Fundamentals of Psychology: The Brain, The Person, The World (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

~ Stephen M. Kosslyn (Author), Robin S. Rosenberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This innovative, 13-chapter text examines psychological issues from the levels of the brain, person, and social world to help students actively apply psychology to their lives. Through their own research, clinical work, and experiences as teachers, Stephen Kosslyn and Robin Rosenberg have found that exploring psychology from multiple perspectives further enhances learning. Examining psychological concepts from the levels of the brain (biological factors), the person (beliefs, desires, and feelings), and the world (social, cultural, and environmental factors) and their interactions helps students organize and integrate topics within and across chapters and actively apply psychology to their lives This briefer version combines the introductory chapter with research methods, consciousness with stress/health coverage, and cognition with intelligence for three fewer chapters than the comprehensive Kosslyn/Rosenberg text. It also features end-of-chapter practice tests to aid students in mastering concepts.

From the Back Cover

ml 11/17/03 coded EDITOR: Karon Bowers ISBN: 0205415059 Priority: AAA Discount code: K Previous Edition ISBN: 0205354807 Title & Edition: Fundamentals of Psychology: The Brain, The Person, The World, Second Edition Authors & Affiliations: Stephen M. Kosslyn, Harvard University Robin S. Rosenberg, Leslie University (adjunct professor) Publication Data (CR year, trim size, page count, binding): 2005; 8 ¿ x 10 7/8; 634 pages; paperback Course codes: SP0101 Introductory Psychology

Appropriate Courses

Designed for undergraduate courses in introductory psychology and general psychology at both two- and four-year schools.

Summary

This innovative 13-chapter text examines psychological issues from the levels of the brain, person, and social world in order to help students actively apply psychology to their lives.

Through their own research, clinical work, and experiences as teachers, Stephen Kosslyn and Robin Rosenberg have found that exploring psychology from multiple perspectives further enhances learning. Examining psychological concepts from the levels of the brain (biological factors), the person (beliefs, desires, and feelings) and the world (social, cultural, and environmental factors) and their interactions helps students organize and integrate topics within and across chapters and actively apply psychology to their lives

This briefer version combines the introductory chapter with research methods, consciousness with stress/health coverage, and cognition with intelligence for three fewer chapters than the comprehensive Kosslyn/Rosenberg text. It also features end-of-chapter practice tests to aid students in mastering concepts.

Features

• Integrates the field and brings psychology into focus for students by examining concepts through the lenses of the brain, the person, and the world. The popular “Looking at Levels” feature engages students by exploring some aspect of psychology through these three lenses.
• Features student-friendly learning tools, including built in study aids such as Looking Ahead section preview questions, Sum it Up interim summaries (organized around preview questions), Let¿s Review chapter summaries, key terms lists, and end-of-chapter Practice Tests all which help students focus in on the core concepts. Hands On demonstrations of psychological phenomena also bring psychological principles to life through application and participation.
• Includes a high-interest chapter story that begins each chapter and is revisited throughout, providing a framework for the chapter¿s discussion of relevant psychological theories and research. These stories allow students to see how the psychological material covered in the chapter might apply to people outside of a psychological laboratory and they also make the material more interesting and applicable to their lives, thus facilitating learning and remembering.
• Includes instructive art, thoughtfully placed throughout the text, making the text particularly helpful for visual learners. For example, classic experiments are described and visually displayed as multi-panel illustrations, helping students better understand and remember these studies through showing and telling.
• Unique Appendix B: How to Read, Critically Evaluate, and Write Research Papers walks students through the APA format, helping them understand 1) how a research study is designed and reported, 2) how to write their own research papers, and 3) how to think critically about psychological studies encountered in popular culture.
• Features well-known and highly regarded authors: Stephen Kosslyn is professor of psychology at Harvard University where he is currently “head tutor,” supervising graduate students who teach the introductory psychology course. Dr. Kosslyn's research has focused on the nature of visual mental imagery and visual communication. Robin Rosenberg is a clinical psychologist in private practice and has taught introductory psychology at Lesley College.

New to this Edition

• Contains thoroughly revised material and hundreds of new references throughout, balancing the most up-to-date research with important classical studies.
• Includes four new chapter-opening stories, giving the new edition a fresh look and feel.
• Features an attractive new design, resulting in unsurpassed clarity and enhanced visual appeal. More photos, figures, and subheadings make material easier to process and more user-friendly.
• TECHNOLOGY ADVANTAGE: MyPsychLab is an exciting new learning and teaching tool designed to increase student success in the classroom and provide instructors with every resource needed to teach and administer an introductory psychology course. Designed to be used as a supplement to a traditional lecture course or to completely administer an online course, MyPsychLab features a text-specific e-book matching the exact layout of the printed textbook with multimedia and assessment icons in the margins. These icons launch to exciting resources simulations, animations, video clips, audio explanations, activities, controlled assessments, and profiles of prominent psychologists to expand upon the key topics students encounter as they read the text.

Contents

1. Psychology: Yesterday and Today.

• The Science of Psychology: Getting to Know You.
• Psychology Then and Now.
• The Research Process: How We Find Things Out.

2. The Biology of Mind and Behavior: The Brain in Action.

• Brain Circuits: Making Connections.
• The Nervous System: An Orchestra With Many Members.
• Probing the Brain.
• Genes, Brain, and Environment: The Brain in the World.

