introduction for psychology assignment

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General Psychology: An Introduction

(5 reviews)

Tori Kearns

Deborah Lee

Copyright Year: 2015

Publisher: University System of Georgia

Language: English

Formats Available

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Reviewed by Edward Clint, Assistant Professor, Oregon Institute of Technology on 12/15/23

This text covers a wide range of topics that are fit for an introductory college psychology course with no major omissions. However, some chapters provide unduly sparse or inadequate coverage. For example, the "Learning and Conditioning" chapter... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This text covers a wide range of topics that are fit for an introductory college psychology course with no major omissions. However, some chapters provide unduly sparse or inadequate coverage. For example, the "Learning and Conditioning" chapter doesn't even mention John Watson and generally provides no historical perspective on the evolution of psychology. The "Sensation and Perception" chapter is extremely compact, barely introducing ideas before moving on.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

NOBA psychology chapters tend to be well vetted and authored by subject matter experts (though this varies with chapter). I have not noted any substantial issues of accuracy or errors. But as with any text, there are some. For example, in discussing binocular vision, that chapter describes the familiar pen (or finger) in front of your face example involving closing one eye, then they other as you see the image "jump". The text then says,

"This is how video game manufacturers create the perception of 3D without special glasses; two slightly different images are presented on top of one another."

Apparent 3D in video games not using some sort of VR or 3D glasses/headset do not make any use of binocular disparity as everything seen is on a flat screen the same distance from the player. They are an effect of monocular depth cues.

Vocabulary definitions are sometimes poor. They may be vague or inadequately representative of the concept. For example:

"Behaviorism: The study of behavior." "Quasi-experimental design: An experiment that does not require random assignment to conditions." These are not false statements, but may be misleading or leave quite a lot on the table!

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Far more up to date than many textbooks, especially OER textbooks. Among the best in this regard.

Clarity rating: 4

The majority of the text is highly readable and easy to understand. As each chapter has different authors, some succeed better here than others, but I have not found any of the chapters arcane, confusing, or opaque.

Consistency rating: 4

While the format is regulated (learning objectives, content, in-set boxes for examples and questions, vocabulary)... the quality and approach vary between chapters. Some chapters seem to leave off key vocabulary terms in their own vocabulary section or use curiously non-standard definitions.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is generally quite modular throughout.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The structure is logical and in accordance with most texts on this topic.

Interface rating: 5

The text is well formatted.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Cultural perspective is added in many points where it is called-for and examples/images are reasonably diverse. There may be some room for improvement here, but judged against other psychology textbooks, it does very well.

NOBA's collection provides an excellent base for a modern, up-to-date, legible psychology textbook. It is rough around the edges, though, and does require some refinement and bolstering to be a truly world-class product. Easily among the best OER books out there with the potential to be greater still in the hands of a skilled editor or team.

Reviewed by Kate Snyder, Associate Professor, Hanover College on 4/23/21

In general, a fairly comprehensive set of Noba modules that cover the range of key topics in intro psych. The notable exception is a sufficiently comprehensive coverage of gender. Within the developmental chapters, it would be nice to have some... read more

In general, a fairly comprehensive set of Noba modules that cover the range of key topics in intro psych. The notable exception is a sufficiently comprehensive coverage of gender. Within the developmental chapters, it would be nice to have some discussion of aging (although the section on Psychopharmacology and the elderly is helpful) and there is only one sentence to Vygotsky's social constructivist theory in cognitive development, an unfortunate omission of a critical topic. I wish the Conditioning & Learning chapter paid greater attention to types of operant conditioning (there's a lot of depth for classical conditioning but negative reinforcement isn't even mentioned).

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Overall, the content is largely accurate. There is some oversimplification of topics - for example, the discussion of implicit beliefs about intelligence in the Intelligence chapter presents a much stronger statement of this research than has been found of late, and seems to hint at multiple intelligences.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Generally up to date and current. The majority of links I clicked through the "Outside Resources" sections were still functional with just a few exceptions that had broken links.

Clarity rating: 5

Some chapters were more digestible than others (for example, the chapter on Conditioning & Learning, while thorough, was a bit dense to navigate).

Consistency rating: 5

There's nothing overtly contradictory between chapters.

The selected chapters are a nice way to condense the massive Noba module option, and seem to align well. I noted once instance of the text referring to the "section on replication" but it was unclear what section this was, or if it's included within this collection.

