Humans are social animals; social demands, both cooperative and competitive, structure our development, our brain and our mind. This course covers social development, social behaviour, social cognition and social neuroscience, in both human and non-human social animals. Topics include altruism, empathy, communication, theory of mind, aggression, power, groups, mating, and morality. Methods include evolutionary biology, neuroscience, cognitive science, social psychology and anthropology.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Understand the importance of Wundt and James in the development of psychology
Appreciate Freud’s influence on psychology
Understand the basic tenets of Gestalt psychology
Appreciate the important role that behaviorism played in psychology’s history
Understand basic tenets of humanism
Understand how the cognitive revolution shifted psychology’s focus back to the mind

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Discuss Freud’s theory of psychosexual development
Describe the major tasks of child and adult psychosocial development according to Erikson
Discuss Piaget’s view of cognitive development and apply the stages to understanding childhood cognition
Describe Kohlberg’s theory of moral development

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe the assumptions of the psychodynamic perspective on personality development
Define and describe the nature and function of the id, ego, and superego
Define and describe the defense mechanisms
Define and describe the psychosexual stages of personality development

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Define personality
Describe early theories about personality development

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Distinguish between psychotherapy and biomedical therapy
Recognize various orientations to psychotherapy
Discuss psychotropic medications and recognize which medications are used to treat specific psychological disorders