Intended to help instructors of introductory psychology courses, this publication contains lectures given at the 1980 meeting of the American Psychological Association in Montreal, Canada. There are five papers. The first paper examines the literature on learning and memory in terms of a model focusing on biological and cognitive constraints on those processes. The second paper is a treatment of recent research in language development and cognition. In the third paper, the author discusses four traditions in the field of personality that he feels are important to cover in the introductory course: the measurement of intelligence, the measurement of traits and types, underlying psychodynamic motives, and a comparison of behavioral and humanistic approaches. He suggests teaching these traditions by applying each to an analysis of the same case material, thus illustrating the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The fourth paper surveys recent developments in clinical intervention with the individual client, stressing problem-focused treatment methods. This review spans the gamut of therapeutic techniques from psychodynamic methods to systematic desensitization to assertiveness training. The final paper is entitled "The Return of Consciousness." The author traces the course of consciousness from the days of William James and E.B. Titchener through the time of radical behaviorism to the present. (Author/RM)