Description

Where great science meets great teaching.

At just fourteen chapters, Psychology: Core Concepts 7e provides rich coverage of the foundational topics taught in most introductory courses.

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 7th edition features an enhanced critical thinking emphasis, with new chapter-opening 'Problems' and new end-of-chapter critical thinking applications that promote active learning.

Teaching & Learning Experience

• Personalize Learning — The new MyPsychLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals.
• Improve Critical Thinking — Pedagogical features are designed to help students learn the problem-solving skills and critical thinking techniques of a good psychologist.
• Engage Students — In-text learning activities and the new MyPsychLab Video Series maintain student interest both in and out of the classroom.
• Explore Research — Current research reflects the most up-to-date psychological theories and applications.
• Understand Culture and Diversity — Cross-cultural, multicultural, and gender research is woven throughout the text to reflect the increasing diversity and global reach of psychology.
• Support Instructors — An Instructor’s Manual, Test Bank (both print and computerized), Interactive PowerPoints, the new MyPsychLab Video Series, Telecourse Videos, and a Telecourse Study Guide provide instructors with the ultimate supplements package.

Preview Site: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/fall2011preview/#Psych Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Psychology-Core-Concepts/214526791978469

Features

WHERE GREAT SCIENCE MEETS GREAT TEACHING.

• “Psychology Matters” applications within each chapter section explore connections between psychology and everyday life, and promote critical thinking by helping students evaluate many of the psychological ideas they will encounter in popular press (e.g. emotional differences between men and women, the origin of sexual orientation, the side effects of psychoactive drugs, etc.). A special “Psychology Matters” section within each chapter focuses on Using Psychology to Learn Psychology, offering practical advice for increased academic success. (ex. p. 79)
  
• “Connection' arrows link material across chapters, showing clear relationships between concepts in various topical areas. An explanatory note accompanies the marginal arrow, giving the reader a quick review or preview of the related discussion found in other chapters. This conveys to students that the discipline of psychology contains many interconnecting threads that weave together to provide meaning across topics, rather than functioning as a set of isolated facts and topics. (ex. p. 68)
  
• The Discovering Psychology Viewing Guide at the end of each chapter in the text includes a program review and activities tied to the Discovering Psychology video series, helping students tie text concepts to what they see in the videos. Students can access the Discovering Psychology videos online through MyPsychLab whenever and wherever they want. They can also complete an online, automatically scored review quiz. (ex. p. 84)
  

PERSONALIZE LEARNING

• The new MyPsychLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals.
• New MyPsychLab Video Series - This new video series offers the most current and cutting-edge introductory psychology video content. These exclusive half-hour videos take the viewer into today’s research laboratories, inside the body and brain, and onto the street to experience real-world applications. In MyPsychLab, students can also access the Discovering Psychology videos, which provide an overview of historic and current theories of human behavior, and feature many of the researchers and studies introduced in this textbook.
• The New Experiments Tool, found in MyPsychLab, allows students to experience psychology through online experiments that reinforce class lessons and textbook content.
• A New Read More section in MyPsychLab offers interested students the opportunity to explore topics that branch out from the core concepts presented in the text.
• The Pearson eText allows students to access their textbook anytime, anywhere, and any way they want—including listening online or downloading to their iPad.
• A personalized study plan for each student, based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, arranges content from less complex thinking—like remembering and understanding—to more complex critical thinking—like applying and analyzing. This layered approach promotes better critical-thinking skills, and helps students succeed in the course and beyond.
• Assessment tied to every video, application, and chapter enables both instructors and students to track progress and get immediate feedback. With results feeding into a powerful gradebook, the assessment program helps instructors identify student challenges early—and find the best resources with which to help students.
• An assignment calendar allows instructors to assign graded activities, with specific deadlines, and measure student progress.
• Class Prep collects the ve

New to this Edition

Found in this section:

