Start of the term at the Children’s University

This time, the Children’s University mascot took it upon himself to introduce the lecture’s special topic: ‘Thinking, Feeling, Acting: How we can better understand our behaviour.’ Psychology was the focus on 23 September in the main lecture theatre at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences – with a record-breaking attendance of 152 children. Around a hundred parents, grandparents and younger siblings watched the live broadcast in the neighbouring lecture theatre.

The frog soon turned out to be a real human expert: Professor Alexander Zill, head of the Psychology department at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. But who knows: you form your first – perhaps mistaken – impression in a matter of milliseconds, and yet it often lingers for a long time. This is also one of the many phenomena that psychology explores under the heading: ‘Perception and Action’. Even children are well aware of this problem, for example when someone new joins the class.

The children also immediately understood the concept of ‘seeking pleasure/avoiding displeasure’. Both of these, like ‘attachment’ for example, are fundamental psychological needs, and eating spinach and doing homework were unanimously identified as examples of these. On this journey through the fields of psychology, there were many other stops along the way, such as ‘emotions’ and the question of how we recognise how we or others are feeling.

On a completely different note, but enjoyment and emotions are likely to play a part in the next Children’s University on 4 November too: Virtual Adventures: Discovering Computer Science Through Play. The children will learn how the worlds and heroes of their computer games are created and what makes a good, exciting game. Any child with a curiosity about science can take part in the Children’s University. (Grand)parents are also invited to watch the lecture from the neighbouring lecture theatre.