Psychology (3rd Edition) - Hardcover

Saul M. Kassin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0130269263 ISBN 13: 9780130269263

Publisher: Prentice Hall College Div, 2000

Synopsis

For undergraduate Introductory Psychology courses. Exceptionally well-written, this mainstream text is designed to help students "think like a psychologist" as they explore the major areas of psychology, observe the world around them, and spark in them the same passion and excitement that psychologists have for their work. The text brings home the relevance of psychology through real-world examples, practical applications, and discussions of the discipline's connections to health, education, business, law, and the environment.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Preface

Some of my best friends are psychologists. They have different backgrounds and interests, but to a person they're excited about their work, the field, and the contributions being made by this intelligent and useful discipline.

I had three goals in writing this textbook. My first goal is to spark in students the same hunger, passion, and excitement that psychologists have for their work. Toward this end, I have tried to write a book that is not only "readable" but also warm, personal, engaging, and newsy. I have not ducked the hot and sticky issues. The ethics of animal research, the biological roots of homosexuality, and the recovery of repressed childhood memories are just a few of the current controversies that I have confronted head-on by reviewing available research. I have also made it a point to illustrate the principles of psychology with vivid events from the worlds of sports, entertainment, literature, medicine, politics, law, and current events. As a result, I never, ever, resort to "John and Mary in the dorm" hypotheticals to illustrate a point. The examples I use thus reflect my conviction that students have a deep and vested interest in a world that extends past the borders of the college campus.

My second goal is to teach students that psychology is not a mere laundry list o f names, dates, theories, and terms, but is an active and dynamic process of discovery—and that the state o f our knowledge evolves over time. Every psychology textbook presents the discipline as a science. Indeed, many authors devote a whole second chapter to research methods. I have taken a somewhat more integrated approach. Since research methods are central to psychology's identity and development, this topic is introduced fully and comprehensively in Chapter 1, along with the field itself. In learning about research methods, from the use of case studies to experiments and meta-analysis, students are encouraged to see science as a process that is slow, cumulative, and dynamic.

My third goal—which is the hardest to achieve but is also the most important—is to get students thinking like psychologists. I believe that an author cannot invoke critical thinking in students the way a parent spoonfeeds a baby. Rather, critical thinking is a frame of mind, an attitude that emerges naturally in response to information that is engaging and personally relevant—which leads me to the special features of this book. Determined to get the student reader to think like a psychologist, and to do so without gimmicks, I have integrated the following features into this textbook. Special Features "What's Your Prediction?" Studies

To orient students to the material in each chapter—and to get them thinking in operational terms—I open each chapter with a detailed account of an actual study. Some are classics in the field; others are new. Some are laboratory experiments; others are field studies, archival studies, or self-report surveys. In some, students are asked to imagine being a subject in an experiment. In others, they are cast into the role of the researcher or an observer. In all cases, I set the stage with a vivid account of the procedures used. After students have read about the situation and have imagined being part of it, they are asked to predict the results. The actual findings are then revealed, followed by a discussion of what it all means.

I have used this technique in the classroom for many years and have found that it works like a charm. After students become personally committed to a prediction, they sit at the edge of their seats, eager to know what happened. Then when the results are revealed, they think long and hard about the study and its methods—particularly when the results contradict their predictions. Now that's critical thinking.

Feature Boxes
In every chapter of the text, you will find two or three special, high-interest boxes designed to get students thinking like psychologists. Toward this end, I have written four types of boxes: "Psychology and . . . ," "How to . . . ," "Through the Global Window," and "Debunking the Myth."

"Psychology and . . ."
These days, some of the most exciting work in all areas of psychology connects basic theories and research, on the one hand, to various real-world applications, on the other. There are many fertile domains of application that animate psychologists. To represent some of these areas, "Psychology and . . ." boxes describe applied research in such areas as health, education, business, law, sports, and the environment. These boxes will enable students to see psychology from an important and enticing other perspective—"out there," in action, and in the public forum.

"How to..."
As all instructors know, students often wonder and ask about the personal relevance of psychology to their own well-being. "How to . . ." boxes are specifically designed to answer this question by describing some of the ways in which students can use psychology to improve aspects of their own lives. Practical advice is thus presented on a whole range of matters.

