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Feldman Essentials 6e
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Essentials of Understanding Psychology, 6/e

Robert Feldman, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

ISBN: 0072965037
Copyright year: 2005

Table of Contents



Chapter 1 Introduction to Psychology

Psychologists at Work
The Subfields of Psychology: Psychology's Family Tree
Working at Psychology
A Science Evolves: The Past, the Present, and the Future
The Roots of Psychology
Today's Perspectives
Psychology's Key Issues and Controversies
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Psychology and the Reduction of Violence
Psychology's Future
Research in Psychology
The Scientific Method
Psychological Research
Archival Research
Naturalistic Observation
Survey Research
The Case Study
Correlational Research
Experimental Research
Research Challenges: Exploring the Process
The Ethics of Research
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Choosing Participants Who Represent the Scope of Human Behavior
Should Animals Be Used in Research?
Threats to Experimental Validity: Experimenter and Participant Expectations
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Thinking Critically About Research

Chapter 2 Neuroscience and Behavior

Neurons: The Basic Elements of Behavior
The Structure of the Neuron
How Neurons Fire
Where Neurons Meet: Bridging the Gap
Neurotransmitters: Multitalented Chemical Couriers
The Nervous System and the Endocrine System: Communicating Within the Body
The Nervous System
The Endocrine System: Of Chemicals and Glands
The Brain
Studying the Brain's Structure and Functions: Spying on the Brain
The Central Core: Our "Old Brain"
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Robot Rats and Wired Brains: Harnessing Brainpower to Improve Lives
The Limbic System: Beyond the Central Core
The Cerebral Cortex: Our "New Brain"
Mending the Brain
The Specialization of the Hemispheres: Two Brains or One?
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Human Diversity and the Brain
The Split Brain: Exploring the Two Hemispheres
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Learning to Control Your Heart and Mind through Biofeedback

Chapter 3 Sensation and Perception

Sensing the World Around Us
Absolute Thresholds: Detecting What's Out There
Difference Thresholds: Noticing Distinctions Between Stimuli
Sensory Adaptation:Turning Down Our Responses
Vision: Shedding Light on the Eye
Illuminating the Structure of the Eye
Color Vision and Color Blindness:The Seven-Million-Color Spectrum
Hearing and the Other Senses
Sensing Sound
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Making Senses: New Technology for Hearing and Seeing Smell and Taste
The Skin Senses: Touch, Pressure,Temperature, and Pain
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Managing Pain
Perceptual Organization: Constructing Our View of the World
The Gestalt Laws of Organization
Feature Analysis: Focusing on the Parts of the Whole
Top-Down and Bottom-Up Processing
Perceptual Constancy
Depth Perception:Translating 2-D to 3-D
Motion Perception:As the World Turns
Perceptual Illusions:The Deceptions of Perceptions
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Culture and Perception
Subliminal Perception

Chapter 4 States of Consciousness

Sleep and Dreams
The Stages of Sleep
REM Sleep: The Paradox of Sleep
Why Do We Sleep, and How Much Sleep Is Necessary?
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Tired Teens: Adolescents Struggle to Balance Sleep and School
The Function and Meaning of Dreaming
Sleep Disturbances: Slumbering Problems
Circadian Rhythms: Life Cycles
Daydreams: Dreams Without Sleep
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Sleeping Better
Hypnosis and Meditation
Hypnosis: A Trance-Forming Experience?
Meditation: Regulating Our Own State of Consciousness
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Cross-Cultural Routes to Altered States of Consciousness
Drug Use: The Highs and Lows of Consciousness
Stimulants: Drug Highs
Depressants: Drug Lows
Narcotics: Relieving Pain and Anxiety
Hallucinogens: Psychedelic Drugs
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Identifying Drug and Alcohol Problems

Chapter 5 Learning

Classical Conditioning
The Basics of Classical Conditioning
Applying Conditioning Principles to Human Behavior
Extinction
Generalization and Discrimination
Beyond Traditional Classical Conditioning: Challenging Basic Assumptions
Operant Conditioning
Thorndike's Law of Effect
The Basics of Operant Conditioning
Positive Reinforcers, Negative Reinforcers, and Punishment
The Pros and Cons of Punishment: Why Reinforcement Beats Punishment
Schedules of Reinforcement: Timing Life's Rewards
Discrimination and Generalization in Operant Conditioning
Shaping: Reinforcing What Doesn't Come Naturally
Biological Constraints on Learning: You Can't Teach an Old Dog Just Any Trick
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Using Behavior Analysis and Behavior Modification
Cognitive-Social Approaches to Learning
Latent Learning
Observational Learning: Learning Through Imitation
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Does Culture Influence How We Learn?
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Violence in Television and Video Games: Does the Media's Message Matter?

