Psychology 101: The TextVook
Contents:
The concepts in each chapter are explained in a way which is easier for students to understand. In this area, the book is very accurate. The content does not differ from introductory concepts in psychology. In this area, the book is very relevant and will have longevity. The way the text is written, new information can be added with ease. Through the short chapters, there is room to expand the chapters and display the relevance of each chapter to daily life. Through the use of shorter chapters, concepts can be easily explained. Class discussions can easily be formed.
The chapters are broken down in a fashion which are easy to read and create lectures. One chapter is broken down into elements which connect to one another. There aren't any gaps in the information that is being presented. The textbook meets this element very well.
The images were accurate and pertained to the chapters. The textbook incorporated various elements of cultural relevance. The examples provided enhanced the chapters. The book covers in great detail all of the chapters that would appear in a typical introduction to psychology textbook, with the exception of a chapter on stress and coping. The book starts with an introductory chapter that includes the The book starts with an introductory chapter that includes the definition of psychology, as well as an interestingly-written history of psychology.
The remaining 12 chapters cover psychology in the same order I do in my course — from the level of the cell Brains, Bodies, and Behavior to the social world Psychology in Our Social Lives. So, with the exception of a chapter on stress and coping which I cover in my course the breadth of coverage is excellent, with all of the typical and expected chapters. But the depth of coverage is also excellent. Each chapter is deceivingly dense with material.
While not entirely comprehensive, these learning aids help to support some learning goals of an introductory course. If accuracy is defined as being free of errors in reporting, then, overall, the coverage of material in the text is accurate. There were no obvious errors that were detected.
If accuracy is defined as the absence of bias, there is nothing that would likely be glaring to the typical undergraduate reading the text. The author approaches introduction to psychology from a scientific perspective, which is evident in the coverage of research both breadth and depth. Because I teach the course from the same perspective, I appreciate this position. The author did a good job of including timely and important research. The textbook is quite research-oriented.
At an undergraduate level, a strong focus on research can be intimidating and at times, confusing and frustrating. The author balanced the amount of research, the type of research, and examples very well. The amount of coverage is appropriate for an introductory textbook. The research and examples are relevant for undergraduates taking an introductory course.
It is noteworthy that the author did not shy away from including and explaining complex experimental research. The author did an excellent job of breaking down the pieces and including the relevant parts. With regard to longevity, this text could have used for several years without needing updates, but it was published six years ago and is in need of inclusion of more recent research and examples.
The author uses language and jargon that is accessible to most undergraduates. For key terms, it might be helpful to have an index or a glossary for each chapter. Each chapter starts with an example, which helps to provide relevant context for students. The author then lays the groundwork and builds upon it as the chapter unfolds. The use of excellent examples also helps to provide the context. The book is consistent in its content, organization, and style of writing. Each chapter begins with an example that is likely to be relatable to most readers.
Subsequent sections begin with student learning outcomes, which should also help to frame the material for students. The chapter summaries are also consistent from chapter to chapter. One of the strengths of the text is its modularity. Each chapter is broken into several different sections, which could probably stand on their own ie. One advantage of modularity is that is allows for a customized text, where an instructor could pull various sections of the text to create a customized textbook for students.
A disadvantage of modularity is that flow and connectedness is compromised. By design, this text is very modular and, although topics can build on one another, there is an intentional lack of connection between chapters. Of course, this necessary shortcoming can be resolved by instructor intervention. The organization and flow of the text is good, with the already-noted issue of the modularity compromising the connection between chapters. The text is organized in a logical fashion, starting with analysis of behavior at the level of the cell and moving up to the final chapter, which is an analysis of behavior from a social perspective.
Within each chapter, the structure and flow is also good. There are enough visuals and video links in each chapter to break up the narrative portions and reinforce the content. I read the text as a pdf and did not attempt to download or read it on an iPad or Kindle, for example; nor did I print it.
