Psychology, 2nd edition

Published by Pearson (December 21, 2025) © 2026
  • Danae L. Hudson
  • Brooke L. Whisenhunt

Title overview

For courses in Introductory Psychology.

An evidence-based approach to tackling the most difficult concepts in psychology

Psychology provides a personalized learning pathway for each student. Synthesizing existing literature and original research, authors Danae Hudson and Brooke Whisenhunt identified the most difficult concepts in each chapter. Based on this research, they created Adaptive Pathways that pinpoint and correct students' underlying misconceptions in real time. In addition, Piecing It Together modules explore concepts through a variety of perspectives.

The 2nd Edition reflects the current state of the field, with fresh coverage of the functions of sleep, social neuroscience and more.

Hallmark features of this title

  • Authors Danae Hudson and Brooke Whisenhunt created this text to support meaningful learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom by addressing students' gaps in understanding in real-time.
  • The authors crafted the text according to empirically supported teaching and learning strategies, with insights based on their experiences in the classroom as well as their successes in course redesign.
  • Piecing It Together modules explore cross-cutting themes, identified by an APA working group on introductory psychology, including cultural and social diversity, ethics, variations in human functioning, and research methods.
  • The How to Learn prologue sets students up for success by introducing key study skills.

New and updated features of this title

  • UPDATED: To reflect the current state of the field, the authors have added coverage of a wealth of contemporary topics. In addition, they’ve updated every section of the 2nd Edition to reflect the most recent scientific findings. Highlights of new and updated content include:
    • Updated material on the Human Genome Project, highlighting its current emphasis on identifying specific genes or combinations of genes associated with various diseases and conditions, in Chapter 2, Neuroscience and the Biology of Behavior
    • The inclusion of smartphone notifications as an example of classical conditioning, helping students connect psychological concepts to their everyday lives, in Chapter 5, Learning
    • Enhanced coverage of brain structures involved in memory, including updates on the relationships between neurons, specific proteins, and mRNA in the formation of long-term memories, in Chapter 6, Memory
    • A new discussion on the effects of groupthink in everyday life and the consequences of deindividuation, including the attack at Wembley Stadium, in Chapter 13, Social Psychology
    • New coverage of the increased global use of antidepressant medications, their effectiveness in treating major depressive disorder and recent advances in psychedelic medications for depression in Chapter 16, Therapy

Key features

Features of Revel for the 2nd Edition

  • Adaptive Pathways keep students on track when learning about the most difficult concepts. This dynamic instructional content identifies misconceptions in real time and guides students to better understanding. Adaptive Pathwaysmay be assigned for participation or points for grade.
    • Each Adaptive Pathway begins with a multiple-choice pinpoint question that targets a common misconception.
      • If students answer correctly, they proceed to a pinpoint question on the next misconception and keep moving through the chapter.
      • However, if students answer incorrectly, they receive a brief targeted video. After watching the video, students must successfully answer a follow-up question assessing the same misconception before moving on.
    • The Adaptive Pathways global results dashboard empowers educators to monitor class assignment completion and see how students perform on each of the Adaptive Pathways.

Table of contents

  1. Psychology as a Science
  2. Neuroscience and the Biology of Behavior
  3. Sensation and Perception
  4. Consciousness
  5. Learning
  6. Memory
  7. Cognition and Language
  8. Intelligence
  9. Human Development
  10. Motivation and Emotion
  11. Human Sexuality and Gender
  12. Stress and Health
  13. Social Psychology
  14. Personality
  15. Psychological Disorders
  16. Therapy

Author bios

About our authors

Danae L. Hudson, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Missouri State University (MSU). She obtained her bachelor’s degree from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University. Her program of research initially focused on eating disorders and body image, but now the majority of her work involves the scholarship of teaching and learning. Since 2003, Dr. Hudson has taught large sections of Introductory Psychology in addition to other clinical psychology undergraduate and graduate courses. From 2010 to 2013, Dr. Hudson served as the team leader for a large-scale redesign of MSU’s Introductory Psychology course. MSU participated in a statewide initiative in course redesign where each public 4-year institution in the state redesigned 1 large enrollment course. Since fall 2012, all Introductory Psychology courses have been taught in the redesigned, blended format. Dr. Hudson and her colleagues have published peer-reviewed articles and case studies, and have presented at national and international venues on the successful outcomes of the redesigned course. She has been interviewed by various educational consultants, and Introductory Psychology’s success story has been documented in Campus Technology and on Michael Feldstein’s blog e-Literate. Dr. Hudson served 2 years as a Provost Fellow for Teaching and Learning at MSU and was a Missouri Learning Commons Scholar and a National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) Redesign Scholar. She also serves on the executive committee of the American Psychological Association’s Division 2: Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) as the Vice President for Membership.

Brooke Leslie Whisenhunt, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Missouri State University, where she has been a faculty member since 2002. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas in 1997. She then completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University in 2002 where she was a Louisiana State University Board of Regents Fellowship Recipient. Dr. Whisenhunt’s research has focused on body image, obesity, and eating disorders, in addition to the scholarship of teaching and learning. She teaches undergraduate courses, including Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Teaching of Psychology, and graduate-level courses in psychological assessment. In addition to her academic position, Dr. Whisenhunt is also a licensed clinical psychologist. She specializes in assessment and has completed over 4,000 clinical assessments during her 20 years in practice. She was a member of the Introductory Psychology redesign team at Missouri State University as part of a statewide mission in course redesign and served as a National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) Redesign Scholar. The redesign team transformed introductory psychology at Missouri State University into a blended course and demonstrated significant improvements in learning outcomes. The results of this project have been published in Psychology Learning and Teaching and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology. She has won college awards in both teaching and research at Missouri State University. Dr. Whisenhunt has presented across the country about pedagogical strategies to improve learning, decrease institutional costs, and improve retention in introductory psychology.

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