Psychology From Inquiry to Understanding (paperback)

Provides the framework to go from inquiry to understanding.

Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding, 3/e, teaches students how to test their assumptions, and motivates them to use scientific thinking skills to better understand the field of psychology in their everyday lives. By applying scientific thinking, students can more intelligently evaluate claims about both laboratory research and daily life. In the end, students will emerge with the “psychological smarts,” or open-minded skepticism, needed to distinguish psychological misinformation from credible, useful psychological information.

MyPsychLab is an integral part of the Lilienfeld program. Engaging online activities and assessments provide a teaching and learning system that helps students become scientific thinkers. With MyPsychLab, students can watch videos on psychological research and applications, participate in virtual classic experiments, and develop critical thinking skills through writing.

This title is available in a variety of formats – digital and print. Pearson offers its titles on the devices students love through Pearson’s MyLab products, CourseSmart, Amazon, and more.

SCOTT O. LILIENFELD received his B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University in 1982 and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1990. He completed his clinical internship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1986 to 1987. He was Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at SUNY Albany from 1990 to 1994 and now is Professor of Psychology at Emory University. He is a Fellow of the Association of Psychological Science and was the recipient of the 1998 David Shakow Award from Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) of the American Psychological Association for Early Career Contributions to Clinical Psychology. Dr. Lilienfeld is a past president of the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology within Division 12. He is the founder and editor of the Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, Associate Editor of Applied and Preventive Psychology, and a regular columnist for Scientific American Mind magazine. He has authored or coauthored seven books and over 200 journal articles and chapters. Dr. Lilienfeld has also been a participant in Emory University’s “Great Teachers” lecturer series, as well as the Distinguished Speaker for the Psi Chi Honor Society at the American Psychological Association and numerous other national conventions.

STEVEN JAY LYNN received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University. He completed an NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship at Lafayette Clinic, Detroit, Michigan, in 1976 and is now Professor of Psychology at Binghamton University (SUNY), where he is the director of the Psychological Clinic. Dr. Lynn is a fellow of numerous professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society, and he was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award of the State University of New York for Scholarship and Creative Activities. Dr. Lynn has authored or edited 19 books and more than 260 other publications, and was  recently named on a list of “Top Producers of Scholarly Publications in Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Programs” (2000-2004/Stewart, Wu, & Roberts, 2007, Journal of Clinical Psychology). Dr. Lynn has served as the editor of a book series for the American Psychological Association, and he has served on 11 editorial boards, including the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Dr. Lynn’s research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

LAURA L. NAMY received her B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology from Indiana University in 1993 and her doctorate in Cognitive Psychology at Northwestern University in 1998. She is now Associate Professor of Psychology and Core Faculty in Linguistics at Emory University. Dr. Namy is the editor of the Journal of Cognition and Development. At Emory, she is Director of the Emory Child Study Center and Associate Director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture. Her research focuses on the origins and development of verbal and nonverbal symbol use in young children, sound symbolism in natural language, and the role of comparison in conceptual development.

NANCY J. WOOLF received her B.S. in Psychobiology at UCLA in 1978 and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at UCLA School of Medicine in 1983. She is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at UCLA. Her specialization is behavioral neuroscience, and her research spans the organization of acetylcholine systems, neural plasticity, memory, neural degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, and consciousness. In 1990 she won the Colby Prize from the Sigma Kappa Foundation, awarded for her achievements in scientific research in Alzheimer disease. In 2002 she received the Academic Advancement Program Faculty Recognition Award. She also received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Psychology Department at UCLA in 2008. Dr. Woolf is currently on the editorial boards of Science and Consciousness Review  and  Journal of Nanoneuroscience.

In this Section:

1. Brief Table of Contents

2. Full Table of Contents

Brief Table of Contents

Chapter 1:                 Psychology and Scientific Thinking

Chapter 2:                 Research Methods

Chapter 3:                 Biological Psychology

Chapter 4:                 Sensation and Perception

Chapter 5:                 Consciousness

Chapter 6:                 Learning

Chapter 7:                 Memory

Chapter 8:                 Thinking, Reasoning, and Language

Chapter 9:                 Intelligence and IQ Testing

Chapter 10:               Human Development

Chapter 11:               Emotion and Motivation

Chapter 12:               Stress, Coping, and Health

Chapter 13:               Social Psychology

Chapter 14:               Personality

Chapter 15:               Psychological Disorders

Chapter 16:               Psychological and Biological Treatments

Full Table of Contents

Chapter 1:                 Psychology and Scientific Thinking

What Is Psychology? Science Versus Intuition 

Psychological Pseudoscience: Imposters of Science 

Scientific Thinking: Distinguishing Fact from Fiction 

Scientific Skepticism 

Psychology’s Past and Present: What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been 