The translation of the text and visuals was good. The visuals showed up well in a pdf and the video links worked well. The bookmark feature in the pdf was also helpful and made it easy to move from section to section. A missing piece was the ability to mark up the text, takes notes, highlight, and save the place where I finished reading. These issues might be resolved if I had downloaded it to an iPad or e-reader. Because other ebooks have these features, I think students will miss this and be potentially disadvantaged.
The book is written very well. I did not notice any grammatical errors. I think I found a few typos, but nothing that disrupted or compromised the integrity of the text. A focus on culture is not a strength of the text. While there were mentions of culture in some chapters, it was not included in every chapter despite the availability of the research. Even though the text is a bit outdated , there are ample opportunities to include culture and diversity.
Text covers all the areas of Psychology for an introductory course except for Health Psychology. This is always the first chapter I teach so that students can begin to practice a more healthy lifestyle and learn how to manage stress and anxiety. The glossary, index, table of contents are great. I especially like the chapter openers with real world examples, key takeaways, the applications for everyday life and the empirical research examples. The text is easy to read, has relevant visuals and easy comprehension for community college level.
I appreciate the references and occasional video clips. The learning objectives and summaries are concise and valuable. Most of the content seems accurate. Such terms as "mental retardation," "hypochondriasis" and "pain disorder" for example are no longer used. Autism spectrum disorder needs updating as well. The statistics graph is taken from and not from The statement that "Most Psychologists go into research" does not seem accurate. Students are exploring their career options in the fields of Social Science.
The statement that "emotional IQ texts are unreliable" in summary of chapter 9 also does not seem accurate, unless unreliability is defined and also applied to intelligence IQ tests. This text is written and designed well in a format that would be easy to implement updates.
I would include more female psychologists and their work. It is missing cultural diversity. I would also add some of the new movements in Psychology, such as Positive Psychology, Epigenetics, Neurogenesis, Cultural Psychology, Energy Psychology, Health Psychology and alternative treatments in Naturopathic Medicine for healing illness. The book could use more examples that are related to young people and their daily life. I appreciate the section in chapter 6 on Parenting as an example. The text is well written and in language that student's can easily understand.
Technical terms are explained well and references related to content. The book does not seem overwelming which many college textbooks seem to be. Based on the amount of time given to teach an Introductory course, this book has some advantages. Consistency and framework of the text are great. Terminology well defined and used in a consistent fashion Author's dual theme of behavior and empiricism flows well throughout his work.
Structure of presenting each topic is the same in each chapter. The sub units in the textbook make it easy to teach and to break into lesson plans. There is a smooth flow to the subject matter. It would be helpful to have a section bridging one subject to the next so that students could see the interface and relationship of each topic; very little disruption moving from one topic to the next. In some places, the font seems a bit small. Organization, structure and topical format seems very logical and clear. Text is missing a chapter on Health and Stress Management which highly relevant to the life of a college student.
The textbook includes graphs and visuals that are appealing and easy to study. History of Psychology section has a great chart. Like the videos spotted throughout the text. I would include a chart on the various careers in Psychology since young people are exploring job options. The author appears to be careful about cultural sensitivity. However, it lacks examples, case studies research and critical thinking exercises that would bring forth more cultural education for the reader. Young people are growing up with global consciousness and curiosity about ethnic and cultural diversity.
Important to include Native American perspectives also. Some excellent video clips from around the world that pertain to every subject studied in an introductory Psychology course. I appreciate this textbook and would consider using it at the community college level. All of the sections have clear content, great graphs and visuals, and stories pertinent to the subject matter.
I would include a section on lucid dreaming in chapter 5 on consciousness. I would also include some of the research on the evolution and phenomenology of consciousness separate from the brain. Student's are fascinated by these topics and it is very relevant to their developmental processes. Integrating practices in Positive Psychology, such as meditation, mindfulness and references to this field of study would be very valuable. Kohlberg's work on Moral Development and Bronfenbrenner's Model could also be included in the chapter on developmental Psychology.
