Psychology Themes and Variations

by Weiten, Wayne

• ISBN13: 9780534246662
• ISBN10: 0534246664
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1994-11-03
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Take a look at Weiten's PSYCHOLOGY: THEMES AND VARIATIONS, Briefer Version (with concept charts and access to InfoTrac College Edition's online university, and you'll find a book that is unique and fascinating--never boring or 'textbook-like.' From page one, you will clearly understand what Weiten is saying: that a number of themes are interconnected in the study of psychology, such as heredity and the environment, cultural heritage, subjectivity of experience, and sociohistorical contexts, and they are all interconnected. An interesting illustration program helps you see these themes in action and Featured Studies, Personal Applications, and Critical Thinking Applications give you chances to see research methods in action, to understand the practical side of psychology, and to develop important critical thinking skills.

Table of Contents

The Evolution of Psychology
From Speculation to Science: How Psychology Developed	p. 2
Psychology Today: Vigorous and Diversified	p. 17
Putting It in Perspective: Seven Key Themes	p. 22
Personal Application - Improving Academic Performance	p. 27
Critical Thinking Application - Developing Critical Thinking Skills: An Introduction	p. 32
The Research Enterprise in Psychology
Looking for Laws: The Scientific Approach to Behavior	p. 38
Looking for Causes: Experimental Research	p. 42
Looking for Links: Descriptive/Correlational Research	p. 48
Looking for Conclusions: Statistics and Research	p. 53
Looking for Flaws: Evaluating Research	p. 57
Looking at Ethics: Do the Ends Justify the Means?	p. 61
Putting It in Perspective	p. 65
Personal Application - Finding and Reading Journal Articles	p. 66
Critical Thinking Application - The Perils of Anecdotal Evidence: "I Have A Friend Who..."	p. 71
The Biological Bases of Behavior
Communication in the Nervous System	p. 76
Organization of the Nervous System	p. 83
Looking Inside the Brain: Research Methods	p. 86
The Brain and Behavior	p. 91
Right Brain/Left Brain: Cerebral Laterality	p. 98
The Endocrine System: Another Way to Communicate	p. 101
Heredity And Behavior: Is It All In the Genes?	p. 102
The Evolutionary Bases of Behavior	p. 108
Putting It in Perspective	p. 114
Personal Application - Evaluating The Concept of "Two Minds In One"	p. 116
Critical Thinking Application - Building Better Brains: The Perils of Extrapolation	p. 120
Sensation and Perception
Psychophysics: Basic Concepts and Issues	p. 126
Our Sense of Sight: The Visual System	p. 131
Our Sense of Hearing: The Auditory System	p. 157
Our Chemical Senses: Taste and Smell	p. 162
Our Sense of Touch: Sensory Systems in the Skin	p. 165
Our Other Senses	p. 167
Putting It in Perspective	p. 168
Personal Application - Appreciating Art and Illusion	p. 169
Critical Thinking Application - Recognizing Contrast Effects: It's All Relative	p. 174
Variations in Consciousness
On the Nature of Consciousness	p. 180
Biological Rhythms and Sleep	p. 182
The Sleep and Waking Cycle	p. 184
The World of Dreams	p. 195
Hypnosis: Altered Consciousness or Role Playing?	p. 199
Meditation: Pure Consciousness or Relaxation?	p. 202
Altering Consciousness with Drugs	p. 204
Putting It in Perspective	p. 211
Personal Application - Addressing Practical Questions About Sleep and Dreams	p. 212
Critical Thinking Application - Is Alcoholism a Disease? The Power of Definitions	p. 216
Learning
Classical Conditioning	p. 222
Operant Conditioning	p. 232
Changing Directions in the Study of Conditioning	p. 246
Observational Learning	p. 250
Putting It in Perspective	p. 253
Personal Application - Achieving Self-Control Through Behavior Modification	p. 256
Critical Thinking Application - Manipulating Emotions: Pavlov and Persuasion	p. 260
Human Memory
Encoding: Getting Information Into Memory	p. 267
Storage: Maintaining Information in Memory	p. 270
Retrieval: Getting Information Out of Memory	p. 279
Forgetting: When Memory Lapses	p. 283
In Search of the Memory Trace: The Physiology of Memory	p. 291
Are There Multiple Memory Systems?	p. 294
Putting It in Perspective	p. 297
Personal Application - Improving Everyday Memory	p. 298
Critical Thinking Application - Understanding the Fallibility of Eyewitness Accounts	p. 302
Language and Thought
The Cognitive Revolution in Psychology	p. 308
