Basic Psychology

Basic Psychology was designed as a more accessible edition of its parent text, Psychology.

Over the course of four editions, Basic Psychology has developed a distinct personality and a following all its own. The addition of Daniel Reisberg and Alan Fridlund to the Gleitman team signals a commitment to meeting the demands of a changing field. While preserving the clear writing and thoughtful pedagogy that distinguished the book in earlier editions, the Fifth Edition provides cutting-edge coverage of new developments in psychology.

Henry Gleitman is Professor of Psychology and the former chair of the department at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the recipient of the American Psychological Foundation’s Distinguished Teaching in Psychology Award (1982) and, from the University of Pennsylvania, the Abrams Award (1988) and the Lindback Award (1977). He has served as president of the APA’s Division 1: General Psychology and Division 10: Psychology and the Arts. Most importantly, Professor Gleitman has taught introductory psychology for five decades to over 40,000 students.

Alan J. Fridlund received his Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi and is associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Fridlund's research has focused on facial expressions and the psychophysiology of stress and emotion. He is the author of over 40 research articles and book chapters, and the book Human Facial Expression: An Evolutionary View (Academic Press, 1994).

Daniel Reisberg is the Patricia and Clifford Lunneborg Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Professor Reisberg’s research has examined a range of topics within cognitive psychology, but with a primary focus on how (and how well) people remember emotionally significant events. He has served on the editorial boards of many of the field’s journals and is currently Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. He is the author or editor of many books, including the Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Psychology. Reisberg consults extensively with law enforcement and the legal system; that work is reflected in his 2014 book, The Science of Perception and Memory: A Pragmatic Guide for the Justice System.