Two versions of this text were compared across formats, the open source 1. For those who are curious, the unattributed author is Dr. Charles Stangor, who prefaces the textbook by stating that the focus of Introduction to Psychology is on behavior and empiricism. This emphasis is further supported with chapter openers that focus specifically on real-world examples in applied domains, as well as additional exercises and critical thinking activities for readers.
This books could be easily rearranged as each chapter other than the first two can stand largely on their own. While some sentences were awkward for introductory readers, I did not find any major grammatical issues. It reminded me to evaluate people and myself from a more distant point of view. He is also a humor writer. The text is liberally sprinkled with links to engaging activities, self-inventories, and interesting videos which complement the text and add a personal dimension. The subsequent units are arranged around broad areas of research, including emotion, development, memory, and psychopathology.
Generally, this text compared favorably in terms of comprehensiveness to other introduction to Psychology textbooks. Research methods, biological psychology, neuroscience, sensation and perception, consciousness, human development, learning, memory, intelligence, language, emotion, motivation, social process, personality, and psychological disorders are all represented. The represented areas of psychology all align with other introductory texts e. I did not note any major areas of psychology missing; however some other users have suggested that the social processes chapter may be more appropriate as the final chapter in the text.
A test-bank, instructor manual, and lecture slides are also available with version 2. A table of contents is available, as is a marginal glossary for each chapter. I did not encounter any glaring accuracy errors in theoretical or research content. As with any introductory psychological textbook, the author typically demonstrates the greatest conceptual accuracy and strength in their own content area social psychology, in this instance. In other areas for example, cognitive processes , I found some issues with how certain aspects were described, however these are better related to clarity than accuracy see below.
In terms of content relevance, the author provided adequate citations of seminal studies that one would expect in an introductory textbook.
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I also appreciated the applications to everyday life that appeared at the end of each chapter, which also contained many recent studies to help students better understand cutting-edge work in the field. For example, as a cognitive psychologist, there were some concepts within the learning and memory chapters that I would generally explain differently to students to increase clarity.
Specifically, I would suggest a cleaner distinction between cognitive processes and memory storage areas; and a better explanation of the important differences between working memory and short-term memory. Each chapter contains the same organization and layout: A real-world showcase of the chapter content, an application in the chapter of applications to real world problems, and a focus on empirical research studies.
Generally, later chapters that build on understanding psychological research methods can be replaced or reorganized as seen fit by the instructor.
However Chapters are better left in their original order so students can build on basic descriptions of psychological science, research methods, and biological origins of behavior. As noted earlier, some users have reported a preference for moving Chapter Psychology in Our Social Lives to the end of an instructional sequence.
Chapter organization is well replicated across the textbook and appears in a similar sequence as other introductory texts. Content generally builds upon less complicated content to more complex theories and findings. As noted by the author, this text is somewhat shorter than other introductory texts, which may be of interest to instructors.
The html version of 1. However there is no option for a full text search within the native html environment. Several reference links did not function, suggesting that this version may need updating see the 2. While some sentences were awkward for introductory readers, I did not find any major grammatical issues. Apart from specifically focused content on socio-cultural issues, the focus of this text is not on specific differences between cultures; but on differences of individuals across cultures.
This is generally appropriate for an introductory psychology text. The textbook included the topics and chapters that I expect to be included in a General Psychology course. My attempt was to see this textbook from the perspective of a college freshman.
Some may be psychology majors, however most will not. This may be the one chance for them to understand that psychology is important and to know the value of studying and appreciating human behavior. I think this text meets that goal. The dramatic examples given to make the points known, will be remembered for a long time.
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Time passes quickly and with the digital speed of changing, few things can remain relevant for long periods of time. The book seems to be organized in a fashion so that the content can be updated quite easily when needed. The text is written and arranged in a user friendly manner so that a freshman could quite easily read and comprehend the material.
