Lec 1: Introduction to the Science of Human Behavior - I
NPTEL IIT Guwahati
Introduction to Human Behaviour
Welcome to the new lecture series of MOOCs on Human Behaviour. In this course, we will focus on
studying human behaviour and understanding the need to do so. Studying humans is difficult because
they do not follow predictive paths like atoms, molecules or planets. However, by observing and
studying human behaviour, we can make predictions about how someone would react in a certain
situation. This probabilistic science is known as psychology, which is the core of this course.
The Power of Understanding Human Behaviour
Understanding human beings is a great power. It helps us understand why humans do what they do,
when they do it, and what the outcomes of their actions are. In this course, we will study the methods,
techniques, and problems that help us understand ourselves better.
The Nature of Psychology
Psychology is the science of human behaviour. It is a field that can help us solve problems by studying
how people behave in certain situations. Psychology can be applied to different areas, including
education. For example, in the early 20th century, a pizza chain offered schoolteachers tokens to give to
students who performed well in their exams. The tokens could be exchanged for discounts and pizzas.
This external stimulus motivated students to study harder and perform better. However, when the pizza
offer was stopped, the performance of the students decreased. This example shows that an external
reward can make people perform better on certain tasks.
The Role of Rewards in Performance
A study was conducted where two groups of children were given puzzles and mathematical tasks to play
with. One group was given a reward for playing, while the other was not. It was found that the children
who were given a reward to perform better had a sharp decrease in their performance when the reward
was withdrawn. On the other hand, the children who were not given any reward and played on their
own performed at an optimal level. When the reward was later given back, the performance of the non-
rewarded children increased significantly. This shows that rewards can increase performance, but they
should not be the sole motivation for doing a task. People should be motivated by the task itself, not
just the reward they will receive for doing it.
Psychology: The Study of Human Behavior
Psychology is a powerful tool that can make you do something you never wanted to do by associating it
with something you never liked. It is the study of human behavior and encompasses various fields such
as perception, sensation, consciousness, memory, learning, social influences, personality, and
NPTEL IIT Guwahati
Introduction to Human Behaviour
Welcome to the new lecture series of MOOCs on Human Behaviour. In this course, we will focus on
studying human behaviour and understanding the need to do so. Studying humans is difficult because
they do not follow predictive paths like atoms, molecules or planets. However, by observing and
studying human behaviour, we can make predictions about how someone would react in a certain
situation. This probabilistic science is known as psychology, which is the core of this course.
The Power of Understanding Human Behaviour
Understanding human beings is a great power. It helps us understand why humans do what they do,
when they do it, and what the outcomes of their actions are. In this course, we will study the methods,
techniques, and problems that help us understand ourselves better.
The Nature of Psychology
Psychology is the science of human behaviour. It is a field that can help us solve problems by studying
how people behave in certain situations. Psychology can be applied to different areas, including
education. For example, in the early 20th century, a pizza chain offered schoolteachers tokens to give to
students who performed well in their exams. The tokens could be exchanged for discounts and pizzas.
This external stimulus motivated students to study harder and perform better. However, when the pizza
offer was stopped, the performance of the students decreased. This example shows that an external
reward can make people perform better on certain tasks.
The Role of Rewards in Performance
A study was conducted where two groups of children were given puzzles and mathematical tasks to play
with. One group was given a reward for playing, while the other was not. It was found that the children
who were given a reward to perform better had a sharp decrease in their performance when the reward
was withdrawn. On the other hand, the children who were not given any reward and played on their
own performed at an optimal level. When the reward was later given back, the performance of the non-
rewarded children increased significantly. This shows that rewards can increase performance, but they
should not be the sole motivation for doing a task. People should be motivated by the task itself, not
just the reward they will receive for doing it.
Psychology: The Study of Human Behavior
Psychology is a powerful tool that can make you do something you never wanted to do by associating it
with something you never liked. It is the study of human behavior and encompasses various fields such
as perception, sensation, consciousness, memory, learning, social influences, personality, and
