Ebook Psychology

0 views

Skip to first unread message

Mariela Coxon

unread,

Aug 3, 2024, 6:01:52 PM8/3/24

to didabtolan

The free texts available on this page form part of an initiative to make important and iconic psychology publications widely available. In addition to downloading the material posted here you can get completely free access to an outstanding collection of the most influential journal articles ever published in the history of psychology via the following link.

Please note that as historical artifacts the texts presented here do not follow modern writing conventions e.g. gender neutral pronouns. Each article is presented in its original context and some of the ideas expressed by the authors may be considered offensive. The views expressed are the personal opinions of the authors and in no way represent the personal opinions, values and beliefs of All-About-Psychology.Com

When Abraham Maslow introduced the world to Humanistic Theory, a 'third force' in psychology was born (Behaviorism & Psychoanalytical theory being the first and second). As the name suggests, humanistic theory concerns itself with characteristics which are distinctly human.

Arguably the best known example of such a characteristic is Self-Actualization, an innate motivating force unique to the human species. It was in this landmark publication that Maslow provided the first published representation of Self-Actualization at the pinnicle of a hierarchy of human needs. According to Maslow Self-Actualization refers to the desire for self-fulfillment, in essence to become everything that one is capable of becoming.

Albert Bandura is one the world's most frequently cited psychologists. His ground-breaking work within the field of social learning and social cognitive theory led to a paradigm shift within psychology away from psychodynamic and behaviorist perspectives. As part of a new research agenda in the early 1960's which posited that people learn vicariously through observation Bandura began investigating aggression through imitation; work that gave rise to one of the most famous psychology studies of all time, "Transmission of Aggression Through Imitation of Aggressive Models." More commonly known as "The Bobo Doll Experiment," it was the first study to explore the impact of televised violence on children.

Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance by Leon Festinger and James Carlsmith was the first of numerous studies to corroborate the theory of cognitive dissonance. The premiss for this classic piece of research was to test what happens to a person's private opinion when they are forced to do or say something contrary to that opinion.

Despite his premature death at the age of just 37, Lev Vygotsky is widely considered as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. Drawing on a range of perspectives including Marxist thought, cultural history, evolutionary phylogeny and lifespan development, Vygotsky made a lasting contribution to our understanding of the relationship between language and thought, the psychology of art, pedagogy and the psychology of play, in particular the process of self-regulation through creative play.

This landmark article - which was orginally given in the form of a speech - provides several key insights into Lev Vygotsky's theories of play. You can download a free full-text PDF of this classic work via the following link.

On The Witness Stand: Essays on Psychology and Crime by Hugo Mnsterberg is a very important book by one of my all time favorite psychologists. Not only did he boast a great name and outrageous moustache but Mnsterberg was also a passionate advocate of forensic psychology. An engaging and controversial figure Munsterberg was a key figure in the study of psychology within a legal context. Years ahead of its time, On The Witness Stand: Essays on Psychology and Crime explores issues that are just as important and relevant today e.g., witness memory, suggestibilty and false confessions.

Conditioned Emotional Reactions by John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner is one of the most infamous research articles ever published in the history of psychology. Commonly referred to as "The Case of Little Albert" this psychology classic attempted to show how fear could be induced in an infant through classical conditioning. Originally published in 1920, Conditioned Emotional Reactions remains among the most frequently cited journal articles in introductory psychology courses and textbooks.

The Psychopathology of Everyday Life is arguably one of Sigmund Freud's least technical and, therefore, most accessible publications. Drawing on personal anecdotes and real life examples, Freud explores the psychological mechanisms underpinning such things as the forgetting of names and order of words, mistakes in speech and mistakes in reading and writing etc. This was the book that gave rise to what we now refer to as "The Freudian slip". As Freud notes in the Psychopathology of Everyday Life: Although the ordinary material of speech of our mother-tongue seems to be guarded against forgetting, its application, however, more often succumbs to another disturbance which is familiar to us as slips of the tongue.

This Psychology Symbol - Vintage Retro Striped Sunset T-Shirt is available from Amazon (prime eligible) in a range of colors for women and men. Sales help support this website, which has been providing free and comprehensive information and resources for psychology students and educators since 2008.

Research in the behavioral sciences touches upon every aspect of our lives including child development, brain functioning, work productivity, our legal system, cultural traditions, as well as learning processes and emotional development. With emerging technologies and a rapidly-changing world, psychology is a science on the move, and this is reflected in our Behavioral Sciences and Psychology eBook collection.

The Behavioral Science and Psychology eBook collection offers a rich mix of book types for all user groups: students, faculty, researchers, and professionals. Making it an unparalleled resource to excel research and learning. All books are available without DRM, making them accessible simultaneously by an unlimited number of users.

The e-book Exploring Positive Psychology with LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is the only book on the market that explores in detail how the science of well-being and flourishing can be explored using the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY method.

The e-book written by Mads Bab and Dr. Ilona Boniwell covers background, supporting research as well as facilitation guides including six step by step guides related to using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY with positive psychology.

At our learning institution, the preponderance of our students select General Psychology in order to fulfill their general education requirement. Since most of our students are not psychology majors, texts oriented towards giving a student an adequate primer of the field are preferred. Hence, this text seems to be a good selection for this type of student. The author's approach to relevant topical areas is an overarching one. This text sufficiently covers the subfields in psychology, without bogging down the reader in the intricacies of our discipline. In particular, I appreciated this author's approach to human development, which tends to be a content heavy area. Additionally, the learning objectives at the beginning of the chapter give a clear roadmap to the reader. The content area named "key takeaways" give the reader a nice annotated summary of important topical areas. For professors who want to be more indulgent in the content, the author provides a section on "exercises and critical thinking." The questions posed appear to be sufficiently provocative and relevant.

I find that the text content provides an accurate portrayal of the field. Topical areas are presented in an unbiased, factual manner; however, the exercises on critical thinking provide the student an opportunity to think more "contextually" about the information presented.

There are topical areas in psychology that are ubiquitous to the field. For example, Freud's Personality Theory or Zimbardo's Social Psychological contributions. These theories form the bedrock of our disciple upon which new research is laid upon. For example, the emergence of Positive Psychology and Neuroscience have provided a new and fascinating lens through which we look at human behavior. To this extent, the text seems to present a conventional view of psychology with dash of 21st century psychology. There is a section dedicated to addressing "positive emotions," although it is limited. Additionally, the surgent topic of mindfulness practice is not covered nor the relevance of Neuroscience in our understanding the connection between the brain and human behavior.

The text is written with an adequate amount of clarity and directness. Frankly, I think the author does a superb job at addressing the heart of the theoretical matter. Also the demonstration videos provide further clarity on the content. The examples provided seem to be relevant and compelling. Further, the design of each chapter lends itself to clarity. The beginning of the chapter presents clear learning objectives, which serve as an expectational guide, and ends with a summary of key points to consider.

There are intra-correlations made within each chapter; however, there are few inter-connections made between different chapters. Within each chapter, there is consistency between the concept presented, its description, and the examples used to further elucidate its meaning. For those seeking to give a student a more holistic view of psychology, the text is limited. For example, if you are seeking to provide students a broader sense of how internal emotions and cognitions along with external social events interface, you will have to create your own addendum to the chapter content.