Psychology: a Very Short Introduction
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Psychology is part of everyone's experience: it influences the way we think about everything from education and intelligence, to relationships and emotions, advertising and criminality. People readily behave as amateur psychologists, offering explanations for what people think, feel, and do.But what exactly are psychologists trying to do? What scientific grounding do they have for their approach? This book provides an understanding of some of psychology's leading ideas and their practical relevance, making it a stimulating introduction for anyone interested in understanding the humanmind
Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology
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This is the ideal text for students who have never studied psychology before, particularly from a statistical angle. It will also benefit those who don't feel confident enough to tackle the more advanced text, Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology, Third Edition.It also contains suggested reading, exercises, and structured questions with answers provided. As such, it builds a strong foundation on which more sophisticated data handling skills can be developed. Teachers and lecturers will find it suitable for using with the new AS courses.
Approaches to Psychology
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Approaches to Psychology provides a contemporary, accessible and coherent introduction to the field of psychology, from its origins to the present, and shows the contribution of psychology in understanding human behaviour and experience. The book introduces students to the five core conceptual frameworks (or approaches) to psychology: biological, behaviourist, cognitive, psychodynamic and humanistic. The methods, theories and assumptions of each approach are explored so that the reader builds an understanding of psychology as it applies to human development, social and abnormal behaviour. New to this edition: Sections on emerging topics such as coaching psychology, positive psychology, creativity' s relationship to psychopathology The World Today boxes help students to relate theory to the world around them, including new examples on reinforcement values in video games, the use of attribution theory in sports psychology and how cognitive dissonance theory can be used to examine terrorism New Try it Yourself activities and exercises demonstrate that psychology is all about how humans think, feel and behave Informed by the most current and relevant research and theory, the new edition has been updated to include 250 new references Updated and expanded Online Learning Centre with student support material and instructor test bank at www.openup.co.uk/glassman Key Features: Key Thinker boxes give a brief overview of the work of a notable psychologist and their key contributions Putting it all Together discussions at the end of chapters encourage critical thinking by illustrating that there may be no definitive right or wrong answer to a problem A review of key research methods provides students with the tools to conduct their own research Superb pedagogy aids learning through discussion points and queries, chapter summaries, definitions of key terms, further reading suggestions, a glossary and bibliography Students and professors have helped to make this the best edition of the most clear and concise introduction to psychology in the market. It is THE introductory book students need.
Debates in Psychology
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Debates in Psychology tackles some of the major issues and controversies within the field of psychology. The book includes a discussion of the major debates in psychology prescribed by the AQA Specification A-Level syllabus, such as free will and determinism, whether or not psychology can (or indeed should) be a science, reductionism, and the nature-nurture debate. Additionally, the 'mind-body question' is examined as an example of reductionism in psychology. A chapter on behaviourism is also included in order to draw together the debates covered throughout the book. Each topic covered in Debates in Psychology is presented in a highly readable and accessible manner. The book will be invaluable for students wishing to gain a greater understanding of this exciting area.
Key Ideas in Psychology
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`This would be an excellent companion to an A-level or first year degree course or indeed anyone with an interest in psychology. The book aims to `tell people what psychology is about'' and it does this in an extremely well structured and accessible fashion. It gives a good introduction to severaldifferent elements of the study of psychology and provides further reading for those wishing to gain a deeper understanding. As each chapter can be read alone it is also a useful reference tool to provide explanations of subjects and quick overviews of areas. Each chapter is written in a balanced way and allows the reader room for reflection.'' -Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling & Psychotherapy `It is truly very difficult to describe books such as this, which through the use of clear and simple language achieve accessibility for those interested as long as they take account of the scientific style of the psychological terminology so well defined throughout its chapters... As if this were not enough, at the end of every chapter the author presents us with a selection of fundamental books so that if we wish we can further our knowledge of each subject.'' - European Journal of Psychiatry `This is an excellent book, and for anyone who is not a psychologist but would like to understand the basic concepts within its different fields, is difficult to better, given its size. The text is lucid, readable and provides both a good selection of references and some judiciously chosen further reading. The author consistently introduces the major concepts of each subject, and then goes onto discuss the recent developments in each field. The chapter on Biopsychology not only discusses the biological basis of nerve function but discusses sleep and the mind-body relationship in a cogent and helpful way to those needing a quick basis for further reading. The lack of illustrations anywhere in the text coming in the chapter on statistics. Having said that, the text itself reads in such a way - even the statistics chapter - that these are almost rendered unnecessary. A book like this is difficult to write, because no matter why is selected, someone will complain that there are gaps, but these are understandable. It would have been extremely helpful to have health psychology treated in the same way that the author treats other subjects, but given the plethora of texts on health psychology available these days, it''s hardly surprising the author didn''t cover this topic, and this is rather a grudging complaint. The publisher is providing a solid and growing range of titles, and the present author himself has authored a number of other texts which are of value to more specialised audiences. This book is ideal for professionals with little or no grounding in psychology, or those new to the subject, who need to know something about the field and its concepts. Excellent as an A Level background text or for other readers wanting to update their knowledge, this book should find a wide readership.'' - Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health This accessible book has a simple aim - to tell people what psychology is about. It presents a review of the key areas of the subject as it is traditionally taught, and provides the reader with an introduction to important concepts and findings within each of these. Armed with the information in this book, the reader should be able at least to make sense of most psychological topics. At the end of each chapter is a set of suggested further readings which will enable a more detailed exploration of the particular topic under discussion to be made. The book will be of interest to two groups of readers. The first comprises people who are new to the subject and simply want to know what psychology is. The second consists of those who want a general guide to an area but who wish to make up their minds on the details for themselves. Hence the basic information and arguments are explained, but details are not elaborated.
