Defining psychology: video notes and objectives
Submit one page of bullet notes per half-hour Discovering Psychology unit and, separately, answer every learning objective question from the packet with the question restated and a page reference from the Zimbardo text for each answer.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 13, 2026
Two separate deliverables
The instruction is emphatic about separation, and that is the easiest mark to lose. One document is a single page of bullets outlining the content of each half-hour programme — an outline of what the video covered, capped at one page. The other is a set of answers to every learning objective question in the packet, with each question restated before its answer and a page reference from the Zimbardo text attached to each. Merging the two, or answering the objectives inside the bullet notes, produces a submission that does not match either requirement. The page references are not decoration either, and they are quick to collect as you go: they are how the marker confirms you used the text rather than only the video, and the assignment tells you the inside front and back covers map chapters to programmes, so finding them is quick rather than a search through the whole book.
The objectives themselves define what a complete answer looks like, and several are more specific than they first appear. Distinguishing micro, molecular and macro levels of analysis asks for three levels, not two, and each should carry an example of the kind of question asked at that level. Summarising the history of the major theoretical approaches wants a sequence with what each approach reacted against, not a list of names and dates. Describing seven current psychological perspectives means seven, and losing one costs a mark that nothing else recovers. Where the video and the text differ in emphasis, cite the text, because the page reference is the evidence the objective answers are graded against. The cover page is prescribed too, and it wants four specific items: your name, the date, the video numbers covered, and a number you can be reached on. None of it is difficult and all of it is checkable at a glance.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Define psychology as a discipline and state its scope.
- 02Distinguish micro, molecular and macro levels of analysis with an example of each.
- 03State the major goals of psychology and what psychologists actually do.
- 04Summarise the historical sequence of major theoretical approaches.
- 05Describe seven current psychological perspectives distinctly.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01One page of bullet notes outlining each half-hour programme's content.
- 02A separate document answering every learning objective question in the packet.
- 03Each question restated immediately before its answer.
- 04A page reference from the text attached to each answer.
- 05A cover page with your name, date, video numbers and a contact number.
Notes page, then objectives one by one
Bullet notes for the programme
A one-page outline of what the half-hour unit actually covered, in order.
Defining psychology and its goals
Objectives 1 and 3, with the discipline's scope and its describe, explain, predict and influence aims.
Levels of analysis
Micro, molecular and macro distinguished, each with a characteristic research question.
What psychologists do
Objective 4, with concrete examples of questions across subfields.
History of the major approaches
Objective 5 as a sequence in which each approach reacts to the previous one.
Seven current perspectives
Objective 6, with each perspective's core assumption stated.
Video, text, and where the answers actually live
Recommended databases
- Discovering Psychology (Annenberg Learner)
- Zimbardo, Johnson and Hamilton text
- OpenStax Psychology 2e
- Noba Project
- The learning objective packet
Search sequence
- 1.Use the inside covers of the text to map the programme number to its chapters.
- 2.Watch the programme once for structure and once taking bullet notes.
- 3.Answer each objective from the text first, recording page numbers as you go.
- 4.Check the historical sequence against an open textbook account to confirm ordering.
- 5.Count the perspectives you have described before submitting.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
1.2 History of Psychology - Psychology 2e
OpenStax · 2020
The historical sequence of major theoretical approaches and the current perspectives, for objectives five and six.
- 02
History of Psychology
Noba Project · 2024
The historical sequence of theoretical approaches, framed as reactions to one another.
- 03
Ch. 1 Introduction - Psychology 2e
OpenStax · 2020
Definition of psychology, its goals and what psychologists do, covering objectives one, three and four.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Merging the video notes and the objective answers into a single document.
- Exceeding one page for the bullet notes on a programme.
- Answering objectives without restating each question first.
- Omitting page references, which are the evidence the text was used.
- Listing fewer than seven current perspectives when seven are required.
- Leaving the video numbers or contact number off the cover page.
Submission checklist
- Bullet notes and objective answers are two separate documents.
- Each programme's notes fit on one page.
- Every objective question is restated before its answer.
- Every answer carries a page reference from the text.
- Three levels of analysis are distinguished, and seven perspectives are named.
- The cover page includes name, date, video numbers and a contact number.
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

Written by
Aaron Bishop
MA, Education
assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines
Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

Reviewed by
Dr. Nathan Cole
PhD, Rhetoric & Composition
Argumentation and thesis development
Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.