The consistency of the format and layout of the chapters allows the reader to know what to expect and thus provides a level of comfort going into a chapter that might otherwise be new and difficult for the reader. The topics are arranged in an appropriate order. With the instructor bridging the topics, the precise order can be reordered to the preference of the teacher or needs of the students. The order can easily be changed to match a relevant current event, [local or world] that might call a topic to be in the spotlight.
The layout is impressive including: These all add variety, excitement, interest, and repetition of the concepts to be learned. In-depth information for each topic was provided and each chapter included questions that would facilitate active learning. The consistent reference to research and scientific literature was helpful and would allow students understand the importance of scientific inquiry in the field.
I felt that more citations were needed throughout though, given the attempt of the author to reinforce the importance of scientific literature, particularly for highly charged information i. In particular, an unusually low statistic of LGBTQ individuals was provided at one point and it was unclear where this information was drawn from. Text was published in and the most recent citations are from The text did discuss temporally relevant examples such as current TV shows which would likely draw students in. I also appreciated the helpful information about how to evaluate websites which is quite relevant given that students increasingly use and will use the internet to find information.
However, this text references to outdated DSM and therefor much information particularly related to the five axis system of diagnosis and that related to autism spectrum disorder is outdated. Though these areas are relatively new and lack the abundance of research that more established areas contain, I believe that students would appreciate learning about the variety of areas that Psychology degrees can be applied. The "Dig Deeper" components in each chapter nicely prompt readers to critically evaluate the discussed concepts.
For students that are serious about Psychology, these components not only prompt further research and investigation into concepts, but occasion a nice opportunity to practice ever-necessary critical thinking skills. For those that are teaching an introductory course in which group discussion is possible, the "What Do You Think" components can be used to prompt student-student conversation: Throughout the text, I found no glaring errors.
The authors used a great deal of diligence by including many citations and references. Where there were contrasting understandings of behavior e. Readers of this text are continually provided with the necessary information to evaluate contrasting viewpoints. All chapters contain discussions of seminal research in a particular area as well as more recent citations within 5 years explaining how a field or understanding has progressed from its genesis to present. When updates or changes are necessary, authors may just fold them in as further developments in the "research timeline" of sorts.
Where that is not possible or advisable , changes could be easily implemented with newer information. The authors of this text do a fine job at introducing concepts in a clear, concise, and parsimonious manner. When jargon cannot be avoided, the authors include many i. Though these parentheses may disrupt flow at times, readers will generally appreciate the added information. Similar to newer introductory texts, this textbook is written in such a format that it reads like a story of sorts i.
The text remains consistent with regard to terminology and general construction. At times, particular author's writing style will be evident, but these instances do not seriously disrupt flow or understandability. Personally, I would like to see slightly less consistency between chapters as it relates to terminology and construction. I think that this would help students to adjust the collective approach of science. However, for an introductory text, I can certainly understand why consistency is necessary.
One of the strongest components to this textbook is that it is highly modular. I think that this is especially nice as it increases the flexibility of teaching an introductory course. Further, it increases the further use of this text as a reference to "freshen up" on the various sub-disciplines. Given my praise for the modularity of this text, I would like to see a bit more inter-connectedness between chapters. Occasionally, references are made to direct readers to other chapters in the text, but direct reference to previously covered material may help to communicate to students that the disciplines in Psychology are not mutually exclusive to one another.
The textbook chapters and sections within each chapter are organized in such a way that the information logically builds from simple or seminal concepts to more complex or recent concepts. Within each chapter and sub-section, clear objectives are stated that guide the flow of information and help readers to organize concepts in a logical manner. Though not in all chapters, most chapters open with a general question of interest and then proceed to answer the question via a variety of different angles.
This structure is beneficial to students as it provides a nice exemplar to the scientific method and overall research process.
