Psychology: Core Concepts, 6th Edition

Psychology: Core Concepts represents the marriage of great science with great teaching--Applying the principles of psychology to the teaching of psychology.

 

Within this fourteen-chapter text, the authors focus on the core topics the majority of introductory psychology instructors cover—all while applying the principles of psychology to the teaching of psychology. Psychology: Core Concepts focuses on a manageable number of core concepts (usually three to five) in each chapter, allowing students to attain a deeper level of understanding of the material. Learning is reinforced through focused application and critical thinking activities, and connections between concepts are drawn across chapters to help students see the big picture of psychology as a whole. The 6^th Edition features an enhanced critical thinking emphasis, with new chapter-opening "Problems" and new end-of-chapter critical thinking applications that promote more active learning of the content. 

Brief Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Mind, Behavior, and Psychological Science

Chapter 2: Biopsychology, Neuroscience, and Human Nature 

Chapter 3: Learning and Human Nurture

Chapter 4: Memory

Chapter 5: Thinking and Intelligence

Chapter 6: Development Over the Lifespan

Chapter 7: Sensation and Perception

Chapter 8: States of Consciousness

Chapter 9: Emotion and Motivation

Chapter 10: Personality: Theories of the Whole Person

Chapter 11: Social Psychology 

Chapter 12: Psychological Disorders

Chapter 13: Therapies for Psychological Disorders

Chapter 14: Stress, Health, and Well-Being 

 

Detailed Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Mind, Behavior, and Psychological Science

1.1 What Is Psychology — and What Is It Not?

           Psychology: It’s More than You Think

           Psychology is Not Psychiatry

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Thinking Critically about Psychology and Pseudopsychology

1.2 How Do Psychologists Develop New Knowledge?

           The Five Steps of the Scientific Method

           Five Types of Psychological Research

           Controlling Biases in Psychological Research

           Ethical Issues in Psychological Research

           Questions Science Cannot Answer

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

1.3 What Are Psychology’s Main Perspectives?

           Separation of Mind and Body and the Modern Biological Perspective

           The Founding of Scientific Psychology and the Modern Cognitive Perspective

           The Behavioral Perspective: Rejection of Introspection and a Focus on Observable Behavior

           Whole-Person Perspective: Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Trait & Temperament

           The Developmental Perspective: Changes Arising from Nature and Nurture

           The Sociocultural Perspective: The Individual in Context

           The Changing Face of Psychology

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Psychology as a Major

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Facilitated Communication

 

Chapter 2: Biopsychology, Neuroscience, and Human Nature

2.1 How are Genes and Behavior Linked?

           Evolution and Natural Selection

           Genetics and Inheritance

           PSYCHOLOGY  MATTERS: Choosing Your Children’s Genes

2.2 How Does the Body Communicate Internally?

           The Neuron: Building Block of the Nervous System

           The Nervous System

           The Endocrine System

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: How Psychoactive Drugs Affect the Nervous System

2.3 How Does the Brain Produce Behavior and Mental Processes?

           Windows on the Brain

           Three Layers of the Brain

           Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex

           The Cooperative Brain

           Cerebral Dominance

           The Split Brain: “I’ve Half a Mind to…”

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Left Brain vs. Right Brain

 

Chapter 3: Learning and Human Nurture

3.1 What Sort of Learning Does Classical Conditioning Explain?

           The Essentials of Classical Conditioning

           Applications of Classical Conditioning

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Taste Aversions and Chemotherapy

3.2 How Do We Learn New Behaviors By Operant Conditioning?

           Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism

           The Power of Reinforcement

           The Problem of Punishment

           Operant and Classical Conditioning Compared

           A Checklist for Modifying Operant Behavior

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

3.3 How Does Cognitive Psychology Explain Learning?

           Insight Learning: Kohler in the Canaries with the Chimps

           Cognitive Maps: Tolman Finds out What’s on a Rat’s Mind

           Observational Learning: Bandura’s Challenge to Behaviorism

           Rethinking Behavioral Learning in Cognitive Terms

           Brain Mechanisms and Learning

           “Higher” Cognitive Learning

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Do Different People Have Different “Learning Styles”?

 

Chapter 4: Memory

4.1 What is Memory?

           Metaphors for Memory

           Memory’s Three Basic Tasks

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Would You Want a “Photographic” Memory?

4.2 How Do We Form Memories?

           The First Stage: Sensory Memory

           The Second Stage: Working Memory

           The Third Stage: Long-Term Memory

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: “Flashbulb” Memories: Where Were You When…?

