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    Psychology - 2e

    (48 reviews)

    Rose Spielman, OpenStax College

    Kathryn Dumper, Bainbridge, Georgia

    William Jenkins, Macon, Georgia

    Marilyn D. Lovett, Spelman College

    Copyright Year:

    Last Update: 2021

    ISBN 13: 9781951693237

    Publisher: OpenStax

    Language: English

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    CC BY

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    Reviewed by Marjorie Schaeffer, Assistant Professor, Saint Mary's College on 6/25/24

    This textbook includes all of the topics and areas typically covered in an Introduction to Psychology course. (and those recommended by the APA). read more

    Reviewed by Mary Elizabeth Maynard, Adjunct Professor, Mount Wachusett Community College on 6/6/24

    All topics and subtopics are are covered extensively. I especially like the real worl examples given. The comprehensiveness is complete and sufficient for an introductory Psychology course. read more

    Reviewed by Beth Mechlin, Associate Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Earlham College on 4/24/24

    This is text provides a good introduction to the breadth of the field of psychology. It has chapters that focus on all the general topics that I cover in my Introduction to Psychology course. read more

    Reviewed by Ray Martin, Affiliate faculty, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 11/24/23

    This is a good book overall. It covers all of the content most general or introduction to psychology courses go over. However, it is limited in social psychology topics. read more

    Reviewed by Meaghan Rowe-Johnson, Assistant Professor, Drake University on 12/15/22

    The text appropriately covered the most important topics relevant to each section. Additionally, I appreciated that the text included key terms in each of the sections, summary sections, review questions, critical thinking questions, and personal... read more

    Reviewed by Bonnie Ekstrom, Adjunct Faculty Life Vision Coach/Counselor, Red Lake Nation College on 12/15/22

    Psychology 2e is a comprehensive introductory psychology resource. The text covers all of the recommended APA Introduction to Psychology chapters and includes additional chapters not covered in most Introductory Psychology texts (Industrial and... read more

    Reviewed by Deborah Cronin, Assistant Professor, Drake University on 12/1/22

    This is a comprehensive text—there are topics I do not typically see covered in an introductory text (i.e., Industrial-Organizational Psychology) included along with the more typical topics (i.e., Development, Cognition, Learning). Each section... read more

    Reviewed by Josh Pranger, Instructor, Trine University on 5/17/22

    This book is used in our Principles of Psychology course and provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of Psychology. read more

    Reviewed by DeAnna Huffman, Assistant Professor, Labette County Community College on 1/5/22

    The textbook is comprehensive in each of the subtopics area of study within General Psychology. read more

    Reviewed by Joshua Smith, Psychology Instructor, Dodge City Community College on 12/15/21

    I am currently using this textbook for my General/Introductory Psychology course. The text contains chapters on the majority of primary subdisciplines in the field and especially those areas of psychology that most institutions and instructors... read more

    Reviewed by Courtney Gosnell, Assistant Professor, Pace University on 7/28/21

    The book provides a chapter corresponding to the material of most major Psychology textbooks (with the added bonus of being a free resource). I do find some of the research methods material to be a bit lacking, so like to include some supplemental... read more

    Reviewed by Shelby Messerschmitt-Coen, Assistant Professor, Central College on 6/8/21

    The textbook (Psychology 2e, 2nd edition) covers all the basic concepts that would be desired in an Introductory textbook, and then some (e.g., I/O Psych). The content of the textbook aligns similarly to other textbooks available that are not open... read more

    Reviewed by Dennis Schell, Assistant Professor of Psychology, The George Washington University on 2/19/21

    The book [we are using the first edition] covers the basics often seen in traditional psychology textbooks used in General Psychology courses. read more

    Reviewed by Tim Boffeli, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, Dept. Chair, Clarke University on 1/5/21

    I have been teaching Introductory Psychology for about 30 years. All the topics that I would expect to teach are covered. Interestingly, the textbook included a chapter on Industrial Organizational (IO) Psychology, In student recruiting and... read more

    Reviewed by Ariel Ladum, Part-time faculty, Portland Community College on 1/1/21

    I piloted this book in a course where I asked students to compare the information provided in the textbook to the information provided by course notes and video lectures that had been based on a different (for-purchase) textbook. Overall, students... read more

    Reviewed by Allie Alayan, Teaching Fellow, Colorado State University on 12/31/20

    For an Introduction to Psychology course, I think that this textbook provides a very thorough and comprehensive overview of a lot of topics in the field, all of which are important for students to take away from the course. Depending on the length... read more

    Reviewed by Michael Petrovich, Adjunct Professor, Marymount University on 7/24/20

    This book covered all of the things I normally teach in Introduction to Psychology. Major theories, practices, and concepts were all present with relatively current events to draw upon in reference. read more

    Reviewed by EB Caron, Assistant Professor, Fitchburg State University on 6/30/20

    Book is very comprehensive - a little too detailed, compared to the text I currently use! Many chapters are around 40 pages long. I aim for 30-35 page chapters. read more

