Psychology 101, Buy The Best Recommended Psychological Books And Educational Material

This psychology 101 article focuses on recommended psychology books for undergraduates, Psychologists and those who have an interest in the subject.  Buy the best to achieve the greatest success and elevate your understanding in this interesting subject!

Here, we have researched the very best material, so you don't have to.  We have provided this in a convenient list and recommend the best Psychology aStore for you to peruse.

As always, let us remind you of Psychology as a definition:

‘Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour of humans and animals.’

Psychologists concentrate on what is observable and measurable in a person’s behaviour. This includes the biological processes in the body, although, the mind is central to the subject.

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Psychology For Life A-Store

This A-Store is cram-packed full of great specialist information and products especially picked and recommended to you!

Why not treat yourself to a better psychological understanding by clicking:

• Psychology For Life

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This article focuses on the views of others in the recommendations.  Every attempt has been made to highlight this so as you can be truly and objectively informed!

James Rowland Angell (May 8, 1869 – March 4, 1949) was an American Psychologists who had a profound impact in Functional Psychology.

Psychology of today is still influenced by Angell's ideas which is demonstrated in The Province of Functional Psychology.  It is here that Angell contributes to the official definition.

The following is an excerpt:

"Functional psychology is at the present moment little more than a point of view, a program, an ambition... The time seems ripe to attempt a somewhat more precise characterization of the field of functional psychology than has as yet been offered."

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This five star rated recommendation really does assist students and graduates in their interest in Psychology.

One reviewer says the following:

' Actually my "intro" book way back when, as a freshman was the 6th edition (this is the 14th). This time I read the whole textbook, and 2 days before the GRE I also studied Kaplan's guide, reading and not quite finishing the final chapters in the testing room.

I got my scores a couple of days ago. I scored a 760 or a 96%! Subsections were "experimental" 96%, and "social" 94%. I really didn't study anything else, and I hadn't completed a psychology major'

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Bandura, famous for his bobo doll, is a major contributor in Psychology (see resource box 1).  Social Learning Theory is an essential read as this 5 star reviewer of this book suggests:

'SLT is a wonderful insight into the world of how learning takes place regarding a vast array of situations and circumstances. If you are looking for the most thorough and insightful book on how learning takes place, and is backed up with scientific studies and is not just some self-proclaimed guru's opinion, this is a must read.'

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This is what a reviewer said about Loss: Sadness And Depression:

'This is the fundamental book in attachment theory. The first to really understand this important issue. Nice to read, simple and very informative.'

Whilst this reviewer says the following on Separation: Anxiety And Anger (Attachment and Loss Vol 2):

'Bowlby is one of my favorite psychologists because his theory reflects real life tightly, very applicable. If you are a psychology major or interest in intricated mother-child relationship and its influence on later life, don't miss it'

James Bately makes relevant comparisons in A Secure Base with other great Psychologists:

'Freud saw the development of the ability to form affectionate bonds through the dark glass of psychoanalysis. Bowlby and his associates have given us the ability to see the development of inter-personal relations with the clarity of the scientific method and with deep human understanding. Anyone interested in improving our ability to love one another will find this book useful'

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Psychology for AS Level is a great study guide that helps students achieve their best:

'This best-selling textbook has been fuly revised in the light of AS teaching and examining experience and features a stunning full-colour design and new features to help students new to Psychology. This new edition of Psychology for AS-level, edited by the best-selling team of Cardwell, Clark and Meldrum, has been fully updated to reflect the revised AQA(A) specifications. It features a stunning new full-colour design and many added features tailored to the particular needs of students at AS-level. Written by subject specialists and edited by experienced examiners and teachers, Psychology for AS-level guides you through every aspect of your course, providing clear and accessible information as well as invaluable tips and advice from a leading examiner.'

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'Controversies in Psychology focuses on a number of diverse areas of psychology which all share in common the capacity to excite strong emotions both amongst psychologists and the general public. Covers topics such as: psychic research; out-of-body experiences; the physiology of hypnosis; clinical hypnosis; conceptual and methodological issues in gender; gender and development; eyewitness testimony; sentencing and incarceration; the emergence of health psychology; psychological aspects of illness and healthcare'

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Hugh Coolican is Principal Lecturer in Psychology at Coventry University, a Chartered Psychologist and an assistant examiner for the International Baccalaureate. He is the author of Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology Fourth Edition, and Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology Third Edition, also published by Hodder Arnold.