3. Sensation and Perception: How the World Enters the Mind.

• Vision.
• Hearing.
• Sensing and Perceiving in Other Ways.

4. Learning: How Experience Changes Us.

• Classical Conditioning.
• Operant Conditioning.
• Cognitive and Social Learning.

5. Memory: Living With Yesterday.

• Storing Information: Time and Space Are of the Essence.
• Encoding and Retrieving Information From Memory.
• When Memory Goes Wrong And What to Do About It.

6. Language, Thinking, and Intelligence: What Humans Do Best.

• Language: More Than Meets the Ear.
• Thinking: Understanding the World and Guiding Behavior.
• Intelligence: Is There More Than One Way To Be Smart?
• What Makes Us Smart: Nature and Nurture.

7. Emotion and Motivation: Feeling and Striving.

• Emotion: I Feel, Therefore I Am.
• Motivation and Reward: Feeling Good.
• Hunger and Sex: Two Important Motivations.

8. Personality: Vive la Difference!

• What is Personality?
• The Brain: The Personality Organ.
• The Person: Beliefs and Behaviors.
• The World: Social Influences on Personality.

9. Psychology Over the Life Span: Growing Up, Growing Older, Growing Wiser.

• In the Beginning: From Conception to Birth.
• Infancy and Childhood: Taking Off.
• Adolescence: Between Two Worlds.
• Adulthood and Aging: The Continuously Changing Self.

10. Stress, Health, and Coping: Dealing With Life.

• What is Stress?
• Stress, Disease, and Health.
• Strategies for Coping.

11. Psychological Disorders: More Than Everyday Problems.

• Identifying Psychological Disorders: What¿s Abnormal?
• Axis I: An Overview of Selected Disorder.
• Axis II: Focus on Personality Disorders.
• A Cautionary Note About Diagnosis.

12. Treatment: Healing Actions, Healing Words.

• Therapies Focusing on Mental Processes and Behavior.
• Therapies Focusing on Brain and Body.
• Which Therapy Works Best?

13. Social Psychology: Meeting of the Minds.

• Social Cognition: Thinking About People.
• Social Behavior: Interacting With People.
• A Final Word: Ethics and Social Psychology.

Appendix A Statistics.

Appendix B How to Read, Critically Evaluate, and Write Research Papers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 2 edition (February 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205415059
• ISBN-13: 978-0205415052
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #478,306 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to the world of psychology, December 29, 2002

By	VoodooLord7 (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Fundamentals of Psychology: The Brain, The Person, The World (Paperback)

The fascinating world of psychology - with its clinical, counseling, and research umbrellas - is one of the most consistently sought-after fields among laymen and student prospectives today. Almost every person, it seems, is interested in psychology in some degree - but carichatured presentations of the science in the mass media has given it a general unfortunate stereotyped profession. The layman or common person interested in psychology, then, needs a useful, informative text to introduce them to the ins and outs of the science. This book serves as a great introduction. Used as a textbook in introductory psychology courses in colleges throughout the nation, it is a useful tool for sparking your interest in the field. Thankfully, unlike many textbooks and books of this kind, it manages to avoid putting the personal issues and agendas of the author(s) too much to the forefront, and focuses instead on objective, factual information: the book uses a very technical approach that may seem dry to some, but which is ultimately worthwhile for the reader. A highly reccommended introductory text.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good text, questionable teacher resources, poor customer service, September 27, 2006

By	C. Weaver "PsychoDoc" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm teaching out of this text for the first time. The students seem to be getting the information well. To me, the book seems vibrant, appropriately simple and complex, and generally well carried out. I was, however, wooed by the instructor resources, some of which are quite good (if quirky), and some are practically useless. Repeated confusion on behalf of the publisher has exacerbated these problems.

Specifically, the test generating software is priceless. The test bank has a large number of questions, with good item statistics for each question. This software is a bit quirky, but easy enough if you don't frustrate easily. The most significant problem I have had is with the MyPsychLab materials. For some reason (I can only assume copyright), the publisher refuses to let you download demonstrations and videos to your local computer. The couple of times I have worked these into my lecture, either the website will be down, or the videos will load slowly and not play. It has never worked correctly in class. As a tool for students to log into and play with, MyPsychLab is likely more effective. Until the kinks are worked out, do not buy this product with the plan to use these resources in class.

As for the problems with customer service, our sales rep first tried to push the more expensive Kosslyn/Rosenberg text. Getting exam copies with all instructor resources took about two months of emailing back and forth with repeated requests. In contrast, McGraw Hill sent all materials on the first request within three days. I also had significant problems getting the book stocked, resulting in changes to my syllabus (during class) and having to photocopy about 100 pages (book and workbook) for 10 students. This last problem was likely due in part to our campus bookstore, but they claimed some responsibility on behalf of the publisher. I have no data to guess where the problem really originated.

In the end, I like the text, and will use it again. The authors would do well to demand better from their publisher.

3.0 out of 5 stars A good hands on text if you pay extra for the program., March 11, 2007

By	A. McCreary "Ms. Anne Thrope" (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fundamentals of Psychology: The Brain, The Person, The World (with Study Card) (2nd Edition) (MyPsychLab Series) (Paperback)

This is a good textbook, and it is much better if you spend the extra money to get the MyPsychLab program that accompanies the text. It is worth it to spend the extra money, and the exercises on the program are actually kind of fun.