Psychology is part of everyone's experience: it influences the way we think about everything from education and intelligence, to relationships and emotions, advertising and criminality. People readily behave as amateur psychologists, offering explanations for what people think, feel, and do. But what exactly are psychologists trying to do? What scientific grounding do they have for their approach? This book provides an understanding of some of psychology's leading ideas and their practical relevance, making it a stimulating introduction for anyone interested in understanding the human mind

Table of Contents

1. What is psychology? How do you study it? 2. What gets into our minds? Perception; 3. What stays in the mind? Learning and memory; 4. How do we use what is in the mind? Thinking, reasoning, and communicating; 5. Why do we do what we do? Motivation and emotion; 6. Is there a set pattern? Development psychology; 7. Can we categorize people? Individual difference; 8. What happens when things go wrong? Abnormal psychology; 9. How do we influence each other? Social psychology; 10. What is psychology for? A selection of further reading; Index