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This book is just as it says on the title... It is simply psychology and is a great start if you have little to no experience in this field.  Here are what some great institutions have said about it:

"If you are a student of psychology, do read this book. You will not only be educated and informed by it, but fascinated and enthralled. ... The book will provide an excellent grounding in all the basics... I can thoroughly recommend it." - South Nottingham College

"This text is written in an engaging, authoritative and straightforward style, which would be valuable to all students starting a psychology course." - Chester College of Higher Education

"This is a text which stands out for its clarity of explanation and its focus on the essentials in each topic area. It should be popular with a range of students and teachers/lecturers, and is an excellent introductory text." - Haywards Heath College

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As a Senior Lecturer at Trinity College in Dublin, Ray Fuller with his associates Patricia Walsh and Patrick McGinley (Director of Mental Handicap Services in Galway), you can not get a better team to write an extensive book on a historical perspective of psychology with a view of what the future holds for humankind.

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'The adoption of Themes, Issues and Debates in Psychology as required reading..can lead students to abandon a learning mode focused on assimilation and encourage them to think critically about what they are learning. -- Metapsychology Website'

On Psychology: The Science of Mind And Behaviour, this is what has been written:

'The original and best. Still the first point of reference for most psychology teachers. This book really has stood the test of time, I still treasure my first edition that I used at University. However, the book is firmly up to date, and now contains interesting and relevant graphics and illustrations. A really well written and well structured introductory text, suitable for all Psychology specifications. I always recommend this book to new psychology teachers and students. -- Deb Gajic, Chair of the ATP 2009111'

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Five star reviewer says this about Lewin's book Principals of Toplogical Psychology:

'The book is amazing. Because, the book has a frendly introduction to topological psychology. Contents of the book include 2 main chapters. Firstly psychological introduction to mathmematical terms and topology, secondly, topological psychology. If you interest topology then you would find interesting book. If you interest psychology then you don't affair this subject. Because, each terms related to topology /or mathematics is defined in this book.'

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Noel Eastward reviewed Theories and Systems of Psychology as:

'This book reviews the various schools of psychology using a simple style that is easy to read and understand. It provides enough depth on each system to satisfy the practitioner and provides solid explanations for the beginner to understand with ease. An excellent introductory psychology text.'

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'Eleanor Maccoby has been doing gender for a long, long time, and her decades of academic and research experience contribute to a comprehensive, useful volume. She takes NOT a "men from mars women from venus" approach to gender, but instead focusses on the gender composition of groups in unravelling what initially appear to be differences between the genders. The 1st and 3rd sections of the book provide excellently layered literature reviews of gendered behavior in the context of specific group compositions; and the 2nd section offers objective coverage of the main theories of gender development. Highly recommended for an undergrad course'

This was reviewed by Hem6 on The Two Sexes: Growing Up Apart, Coming Together.

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'The Philosophy of Psychology is a good introduction to the field it surveys. Almost all the articles can be read by someone unfamiliar with the topics discussed, and varying points of view are well represented. It might well serve as an auxiliary text in graduate-level courses in history and systems of psychology, whereas specific chapters might be assigned to courses in ethics, cognitive science, or philosophy of mind' - Contemporary Psychology'

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The following reviewer gave The Condioned Reflex by Pavlov five stars:

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) was a Russian physiologist, psychologist, and physician, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1904 for research pertaining to the digestive system.

"Pavlov's dogs" have an almost legendary status in textbooks on psychology. What he did was to perform an operation on the dogs consisting of "the transplantation of the opening of the salivary duct from its natural place on the mucous membrane of the mouth to the outside skin." (Pg. 18) Thus, he was able to "precisely" measure their rate of salivation for his experiments, and condition them to salivate at the ringing of a bell, which preceded their being fed. (Later, he admitted that "This method naturally suffers from fundamental disadvantages, since it involves the roughest forms of mechanical interference and the crude dismembering of an organ of a most delicate structure and function.") (Pg. 320)

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Cheryl called A Piaget Primer a wonderful book.  She also gave it five stars and made the following comment:

'The author provides very clear explanations of Piaget's theory of thought and play. Complete with comic strips about children, this book is a must for new teachers who are learning about Piaget and also for parents who do not know how children think and learn thru' play. You won't want to put the book down after picking it up, because the contents are so simple yet interesting'

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Popper (Resource Box 2) really was radical in his time and Conjecture and Refutations is a collection of his findings.

This book has had a massive amount of positive reviews. One customer really sums this up - No student of any science can do without this book:

'Nothing is the same for a student after this book. It helps you understand what can be called and what can't be called "scientific" and the sometimes, narrow line between. This is the one of the most thought-provoking books of the XXth. century. It started one of the most interesting discussions of the history of ideas. Re-read it if you read it, or discover it if you missed it'

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Reviewer Craig Rich calls An Intellectual History of Psychology a brilliant book. He further adds:

'This book was used as a textbook in my history of psychology class. The author is brilliant as he focuses on the historical progression of psychological ideas and their philosophical basis.

