Synopses & Reviews
The Seventh Edition of Wayne Weiten's popular text, PSYCHOLOGY: THEMES AND VARIATIONS, continues to offer students a unique survey of psychology with three distinct goals: to show both the unity and diversity of psychology's subject matter; to illuminate the process of research and its intimate link to application, and to make the text challenging to think about and easy to learn from. Weiten achieves these goals through a number of distinctive features. Integrative themes-including empiricism, theoretical diversity, sociohistorical contexts, multifactorial causation, cultural heritage, heredity and environment, and subjectivity of experience-are woven throughout the text to provide connections among the different areas of research in psychology. A unique end of chapter section, "Reflecting on the Chapter's Themes," ties together the key themes most relevant to each chapter, and shows links across chapter content. The book's dynamic, teaching-oriented illustration program further enhances these themes. Featured Studies, Personal Applications, and Critical Thinking Applications provide students with unprecedented opportunities to see research methods in action, to understand the practical side of psychology, and to develop important critical thinking skills. Weiten reinforces concepts through periodic in-chapter Concept Checks and an end of chapter practice quiz in every chapter. At the same time, he presents topics in a hierarchical manner, giving students handles they can use to prioritize concepts within the chapter.
Synopsis
Weiten's PSYCHOLOGY: THEMES AND VARIATIONS, EIGHTH EDITION maintains this book's strengths while addressing market changes with new learning objectives, a complete updating, and a fresh new design. The text continues to provide a unique survey of psychology that meets three goals: to demonstrate the unity and diversity of psychology's subject matter, to illuminate the research process and its link to application, and to make the text challenging and thought-provoking yet easy from which to learn. Weiten accomplishes the successful balance of scientific rigor and a student-friendly approach through the integration of seven unifying themes, an unparalleled didactic art program, real-life examples, and a streamlined set of learning aids that help students see beyond research to big-picture concepts. Major topics typically covered in today's courses are included, such as evolutionary psychology, neuropsychology, biological psychology, positive psychology, applied psychology, careers, and multiculturalism and diversity.
About the Author
Wayne Weiten is a graduate of Bradley University and received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Illinois, Chicago in 1981. He has taught at the College of DuPage and Santa Clara University, and currently teaches at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has received distinguished teaching awards from Division Two of the American Psychological Association (APA) and from the College of DuPage. He is a Fellow of Divisions 1 and 2 of the American Psychological Association and a Fellow of the Midwestern Psychological Association. In 1991, he helped chair the APA National Conference on Enhancing the Quality of Undergraduate Education in Psychology and in 1996-1997 he served as President of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. In 2006, one of the five national teaching awards given annually by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology was named in his honor. He currently is serving as President-Elect of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. Weiten has conducted research on a wide range of topics, including educational measurement, jury decision-making, attribution theory, pressure as a form of stress, cerebral specialization, and the technology of textbooks. He is also the author of Psychology: THEMES AND VARIATIONS, (2013, 9th ed.) and a co-author of PSYCHOLOGY APPLIED TO MODERN LIFE: ADJUSTMENT AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY with Dana S. Dunn and Elizabeth Yost Hammer, 2012, 10E. Weiten has also created an educational CD-ROM titled PsykTrek: A Multimedia Introduction to Psychology.
Table of Contents
1. The Evolution of Psychology. 2. The Research Enterprise in Psychology. 3. The Biological Bases of Behavior. 4. Sensation and Perception. 5. Variations in Consciousness. 6. Learning. 7. Human Memory. 8. Language and Thought. 9. Intelligence and Psychological Testing. 10. Motivation and Emotion. 11. Human Development Across the Life Span. 12. Personality: Theory, Research, and Assessment. 13. Stress, Coping, and Health. 14. Psychological Disorders. 15. Treatment of Psychological Disorders. 16. Social Behavior. Appendix A: Answers to Concept Checks. Appendix B: Statistical Methods. Appendix C: Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Appendix D: Careers in Psychology. Appendix E: Critical Thinking About Internet Research Sources: What Students Need to Know. Glossary. References. Name Index. Subject Index.