Chapter 2:                 Research Methods

The Beauty and Necessity of Good Research Design

The Scientific Method: Toolbox of Skills 

Ethical Issues in Research Design 

Statistics: The Language of Psychological Research 

Evaluating Psychological Research 

Chapter 3:                 Biological Psychology

Nerve Cells: Communication Portals 

The Brain–Behavior Network 

The Endocrine System 

Mapping the Mind: The Brain in Action 

Nature and Nurture: Did your Genes—or Parents—Make You Do It? 

Chapter 4:                 Sensation and Perception

Two Sides of the Coin: Sensation and Perception 

Seeing: The Visual System 

Hearing: The Auditory System 

Smell and Taste: The Sensual Senses 

Our Body Senses: Touch, Body Position, and Balance 

Perception: When Our Senses Meet Our Brain  

Chapter 5:                 Consciousness

The Biology of Sleep 

Dreams

Other Alterations of Consciousness and Unusual Experiences 

Drugs and Consciousness 

Chapter 6:                 Learning

Classical Conditioning 

Operant Conditioning 

Cognitive Models of Learning 

Biological Influences on Learning 

Learning Fads: Do They Work? 

Chapter 7:                 Memory

How Memory Operates: The Memory Assembly Line 

The Three Processes of Memory 

The Biology Of Memory 

The Development of Memory: Acquiring a Personal History 

False Memories: When Good Memory Goes Bad 

Chapter 8:                 Thinking, Reasoning, and Language

Thinking and Reasoning  

Thinking At Its Hardest: Decision Making and Problem Solving  

How Does Language Work? 

Communication and the Mind: Connecting Thinking, Language, and Reading  

Chapter 9:                 Intelligence and IQ Testing

What Is Intelligence? Definitional Confusion 

Intelligence Testing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 

Genetic and Environmental Influences on IQ  

Group Differences in IQ: The Science and the Politics 

The Rest of the Story: Other Dimensions of Intellect 

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Chapter 10:               Human Development

Special Considerations in Human Development 

The Developing Body: Physical and Motor Development 

The Developing Mind: Cognitive Development 

The Developing Personality: Social and Moral Development 

Chapter 11:               Emotion and Motivation

Theories of Emotion: What Causes Our Feelings? 

Nonverbal Expression of Emotion: The Eyes, Bodies, and Cultures Have It 

Happiness and Self-Esteem: Science Confronts Pop Psychology 

Motivation: Our Wants and Needs 

Attraction, Love, and Hate: The Greatest Mysteries of Them All 

Chapter 12:               Stress, Coping, and Health

What Is Stress? 

How We Adapt to Stress: Change and Challenge 

The Brain–Body Reaction to Stress 

Coping with Stress 

Promoting Good Health—And Less Stress! 

Chapter 13:               Social Psychology

What Is Social Psychology? 

Social Influence: Conformity and Obedience 

Helping and Harming Others: Prosocial Behavior and Aggression 

Attitudes and Persuasion: Changing Minds 

Prejudice and Discrimination 

Chapter 14:               Personality

Personality: What Is It and How Can We Study It? 

Psychoanalytic Theory: The Controversial Legacy of Sigmund Freud and His Followers 

Behavioral and Social Learning Theories of Personality

Humanistic Models of Personality: The Third Force 

Trait Models of Personality: Consistencies in Our Behavior 

Personality Assessment: Measuring and Mismeasuring the Psyche 

Chapter 15:               Psychological Disorders

Conceptions of Mental Illness: Yesterday and Today 

Anxiety-Related Disorders: The Many Faces of Worry and Fear 

Mood Disorders and Suicide 

Personality and Dissociative Disorders: The Disrupted and Divided Self 

The Enigma of Schizophrenia 

Childhood Disorders: Recent Controversies 

Chapter 16:               Psychological and Biological Treatments

Psychotherapy: Clients and Practitioners 

Insight Therapies: Acquiring Understanding 

Group Therapies: The More, the Merrier 

Behavioral Approaches: Changing Maladaptive Actions 

Is Psychotherapy Effective? 

Biomedical Treatments: Medications, Electrical Stimulation, and Surgery