Dynamic content matched to the way today's students read, think, and learn brings content to life
· Integrated within the narrative, interactives and videos empower students to engage with concepts and take an active role in learning. REVEL's unique presentation of media as an intrinsic part of course content brings the hallmark features of Pearson's bestselling titles to life. REVEL's media interactives have been designed to be completed quickly, and its videos are brief, so students stay focused and on task.
· Located throughout REVEL, quizzing affords students opportunities to check their understanding at regular intervals before moving on.
· REVEL’s integrated writing tools enable educators to introduce writing — among the best ways to foster and assess critical thinking — into the course without significantly impacting their grading burden. Self-paced Journaling Prompts throughout the narrative encourage students to express their thoughts without breaking stride in their reading. Assignable Shared Writing Activities direct students to share written responses with classmates, fostering peer discussion.
· REVEL’s fully mobile learning experience enables students to read and interact with course material on the devices they use, anywhere and anytime. Responsive design allows students to access REVEL on their tablet devices and smart phones, with content displayed clearly in both portrait and landscape view.
· Highlighting, note taking, and a glossary let students read and study however they like. Educators can add notes for students, too, including reminders or study tips.
Superior assignability and tracking tools help educators make sure students are completing their reading and understanding core concepts
· REVEL’s assignment calendar allows educators to indicate precisely which readings must be completed on which dates. This clear, detailed schedule helps students stay on task by eliminating any ambiguity as to which material will be covered during each class. And when students know what is expected of them, they're better motivated to keep up.
· REVEL’s performance dashboard lets educators monitor class assignment completion as well as individual student achievement. It offers actionable information that helps educators intersect with their students in meaningful ways, such as points earned on quizzes and tests and time on task. Of particular note, the trending column reveals whether students' grades are improving or declining – which helps educators identify students who might need help to stay on track.
A systematic approach helps students learn how to think critically
Critical-thinking skills are essential for success in the Introductory Psychology course, in other college courses, and in students’ lives and future careers. That’s why the authors have woven the process of critical thinking seamlessly throughout the narrative, empowering students to learn how to think critically through a three-pronged approach:
· The first step is to define what critical thinking is and what it is not. Chapter 1 introduces Eight Guidelines to Critical Thinking, which are drawn on throughout the text as research and popular ideas are evaluated. Following these guidelines will help students separate good psychology from pseudoscience.
o Ask questions; be willing to wonder;
o Define your terms;
o Examine the evidence;
o Analyze assumptions and biases;
o Avoid emotional reasoning;
o Don’t oversimplify;
o Consider other interpretations; and
o Tolerate uncertainty.
· The authors model these guidelines in their evaluations of research and popular ideas. Throughout the text, the authors challenge readers to evaluate what the evidence reveals – and importantly, does not reveal – about a particular phenomenon. Photo captions, writing prompts, and of course the narrative itself offer opportunities for students to sharpen their critical thinking skills to become active readers (and active learners) of psychology.
· And finally, students are given many opportunities to practice what the authors have preached. End-of-module and end-of-chapter assessments help students check their progress, measure their understanding of the material, and encourage them to go back and review what they don’t recall or comprehend. Many quiz questions include critical-thinking items that invite the students to reflect on the implications of findings and consider how psychological principles might illuminate real-life issues.
Integrated coverage of gender, culture, and controversies in the field engages students in learning
· Since the First Edition, one of the hallmarks of Wade and Tavris’s approach has been to integrate coverage of gender and culture throughout the main body of the text wherever relevant to the larger discussion, rather than relegating this material to separate chapters or boxed features. Throughout the Twelfth Edition, the authors discuss gender differences and similarities in many areas – from the brain, emotion, and motivation to heroism, sexuality, love, and eating disorders.
· Culture and… features – for example, “Culture and Psychotherapy,” “Culture and the Ideal Body,” and “Culture and Mental Disorder” – highlight the importance of culture at intervals throughout the text.
· Throughout the Twelfth Edition, the authors address controversies in the field of psychology, try to show why they are occurring, and suggest the kinds of questions that might lead to useful answers in each case. Examples of controversial topics discussed include:
o Evolutionary psychology’s explanations of human dating and mating practices (Chapter 3);
o Limitations and the oversimplification of brainscan technology (Chapter 4);
o The extent of parents’ influence on their children’s personality development (Chapters 13 and 14);
o The disease versus learning models of addiction (Chapter 15);
o Conflicts of interest in research on medication for psychological disorders (Chapter 16); and
o The scientist-practitioner gap in psychotherapy (Chapter 16).
An emphasis on biology and neuroscience helps students achieve a well-rounded understanding of the discipline
· UPDATED! The authors report new findings from biology and neuroscience wherever they are relevant throughout the book – in discussions of neurogenesis in the brain, memory, emotion, stress, child development, aging, mental illness, personality, and many other topics.
· Biology and… features – for example, “Biology and Hypnosis,” “Biology and Beliefs,” and “Biology and Economic Choice” – emphasize the integration of biology with other areas of research in understanding human problems. These features provide students with a structure for interpreting research they will read about in the future.
· NEW! Throughout the text, references to research have been updated to reflect progress in the field and cutting-edge discoveries. Highlights of updated research include:
o Emerging techniques for mapping the brain, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and event-related potentials (ERP);
o New findings from the exciting field of epigenetics and genetic research in general;
o Revised sleep guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine;
o The new movement in psychological research to incorporate confidence intervals and Bayesian statistics to improve judgments about a finding’s strength, reliability, and importance;
o Integration of DSM-5 terminology and classification systems;
o New findings on how self-confidence and grit contribute to achievement motivation; and
o New chapter-opening vignettes that draw on recent real-world events to illustrate psychological principles and spark students’ curiosity.
Pedagogical features encourage students to read and learn actively
· NEW! All chapter content is mapped to revised learning objectives, which highlight the major concepts throughout each chapter. This learning architecture guides students as they progress through each chapter, boosting knowledge retention. The Test Bank items are also keyed to these learning objectives.
· Taking Psychology with You features at the end of each chapter illustrate the practical implications of psychological research for individuals, groups, institutions, and society. This feature tackles topics of personal interest and relevance to many students: Does watching media violence or playing violent video games increase violence? How much control do we have over our emotions and our health? How can we motivate ourselves to reach our goals?
· NEW! Chapter 1’s Taking Psychology with You feature is devoted to “The Nine Secrets of Learning,” a section designed to helping students understand and apply effective techniques for studying and mastering the material throughout the text. In this feature, the authors reassure students that they need not worry about their particular “learning style,” whether visual or auditory; visualizing material helps everybody, and so does plain old active listening.
· At the very end of the book, an epilogue called Taking This Book with You wraps up the text’s major themes and suggests ways that students can apply what they have learned to ongoing concerns in their lives.
· Additional pedagogical features designed to help students better study and learn include:
o Review tables;
o A running glossary that defines boldfaced technical terms on the pages where they occur for handy reference and study;
o A cumulative glossary at the back of the book;
o A list of key terms at the end of each chapter that includes page numbers so that students can find the sections where the terms are covered; and
o Chapter outlines and summaries to help students review.