Understand Psychology: How Your Mind Works and Why You Do the Things You Do

Is this the right book for me? Understand Psychology will take you through every aspect of the subject, from child development and social influences to the role of memories and emotions. The clear structure of the book, packed full of practical examples, makes it easy to learn the essentials whether for an exam or just out of personal interest. Understand Psychology includes: Chapter 1: Understanding psychology Understanding the mind Levels of explanation Areas of psychology Chapter 2: Self and others The first relationships The self-concept Cultural and social influences Chapter 3: Understanding other people Co-operation, compliance and obediance Understanding other people Social representations Chapter 4: Emotional living Emotions Negative emotions Stress and coping Positive psychology Chapter 5: Consciousness and the brain Biological rhythms Drugs and consciousness Sleep and dreaming Chapter 6: Motivation Physical motives Behavioural motives Cognitive motives Social motivation Chapter 7: Cognition Thinking Perception Memory Chapter 8: Evolution, genetics and learning Evolution Genetic mechanisms Levels of learning Chapter 9: Learning and intelligence Forms of learning Social learning Intelligence Chapter 10: Childhood and adolescence Childhood Adolescence Chapter 11: Adulthood, retirement and ageing Adulthood Retirement Ageing Chapter 12: Working life Why do people work? Human resource management Organizational culture Chapter 13: Leisure Watching TV Computer games Sport psychology Chapter 14: Education and health The psychology of teaching and learning Counselling and therapy Health psychology Chapter 15: Living in the world Proxemics and privacy Sources of environmental stress Disasters and accidents Chapter 16: Developing psychological understanding What do psychologists do? Developing psychological knowledge Conducting psychological research ...Learn effortlessly with a new easy-to-read page design and interactive features: Not got much time? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. Author insights Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. Test yourself Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. Extend your knowledge Extra online articles to give you a richer understanding of the subject. Five things to remember Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. Try this Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.