychology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Brain and Cognition Lab, and Peking University's developmental psychology program all boast top-notch facilities and international collaborations. Many labs welcome international students, offering opportunities for cross-cultural comparative research, such as the neural basis of differences in thinking styles between East and West.