    Reviewed by Marina Donnelly, Adjunct Professor, Greenfield Community College on 6/30/20

    Vast amount of information gets covered in the Intro to Psych course. This textbook does a great job to cover major theories, practices, concepts, historical figures, and even related contemporary events on all of the major themes in psychology. read more

    Reviewed by Riki Dela cruz, Instructor of Psychology and Human Development, Central Oregon Community College on 6/19/20, updated 7/21/20

    Textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to many psychological concepts for an introduction course. All major areas, theories and concepts are examined thoroughly. This textbook covered a "career" section that was in-depth. Many intro... read more

    Reviewed by Marijana Sapina-Kerkhove, Psychology Instructor, Middlesex Community College on 6/14/20

    This book is as comprehensive as most Introduction to Psychology textbook and addresses all areas of psychology commonly taught in this course. read more

    Reviewed by Reina Daugherty, Instructor, Linn-Benton Community College on 12/8/19

    This book covers all of the main subjects that should be included in a general psychology course. It even includes a chapter on industrial-organizational psychology, which is now being added to most psychology textbooks. It has a very... read more

    Reviewed by Randi Smith, Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 9/2/19

    This text provides the basics of introductory psychology in a pared-down, abbreviated style. If you are looking for depth of coverage--and honestly, most intro instructors are not--this book will be disappointing. read more

    Reviewed by Kimberli Bontempo, Instructor of Psychology, Aims Community College on 8/1/19

    In OER’s text Psychology, editors working through the Openstax platform, introduce the components of Psychology in clear and concise ways that would be expected in an introductory college text. Although the link on the OER site links to an... read more

    Reviewed by Megan Lorenz, Assistant Professor, Augustana College on 7/1/19

    This book covers all key concepts that are typically covered in Introduction to Psychology textbooks. The glossary at the end of each chapter provides the reader with an easy way to access and review key terms, and the chapter summary that follows... read more

    Reviewed by Jessica Murfin, Instructor of Psychology, Western Oregon University on 4/19/19

    This text gives comprehensive attention to all of the major areas of psychology typically included in introductory texts. Topics are given a consistent amount of attention and explanation to make them both comprehensible and accessible enough for... read more

    Reviewed by Kimberly Brownridge, Psychology Professor, Marian University on 4/10/19

    This textbook offers theoretical and impactful knowledge about Psychology. It explains the different theories and overview of general psychology in laymen's terms. I used this textbook in Fall 2018 with high school students taking college... read more

    Reviewed by Whitney Storey, Instructor of Psychology, ULL on 4/2/19

    This book seems to give a more comprehensive view of certain topics than I have seen in comparison open texts; however, there are certain chapters where a little more information may be useful (e.g., the psychobiological chapter). This can be... read more

    Reviewed by Joel Gregor, Assistant Professor, George Fox University on 3/31/19

    I think this textbook covers all the major themes that I expect to see in an introductory course text. It is impossible to cover everything, but I think this matches the material I have used in other General Psychology courses. I also like that it... read more

    Reviewed by Anika Gearhart, Lecturer, Leeward Community College on 1/18/19

    The book covers most of the things an introductory textbook normally covers, but is a bit light in some areas. The chapter on Sensation and Perception, for example, is missing quite a bit of information in the areas on taste and smell. Well it's... read more

    Reviewed by Ashley Elliott, Instructor of Psychology, Oakland City University on 1/14/19

    The text is comprehensive and provides information that is comparable to a typical Introductory Psychology textbook. read more

    Reviewed by Jennifer Parta Arno, Psychology Instructor, Minnesota State Community and Technical College on 6/19/18

    For an introductory course meant to be comprehensive over a wide range of topics this text seems to do a good job in engaging the student and providing enough depth for interest/learning but not too much to overwhelm. All major topic areas appear... read more

    Reviewed by Alishia Huntoon, Associate Professor, Oregon Institute of Technology on 5/21/18

    This textbook covers all relevant chapters for the introductory psychology classes at my institution, which allowed us to successfully and easily adopt it. If you are looking for less traditional chapters, such as gender and human sexuality, you... read more

    Reviewed by Kate Votaw, Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Missouri-St. Louis on 5/21/18

    While a few specific subtopics were a little light on details, the book covered all of the major areas typically taught in a general psychology class evenly. read more

    Reviewed by Noah MacKenzie, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati on 3/27/18

    This book does virtually everything one would want an intro psych book to do, hitting all the major content areas within Psychology, including I/O psych (something of a rarity). It even has a section on auditory localization, which is one of my... read more

    Reviewed by M McCarty, Associate Professor, Texas Tech University on 3/27/18

    In general, this Psychology textbook is comprehensive. It covers the topics one would expect in an Introduction to Psychology course. The index is accessible, and key terms are defined at the end of each chapter. Upon closer inspection there... read more