Logically organized in a manner that begins with more micro-level processes and ending with more macro concepts.

Interface rating: 4

The "Box" sections are not accessible to readers with visual impairments; they are presented as images rather than text that can be read with screen readers.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Minor grammatical issues in some of the Discussion Questions but nothing too overt.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

Unfortunately, this is the biggest weakness. Race & ethnicity are sparsely mentioned in a few chapters, the section on sex differences in "Hormones & Behavior" ignores intersex and transgender populations, and the use of gender binary language such as "she/her" or "his or her" is common throughout the text (inconsistent with APA 7th edition language requirements on the use of the singular "they"). Chapters varied in sufficiently addressing cultural concepts.

The Discussion Question sections are a bit of a "hit and miss" throughout this collection - some chapters didn't have any, other chapters had good questions, and a few chapters had discussion questions that were really lower-level recall questions rather than prompts to spark discussion. I really wish more figures with data were provided throughout the text to facilitate students' practice in data literacy, as opposed to figures with stock images.

Reviewed by Kristen Bjork, Psychology Instructor (Adjunct), Community College of Aurora on 8/12/20

Overall, the main content of Intro Psych is covered. There is no chapter on gender and sexuality though. One chapter on Hormones and Behavior touches on some sex differences, but is just focused on biology. There is a glossary for each chapter.... read more

Overall, the main content of Intro Psych is covered. There is no chapter on gender and sexuality though. One chapter on Hormones and Behavior touches on some sex differences, but is just focused on biology. There is a glossary for each chapter. Definition are good for the most part, though limited at times. Each chapter covers the big concepts of each topic, but lacks depth at times. I would definitely use supplemental materials if adopting this text. Each chapter also has a list of additional online resources, which is awesome! I was a little disappointed to not see the biopsychosocial model applied to content in each chapter, since that is something I work on all semester with my students. It leads to more critical thinking about content.

The content was accurate and each chapter cited reputable sources. There was one minor instance of a concept being misrepresented. No bias was noted.

Research and examples were relevant and will continue to be applicable without immediate update.

Overall, the text is written in clear, simple language. Descriptions of concepts are concise and easy to understand. There were some sections that got a little jargon heavy for me and I think a little more context/applicable examples would have helped.

No inconsistencies noted.

Text is broken down into chapters with smaller chunks labeled with subheadings. Some chapters contained numbered subsections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Overall, the text is logically organized. There were a few things I didn't get though. There's a separate subchapter about inattentional blindness under the memory chapter, which seems unnecessary and misplaced. There was also a separate subchapter about eyewitness memory, which also seemed unnecessary. I didn't really understand the subchapter separation in general. It would make more sense to just have section headings under one umbrella chapter, especially since the chapters are not long.

A few minor spacing issues noted. No visuals at all in Chapter 1! Not an engaging beginning! Visuals were included in the remaining chapters, though they weren't always meaningful. I viewed the text in a downloaded PDF. Key terms are linked and if you click on them, it takes you to the definition in the glossary. However, you can't easily go back to where you were just reading if you click on it, which is a pain. You have to scroll back up through the chapter and try to find your place. One chapter referenced "an image to the left" but the image was actually on the previous page. Font was easy to read and there was minimal visual clutter on the page.

No grammatical errors noted. (There was one reference page though where they did not follow the APA formatting rule of italicizing the journal titles!)

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Chapter 1 has a specific objective to look at the role of women and people of color in psychology. Culture is specifically discussed in a few chapters, but not consistently in each chapter. Nothing insensitive was noted, but the majority of pictures used were of white people.

There are some descriptions of concepts that I thought were great and that would facilitate student understanding. However, I would have to use supplemental materials and articles if I were to adopt this text because there are some parts that are lacking.

Reviewed by Robin Gauthier, Adjunt Professor, North Shore Community College on 6/29/20

The textbook covers a lot of ground, but is done in a very logical and progressive manner. Each chapter builds from the other, but at the same time is not reliant on the previous or next chapter. It was well written, not complicated, but... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook covers a lot of ground, but is done in a very logical and progressive manner. Each chapter builds from the other, but at the same time is not reliant on the previous or next chapter. It was well written, not complicated, but straightforward and easy to comprehend. I particularly like that each chapter has it's own bibliography, outside resources for additional information and vocabulary lists.

