Top 10 Reasons to Study Psychology
Foreword
Introduction
1. Psychology β Yesterday and Today
What Is Psychology?
The Influence of Philosophy and Physiology
Psychology in the Early Years
Psychoanalysis
Behaviorism
Humanistic Psychology and Positive Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Biological Psychology
Culture, Ethnicity, and Diversity in Modern Psychology
2. How Psychologists Know What They Know
The Scientific Method
Descriptive Research Methods
Experiments β The Cornerstone of Psychology
Psychological Tests
The Essential Role of Statistics
Ethics in Psychological Research
Identifying Pseudoscience
3. The Biology of Psychology
Neurons and What They Do
The Central Nervous System
The Peripheral Nervous System
The Endocrine System
Genes and What They Do
Gene Expression
Evolution and Humans
4. Brain and Mind β What Makes Us Human
Origins of the Human Brain
The Forebrain's Structures and Functions
The Cerebrum
Traditional Approaches to Studying the Brain
Specialization of the Cerebral Hemispheres
Neuroscience and Brain Imaging β The Modern Approach
What Is Mind β Earlier Views
What Is Mind β Views Based on Neuroscience
5. How You Experience Your World
Sensation and Perception
The Eyes and Visual Sensation
The Ears and Auditory Sensation
Auditory Perception
Smell and Taste β The Chemical Senses
The Skin Senses
Kinesthesis and Equilibrium
Perception
Optical Illusions
6. Altered States of Consciousness
Biological Rhythms
Levels of Consciousness
Sleep
Sleep Disorders
Why Do You Dream?
Hypnosis and Its Uses
Meditation
Psychoactive Drugs and Their Effects
Drug Abuse and Dependence
7. Conditioning and Learning
What Is Learning?
Habituation β The Most Basic Form of Learning
Conditioning
Classical Conditioning
Applications of Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
Applications of Operant Conditioning
Learning Through Observation and Imitation
Applications of Observational Learning
8. How You Remember, Why You Forget
Memory β An Overview
Sensory Memory and Incoming Stimulation
Short-Term Memory and Working Memory
Long-Term Memories and How They Are Stored
Explanations for Forgetting
Imperfect, Distorted, and False Memories
The Repression Debate
Techniques for Improving Your Memory
9. Thinking, Language, and Intelligence
The Cognitive Perspective
Units of Knowledge
Strategies in Problem Solving
Decision-Making Strategies
The Characteristics of Language
Gestures and Other Nonverbal Communication
Can Other Animals Learn Human Language?
Measuring Intelligence
Theories of Intelligence
10. Motives β Why You Do the Things You Do
Varieties of Motives
The Brain's Role in Motivation
Theories of Motivation
The Physiology of Motivation
The Hunger Motive
Eating Disorders
Emotion as a Motive
The Motive for Sex
Sexual Orientation
11. Emotions β Feeling Up, Feeling Down
Emotions Versus Motives
The Physiology of Emotion
The Brain's Role in Emotion
Varieties of Emotions
Aggressive Behavior
Do We All Have the Same Emotions?
12. Human Development β Conception, Infancy, and Childhood
Genes, Gametes, and Conception
Prenatal Development and Birth
Maternal Health and Nutrition
Physical Growth
Development of Motor Skills
Cognitive Development β How Infants and Children Think
Language Development β Part Prewired, Part Learned
Developing a Sense of Self
Social and Emotional Development
13. Human Development β Adolescence
Physical and Sexual Development
Cognitive Development β How Adolescents Think
Developing a Sense of Identity
14. Human Development β Adulthood and Aging
Physical Health
Changes During Middle Adulthood
Changes in Sexuality
Cognitive Growth and Decline
Retirement
Death β The Final Stage in Development
15. Personality and Personality Tests
What Is Personality?
Heredity, Environment, and Personality
Psychoanalytic Approach
Humanistic Views
Popular Personality Tests
16. Social Cognition β Thinking About Yourself and Others
Humans as Social Beings
Beliefs and Attitudes
Social Schemata and Scripts
Forming Impressions
Interpreting Othersβ Behavior β And Your Own
Stereotyping and Prejudice
17. Social Interactions and Interpersonal Behavior
The Person and the Situation
Compliance
Conformity and Peer Pressure
Obedience
Friendships and Romantic Relationships
Altruism and Prosocial Behavior
Aggression and Its Causes
The Mentality of Groups
18. Stress, Coping, and Health
Stressors and Stress
How Stress Affects Physical Health
How Stress Affects Mental Health
Better Ways of Coping with Stress
19. Disorders: When Thinking and Emotionality Go Awry
What Is Abnormal?
Anxiety Disorders
Adjustment Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Mood Disorders
Schizophrenia
Personality Disorders
Causes of Mental Disorders
Understanding and Preventing Suicide
20. Psychotherapy and Other Approaches to Treatment
Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Approaches
Medical Approaches
Humanistic Approaches
Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches
Group Therapy
Helping Yourself
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Psychotherapy
21. Careers in Psychology
How to Become a Psychologist
Job Options with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
Job Options with a Graduate Degree in Psychology
The Job Outlook for Psychology Careers
Appendix A: Glossary of Psychological Terms
Appendix B: Resources