Most introductory textbooks display this same general construction by first introducing all the various fields and understandings of behavior i. This general construction is reflected in this text and readers will benefit from gaining a solid foundation in the science of Psychology before contacting the more applied components of Clinical Psychology. I had no issues at any point in the text with navigation, image distortion, or the general interface. Readers are routinely exposed to a variety of examples that take from many different cultures and perspectives. I think a real strong point of this text is its cultural competence.
Many areas in the text explicitly recognize the influence of culture on the science of Psychology e. That being said, most introductory texts have begun to include entire chapters specifically dedicated to discussing the role of culture in the study of behavior -- a chapter of this sort is unfortunately missing in this textbook.
Though it may not be necessary per se, a "Cultural" chapter will help students to directly contact this ever-important information. This text provides an analytical and logical approach to the scientific study of psychology. I would recommend that instructors seriously consider incorporating this text into their course. Beyond the benefits to the students of open access textbooks, this text contains a number of ancillary resources to instructors i.
As a new instructor, I value these resources and often make my textbook decisions based on them. The book does a good job of covering the main areas of psychology. Obviously, no book, especially an introductory textbook can cover everything, but I don't see that critical areas of interest to an introductory audience are missing. I did not note any bias, but unfortunately I noted two major errors, for which I submitted errata.
These were on conflating the previous diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome with the current term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and stating that "excessive maternal drinking" causes it. My concern is that a student would read this and think only large amounts of alcohol are harmful when moderate drinking can cause FASD. The other major error had to do with an incorrect example of negative punishment. Given how difficult this topic is for students, I cannot adopt this textbook until this error is corrected.
Finally, there were occasionally areas where the terminology seemed a little off, but not necessarily incorrect. There are two types of avoidant insecure and ambivalent. In the unit on Memory, the Stroop effect is related to interference, not necessarily sensory memory although sensory memory is involved. Sperling's sensory memory studies would be better examples.
The book is current, but I imagine the connections to recent events will become dated soon and require updating the Trayvon Martin case, Marissa Mayer's ban on telecommuting at Yahoo, etc. The book is well written and clear. Technical terms are explained well. Learning objectives are clearly stated before each section.
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There are usually real-world examples either from famous events or day-to-day life for concepts, which is very helpful for students. There are smaller units within each chapter that can be assigned or covered as part of a day's lesson. Obviously some ideas in psychology build on each other so the units are not completely independent, but the textbook could be reorganized without major issues. Psychology is such a broad field that introductory textbook topics can feel disjointed no matter what. However, this books seems to do a good job presenting the topics in a logical structure.
There are a couple areas for improvement. For example, I'm not sure why eating disorders and gender dysphoria are with Emotion and Motivation rather than Psychological Disorders. The book is visually appealing with crisp resolution. I like that you can click on the chapter name and be immediately brought to it. Students can also click on the video links to view. Cultural variations in development and the incidences of eating disorders are discussed. The influence of culture on defining intelligence is mentioned.
More specifics on culture with citations rather than broad generalities would be better. The visuals in this textbook could be improved-- it definitely needs more relevant visuals. There are some stock photos that are relevant, but more pictures of studies e. More visuals like the one outlining theories of emotional response on page would also be great. References cited are a mixture of classics and new.
The book includes both an index and a comprehensive list of references. Overall, I am throughly satisfied with the range of psychology subfields surveyed in this text and the depth with which each subfield is explored. Only one notable error was discovered; in the second chapter, when discussing the statistical basis of tests, there seems to be a casual discussion of what seems to be Type II error which should actually be a discussion of Type I error. Other than that, I was unable to find much in the way of errors. Having several sets of eyes on the text during its development was probably beneficial in this respect.
There's little use in spending significant time discussing Freud's long out-of-favor theories on the development of personality in this day and age at the expense of more modern and valid approaches. Other than that, the book does an good job of mixing in classic, long-lived research and newer cutting edge research. References to the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association help ensure that the book will remain relevant for several more years at least with regards to its discussion of psychopathology.