Language: Turning Thoughts into Words	p. 308
Problem Solving: In Search of Solutions	p. 318
Decision Making: Choices and Chances	p. 327
Putting It in Perspective	p. 335
Personal Application - Understanding Pitfalls in Reasoning About Decisions	p. 336
Critical Thinking Application - Shaping Thought with Language: "Only a Naive Moron Would Believe That"	p. 340
Intelligence and Psychological Testing
Key Concepts in Psychological Testing	p. 346
The Evolution of Intelligence Testing	p. 351
Basic Questions About Intelligence Testing	p. 354
Extremes of Intelligence	p. 359
Heredity and Environment as Determinants of Intelligence	p. 362
New Directions in the Assessment and Study of Intelligence	p. 372
Putting It in Perspective	p. 376
Personal Application - Understanding Creativity	p. 378
Critical Thinking Application - The Intelligence Debate, Appeals to Ignorance, and Reification	p. 382
Motivation and Emotion
The Motivation of Hunger and Eating	p. 388
Sexual Motivation and Behavior	p. 395
Affiliation: In Search of Belongingness	p. 408
Achievement: In Search of Excellence	p. 409
The Elements of Emotional Experience	p. 412
Theories of Emotion	p. 418
Putting It in Perspective	p. 421
Personal Application - Exploring the Ingredients of Happiness	p. 422
Critical Thinking Application - Analyzing Arguments: Making Sense Out of Controversy	p. 426
Human Development Across the Life Span
Progress Before Birth: Prenatal Development	p. 432
The Wondrous Years of Childhood	p. 437
The Transition of Adolescence	p. 456
The Expanse of Adulthood	p. 462
Putting it in Perspective	p. 473
Personal Application - Understanding Gender Differences	p. 475
Critical Thinking Application - Are Fathers Essential to Children's Well-Being?	p. 480
Personality: Theory, Research, and Assessment
The Nature of Personality	p. 486
Psychodynamic Perspectives	p. 488
Behavioral Perspectives	p. 499
Humanistic Perspectives	p. 503
Biological Perspectives	p. 508
Contemporary Empirical Approaches to Personality Traits	p. 514
Culture and Personality	p. 516
Putting It in Perspective	p. 517
Personal Application - Understanding Personality Assessment	p. 519
Critical Thinking Application - Hindsight in Everyday Analyses of Personality	p. 524
Stress, Coping, and Health
The Nature of Stress	p. 530
Major Types of Stress	p. 531
Responding to Stress	p. 535
The Effects of Stress on Psychological Functioning	p. 543
The Effects of Stress on Physical Health	p. 546
Factors Moderating the Impact of Stress	p. 552
Health-Imparing Behavior	p. 553
Reactions to Illness	p. 558
Putting It in Perspective	p. 559
Personal Application - Improving Coping and Stress Management	p. 560
Critical Thinking Application - Thinking Rationally about Health Statistics and Decisions	p. 564
Psychological Disorders
Abnormal Behavior: Myths. Realities, and Controversies	p. 570
Anxiety Disorders	p. 577
Somatoform Disorders	p. 582
Dissociative Disorders	p. 584
Mood Disorders	p. 586
Schizophrenic Disorders	p. 592
Personality Disorders	p. 598
Psychological Disorders and the Law	p. 603
Culture and Pathology	p. 604
Putting It in Perspective	p. 606
Personal Application - Understanding Eating Disorders	p. 607
Critical Thinking Application - Working with Probabilities in Thinking About Mental Illness	p. 610
Treatment of Psychological Disorders
The Elements of the Treatment Process	p. 616
Insight Therapies	p. 619
Behavior Therapies	p. 626
Biomedical Therapies	p. 630
Current Trends and Issues in Treatment	p. 635
Institutional Treatment in Transition	p. 642
Putting It in Perspective	p. 645
Personal Application - Looking for a Therapist	p. 646
Critical Thinking Application - From Crisis to Wellness--But Was It the Therapy?	p. 650
Social Behavior
Person Perception: Forming Impressions of Others	p. 656
Attribution Processes: Explaining Behavior	p. 659
Close Relationships: Liking and Loving	p. 665
Attitudes: Making Social Judgments	p. 670
Conformity and Obedience: Yielding to Others	p. 678
Behavior in Groups: Joining with Others	p. 683
Putting It in Perspective	p. 688
Personal Application - Understanding Prejudice	p. 690
Critical Thinking Application - Whom Can You Trust? Analyzing Credibility and Social Influence Tactics	p. 694
Answers To Concept Checks	p. 1
Statistical Methods	p. 7
Industrial/Organizational Psychology	p. 15
Evaluating The Quality of Web-Based Resources	p. 29
URLs For Recommended Web Links	p. 33
Glossary	p. 1
References	p. 1
Name Index	p. 1
Subject Index	p. 15
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