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The textbook includes many photographs and academic devices, complete with a plethora of biographical information on the important figures in psychology. This seventh edition of the text asserts the majority of interests among modern psychologists are expressions of themes and theories that have been a part of psychology for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. One theory put forth by famous philosopher Descartes explained that the brain was filled with “animal spirits.” The textbook continues on to cover the history of the field of psychology from its creation, to more modern research methods. From this puzzle came a great number of elaborate theories each attempting to explain human memory and perception. Philosophers were stumped for a long period of time as to what dreams were, the purpose they served and how valuable were the contents. This contemporary text immediately engaged the reader by presenting the early puzzle that was addressed by Greek philosophers – dreams. An Introduction to the History of Psychology B.R Hergenhahn and Tracy HenleyĪn Introduction to the History of Psychology is a non-traditional textbook co-authored by Hergenhahn and Henley. In order to be included on this list, the introductory psychology textbook must be peer-reviewed, used nationally, have received acclaim from both students and instructors and have positive reviews online. Many of these publications are subsequent editions of an ongoing series of texts, indicating that those texts have maintained a high level of success over the years. This list highlights the best, most widely used and most student-approved textbooks currently available. There are a great many introductory psychology books available for instructors to choose from.
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Intro Psychology courses generally cover a similar curriculum of material including topics such as the historical approaches to the field, how to employ the scientific method for use in psychological research and a basic understanding of the major methods used in professional psychology. All students who want to earn a bachelor’s in psychology must start at the beginning – Psychology 101. In fact, psychology is a top pursued major at a large number of schools. The field of psychology is a large area of social science that piques the interests of students at many colleges and universities throughout the United States.
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