The book is clearly and engagingly written and seems wholly appropriate for all levels of college students, and could even be the basis of a AP course for high school students. Technical terms are highlighted and explained in depth. Paragraphs are kept short and concise, which is important in engaging underclassmen especially those who are not psychology majors.
The chapters on research methods and biopsychology, which are typically the hardest to understand, are well-written and easy to digest relative to other books I have seen. Consistency is not a problem despite multiple authors. Chapters are structured in similar ways, beginning with a relatable story or anecdote and leading logically from point to point, spending about a page on major points and half a page on subsections.
In this way the book manages to be consistent without being predictable. This books could be easily rearranged as each chapter other than the first two can stand largely on their own. Each chapter is divided up into logical subunits so that when assigning readings, it would be easy to identify areas of a chapter to focus on and areas to be skimmed or skipped entirely. It would not be necessary to cover this book in the order in which chapters are presented, which is good for those of us who use an atypical presentation order. This is one of the easiest-to-read textbooks I've ever read owing in large part to the organization and flow of the text.
Each point leads logically to another. The authors make sure to deviate regularly from abstract and technical details to personal and relatable stories or cases of interesting research to maintain engagement the Dig Deeper and Everyday Connection sections are very helpful in this regard. The most difficult section for many students in introductory psychology is explaining research, but this book does a very good job of covering the material in a way that can be understood by a typical freshman.
Charts are present in a simple fashion mostly simple bar graphs and the like. Images are clear and colorful and add to rather than detract from the presentation. The books provides links to interesting videos on YouTube that are helpful in illustrating concepts although as other reviewers have noted, the viability of some of the links may be questionable. The layout is not confusing or rambling but straightforward and concise.
I saw no problems with display features. I did not find any grammatical errors. This book is better edited than most textbooks I have read. The impact of culture and ethnicity on behavior is noted several times throughout the textbook. Sections on stereotyping and prejudice are included in the chapter on social psychology. Effects of culture on motor development and functional fixedness are also included. Adding more material on cross-cultural psychology would be a plus.
This book includes test banks and PowerPoint presentations, available through the OpenStax website, both of which would be highly useful for instructors who were adopting their first textbook for Introductory Psychology. Each chapter contains at its end a series of review questions, both multiple choice and short answer, as well as thought questions. I will be adopting this book for use in my introductory psychology class. This book equals or exceeds the quality of introductory psychology books that can cost hundreds of dollars more.
This textbook covers all of the areas covered in most general psychology courses. It contains a comprehensive table of contents, as well as a index and the glossary is arranged as end of chapter key terms located at the end of each chapter. I particularly like this arrangement as students have the option printing these and then referencing them by chapter, rather than as a alphabetical list covering the entire book.
These can then be used as a resource for studying for chapter post reading quizzes and for unit exams. In terms of covering the subject matter appropriately this text has several valuable features; Everyday connections: I find this to be extremely valuable as this is one of my criterion on my weekly discussion rubric; A What do you think section gives research based information on selected topics of controversy and has students think critically about the topics; Dig Deeper; teaches students to move beyond a typical cursory exploration of specific topics.
I like how this aligns with current positive psychology ideals; and Connect the Concepts which connects to like concepts from other chapters and encourages reflection and thought expansion beyond typical topic exploration; Links to Learning connect to additional online sources.
The text often references Positive Psychology concepts and themes, it use current terminology, and includes a chapter on Industrial Organizational Psychology. The text is accurate and is research driven.
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It is up to date referencing the DSM V. It is error free in as much as I observed. It is one of the texts that I have reviewed that appears to be unbiased. The content is up to date and arranged in such a way that updates should be relatively easy to implement. The text is written in in a manner that is professionally conversational and enjoyable to read. It is accurate and research based. The authors connect the concepts to real life examples that bring the concepts to life for the reader. The book is beautifully illustrated with colorful and accurate tables, figures, graphs, drawings, and photos relevant to the topics being discussed.