"Through the Global Window..."
Inspired by psychology's recent explorations into the study of human cultures, and racial and ethnic groups, "Through the Global Window" boxes focus on fundamental questions about universals in human nature—and the ways in which people throughout the world are both similar and different.

"Debunking the Myth . . ."
These boxes present popular conceptions about people, the mind, and behavior, or conclusions prematurely drawn from early research for which there is no empirical support. It's my hope that "Debunking the Myth" boxes will encourage students to reflect on—and reevaluate—their own intuitive theories, beliefs, and commonsense conceptions on a whole range of psychological matters. Study Aids

Preparing students for what they are going to read and then asking them questions about that material as they read can facilitate the learning and retention of concepts. Accordingly, each chapter is structured to help students master the material as they move from one major section to the next.

Preview questions introduce the areas of inquiry upcoming in each major section.

Review questions at the end of every major section challenge students to recall and apply important concepts before moving on to the next section.

Big Picture overviews at the end of each chapter provide a brief narrative overview of the main points. This final section is designed to encourage the reader to step back from the theories, research findings, and other fine details contained within the chapter, and refocus from a wider angle on the "big picture" questions initially raised in What's Your Prediction?

End of Chapter materials provide a final review for students. Each of these sections begins with a detailed, section by section, Summary and a list of Key Terms. These are followed by a series of questions entitled Thinking Like a Psychologist, which challenge students to think critically and to apply the major concepts discussed in the chapter.

Internet Resources are also provided so that interested students can approach the world as a psychologist would—inside the classroom and out, when they're reading this book, and when they're not. These resources consist of Web sites that students can access for more information of relevance to the chapter. These resources are also listed on the Companion Website that accompanies Psychology, Third Edition.

Abundant graphic presentations are presented throughout this text. Tables, figures, photographs, hands-on exercises, cartoons, factoids, quotations, and survey results have all been carefully selected to illustrate important principles.

Detailed subject and author indexes.

References A complete list of more than two thousand text citations. What's New

From one area to the next, this book is remarkably up to date. I have taken a fresh look at the latest theoretical and research developments within each and every chapter. In doing so, I have tried to strike a balance between "classics" from psychology's historical warehouse and new studies hot off the presses. But my main goal is to describe the state of psychology today—and to do so in a way that is responsible. As in any text, the scholarship must be accurate and current. Therefore, the more than six hundred new references rely most heavily on research appearing in high-quality journals. In particular, I'd like to draw your attention to the following topics, which are either new to this edition or have received expanded coverage:

Women and minorities in the history of psychology (Chapter 1) Sociocultural perspectives in psychology (Chapter 1) Sports-related head injuries (Chapter 2) Phantom pain (Chapter 2) Neurogenesis (Chapter 2) Influence without awareness (Chapter 4) Ironic effects of mental control (Chapter 4) Classical conditioning of the immune system (Chapter 5) False memories (Chapter 6) Animal cognition (Chapter 7) Benefits of cognitive heuristics (Chapter 7) Origins of homosexuality (Chapter 8) Happiness and subjective well-being (Chapter 9) Cultural influences on emotion (Chapter 9) Infants' sensitivity to number (Chapter 10) Effects of peer rejection in childhood (Chapter 10) Risk-taking in adolescence (Chapter 11) Midlife crisis and satisfaction (Chapter 11) Adulthood changes in time perspective (Chapter 11) Development of expertise (Chapter 12) The Mozart Effect (Chapter 12) Stereotype threat effects on performance (Chapter 12) Automatic and unconscious social influences (Chapter 13) School violence (Chapter 13) Ethnic identity conflict (Chapter 14) Implicit stereotyping (Chapter 14) Contemporary studies of unconscious defensive processes (Chapter 15) Social anxiety (Chapter 16) Use of virtual reality exposure in systematic desensitization (Chapter 17) Proactive forms of coping with stress (Chapter 18) Coverage of Human Diversity

Psychologists have always been fascinated by differences—among cultures, among racial and ethnic groups within cultures, and between men and women. As we enter the twenty-first century, this topic is generating a great deal of scientific interest and controversy. These topics are addressed, as appropriate, throughout this text. Similarities and differences are thus noted in perception, emotion, reasoning, intelligence, child and adult development, social behavior, the structure of personality, and psychopathology. Group similarities and differences are also presented throughout the text in newly written boxes headed "Through the Global Window."

