Essentials of Psychology

In a concise and accessible 14-chapter format, Essentials of Psychology, 4/e, retains key features of Bernstein's, Psychology, 7/e, including Thinking Critically, Focus on Research, and Linkages. Combining extensive pedagogical support and emphasis on active learning, the text challenges students to "learn by doing"?to actively participate using materials from the text and to think about what they're learning as opposed to passively receiving written information. The Fourth Edition includes the latest information on research in the field.

The text's integrated pedagogical system helps students master the material by supporting the elements of the PQ4R (Preview, Question, Read, Recite, Review, and Reflect) Study System.

• Chapter Outlines, along with Preview Questions (found at the beginning of each chapter and section and in the chapter summary), include page references to the relevant section of the chapter.
• Marginal Glossary, with definitions of terms and a pronunciation key, enable students to access new words without interrupting their reading.
• Instructional captions for all figures, tables, and photos prompt students to engage in various active learning activities.
• In Review study charts appear periodically throughout the chapter accompanied by self-test questions to encourage students to recite and review material.
• Active Review is a built-in study guide at the end of each chapter that includes a Linkages diagram with questions that illustrate three of the ways in which material in each chapter is connected to other chapters in the book; a Chapter Summary, organized around major topic headings and the related preview questions from the beginning of the chapter; Learn by Doing section that promotes active learning and reflection through Put It in Writing exercises and Personal Learning Projects; Step into Action sections that recommend courses, books, and movies for further exploration of chapter topics and links to the Online Study Center; Review of Key Terms; and a Multiple-Choice Self-Test, designed to help students assess their understanding of the chapter's key points. (Answers are provided in the back of the book with explanations and page references to discussion of material in the text.)
• Thinking Critically sections apply a five-question approach to one topic per chapter: "What am I being asked to believe or accept?" "Is there evidence available to support the claim?" "Can that evidence be interpreted another way?" "What evidence would help to evaluate the alternatives?" "What conclusions are most reasonable?"
• Focus on Research sections, organized around five questions to help readers think about research questions and results, make the method of scientific research more accessible to students and highlight the discipline's scientific basis: "What was the researcher's question?" "How did the researcher answer the question?" "What did the researcher find?" "What do the results mean?" "What do we still need to know?"
• The Linkages features help students understand the relationships and interdependency among different subfields of psychology and the scope of the discipline. This hallmark program consists of three features: Linkages Diagram, which presents a set of questions that illustrate three ways in which material in the chapter is related to other chapters in the book; Linkages Cross-references, which appear as marginal icons whenever a Linkage is covered in the text; and one Linkages Section within each chapter, which discusses a chapter topic that relates to other subfields of psychology.
• New! Neuropsychology chapter, written by Joel Shenker and available through Houghton Mifflin Custom Publishing, provides instructors with the option to include material from this critical field in psychology. Supporting material for this chapter is available in all print supplements and in the HM Testing (computerized testing) program.
• Updated! Industrial/Organizational Psychology chapter, written by Doug Bernstein and Paul Spencer, University of South Florida, and available through Houghton Mifflin Custom Publishing, provides instructors with the option to cover these topics. Supporting material for this chapter is available in all print supplements and in the HM Testing (computerized testing) program.