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Investigate what shapes thoughts, emotions, and behavior in this two-week psychology course for high school students on UC San Diego’s campus.
Course Description
A memory can change as you try to recall it. A reward can shape a habit. Other people can influence a decision without giving a direct instruction. Psychology investigates how and why these effects happen.
In this course you will examine human behavior through the scientific methods psychologists use to study it. Compare experiments, observation, and correlational research, then investigate the brain and nervous system, learning, memory, motivation, and emotion. Build a model of the brain, explore classical conditioning, and design a memory game to see how psychological ideas can become activities you can test and explain.
Look at how people develop across the lifespan and compare perspectives on personality. Study mental health conditions through research on symptoms, potential causes, and approaches to treatment, while recognizing the difference between learning about psychology and diagnosing individuals. Explore social influence through advertising, beliefs, and relationships, and develop a short research-based presentation about a social-psychology example.
This two-week morning course for high school students takes place on UC San Diego’s campus in La Jolla, California. It offers a way to explore psychology as a research field while noticing how much there is to question about everyday behavior.
What You Will Do
• Compare observational, correlational, and experimental psychology research
• Build a brain model to explore biological influences on behavior
• Re-create a classical-conditioning example to investigate learning
• Design a memory game and examine how recall and attention work
• Compare theories of development, personality, motivation, and emotion
• Research a mental-health or social-influence topic and present your findings
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Distinguish common psychological research methods and their limitations
• Explain how biological, cognitive, developmental, and social factors shape behavior
• Discuss mental-health concepts using research evidence rather than personal assumptions
You’ll leave with psychology activity projects, your research presentation, and a certificate of completion.
Why Psychology Skills Matter
Psychology gives students tools for asking better questions about behavior. A memory activity can reveal how recall works, while a conditioning example shows how experience affects learning. Comparing research methods helps students separate an observation from evidence that supports a larger claim.
Understanding mental health and social influence also calls for care. Students practice discussing complex behavior without jumping to labels or explanations, and evaluate what studies can—and cannot—tell us. That combination of curiosity, evidence, and perspective taking supports future study in psychology, health, education, and the social sciences.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
If you wonder why people form habits, remember some details but forget others, respond differently to stress, or influence one another, this course gives you ways to investigate those questions. Expect research discussions, model-making, memory activities, and a presentation. The course studies psychological health and behavior academically; it is not a counseling or diagnostic experience.
Your Summer at UCSD
UC San Diego’s coastal campus in La Jolla brings together ocean views, landscaped grounds, and an active research university. The Pacific Ocean is nearby, and the setting connects academic exploration with Southern California’s beaches, culture, and creative energy.
Outside class, students can make new friends, take part in campus activities, and experience a different daily routine from home. Shared summer experiences offer room for fun, growing independence, and discovering what it feels like to spend time in a university community.
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive
UC San Diego