Essentials of Understanding Psychology

Featuring a four-colour design, the second edition of this text focuses on the building blocks of the field of psychology while making clear the relevance of psychology to people's everyday lives. It aims to help foster an appreciation of the scientific basis of the field, as well as providing an impetus for critical thinking. Integrated throughout the text are several learning aids. These include: special features like "psychology at work" and "cutting edge" boxes and the "informed consumer" sections; opening chapter prologues; and looking ahead, recap and review sections. The second edition includes: a new chapter 15 - "Living with others in a Diverse World" includes expanded multicultural coverage that is integratted throughout the text; expanded coverage on cognitive psychology; new material on implicit memory, cognitive theories of intelligence, cognitive abilities and gender differences; new topics such as minority representation in the field of psychology, circadian rhythms, sex differences in smell, and new theories of dreaming; and greater emphasis on the influence of culture, ethnicity, race and human diversity on behaviour, both from a subcultural and cross-cultural perspective.