Customer Reviews

Exploring Psychology

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have bought my share of text books, and more often then not I cringe at the cost for what you get. Often I find that my lecture materials are useful and the text is not.

Not so this book! I loved it (although the chapters can be a little long)

PROS: the quizzes throughout chapters to test your understanding and an associated website with practice multiple choice and review questions that were invaluable for preparing for my class tests.

CONS: cover a bit soft and easily damaged when carrying it with you and book is heavy

A common problem with text books is how dry they can make the material seem, not so with this book!

It is filled with interesting case studies, helpful quotes, captivating illustrations and probing concept questions. The chapters are well outlined and have helpful review questions at the end of each section. The author slips in bits of dry humor, which keeps the reader engaged.

This text book is a keeper and won't be sold back at the end of the term.

Most of those required class textbooks are quite lame but this one does the job. My only complaint is that the chapters seem to go on forever. Also, you can see the guys biases easily too but overall, its an insightful textbook!

I was thrilled to find the textbook at a very reasonable price. When it arrived I was only a little disappointed that it had quite a few pencil notes and markings through it that could not be erased. Still, the book was for the most part in very good shape and I felt I'd received a good deal. Maybe I should have also purchased "Buying Textbooks for Dummies" because it was the wrong one. It was the correct author, edition and year, but I did not realize that two of the exact same text was arranged in two completely different ways with Exploring Psychology in CHAPTERS, and one arranged in MODULES. Why even make TWO text books with a huge difference in the arrangement of sections, that have basically the exact same content? It was impossible to follow along with the instructor/class as we are directed to Modules of completely different numbering than my Chapters. I finally had to sit down with the instructor after the 3rd class and mark each Chapter section in my book with Module numbers from his book just to be able to work with it. Just a tip for anyone else who might be shopping for an item like this and not realize that this can happen.

This is a great psych textbook! the author goes out of his way to use real-life examples, and get you interested in the subject. in the beginning of a chapter he uses great hooks to catch your attention, for example in the the chapter on personality, he hooks you in with a Lord of the Rings anecdote, and then goes on to describe how the hobbit character, Frodo Baggin's best friend, Sam Gamgee, is an example of personality, because Sam exhibits a set of traits and behavior that are consistent over time. Also there are lots of historical tidbits, comics, and pictures scattered around the main content, so when your having a hard time grasping some of the drier concepts, chances are there might be a Peanuts' comic strip, or historical example that will help you understand a conceptual framework . In some case s the author even uses examples from his family and homelife to explain concepts. This gives you the impression that your having a conversation with him. For example, when explaining some frameworks on memory, the author gives an tells of a time when his wife made several dozen cookies, they were gone in a day, then he asked them all to recall how many each they had eaten. This has to be one of the less dry textbooks I've read, and it gave me a great intro to psych. I'm really thankful to the author for this.

We often wonder why a professor chooses a certain text out of so many available for the same course, when you get this book, when your professor chooses it for your course, you will see, this is an amazingly informative text and you will enjoy the information much the same as you would a preferred novel. This book will help you understand others as well as yourself, in a very short time, I am not saying you will be a professional immediately, but, you will understand more than you would have ever believed! I Love it, still reading it and do when the "need" seems to come up, it is a book you will want to keep!

I've never wanted to write a fan letter to the author of a text book...until now. Author David G. Myers understands how the human brain works and learns and puts it to great effect in this book. If most text books are dry, then this one is juicy. Of all the text books I've ever had, I've enjoyed this one the most. Here's what makes it great:

- Lots of relevant color pictures, comic strips, graphs, diagrams, and quotes in the margins make the book more like a (very large) magazine
- Vocabulary words appear in the margins for contextual reviews
- Inside cover shows time line of great people and events in psychology
- Sections have both conventional titles and goals for learning that set expectations
- Text is easy-to-read, often entertaining and summarizes many interesting facts and experimental findings
- Interspersed self tests throughout a chapter are like rest stops on a turnpike that help verify comprehension and retention
- Chapter end review, vocabulary lists, and self tests are great refreshers
- Glossary provides full vocabulary of terminology
- Indexes of subjects, names, and references make reviews easy

This book is a keeper. I'm not selling it back after my class ends. You'll have to buy your own copy. :)

Excellent book - currently using it for Psychology course but this book is a keeper.

I am a foreign student and it has always been very difficult for me to read the textbooks because English is my second language. This book is by far the best I have read---so thorough but illustrated in a way that anyone can understand and is actually enjoyable to read and not a struggle. It's very rarely I would say that I "love" and so thoroughly enjoy reading a textbook but this book I truly love! My hats to author David Myers!

This is probably my favorite textbook I've had to get for college thus far. If you into psychology at all, this book does a pretty good job of keeping your attention and, a good bit of the time, throws some humor to mix up the drudgery of learns fact and ideas. For example, "operant conditioning is much more than just pulling habits out of rats." I laughed pretty hard when I read that.

If you need this for class, be glad. It's a good book.