Chapter 6 Memory

Encoding, Storage, and Retrieval of Memory
The Three Systems of Memory: Memory Storehouses
Contemporary Approaches to Memory: Working Memory, Memory Modules, and Associative Models of Memory
Recalling Long-Term Memories
Retrieval Cues
Levels of Processing
Flashbulb Memories
Constructive Processes in Memory: Rebuilding the Past
Memory in the Courtroom: The Eyewitness on Trial
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: (Mis)Remembering Tragic Events
Repressed Memories: Truth or Fiction?
Autobiographical Memory: Where Past Meets Present
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Are There Cross-Cultural Differences in Memory?
Forgetting: When Memory Fails
Proactive and Retroactive Interference: The Before and After of Forgetting
The Biological Bases of Memory
Memory Dysfunctions: Afflictions of Forgetting
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Improving Your Memory

Chapter 7 Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

Thinking
Mental Images: Examining the Mind's Eye
Concepts: Categorizing the World
Solving Problems
Preparation: Understanding and Diagnosing Problems
Production: Generating Solutions
Judgment: Evaluating the Solutions
Impediments to Solutions: Why Is Problem Solving Such a Problem?
Creativity and Problem Solving
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Thinking Critically and Creatively
Language
Grammar: Language's Language
Language Development: Developing a Way with Words
Understanding Language Acquisition: Identifying the Roots of Language
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Music on the Mind
The Influence of Language on Thinking: Do Eskimos Have More Words for Snow Than Texans Do?
Do Animals Use Language?
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Teaching with Linguistic Variety: Bilingual Education Intelligence
Theories of Intelligence: Are There Different Kinds of Intelligence?
Practical Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence:Toward a More Intelligent View of Intelligence
Assessing Intelligence
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: When High IQ Keeps You from Getting a Job: Are You Too Smart for the Job You Want?
Variations in Intellectual Ability
Individual Differences in Intelligence: Heredity and Environmental Determinants
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: The Relative Influence of Genetics and Environment: Nature, Nurture, and IQ

Chapter 8 Motivation and Emotion

Explaining Motivation
Instinct Approaches: Born to Be Motivated
Drive-Reduction Approaches: Satisfying Our Needs
Arousal Approaches: Beyond Drive Reduction
Incentive Approaches: Motivation's Pull
Cognitive Approaches:The Thoughts Behind Motivation
Maslow's Hierarchy: Ordering Motivational Needs
Applying the Different Approaches to Motivation
Human Needs and Motivation: Eat, Drink, and Be Daring
The Motivation Behind Hunger and Eating
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Dieting and Losing Weight Successfully
Sexual Motivation: The Facts of Life
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Female Circumcision: A Celebration of Culture--or Genital Mutilation?
The Need for Achievement: Striving for Success
The Need for Affiliation: Striving for Friendship
The Need for Power: Striving for Impact on Others
Understanding Emotional Experiences
The Functions of Emotions
Determining the Range of Emotions: Labeling Our Feelings
The Roots of Emotions
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: The Appearance of Deception: Can Nonverbal Behavior Be Used to Reveal Terrorists?