4.3 How Do We Retrieve Memories?

            Implicit and Explicit Memory

            Retrieval Cues

            Other Factors Affecting Retrieval

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: On the Tip of Your Tongue

4.4 Why Does Memory Sometimes Fail Us?

            Transience: Fading Memories Cause Forgetting

           Absent-Mindedness: Lapses of Attention Cause Forgetting

           Blocking: Access Problems

           Misattribution: Memories in the Wrong Context

           Suggestibility: External Cues Distort or Create Memories

           Bias: Beliefs, Attitudes, and Opinions Distort Memories

           Persistence: When We Can’t Forget

           The Advantages of the “Seven Sins” of Memory

           Improving Your Memory with Mnemonics

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

           USING PSYCHOLOGY TO LEARN PSYCHOLOGY: How to Avoid Memory Failure on Exams

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: The Recovered Memory Controversy

 

Chapter 5: Thinking and Intelligence

5.1 What are the Components of Thought?

           Concepts

           Imagery and Cognitive Maps

           Thought and the Brain

           Intuition

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Schemas and Scripts Help You Know What to Expect

5.2 What Abilities Do Good Thinkers Possess?

           Problem Solving

           Judging and Making Decisions

           On Becoming a Creative Genius

PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

5.3 How is Intelligence Measured?

Binet and Simon Invent a School Abilities Test

American Psychologists Borrow Binet and Simon’s Idea

Problems with the IQ Formula

Calculating IQs “on the Curve”

IQ Testing Today

PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: What Can You Do for an Exceptional Child?

5.4 Is Intelligence One or Many Abilities?

Psychometric Theories of Intelligence

Cognitive Theories of Intelligence

Cultural Definitions of Intelligence

Animals Can Be Intelligent–But Do They Think?

PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Test Scores and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

5.5 How Do Psychologists Explain IQ Differences Among Groups?

Intelligence and the Politics of Immigration

What Evidence Shows That Intelligence Is Influenced by Heredity?

What Evidence Shows That Intelligence is Influenced by Environment?

Heritability (Not Heredity) and Group Differences

PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Stereotype Threat

USING PSCYHOLOGY TO LEARN PSYCHOLOGY: Developing Expertise in Psychology — or Any Other Subject

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: The Question of Gender Differences

 

Chapter 6: Development Over the Lifespan

6.1 What Innate Abilities Does the Infant Possess?

            Prenatal Development

            The Neonatal Period: Abilities of the Newborn Child

            Infancy: Building on the Neonatal Blueprint

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Psychological Traits in Your Genes

6.2 What are the Developmental Tasks of Childhood?

            How Children Acquire Language

            Cognitive Development: Piaget’s Theory

            Social and Emotional Development

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: The Puzzle of ADHD

6.3 What Changes Mark the Transition of Adolescence?

            Adolescence and Culture

            Physical Maturation in Adolescence

            Sexual Issues in Adolescence

            Cognitive Development in Adolescence

            Social and Emotional Issues in Adolescence

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

6.4 What Developmental Challenges Do Adults Face?

            Early Adulthood: Explorations, Autonomy, and Intimacy

            The Challenges of Midlife: Complexity and Generativity

            Late Adulthood: The Age of Integrity

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: A Look Back at the Twin Studies

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: The Mozart Effect

 

Chapter 7: Sensation and Perception

7.1 How Does Stimulation Become Sensation?

           Transduction: Changing Stimulation to Sensation

           Thresholds: The Boundaries of Sensation

           Signal Detection Theory

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Sensory Adaptation

7.2 How Are the Senses Alike? And How Are They Different?

           Vision: How the Nervous System Processes Light

           Hearing: If a Tree Falls in the Forest…

           How the Other Senses are Like Vision and Hearing

           Synesthesia: Sensations Across the Senses

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: The Experience of Pain

7.3 What is the Relationship Between Sensation and Perception?

           Perceptual Processing: Finding Meaning in Sensation

           Perceptual Ambiguity and Distortion

           Theoretical Explanations for Perception

           Seeing and Believing

           PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Thinking Critically about Subliminal Persuasion

 

Chapter 8: States of Consciousness

8.1 How is Consciousness Related to Other Mental Processes?

            Tools for Studying Consciousness

            Models of the Conscious and Nonconscious Minds

            What Does Consciousness Do for Us?

            Levels of Consciousness

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

8.2 What Cycles Occur in Everyday Consciousness?

            Daydreaming

            Sleep: The Mysterious Third of Our Lives

            Dreaming: The Pageants of the Night

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Sleep Disorders

8.3 What Other Forms Can Consciousness Take?

            Hypnosis

            Meditation

            Psychoactive Drug States

         PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Dependence and Addiction

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: The Unconscious–Reconsidered

 

Chapter 9: Emotion and Motivation

9.1 What Do Our Emotions Do For Us?

            The Evolution of Emotions

            Counting the Emotions

            Cultural Universals in Emotional Expression

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Emotional Differences Between Men and Women Depend         on Both Biology and Culture

9.2 Where Do Our Emotions Come From?

            The Neuroscience of Emotion

            Psychological Theories of Emotion: Resolving Some Persistent Issues

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Arousal, Performance, and the Inverted U

9.3 How Much Control Do We Have Over Our Emotions?

            Developing Emotional Intelligence

            Detecting Deception

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Controlling Anger

9.4 Motivation: What Makes Us Act As We Do?

            How Psychologists Use the Concept of Motivation

            Types of Motivation

            Theories of Motivation

            The Unexpected Effects of Rewards on Motivation

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

9.5 How Are Achievement, Hunger, and Sex Alike? Different?

            Achievement Motivation

            Hunger Motivation

            Sexual Motivation

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: A Question of Will Power, Laughter, and Chocolate Cakes

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Do “Lie Detectors” Really Detect Lies?