1. Overview of changes

2. Chapter-by-chapter changes

1. Overview of Changes

PERSONALIZE LEARNING WITH MYPSYCHLAB

• The new MyPsychLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals.
• MyPsychLab icons have been inserted directly into the margins of the text. (ex. p. 53)
  
• New MyPsychLab Video Series: This new video series offers the most current and cutting-edge introductory psychology video content. These half-hour exclusive videos take the viewer into today’s research laboratories, inside the body and brain, and onto the street to experience real-world applications. In MyPsychLab, students can also access the Discovering Psychology videos, which provide an overview of historic and current theories of human behavior, and feature many of the researchers and studies introduced in this textbook.
• A New Experiment Tool found in MyPsychLab allows students to experience psychology through online experiments that reinforce class lessons and textbook content.
• A New Read More section in MyPsychLab offers interested students the opportunity to explore topics that branch out from the core concepts presented in the text.
• The Pearson eText lets allows students to access their textbook anytime, anywhere, and any way they want—including listening online or downloading to their iPad.
• A personalized study plan for each student, based on Bloom’s Taxonomy, arranges content from less complex thinking—like remembering and understanding—to more complex critical thinking—like applying and analyzing. This layered approach promotes better critical-thinking skills, and helps students succeed in the course and beyond.
• Assessment tied to every video, application, and chapter enables both instructors and students to track progress and get immediate feedback. With results feeding into a powerful gradebook, the assessment program helps instructors identify student challenges early—and find the best resources with which to help students.
• An assignment calendar allows instructors to assign graded activities, with specific deadlines, and measure student progress.
• Class Prep collects the very best class presentation resources in one convenient online destination, so instructors can keep students engaged throughout every class.

IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING

• Chapter-Opening Problems - A special effort has been made in this new edition to provide clues throughout the chapter that will help students understand the solution to the chapter-opening problem. The Chapter Summary now gives a brief “answer” to the problem as well. (ex. p. 40)
• Common psychological misconceptions are addressed throughout the text—such as the notion that venting anger gets it “out of your system” or the belief that punishment is the most effective way of changing behavior. But in the Critical Thinking Applied segment at the end of each chapter, an important psychological issue in the popular media or an ongoing debate within the field is discussed. (ex. p. 80)
  

ENGAGE STUDENTS

• Chapter-Opening Problems - A special effort has been made in this new edition to provide clues throughout the chapter that will help students understand the solution to the chapter-opening problem. The Chapter Summary now gives a brief “answer” to the problem as well. (ex. p. 40

Table of Contents

 

IN THIS SECTION:

1.) BRIEF

2.) COMPREHENSIVE

 

BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Chapter 1: Mind, Behavior, and Psychological Science

Chapter 2: Biopsychology, Neuroscience, and Human Nature 

Chapter 3: Sensation and Perception

Chapter 4: Learning and Human Nature

Chapter 5: Memory

Chapter 6: Thinking and Human Intelligence

Chapter 7: Development over the Lifespan

Chapter 8: States of Consciousness

Chapter 9: Motivation and Emotion

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 

 

COMPREHENSIVE 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 

   Thinking Critically about Psychology and Pseudopsychology 

   Psychology Matters: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

1.3 What Are Psychology’s Six 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: Focusing on Observable Behavior  

   The Whole-Person Perspectives: Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Trait and 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

1.2 How Do Psychologists Develop New Knowledge?  

   Four Steps in the Scientific Method

   Five Types of Psychological Research 

   Controlling Biases in Psychological Research  

   Ethical Issues in Psychological Research  

   PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: The Perils of Pseudopsychology

Critical Thinking Applied: Facilitated Communication 

Chapter Summary 

Discovering Psychology Viewing Guide

 

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  

   Cerebral Dominance 

   PSYCHOLOGY MATTERS: Using Psychology to Learn Psychology

Critical Thinking Applied: Left Brain vs. Right Brain 

Chapter Summary

Discovering Psychology Viewing Guide

 

Chapter 4:  Learning and Human Nurture  

4.1 What Sort of Learning Does Classical Conditioning Explai