The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework. The features mentioned in the first paragraph of this review enhance the consistency of the text as well as create networks of connectedness that encourages reader reflection. The text is structured in such a way as to allow the instructor to reorganize the order in which to present the chapters. I is structured very much in accordance with typical general psychology texts. It is easy to follow for the reader with sections of text broken into sections of text with each section addressing a main concept of the chapter, with illustrations included within those sections that reinforce the concepts being addressed.
All chapters follow the same structure. The structure of the chapters, as discussed in the first entry of this review, follow accepted guidelines of good instructional design. This text is aesthetically a well designed text and chapters and concepts flow well from one to another, building on the concepts introduced in the introductory chapters. This text does address cultural issues, and is not culturally insensitive. It does not address cultural issues as well as the text I am currently using in terms of making it a designed component of each chapter and major concept. The text consists of highly agreed upon content that is typically included in a general psychology textbook and presented in a common order.
Where there is a need to increase awareness of this field, there are many subfields that are valuable and should also be exposed to the undergraduate student. I would recommend a chapter on careers in psychology that provides information on subfields such as: The index and chapter glossaries are well organized with an alphabetical format and active links that lead you back to the chapter where the term and its definition is located. Furthermore, such a feature would be frequently used if located in the margin of the text, near the term. The reader would likely be looking for such a feature because the textbook has the option to be available online.
The textbook has clearly been reviewed by a team and appears to be error free. Areas where accuracy could be improved were in Chapter 9 on Lifespan Development. In this comparison, a point to highlight is that research has shown there is little substantiated evidence that suggests females morally reason differently compared to males. Including the classic chart of Sensitive Stages in Prenatal Development is important as such a chart is the framework for understanding severity of birth defect.
For chart example see this link: Throughout the textbook content addresses timely topics. For example, in the Social Psychology chapter topics such as ageism, bullying and cyberbullying are presented. Content is also up-to-date by relying on current information throughout the pedagogical features such as Everyday Connections, What do you think? The Linked to Learning features are highly relevant because these interactive exercises and animations are current and tie back to the content of the chapter and provide an opportunity for the student to engage.
Using many external websites will require diligence to check for broken links. I personally believe the use of these external websites outweigh the routine of checking for broken links. I enjoyed reading through the text because I continued to look forward to the next information. The authors convey psychological concepts and theories with strong examples to help illustrate the technical terms and psychological concepts. Terms are easily found as they are in bold font. Terms are explained concisely and within the context of an example.
This helps the learner understand how psychology connects to our everyday lives. Additionally, I have found the text to convey excellent discussion on certain topics. For example, in the Chapter on Learning the opener focused on defining and comparing the concepts of instinct and reflex.
I was impressed with the clarity at which the authors explained the differences between instinct and reflex. This was truly refreshing. Another example of clarity is in the Psychological Disorder chapter. Students are provided with Figure There is much consistency in the use of terms and overall framework. Chapter openers provide an engaging teaser about the chapter topic. Each chapter begins with a picture, some description of the picture, how it relates to the topic, and an overview of what the reader will learn in the chapter. Consistency is obvious in the layout of each chapter as described in item number seven below.
The text is designed to have flexibility to reorganize and select sections of the text, yet retain its flow from section to section. This may be one of the reasons that the chapters are not too lengthy and are concise in explanation. This text is well organized and transitions from section to section and chapter to chapter by keeping the reader engaged.
The strong organization of this text no doubt helps the reader to stay engaged with the content. The information is presented concisely and poignantly. There is just the right amount of detail provided throughout each chapter. As noted in item number five above, the start of each chapter has a uniform format.
There is also a uniform structure regarding the layout of each chapter. Most chapters have subsections on average. Chapters covering Thinking and Intelligence, Personality, and Psychological Disorders are lengthier and have more than 6 subsections. This book is not similar to anything I have read before. I personally enjoyed it more than other books that I have read with an actual plot to them.