    Reviewed by Christyn Dolbier, Associate Professor, East Carolina University on 2/1/18

    The book is as or more comprehensive than other publisher-provided Introductory Psychology textbooks I have used, and more comprehensive than another open access Introductory Psychology textbook I have used. The topics commonly covered in... read more

    Reviewed by Andrew Wrobel, Adjunct Professor, Rhode Island College on 2/1/18

    This text covers all of the significant aspects of psychology that psychology and other students should have as they move forward in their education. The depth of coverage for each content area is appropriate for students who have never delved... read more

    Reviewed by Christina Fitzpatrick, Graduate Student Instructor of Record, Miami University on 2/1/18

    To be honest I was surprised by the comprehensiveness of this textbook. At first I had a negative perception of open resources as texts that were thrown together without much care or organization. I was completely wrong. The comprehensiveness of... read more

    Reviewed by Carrie Fried, Professor, Winona State University on 2/1/18

    Many areas covered well, but there are some topics that are typically of interest to students that are really too brief & skimpy. These include things like functions of cerebral cortex, dreaming, opioid addiction. There is no mention of... read more

    Reviewed by Christy Porter, Senior Lecturer, PSYC, and neuroscience faculty affiliate, College of William and Mary on 6/20/17

    My college divides Introduction to Psychology into two semester-long courses: Intro to PSYC as a Natural Science and Intro to PSYC as a Social Science. These courses serve as requirements for PSYC majors & minors, NSCI majors, and as... read more

    Reviewed by Beth Cooper, Senior Lecturer, University of Tennessee on 6/20/17

    This book follows the standard format and content of all other intro psych books. read more

    Reviewed by Nora Gibbons, Instructor, Saint Paul College: A Community and Technical College on 4/11/17

    The text covers all of the standard introductory psychology chapters and content. Infrequently, minor, anticipated content is not included (e.g., the serial position effect is not present in the memory chapter), though this can usually be easily... read more

    Reviewed by Mike Harman, Associate Lecturer, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on 8/21/16

    Similar to the vast majority of introductory texts, this textbook covers all major areas within the science of psychology. The main concepts are nicely illustrated and discussed within the respective chapters. Beyond covering the "basics," this... read more

    Reviewed by John Holden, Associate Professor, Winona State University on 1/7/16

    The text covers all of the areas that I typically cover (and areas covered in other introductory textbooks), with the inclusion of a chapter on health psychology/stress/motivation and a added plus of a chapter on industrial/organizational... read more

    Reviewed by Virginia Clinton, Instructor, University of North Dakota on 1/7/16

    The book does a good job of covering the main areas of psychology. Obviously, no book, especially an introductory textbook can cover everything, but I don't see that critical areas of interest to an introductory audience are missing. read more

    Reviewed by Karen Pikula, Psychology Instructor PhD, Central Lakes College on 6/10/15

    This textbook covers all of the areas covered in most general psychology courses. It contains a comprehensive table of contents, as well as a index and the glossary is arranged as end of chapter key terms located at the end of each chapter. I... read more

    Reviewed by Lynn Coffey, Faculty, Minneapolis Community and Technical College on 6/10/15

    The text consists of highly agreed upon content that is typically included in a general psychology textbook and presented in a common order. One chapter stands out that is not commonly included is Chapter 13, Industrial/Organizational Psychology.... read more

    Table of Contents

    • Introduction to Psychology
    • Psychological Research
    • Biopsychology
    • States of Consciousness
    • Sensation and Perception
    • Learning
    • Thinking and Intelligence
    • Memory
    • Lifespan Development
    • Emotion and Motivation
    • Personality
    • Social Psychology
    • Industrial-Organizational Psychology
    • Stress, Lifestyle, and Health
    • Psychological Disorders
    • Therapy and Treatment

    Ancillary Material

    • OpenStax
    • OpenStax
    • OpenStax
    • About the Book

      Psychology 2e is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.

      The second edition contains detailed updates to address comments and suggestions from users. Significant improvements and additions were made in the areas of research currency, diversity and representation, and the relevance and recency of the examples. Many concepts were expanded or clarified, particularly through the judicious addition of detail and further explanation where necessary. Finally, the authors addressed the replication issues in the psychology discipline, both in the research chapter and where appropriate throughout the book.

       

      About the Contributors

      Authors

      Senior Contributor

      Dr. Rose Spielman has been teaching psychology and working as a licensed clinical psychologist for 20 years. Her academic career has included positions at Quinnipiac University, Housatonic Community College, and Goodwin College. As a licensed clinical psychologist, educator, and volunteer director, Rose is able to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and facilitate treatment, advocacy, and education. In her years of work as a teacher, therapist, and administrator, she has helped thousands of students and clients and taught them to advocate for themselves and move their lives forward to become more productive citizens and family members.

      Kathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State College

      William Jenkins, Mercer University

      Marilyn D. Lovett, Spelman College

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