Overall found the book accurate, but was concerned by two figures on page 88. These were a bit offensive with the topic relayed in a more sophisticated manner. The figures also appeared a bit racial and in a negative light. This, unfortunately, may determine my use of this book. Hopefully it can be amended.

Since it covers history of psychology it has great relevance. The examples are helpful in illustrating the author's point. In our rapidly changing culture, some current associations may not be fully accurate any longer, such as how either sex responds in certain situations. It did not include transgender responses. The format of the book will lend itself well to updates in any chapter without causing distortion of the next chapter.

The text was very clearly written, quite straightforward, but not overly simplified. The addition of the vocabulary words is helpful for students to build their vocabulary of psychological terms.

As noted earlier, each chapter related well to the others, allowing for consistency of the information presented. One chapter did not contradict another. The terminology was explained well and used well throughout the text.

This text was extremely well sectioned, allowing not only each chapter to be stand-alone, but within the chapter, broken into flowing partitions that connected well to other aspects of the subtopics.

This text presents the material in a logical order and is well-organized. I particularly appreciated that each chapter had, not only a bibliography, but outside resources and vocabulary terminology. For learning purposes, it streamlines learning; For testing purposes, this is a wonderful assist!

Interface rating: 3

The text is easily navigated and clearly identified for the various subjects approached. Some of the images and charts could be reworked. Unfortunately some of the logic of the book becomes lost in trying to figure out what the figure is actually portraying, particularly the charts and figures attempting to relay information about how male and female behavior differ.

I did not find grammatical errors in this text. There was a good flow in reading the material.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

As noted previously, the figures on page 88 seemed insensitive and not well considered. The text touched upon prejudice in Chapter 15, however it was not interwoven in the book in relaying general psychological outlooks. My thoughts are mixed on this, since it was not intended to be a book about ethnic or racial comparisons, however there are some realities that are important to consider, as well as socioeconomic differences in general regardless of ethnicity and race. I would like to have seen this addressed, at least in part.

Overall I liked this book very much and would consider using it for my class. I would want my concerns addressed first and look forward to the next revision.

Reviewed by Hilmar von Strunck, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Northern Essex Community College on 5/27/20

The book has nicely covered all topics for a typical introduction to psychology textbook. read more

The book has nicely covered all topics for a typical introduction to psychology textbook.

I find the context of the book to be excellent. It is easy to read, well organized, and extremely informative.

The text seems very well researched and comprehensive. I believe that updates can be made easily advancing to a new edition if needed to.

The text follows typical textbook jargon for an introductory psychology text. Proper terminology is used, that should be easily understood by introduction to psychology students and/or the layman person.

Very well written regarding terminology used throughout the text.

The text is easy to follow and can be read and understood no matter which chapter one may start at.

The text is very well organized, and again should be easily understood by introduction to psychology students or the layman person.

The text is easy to follow. Charts/images are appropriate and give a nice visual that explains some of the key concepts.

Text is written in a well worded fashion, as appropriate for this kind of textbook.

Based on the different topics that are covered in the text, I found that it touched appropriately on many of the different cultural and diverse topics that are included in such a text.

One thing that I wanted to point out is that in the "Psychological Disorder" chapter, the author(s) referenced to people with psychological disorders as "sufferers". I would refrain from the term "sufferer". Not everyone with a psychological disorder/ailment suffers. I think it would be more appropriate to say, "the person with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder..... and so forth.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: The Origins of Psychology
• Chapter 2: The Methods of Psychology
• Chapter 3: Biological Psychology
• Chapter 4: Sensation & Perception
• Chapter 5: Learning & Behavior
• Chapter 6: States of Consciousness
• Chapter 7: Memory
• Chapter 8: Motivation
• Chapter 9: Stress & Health
• Chapter 10: Cognition: Thinking, Language, and Intelligence
• Chapter 11: Human Development
• Chapter 12: Personality
• Chapter 13: Psychological Disorders
• Chapter 14: Therapy
• Chapter 15: Social Psychology

Ancillary Material

• University System of Georgia

About the Book

The NOBA Project is a growing collection of expert-authored, open-licensed modules in psychology, funded by the Diener Education Fund. From these open modules, Tori Kearns and Deborah Lee created an arranged open textbook for her introductory psychology class. This textbook was created under a Round One ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

About the Contributors

Tori Kearns, East Georgia State College

Deborah Lee , East Georgia State College

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Book Title: Introduction to Psychology

Author: [Author removed at request of original publisher]

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Book Description: Introduction to Psychology utilizes the dual theme of behavior and empiricism to make psychology relevant to intro students. This book help students organize their thinking about psychology at a conceptual level. Psychology matters because it helps us understand behavior and that our knowledge of psychology is based on empirical study. For questions about this textbook please contact [email protected]

Book Information

Book description.

