Foundations of Psychology
- Grades 7-11
- CTY-Level
-
Residential
- History and Social Science
Psychology, the science of behavior and mental processes, systematically explores phenomena as diverse as phantom limbs, sleep paralysis, false memories, and the bystander effect. This course explores major content domains in modern psychology, from the biological to the behavioral. You and your classmates will learn what constitutes an effective research design and analyze primitive and modern theories, and examine important topics in the field, including sensation and perception, social psychology, learning, memory, personality, and abnormal psychology. Each topic enables you to evaluate human thought and action through a different lens, continually demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of psychology. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to pose incisive questions and express sophisticated hypotheses around your own theories of human behavior.
Typical Class Size: 16-18
This course is
ungraded.
Summer Dates & Locations
After May 2, 2025, registration is available upon request pending eligibility and seat availability. To request placement, email [email protected] after submitting a program application.
Session One
Session Two
Testing and Prerequisites
| Math | Verbal | |
|---|---|---|
| Required Level | Not required | CTY-Level |
Students must achieve qualifying scores on an advanced assessment to be eligible for CTY programs. If you don’t have qualifying scores, you have several different testing options. We’ll help you find the right option for your situation.
Sign up for Testing Learn MoreCost and Financial Aid
Tuition
- Varies
Application fee
- Nonrefundable Application Fee - $55 (Waived for financial aid applicants)
- Nonrefundable International Fee - $250 (outside US only)
We have concluded our financial aid application review process for 2025 On-Campus Programs. We encourage those who may need assistance in the future to apply for aid as early as possible. We are committed to serving all talented youth regardless of financial circumstances. Financial assistance is available based on need.
Course Materials
Students should bring basic school supplies like pens, notebooks, and folders to their summer program. You will be notified of any additional items needed before the course begins. All other materials will be provided by CTY.
Sample Reading
These titles have been featured in past sessions of the course, and may be included this summer. CTY provides students with all texts; no purchase is required.
- Exploring Psychology, David Myers
- Forty Studies That Changed Psychology, Roger Hock
About History and Social Science at CTY
Enhance your critical thinking skills
Expand your ability to reason through difficult problems by taking one of our philosophy or logic classes. Learn how to craft strong and clear arguments in Big Questions, or explore the techniques of logic that lawyers, doctors, and mathematicians utilize to be successful in their fields in Logic: Principles of Reasoning.
Explore social justice in action
Develop knowledge and skills that will help you address issues of systemic inequality throughout the world. Engage the historical and legal challenges different populations face in Great Cases and Laws and Orders.
Meet our instructors and staff
Being in a fast-paced environment where I can be my dorky self and teach and learn from the students I work with, are a couple of reasons why I am drawn to CTY and keep coming back.
Angel Huerta
Resident Assistant
CTY students have a contagious energy combined with a thirst for knowledge that I look forward to each summer. They remind me of why I became a teacher.
Antonia Richards
Chemistry Instructor
The students are so bright, interesting, and often willing to try some of the most silly and unique activities that the RAs create.
Rebecca Somer
Resident Assistant