 

Chapter 10: Personality: Theories of the Whole Person

10.1 What Forces Shape Our Personalities?

            Biology and Human Nature

            The Effects of Nurture: Personality and the Environment

            Inside the Person: Dispositions and Mental Processes

            Social and Cultural Contributions to Personality

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Explaining Unusual People and Unusual Behavior

10.2 What Persistent Patterns, or Dispositions, Make Up Our Personalities?

            Personality and Temperament

            Personality as a Composite of Traits

            Personality Disorders

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Finding Your Type

10.3 What Mental Processes Are at Work Within Our Possibilities?

            Psychodynamic Theories: Emphasis on Motivation and Mental Disorder

            Humanistic Theories: Emphasis on Human Potential and Mental Health

            Social-Cognitive Theories: Emphasis on Social Learning

            Current Trends: The Person in a Social System

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

10.4 What “Theories” Do People Use to Understand Themselves and Others?

            Implicit Personality Theories

            Self Narratives: The Stories of Our Lives

            The Effects of Culture on Our Views of Personality

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Developing Your Own Theory of Personality

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: The Person-Situation Controversy

 

Chapter 11: Social Psychology

11.1 How Does the Social Situation Affect Our Behavior?

            Social Standards of Behavior

            Conformity

            Conformity and Independence Light Up the Brain Differently

            Obedience to Authority

            Cross-Cultural Tests of Milgram’s Research

            Some Real World Extensions of the Milgram Obedience to Authority Paradigm

            The Bystander Problem: The Evil of Inaction

            Need Help? Ask for It!

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: On Being “Shoe” at Yale U.

 

11.2 Constructing Social Reality: What Influences Our Judgments of Others?

            Interpersonal Attraction

            Making Cognitive Attributions

            Loving Relationships     

            Cross-Cultural Research on the Need for Positive Self-Regard

            Prejudice and Discrimination

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: The Sweet Smells of Attraction

11.3 How Do Systems Create Situations that Influence Behavior?

            The Stanford Prison Experiment

            Chains of System Command

            Understanding The Abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison: Bad Apples or Bad Barrels?

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Is Terrorism “A Senseless Act of Violence, Perpetrated by Crazy Fanatics”?

 

 

Chapter 12: Psychological Disorders

12.1 What Is Psychological Disorder?

            Changing Concepts of Psychological Disorder

            Indicators of Abnormality

            A Caution to Readers

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: The Plea of Insanity

12.2 How Are Psychological Disorders Classified in the DSM-IV?

            Overview of the DSM-IV Classification System

            Mood Disorders

            Anxiety Disorders

            Somatoform Disorders

            Dissociative Disorders

            Schizophrenia

            Developmental Disorders

            Adjustment Disorders and Other Conditions

            Gender Differences in Mental Disorders

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Shyness

12.3 What Are the Consequences of Labeling People?

            Diagnostic Labels, Labeling, and Depersonalization

            The Cultural Context of Psychological Disorder

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Insane Places Revisited–Another Look at the Rosenhan Study

 

Chapter 13: Therapies for Psychological Disorders

13.1 What Is Therapy?

            Entering Therapy

            The Therapeutic Alliance and the Goals of Therapy

            Therapy in Historical and Cultural Context

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Paraprofessionals Do Therapy, Too.

13.2 How Do Psychologists Treat Psychological Disorders?

            Insight Therapies

            Behavior Therapies

            Cognitive—Behavioral Therapy: A Synthesis

            Evaluating the Psychological Therapies

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Where Do Most People Get Help?

13.3 How Is the Biomedical Approach Used to Treat Psychological Disorders?

            Drug Therapy

            Other Medical Therapies for Psychological Disorders

            Hospitalization and the Alternatives

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: What Sort of Therapy Would You Recommend?

13.4 How Do The Psychological Therapies and Biomedical Therapies Compare?

            Depression: Psychological vs Medical Treatment

            Anxiety Disorders: Psychological vs Medical Treatment

            "The Worried Well": Not Everyone Needs Drugs

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Evidence-Based Practice

 

Chapter 14: Stress, Health, and Well-Being

14.1 What Causes Stress?

            Traumatic Stressors

            Chronic Stressors

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Student Stress

14.2 How Does Stress Affect Us Physically?

            Physiological Responses to Stress

            Stress and the Immune System

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Drugs for Stress Relief: A Costly Defense

14.3 Who Is Most Vulnerable to Stress? 

            Type A Personality and Hostility

            Locus of Control

            Hardiness

            Optimism

           Resilience

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

14.4 How Can We Reduce the Impact of Stress on our Health?

            Psychological Coping Strategies

            Lifestyle Choices: A “Two-for-One” Benefit to Your Health

            Putting It All Together:  Developing Happiness and Subjective Well-Being

            PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine

CRITICAL THINKING APPLIED: Is Change Really Hazardous to Your Health?