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Use the Pedagogical Features

Pedagogical features are integrated in this edition of Psychology to stimulate your active involvement with and critical thinking about issues, as well as to help you learn more efficiently and effectively.

Brain and Behavior. This new edition particularly emphasizes the relationship between biology and the environment. Psychologists now recognize that people are influenced by both genetics and the environment. I have integrated biological concepts and neuropsychology throughout the text and have focused on high-interest topics in special sections called Brain and Behavior. Topics include plasticity of the brain, perceiving faces, melatonin, the biology behind learning, and study techniques that can help you take advantage of how the brain functions so you remember more effectively. A glossy foldout (see pages 52a and 52b) with graphic representations of the brain will help you locate the parts of the brain as you read about them in the text.

InterActivities. The InterActivity icon in the margin of the text indicates a link to a relevant website on the Internet. Links to the sites can be found at the Experience Lefton website at http://www.abacon.com/lefton. The icon indicates topics that will be updated at the website so that you will have access to the most recent events and research in the field of psychology.

Study Skills Foldout. At the end of the text is a foldout guide full of learning tips (see pages 646a and 646b). You may want to leave the foldout open to the list of SQ3R learning steps so that you can keep them in mind as you study.

Critical Thinking. Learning about psychology means learning about the thinking process itself. Developing critical thinking skills is thus a major theme—from Chapter 1’s introduction to the scientific method and critical thinking (on pp. 4–6 and 11–12), to Think Critically questions at the end of major sections, to questions within the text that model critical thinking. In addition, special sections called The Research Process show you how psychologists use (and sometimes abuse) the scientific method.

Focus. According to learning theory, retention improves if you review and rethink what you have read. Throughout the text, short review sections called Focus will remind you to pause, answer questions, and think about what you have just learned. Some questions will review what you have learned; others will encourage you to think critically—to go beyond what you have read to form new connections. The Focus boxes are conveniently placed and include page references to show where topics are discussed in the text. Answers to the questions in the Focus sections are available from your instructor, if you need to check your answers.

Key Terms. Key terms appear in boldface type in the text and are defined in the margin as well as in the end-of-book Glossary, with a pronunciation guide where appropriate. In addition, the key terms are listed with page references within each chapter’s Summary and Review, to provide you with an additional opportunity to review key concepts after you have finished the chapter.

Building Tables. Presenting important theories and concepts in a way that shows the development of ideas is a major pedagogical element in this text. Pioneered in a previous edition and widely applauded by students and instructors, the Building Tables have remained a key part of this edition. As you master a set of concepts, it is added to a Building Table that lists related concepts. These tables allow you to compare, contrast, and integrate concepts. They, too, are an excellent study and review aid.

Art. A picture can be worth a thousand words, especially if you are a visual learner. Inspired by the look of the World Wide Web, this edition’s art has been redesigned to look more three-dimensional. The anatomical and brain art has been redrawn by a studio specializing in medical illustrations to ensure greater accuracy and pedagogical value.

Diversity. A goal of the text is to introduce you to the growing diversity in our culture and to show you how multicultural factors must be taken into account when viewing psychological data. This means thinking critically about issues such as gender, ethnicity, age, and socioeconomic status. Multicultural topics are featured in special Diversity sections throughout the text.

Experiencing Psychology. Featuring interesting topics such as left-handedness, tickling, happiness, and proactive coping, the Experiencing Psychology sections focus on how psychology can be applied to everyday life. The goal is to show how psychologists build bridges between research and application. Experiencing psychology is also a recurring theme throughout the text.

Chapter Summary and Review. Every chapter ends with a carefully structured Summary and Review. The summary is organized by section headings and includes page references to relevant portions of the text. The review is set up in a question-and-answer format and includes a list of key terms.

Talk to the Publisher

Want to take a minute to tell us what you think about the text? Would you recommend it? Did anything confuse you? Could the text have explained certain topics more clearly? We like to hear from students and might incorporate your ideas in the next edition.