In order to bring together the most important new work in the area of human diversity, I have also dedicated an entire chapter to this subject. Chapter 14, entitled "Social and Cultural Groups," examines such topics as cultural differences between East and West, stereotyping, prejudice, racism in America, and gender similarities and differences. As this chapter reveals, "Everyone is basically the same, yet no two people are alike." A Capstone Chapter

All introductory psychology texts that I've seen come to an end on whatever happens to be the final word of the last substantive chapter. Typically, no effort is made to integrate the material or to provide students with a sense of closure. A feature unique to this text is a closing "capstone" chapter that brings together the various areas of psychology on a hot topic that is dear to everyone's health: health and well-being. Following an initial discussion of "mind over matter," Chapter 18 presents the latest research on the self, the health implications of self-awareness and self-deception, the processes of stress and coping, and the exciting new work in the area of psychoneuroimmunology. As noted in this final chapter, "The mind is a powerful tool. The more we know about how to use it, the better off we'll be." Statistical Appendix

For those who wish to analyze research results using descriptive and inferential statistics, this appendix clearly leads students, step by step, through methods of describing data, measures of central tendency and variability, the normal distribution, correlations, t tests, and the analysis of variance. The Supplements Package For the Instructor

Instructor's Resource Manual: Prepared by Alan Swinkels of St. Edward's University and Traci Giuliano of Southwestern University, this manual contains a wealth of material to help you plan and manage your course, including: chapter overviews, detailed lecture suggestions and outlines, lecture "launchers," learning objectives, demonstrations and activities, teaching tips, suggestions for student projects, transparency suggestions, and video resources for each chapter. Also included in this edition's IRM is material to guide you on how to assign and use the text-specific companion website, The Psychology Place website, and the Mind Matters CD-ROM that accompany this edition of Psychology, Third Edition.

Test Item File: Prepared by John Caruso of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, this test bank contains over 3,000 multiple choice, true/false, short-answer and essay questions that test factual, applied and conceptual knowledge.

Prentice Hall Test Manager: One of the best-selling test-generating software programs on the market, Test Manager is available in Windows and Macintosh formats and contains a Gradebook, Online Network Testing and many tools to help you edit and create tests. The program comes with full Technical Support and telephone "Request a Test" service.

Prentice Hall's Introductory Psychology Transparencies, Series V: Designed in large-type format for lecture settings, these full-color overhead transparencies add visual appeal to your lectures by augmenting the visuals in the text with a variety of new illustrations.

PowerPoint Slides and Online Graphics Archive: Available in the Faculty Module of the Companion Website at prenhall/Kassin, each chapter's art has been digitized and is available for download into any presentation software. PowerPoint lectures for each chapter are also available for download.

Prentice Hall Video Libraries: Prentice Hall has assembled a superior collection of video materials which range from short lecture launchers to full-length detailed features for use in the Introductory Psychology course. The videos below are available to qualified adopters.

ABC News Videos for Introductory Psychology, Series III consists of segments from ABC Nightly News with Peter Jennings, Nightline, 20/20, Prime Time Live, and The Health Show. A summary and questions, designed to stimulate critical thinking for each segment, are included in the Instructor's Resource Manual. The Alliance Series: The Annenberg/CPB Collection is the most extensive collection of professionally produced videos available with any introductory psychology textbook. Selections include videos in the following Annenberg series: The Brain, The Brain Teaching Modules, Discovering Psychology, The Mind, and The Mind Teaching Modules. Films for the Humanities and Sciences A wealth of videos from the extensive library of Films for the Humanities and Sciences, on a variety of topics in psychology, are available to qualified adopters. Contact your local Prentice Hall representative for a list of vide...

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About this edition

• Publisher: Prentice Hall College Div
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0130269263
• ISBN 13: 9780130269263
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 848