Customer Reviews

Psychology

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought this book for an online AP Psychology course. I have had a great interest in psychology for a long time, and this was perhaps what caused me to enjoy the book so much. I found that I have really enjoyed reading this book overall. Because it was for an online class, this book was the most important, if not the only important resource in the class. It did a brilliant job of teaching psychology without a teacher's support and guidance. It kept me quite inspired and interested. Now I'm going to stop beating around the bush and tell you what I found in this book directly.

The writing style is definitely far more wordy than most science books. This could be both helpful and annoying at times. The style ensured that once I done with a section, the writer had said the same thing in so many ways with so much evidence intertwined, as it ought to be, that I had no doubts at the end, and I didn't feel the missing spot of a teacher. So whether you have a good teacher or not, I promise that this book will get you through the course. But, as I said, sometimes it can be annoying. Myers uses tons of analogies and examples that sometimes make me think, "Where is this guy going? Can't he just state it plainly?" Overall though, it's good.

The structure of the book is amazing, and amazing might be an understatement. It is very well organized. If you buy the module edition, it is even better. Everything is broken up into subsections, and when you're reviewing, the small sections are extremely useful. Myers lists out evidence, and includes many helpful diagrams and charts. Biological processes that are often difficult to understand are simple with his diagrams. At the end of the module there is a small "objectives" summary. There are questions, comics, quotes, and small comments that make the read enjoyable and fascinating.

The book is massive, as any textbook is, but I have found the read quite easy. Because I'm doing an online course, I couldn't afford to skip pages or chapters. That means I read every word in this book. Well almost. I've been working at it for about a month, and I'm currently on page 626. After going through all this though, I'm finding it difficult to complete the book. That might be my fault. I really don't know.

My only issue with it is that its hard to finish big chunks in one sitting. While I might finish 40 pages in one day. I have to concentrate really hard for the whole day, splitting the reading into chunks of a few pages at a time. If your in a course where you're going to be expected to finish 10 pages in one night, and still complete all your other homework, all I have to say is good luck with that.

I guess the issue I had with this was a personal issue- maybe. That last problem I explained is why I gave it 4 and not 5. If I could I'd give it 4.9 because really, this is the best textbook I've ever had. It has definitely made me happy to learn so many new things about a subject that I find so interesting. And hats off to Myers for being able to write such a massive book while still keeping the style and quality consistent.

This edition makes several improvements over the previous edition, which I had from a previous Psych course. Some new research is included, and the author actually gets introspective! Also, if you are trying to make do with a previous edition, be aware that some of the chapter numbers have changed in this edition.

This book is easy to read, perhaps, too easy for college-level students. There are pages and pages of analogies, quotes, diagrams and photos (sometimes indirectly related to the material) and numerous pop-culture references. The book could have been a few hundred pages shorter. It's a pain to carry it around, but it's a good book for an intro course in psychology.

Some uninteresting topics. Never seen a textbook with cartoon caption jokes before which are on almost everypage. A good introduction to psychology geared towards undergraduate college students.

If you asked me if I was interested in Psychology before taking this class/reading this book, I would have said "NO!" I was a biology major during my undergrad and somehow got by without taking a Psych class. I didn't think it was a real science. Well, I just finished an on-line course using this book. The majority of the class was the book. Now, I wish I majored in Psychology. It was fascinating! In fact, I found myself reading it out loud to my husband. I loved the little psych test, ie. what do you see in this picture, can you draw two different figures with your two different hands, which face looks female/male, etc. The author peppered every lesson with real life examples which made it come to life. Also, it was organized in a way which was easy to understand. Finally, every section would end with a question to test if the student learned/understood the material. In one word: fantastic!

This is one of those difficult books that when it is good, it is good, and when it is bad, it is bad. Some of the book was very interesting. (My personal favorite section was the one that dealt with sleep.) However, I found other parts of it to be on the offensive side. The chapters are pretty long and sometimes cumbersome to read through. However, as I said, some of the information it presented was fascinating.

I've gone through a lot of textbooks in my college career, and they vary from being completely inane to be so dense it is nearly impossible to plow through them. David Myers does a great job of taking on a quite challenging topic and parsing it out in a way that is both understandable and not dumbed down.

He tackles the material step by step, providing the building blocks first, getting into issues of anatomy, then launching out into more complex topics such as dreams, memory, and stress. I found each chapter quite fascinating and well covered. This isn't a book to zip through. It's one to sit down with, really study the chapter, and then give yourself time to absorb it. As he indicates in his chapter on learning, this process is one that helps the brain best absorb the details.

Generally I found the graphs and charts to be helpful, and the overall layout to help get the message home. However, I found the incessant use of cartoons to be REALLY distracting. I really don't need to have cute cartoons on every single page - and, I kid you not - there are pages with TWO cartoons on them because clearly one wasn't enough.

Woman on phone: "Thank you for calling the Psychic Hotline. How can I help you?"
Man on phone: "You tell me ..."

Ha ha ha. This is in a chapter on "Sensation and Perception". I really didn't need that cartoon to help me learn the information, and if anything it distracts me from my task at hand.

Still, the book provides a great wealth of fascinating information. I'll knock a star off for those annoying cartoons, and maybe they can be mitigated somewhat in future editions.

Whether you're a freshman or a professor, you can't ignore this essential book. It's not the holy grail, not the most important book of the century, but it is a must have for any psychology student.

The top 2 reviews summarized the reasons you should have it. Read them! Get this.

Great for the class, I recommend getting the study guide as well as it'll help your overall performance in class. Author has been around for a while so he knows the subject matter well and throws in at least one good joke into each chapter. Easy to follow with relevant illustrations, quotes, vocab and summaries in page margins.

This book came exactly as described. The packaging was good and it was received within the 2 days I requested.