Introduction to Psychology is adapted from a work produced by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. This adapted edition is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing through the eLearning Support Initiative.

Introduction to Psychology Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Write an Introduction for a Psychology Paper

• Writing Tips

If you are writing a psychology paper, it is essential to kick things off with a strong introduction. The introduction to a psychology research paper helps your readers understand why the topic is important and what they need to know before they delve deeper.

Your goal in this section is to introduce the topic to the reader, provide an overview of previous research on the topic, and identify your own hypothesis .

At a Glance

Writing a great introduction can be a great foundation for the rest of your psychology paper. To create a strong intro:

• Research your topic
• Outline your paper
• Introduce your topic
• Summarize the previous research
• Present your hypothesis or main argument

Before You Write an Introduction

There are some important steps you need to take before you even begin writing your introduction. To know what to write, you need to collect important background information and create a detailed plan.

Research Your Topic

Search a journal database, PsychInfo or ERIC, to find articles on your subject. Once you have located an article, look at the reference section to locate other studies cited in the article. As you take notes from these articles, be sure to write down where you found the information.

A simple note detailing the author's name, journal, and date of publication can help you keep track of sources and avoid plagiarism.

Create a Detailed Outline

This is often one of the most boring and onerous steps, so students tend to skip outlining and go straight to writing. Creating an outline might seem tedious, but it can be an enormous time-saver down the road and will make the writing process much easier.

Start by looking over the notes you made during the research process and consider how you want to present all of your ideas and research.

Introduce the Topic

Once you are ready to write your introduction, your first task is to provide a brief description of the research question. What is the experiment or study attempting to demonstrate? What phenomena are you studying? Provide a brief history of your topic and explain how it relates to your current research.

As you are introducing your topic, consider what makes it important. Why should it matter to your reader? The goal of your introduction is not only to let your reader know what your paper is about, but also to justify why it is important for them to learn more.

If your paper tackles a controversial subject and is focused on resolving the issue, it is important to summarize both sides of the controversy in a fair and impartial way. Consider how your paper fits in with the relevant research on the topic.

The introduction of a research paper is designed to grab interest. It should present a compelling look at the research that already exists and explain to readers what questions your own paper will address.

Summarize Previous Research

The second task of your introduction is to provide a well-rounded summary of previous research that is relevant to your topic. So, before you begin to write this summary, it is important to research your topic thoroughly.

Finding appropriate sources amid thousands of journal articles can be a daunting task, but there are several steps you can take to simplify your research. If you have completed the initial steps of researching and keeping detailed notes, writing your introduction will be much easier.

It is essential to give the reader a good overview of the historical context of the issue you are writing about, but do not feel like you must provide an exhaustive review of the subject. Focus on hitting the main points, and try to include the most relevant studies.

You might describe previous research findings and then explain how the current study differs or expands upon earlier research.

Provide Your Hypothesis

Once you have summarized the previous research, explain areas where the research is lacking or potentially flawed. What is missing from previous studies on your topic? What research questions have yet to be answered? Your hypothesis should lead to these questions.

At the end of your introduction, offer your hypothesis and describe what you expected to find in your experiment or study.

The introduction should be relatively brief. You want to give your readers an overview of a topic, explain why you are addressing it, and provide your arguments.

Tips for Writing Your Psychology Paper Intro

• Use 3x5 inch note cards to write down notes and sources.
• Look in professional psychology journals for examples of introductions.
• Remember to cite your sources.
• Maintain a working bibliography with all of the sources you might use in your final paper. This will make it much easier to prepare your reference section later on.
• Use a copy of the APA style manual to ensure that your introduction and references are in proper APA format .

What This Means For You

Before you delve into the main body of your paper, you need to give your readers some background and present your main argument in the introduction of you paper. You can do this by first explaining what your topic is about, summarizing past research, and then providing your thesis.

