Alison Thomas-Cottingham - Psychology Made Simple

Welcome to Psychology Made Simple, an easy-to-follow guide that sheds new light on the broad field of psychology. No matter what your interest in psychology is, this book will offer classic theories, summaries of fascinating studies, and updated information that will help you in your quest for knowledge of this subject. Read it through for a basic understanding of the field of psychology, or refer to it time and again, as you would any reference book, for easy-to-understand explanations of various concepts.

Psychology Made Simple is comprised of fourteen chapters, starting with the basics of psychology, exploring research methods, looking at the various components of an individual that influence behavior, and carrying through to social psychology, the influence that other individuals or groups have on the behavior of the individual.

The book was written with the understanding that psychology is a science with various fields of specialty, but materials in these fields often overlap. Therefore, an integrative approach has been taken; topics and concepts are woven throughout the book. For example, one of the enduring issues in psychologythe person versus situation debatefirst appears in .

focuses on the question, What is psychology? At its most basic, psychology is a science, and the goal of this science is to understand behavior. In this chapter, you will learn about the many subfields of psychology, careers in psychology, and enduring issues in the field.

In , Statistics and Research Methods in Psychology, the techniques that allow psychologists to conduct experiments and make decisions about behavior will be explored.

studies the brain and behavior. The brain is small, about the size of two fists placed together, but is an incredibly important organ that controls many of our behaviors.

focuses on sensation and perception. Sensationsight, sound, smell, taste, and touchand the perception of our personal interpretations of sensory stimulation require the mind to process the information it receives and transform it into something meaningful. Its an amazing process that is integral to our understanding of human behavior.

In is on cognition, and it covers problem solving, decision making, and language. Every day we are asked to solve problems and make decisions. Cognitive psychologists who have worked in this area have created strategies to improve our abilities to solve problems and make decisions. Language, which we use almost nonstop during our waking hours, and the acquisition of language are also explored.

examines motivationswhy do people behave the way they do, and how can an understanding of emotions lead to an understanding of behavior?

covers learning and memory. Learning is defined as a permanent change, and sometimes this manifests as a permanent change in behavior. We will focus on behaviorism and learning. Without memory, there is no learning. We will discuss a major theory of learningthe information processing modeland how we assess memory, the accuracy of our memories, and forgetting.

covers adolescence and adulthood. Each chapter emphasizes changes in physical, cognitive, and social development at differing periods in ones life. This area of psychology has gained popularity as our population ages, and scientists understand that development does not end at age twenty-one.

is the first in our attempt to understand the whole individual. We cover the main theories of personality in psychology. These theories are organized by psychological perspective or orientation. We also revisit the person-situation debate. Is personality the stable construct some propose it to be, or do we change our way of being and behaving depending on the situation?

discusses assessment, with an emphasis on a variety of psychological tests used to assess and diagnose problematic behaviors.

focuses on mental disorders, using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association as our resource. This very important book is used by mental health professionals to gain insight into the diagnosis and treatment of many disorders.

focuses on treatment, not just of the most severe disorders but also of problems that range widely in severity. The emphasis here is on differing types of approaches to treatment, all of which are based on differing orientations or perspectives in psychology.

Finally, in , we take a look at the whole individual and the influence that other individuals and/or groups have on the behavior of the individual.

At the end of each chapter is a section entitled Test Your Recall and Recognition. These tests were created so that you can conduct an assessment of your own learning and memory. After this section, you will find a list of resources where you may find out more about material covered in the chapter. These include books, Web sites, videos, and DVDs.

As an educator who has taught psychology at the undergraduate level for more than ten years, a researcher who has studied health psychology for five years, and a clinician who has conducted individual, couples, and group therapy for ten years, I can state unequivocally that there is little else so critical to our success in the world than an understanding of our behaviors, learning styles, and motivations. Let Psychology Made Simple guide you through the complicated science of human behavior. It will give you new insights into how you behave as well as into the personalities and behaviors of others around you.

KEY TERMS

psychology, perspective/orientation, psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, physiological, gestalt, cognitive, sociocultural

Chances are you picked up this book because you wondered what psychology is really about. Or perhaps you wanted to gain some insight into yourself or someone else. Maybe you find psychology mysterious, or you arent sure what it really encompasses.

This chapter is written to answer the fundamental but complex question: What is psychology?

Psychology is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, or the science of behavior. Although this definition is accurate, you will soon see that psychology is much more than that. It encompasses a wide range of study. Although discussions of psychology can venture into many different areas, psychology can also be explained in terms that are easy to understand.