Chapter 9 Development

Nature, Nurture, and Prenatal Development
Determining the Relative Influence of Nature and Nurture
Conducting Developmental Research
Prenatal Development: From Conception to Birth
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Cloning, Gene Therapy, and the Coming Medical Revolution
Infancy and Childhood
The Extraordinary Newborn
The Growing Child: Infancy Through Middle Childhood
Adolescence: Becoming an Adult
Physical Development: The Changing Adolescent
Moral and Cognitive Development: Distinguishing Right from Wrong
Social Development: Finding Oneself in a Social World
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Rites of Passage: Coming of Age Around the World
Adulthood
Physical Development: The Peak of Health
Social Development: Working at Life
Marriage, Children, and Divorce: Family Ties
Changing Roles of Men and Women: The Time of Their Lives
The Later Years of Life: Growing Old
Physical Changes in Late Adulthood: The Aging Body
Cognitive Changes: Thinking About and During Late Adulthood
The Social World of Late Adulthood: Old but Not Alone
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Adjusting to Death

Personality

Psychodynamic Approaches to Personality
Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory
The Neo-Freudian Psychoanalysts
Other Major Approaches to Personality: In Search of Human Uniqueness
Trait Approaches: Placing Labels on Personality
Learning Approaches: We Are What We've Learned
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: The A-Team: What Personality Does It Take to Travel into Space?
Biological and Evolutionary Approaches:Are We Born with Personality?
Humanistic Approaches: The Uniqueness of You
Comparing Approaches to Personality
Assessing Personality: Determining What Makes Us Special
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Should Race and Ethnicity Be Used to Establish Norms?
Self-Report Measures of Personality
Projective Methods
Behavioral Asessment
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Assessing Personality Assessments

Health Psychology: Stress, Coping, and Well-Being

Stress and Coping
Stress: Reacting to Threat and Challenge
Coping with Stress
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Effective Coping Strategies Psychological Aspects of Illness and Well-Being
The A's and B's of Coronary Heart Disease
Psychological Aspects of Cancer
Smoking
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Hucksters of Death: Promoting Smoking Throughout the World
Promoting Health and Wellness
Following Medical Advice
Well-Being and Happiness
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Happy Thoughts: Thinking Positively May Help You Live Longer

Psychological Disorders

Normal Versus Abnormal: Making the Distinction
Defining Abnormality
Perspectives on Abnormality: From Superstition to Science
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Suicide Bombers: Normal or Abnormal?
Classifying Abnormal Behavior: The ABCs of DSM
The Major Psychological Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Somatoform Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Mood Disorders
Schizophrenia
Personality Disorders
Childhood Disorders
Other Disorders
Psychological Disorders in Perspective
The Prevalence of Psychological Disorders: The Mental State of the Union
The Social and Cultural Context of Psychological Disorders
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: DSM and Culture and the Culture of DSM
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Deciding When You Need Help

Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Psychotherapy: Psychodynamic, Behavioral, and Cognitive Approaches to Treatment
Psychodynamic Approaches to Therapy
Behavioral Approaches to Therapy
Cognitive Approaches to Therapy
Psychotherapy: Humanistic, Interpersonal, and Group Approaches to Treatment
Humanistic Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy
Group Therapy
Evaluating Psychotherapy: Does Therapy Work?
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Therapy Online: Is the Internet a Good Place to Get Treatment?
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Racial and Ethnic Factors in Treatment: Should Therapists Be Color-Blind?
Biomedical Therapy: Biological Approaches to Treatment
Drug Therapy
Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Psychosurgery
Biomedical Therapies in Perspective
Community Psychology: Focus on Prevention
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Choosing the Right Therapist

Social Psychology

Attitudes and Social Cognition
Persuasion: Changing Attitudes
Social Cognition: Understanding Others
EXPLORING DIVERSITY: Attributions in a Cultural Context: How Fundamental Is the Fundamental Attribution Error?
Social Influence
Conformity: Following What Others Do
Compliance: Submitting to Direct Social Pressure
Obedience: Following Direct Orders
Prejudice and Discrimination
APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN THE 21st CENTURY: Discrimination in the Workplace: Can Your Name (or Hat) Cost You a Job?
The Foundations of Prejudice
Reducing the Consequences of Prejudice and Discrimination
Positive and Negative Social Behavior
Liking and Loving: Interpersonal Attraction and the Development of Relationships
Aggression and Prosocial Behavior: Hurting and Helping Others
BECOMING AN INFORMED CONSUMER OF PSYCHOLOGY: Dealing Effectively with Anger

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