Armağan A. How to write an introduction section of a scientific article ?  Turk J Urol . 2013;39(Suppl 1):8-9. doi:10.5152/tud.2013.046

Fried T, Foltz C, Lendner M, Vaccaro AR. How to write an effective introduction .  Clin Spine Surg . 2019;32(3):111-112. doi:10.1097/BSD.0000000000000714

Jawaid SA, Jawaid M. How to write introduction and discussion .  Saudi J Anaesth . 2019;13(Suppl 1):S18-S19. doi:10.4103/sja.SJA_584_18

American Psychological Association. Information Recommended for Inclusion in Manuscripts That Report New Data Collections Regardless of Research Design . Published 2020.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Resources: Discussions and Assignments

Assignment: foundations of psychology, topics in psychology.

STEP 1 : Visit the TED Talks website and search for a talk on the subject matter of psychology. Watch one of the talks that interests you, as long as it is a minimum of 8 minutes in length. At the top of your response, include the title of the TED Talk, the name of the presenter, when it was filmed, along with a link to the video.

STEP 2 : In an essay of between 200-400 words, respond to the following:

• Give a summary of the TED talk, emphasizing the speaker’s main points
• What did you find most interesting about the talk, and what will you most likely remember from the talk?
• What type of data or evidence did the presenter show to back up their information?
• Read the biographical information and do some basic background research on the presenter. What area of psychology do they work in? More specifically, which psychological perspective would you say best fits the type of work they do? Why?
• What other questions would you have for this presenter if you could have a conversation with them? What else would you like to know about the topic?

• Ted Talk Perspectives Assignment. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

Browse Course Material

Course info.

• Prof. John D. E. Gabrieli

Departments

• Brain and Cognitive Sciences

As Taught In

• Cognitive Science

Learning Resource Types

Introduction to psychology, assignments.

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TOPSS Classroom Activities

Are you looking for an activity or lesson plan to use tomorrow in class? Quickly search over 100 activities from our popular Teachers of Psychology in Secondary School (TOPSS) unit lesson plans. Choose from popular topics like biological basis of behavior, memory, research methods and more. Be sure to check back regularly as activities will be added as they become available. These activities were originally available to TOPSS members only but in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have been made publicly available in order to benefit any teacher. Teachers are still encouraged to join TOPSS . 

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Search dozens of activities created and vetted by classroom teachers.

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Lab Exercises

Also included are laboratory exercises for high school psychology teachers, originally printed in the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP; APA Div. 2) e-book "Promoting Psychological Science: A Compendium of Laboratory Exercises for Teachers of High School Psychology" (Miller, 2018). 

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Featured Activity

Sampling or Assignment?

Students often confuse the terms “sampling” and “assignment.” For each of the scenarios described in this activity, students should indicate which process is being discussed and how you can tell.

Activities are available for the following topics. Click on the topics below to find the full TOPSS unit lesson plan.

• Biological Bases of Behavior (PDF, 333KB)
• Careers, Education and Vocational Applications in Psychology (PDF, 290.2KB)
• Cognition 1
• Consciousness (PDF, 342.48KB)
• Critical Thinking 1
• Emotion (PDF, 442.17KB)
• Intelligence 1
• Learning (PDF, 319.01KB)
• Life Span Development (PDF, 409.09KB)
• Memory (PDF, 711.51KB)
• Motivation (PDF, 171.01KB)
• Personality (PDF, 394.62 KB)
• Perspectives in Psychological Science (PDF, 305.01 KB)
• Positive Psychology (PDF, 163.45 KB)
• Psychological Disorders (304.7 KB)
• Research Methods and Statistics (PDF, 623.84 KB)
• Sensation and Perception (PDF, 252.48 KB)
• Social Psychology (PDF, 429.34 KB)
• Stress and Health Promotion (PDF, 311.99 KB)
• Treatment of Psychological Disorders (PDF, 305.85 KB)

TOPSS has also made two-day lesson plans available from recent past winners of the APA TOPSS Charles T. Blair-Broeker Excellence in Teaching Awards. These include activities that are not included in the search feature above.  

1 These topics can be found in the STP e-book.

Miller, R. L. (Ed.). (2018).  Promoting psychological science: A Compendium of laboratory exercises for teachers of high school psychology . Retrieved from the  Society for the Teaching of Psychology