The book is not controversial however some of the experiments that were performed, now are no longer acceptable, are depicted. This book does not have a theme or moral but instead teaches about different forms or morality and where they stem from. This book is not for everyone as I disclosed before. It is meant for people interested in the world of psychology. Kids will not enjoy this nor will some adults. I would recommend this to science-loving students that want to explore the different fields of science for it provides a great stepping stone. Mar 24, Vasyl Pasternak rated it it was amazing.
Concentrated knowledge about psychology studies and diseases in engaging form. Apr 19, Cagatay rated it it was amazing. It gives very short biographies of famous psychologists and their theories. This is the first book I've read about psychology. I wish I had read before.
It reminded me to evaluate people and myself from a more distant point of view. As I am newly acquainted with this area, I can't specifically recommend this book to anyone who likes to have brief knowledge about psychology. All I can say that I found most of the things that we all hear about psychology from here and there. It is not boring at all It gives very short biographies of famous psychologists and their theories. It is not boring at all. I believe that this book is like an entrance hall to psychology where you can see other doors easily that can lead you to details.
It is not like some beginners' books which leave you under a pile of unnecessary information. Nov 19, Erika Schoeps rated it liked it. Educational and still entertaining. I read this book as I was taking a college Intro to Psych class, and this book is the perfect companion. We covered the same topics, and looked at all the same studies and scientists that this book showcases and explains. The repetition itself helped me get an A in my Psychology class, but this book is also entertaining.
It explains everything briefly and concisely, so that everyone can understand the important knowledge this book contains. I also enjoyed the Educational and still entertaining. I also enjoyed the advanced biographical information on the scientists outlined in this book. We learned their names and theories in class, but this book delved into their background and lent an important human aspect to their work. Nov 02, DonutKnow rated it liked it Recommends it for: It was interesting to learn about some of the basics of psychology.
In addition it was also very helpful because it assisted me in recognising a few negative behaviours that I can reconfigure to improve my mental health. Mental health is such an important aspect of a person - in fact we should treat it as importantly as we do physical health.
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- Hamlet (Spanish Edition)!
Reading this also made me realise that my feelings are not singular and enigmatic. People have and do experience mental health issues from time to time and It was interesting to learn about some of the basics of psychology. People have and do experience mental health issues from time to time and that learning more about these feelings is the answer- not ignoring them.
I am very grateful to this insightful book for opening my eyes to the concerns of mental health. May 29, Jody rated it liked it Shelves: A great introduction to a psychology for the layperson like me! Easily digestible, and covers a fairly wide range of psychologists and concepts. At times a little too "high school essay", in particular with the psychologists, but overall an easy and enjoyable read. Nov 09, Anne rated it it was amazing. I would give Psych two-and-a-half stars if I could. This book read like an entry-level psychology textbook.
The content wasn't especially complex, and I barely finished reading it. I was so bored! When I saw "tests" on the cover, I thought reading Psych would be fun. You know, read about how the mind works, take some personality tests, maybe learn something about myself - but no. There were no tests and plenty of opportunities. Instead of showing me the inkblots of the Rorschach test as an I would give Psych two-and-a-half stars if I could. Instead of showing me the inkblots of the Rorschach test as an appendix in the back of the book after I've already read the chapter about how a psychologist might interpret different responses, take a moment in the book before the chapter to have me look at them and write down what I see, then read the chapter, and interpret my own responses.
Psych was not engaging. I'm positive there are other, much more engaging psychology books out there. Nov 29, Jan Oberstar rated it really liked it. A little drab and very punctual so that has more sense as a study material. Jul 28, Zack Reda rated it it was amazing. D totally recommend this to any one who has an interest in this field. Informative This is a book to keep. It is a book to always go back to. I have learned a lot about the field and about myself in the first place.