Be warned, many students complained about the "difficult language" the author uses. This is not an "Idiot's Guide" and the language is not dumbed down. It requires a great deal of effort to understand because it is written for a scholarly audience. Not for the mildly curious, but for the serious scholar there is no better book.'

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'It is utterly fascinating to know that, as a result of a neurological condition, a man can actually mistake his wife for a hat and not realize it. It is also fascinating to learn that a stroke can leave a person with the inability to see things on one side of the visual field--which is what happened to "Mrs. S." as recalled in the chapter, "Eyes Right!"--and yet not realize that anything is missing. In both cases there was nothing wrong with the patient's eyes; it was the brain's processing of the visual information that had gone haywire.'

What more can be said about this fantastic book?!

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Tang Ling states on a History of Modern Psychology states:

'This book provides a clear and definitive background to Psychology. It not only enables the readers to appreciate the development of the subject, it also introduces them to the vast fundamentals comprising the subject. Although the emphasis therein may seem bent towards experimental psychology with the vast elaborations pertaining to Wundt's voluntarism, and Titcherner's qualitative approach;the last four chapters were however devoted to cognitive developments and psychoanalysis. Overall, it makes a good reading and is highly recommended for students and novice learners of psychology'

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'B.F. Skinner (Resource Box 3) was the leading experimental psychologist in the United States for a large portion of his career, and his reputation within the field is still formidable. Unlike most scientists, Skinner also chose to write books for a popular audience. And, unlike most so-called "popular scientists" like Carl Sagan or Stephen Jay Gould, Skinner cared more that the layman understood the philosophy behind science, rather than how that particular science worked.

"Beyond Freedom and Dignity" is Skinner's most successful - and controversial work. Skinner's brand of psychology is called Behaviorism for a very good reason - it deals only with objective, measurable behaviors and does not speculate about motivations, drives, dreams, etc. Skinner argues that applied Behaviorism has the potential to solve many seemingly unsolvable problems, such as overpopulation, crime, pollution, and the like. To Skinner, our very concepts of Freedom and Dignity are hindrances because they are abstract ideals that cannot be measured or quantified. It is only when we care about behavior that we have a chance of understanding why human beings do the things that we do and have the potential to truly change society.

I strongly recommend this book, although I do not agree with much of Skinner's philosophy. Skinner wrote clearly, cleanly, and directly. Anyone with a high school diploma or GED could read and understand this book, and engage in a dialogue with Skinner's ideas. I've used chapters of this book in a course in the History of Psychology that I teach, and it never fails to engage people, challenge them, and spur them on to debate. To me, this is what a great book should do. Whether you glorify or villify B.F. Skinner, his ideas are worth grappling with'

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Here is what Lyonis said about Pathways to Psychology:

'Every year, I'm asked to review a multitude of introductory psychology texts for use in my classrooms. As a result, I have sampled and used several texts in my 10+ years of teaching at the community college level.

I've always like Sternberg's style, and his approach to presenting material in different ways to try to match students' particular learning styles. This text is a pared down version of his main intro book, but does not suffer from this treatment. I find it palatable, and my students report it as easy to use, easy to understand, and at least moderately entertaining. It's hard, when bombarded by the huge array of research and theory that exist in psychology today, to know what to keep in, and what to leave out. Sternberg has a good recipe, for a lovely, leavened bread of learning'

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Jeff gave this book five stars.  It is no wonder for the Grandaddy of Behaviourism (resource box 4):

'John Watson's new idea for psychology, behaviorism went through this country like wildfire, mostly because of his book behaviorism. It is detailed, and for the most part, easy to read. Anyone who is enterested in behaviorism and its techniques should read this book.'

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'Sigmund Freud' (resource box 5) has been voted as a five star product on Amazon with comments such as...

"The best study of Freud's thought." Peter Gay, Yale University

The book description has been described thus:

This intellectual biography of Freud presents a fresh and thorough analysis of the whole body of his writings. Each of these is studied in its context, and their chronology is shown to be of great importance. The author demonstrates how Freud's exploratory and sometimes hesitant efforts to explain all that he discovered of mental abnormality are to be properly understood only in light of his quest for a general theory of the mind. This reissue contains a new Preface by Professor Wollheim that takes account of recent critical work on Freud.

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The last of these recommendations comes from another founder member of Psychology - Wilheim Wundt. The book being highlighted here is the exact replica of the original without interpretation but from the man himself. This really is a must read if you want to learn straight from the horses mouth, himself!

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This psychology 101 features essential and best recommendations for those who have an interest in psychology. These have been thoughly researched and recommended to you as the best in psychology books to promote your success. Whether you are an undergraduate, an A-Level student or a teacher, these books really will help you to understand a complex subject. We hope we have whetted your appetite enough to give you the confidence in buying a great range of books at good prices. Good luck with your study!

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Bandura

Popper

B F Skinner

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