Psychological Science

by Michael S. Gazzaniga

Major principles and contemporary themes drive this narrative overview of the field touching on the latest ideas and findings in biological, cognitive, social, developmental, personality, and clinical psychology. Gazzaniga and Heatherton provide the latest insights on a wide array of topics and issues including the growth of children's minds, the ways we learn, the impact of serious head injuries on behavior, the reasons why we discriminate against one another, the possibility of changing our personalities, and the causes and treatments of psychological disorders.

Genres: Psychology, Textbooks, Nonfiction, School, Science, College, Neuroscience

832 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Michael S. Gazzaniga, one of the premiere doctors of neuroscience, was born on December 12, 1939 in Los Angeles. Educated at Dartmouth College and California Institute of Technology, he is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he heads the new SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind.

His early research examined the subject of epileptics who had undergone surgery to control seizures. He has also studied Alzheimer's and Parkinson's patients and reveals important findings in books such as Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind.

While many of his writings are technical, he also educates and stimulates readers with discussions about the fascinating and mysterious workings of the brain. Books such as The Social Brain and The Mind's Past bring forth new information and theories regarding how the brain functions, interacts, and responds with the body and the environment.

Reviews

[Xander · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very accessible introduction to psychology and all of its seperate fields (cognitive, social, personality and developmental psychology).

Each chapter is centered on one major theme and each theme is supported and illustrated by the results of scientific research. One of the main strengths of this book is the explicit connection between biology and psychology: there's ample information about biological processes, including human development, sensation and perception, information processing and evolutionary adaptations. This really helps to put all the psychological theories and assumptions in a biological perspective (which, in my opinion, is the only reasonable way to aproach psychology).

I read this for self study, and I found this a very helpful book. I think it would also serve well as a first step in further learning about the different fields in psychology.

[Soefae]

Read for PSYC100 despite having already taken and done well in AP PSYC *sigh*

[Rikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read several chapters from this and kind of wish I'd be assigned it again in the future. Lots of good, accessible information in a decently readable format with only a few--from what I saw or have the expertise to catch--errant or imprecise passages, specifically on the nature of personality disorders, wherein there was a mention that those with PDs do not experience rapid mood swings or struggle with mood dysregulation (those with BPD know otherwise), and when talking about gender identity, implying that gendered differences in behavior in children who are several years off from formal operations are innate, based in biology, rather than the product of socialization. In short, girls tend to choose the meeker and milder activities while the boys tend to choose the rough-and-tumble variety because that's what's socially encouraged, *not* because girls are naturally milder and boys wilder. It lacked a discussion on this, and since there were other areas of the book in which sociological contextualizations took place by which to frame psychological manifestations, I don't think the excuse that it's soc versus psych would hold much water.

[Psych_Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, I thought this book was a great Introduction to Psychology text. It provided a good overview of major perspectives and carried this through the book, e.g., keeping an eye on the biological, evolutionary, and social interpretations or causes of behaviors. I also appreciated the (somewhat haphazard) additions of critical thinking skills and Psychology You Can Use sections. I also appreciated the inclusion of very recent research, a lot of which was new to me!

Some negatives (some of which are idiosyncratic to me and my views and interested in psychology, and some of which are more broadly applicable) are as follows: Very surface-level treatment of a lot of the material. This is to be expected in an Intro text, but I foresee having to do pretty substantial supplementing in lecture (could actually turn into a pro for lectures, but is a con for the book). Too large a treatment of health, well-being, social, and personality psychology. There is definitely good information and science to be learned in these sections, but they could be condensed. They did not touch on the mythology of autism being caused by vaccinations. This is a very popular and misinformed view that should not only be dispelled because it's wrong, but because it can lead to ultimately dangerous behavior (i.e., the avoidance of vaccinations). I thought this at least had the potential to be a Critical Thinking Skill section.

But, again, overall this was a very good Intro text and I'm glad I've chosen it for my course this semester.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Despite being a high school student, I was completely able to understand the text. With some textbooks (especially the type aimed at college courses) it tends to become a rather dreadful pile of boring, dull information. This book, in contrast was engaging and entertaining while still being informative. I would suggest this to anyone who intends to go into an introductory course in psychology, or even anyone who just wants to learn a little more. I especially loved the case studies opening every chapter, and the "Knowledge you can use" sections.

Overall, this book was:
Accessible to a range of education levels
Engaging
and informative.

[Lauransia O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Psychology 101, this book helps.

[Humanbeing5421 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for an introductory psychology course. It was well-written and easy to understand. I was hoping for more neuroscience information. Most of the content regarding brain function was in one chapter and contained a fairly basic overview of brain chemistry. I didn't gain any insights that I didn't already possess. I did value the research put into the content and overall it was a good book for an introductory course.

[Duong Doan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to psychology, filled with examples and keep you interested!

[Vanellope · Rating 4 out of 5]

We used this textbook for my intro psych class and it was definitely not painful to read. The content was interesting and it was pretty enjoyable to read as far as textbooks go. Also very helpful.

[Audrey ✧･ﾟ: *✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5* - it was amazing (for what it is lol)

Baby’s first Psychology textbook! Considering I read every single thing in this 800-something page book save for half of the final chapter, which took hours of studying and learning, I’m adding it to my Reading Challenge. 🤧

[Taylor Yingshi]

this was the last book i got from zlibrary.....fly high.....

[Zambolineo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will say that this is one of the best introduction to psychology books because it covers many aspects of psychology and is well-structured, making it a very good book. I give it a five stars

[connie p · Rating 4 out of 5]

💯
Big book
Read it all
Fr

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gazzaniga is incredibly pedagogical, he manages to make complex ideas, theories, and concepts completely understandable through great examples.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a college student who also had to read this book for the term. I would also say it is a great book on introduction to psychology. But I will argue with those who say this is too boring for leisurely reads. I actually find it pretty interesting. And I usually don't want to even look at some of the books after the term is done.

[Erica Fada · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as textbooks go, this is a great one. I actually read all the chapters even though we were not assigned all of them, just because I enjoyed learning the material. It's presented in a way that's very readable and easy to get through.