Customization

OpenStax College learning resources are designed to be customized for each course. Our textbooks provide a solid foundation on which instructors can build, and our resources are conceived and written with flexibility in mind. Instructors can select the sections most relevant to their curricula and create a textbook that speaks directly to the needs of their classes and student body. Teachers are encouraged to expand on existing examples by adding unique context via geographically localized applications and topical connections.

Psychology can be easily customized using our online platform (http://cnx.org/content/col11629/). Simply select the content most relevant to your current semester and create a textbook that speaks directly to the needs of your class. Psychology is organized as a collection of sections that can be rearranged, modified, and enhanced through localized examples or to incorporate a specific theme of your course. This customization feature will ensure that your textbook truly reflects the goals of your course.

Curation

To broaden access and encourage community curation, Psychology is “open source” licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license. The psychology community is invited to submit examples, emerging research, and other feedback to enhance and strengthen the material and keep it current and relevant for today’s students. Submit your suggestions to info@openstaxcollege.org, and check in on edition status, alternate versions, errata, and news on the StaxDash at http://openstaxcollege.org.

Cost

Our textbooks are available for free online, and in low-cost print and e-book editions.

Coverage and Scope

Our Psychology textbook adheres to the scope and sequence of most introductory psychology courses nationwide. We strive to make psychology, as a discipline, interesting and accessible to students. A comprehensive coverage of core concepts is grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research, including coverage of the DSM-5 in discussions of psychological disorders. We have incorporated features and discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of communities across the globe, with attention to cultural competence. We include research and examples that seek to represent and include the various sociocultural backgrounds of the many students who take this course. The result is a book that covers the breadth of psychology topics with variety and depth that promote student engagement. The organization and pedagogical features were developed and vetted with feedback from psychology educators dedicated to the project.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology
Chapter 2: Psychological Research
Chapter 3: Biopsychology
Chapter 4: States of Consciousness
Chapter 5: Sensation and Perception
Chapter 6: Learning
Chapter 7: Thinking and Intelligence
Chapter 8: Memory
Chapter 9: Lifespan Development
Chapter 10: Motivation and Emotion
Chapter 11: Personality
Chapter 12: Stress, Lifestyle, and Health
Chapter 13: Psychological Disorders
Chapter 14: Therapy and Treatment
Chapter 15: Social Psychology

Pedagogical Foundation

Throughout Psychology, you will find features that draw the students into psychological inquiry by taking selected topics a step further. Our features include:
Everyday Connection features tie psychological topics to everyday issues and behaviors that students encounter in their lives and the world. Topics include the validity of scores on college entrance exams, advertising and associative learning, and cognitive mapping.
What Do You Think? features provide research-based information on a controversial issue and ask students their view through discussions like “Brain Dead and on Life Support,” “Hooters and BFOQ Laws,” and “Intellectually Disabled Criminals and Capital Punishment.”
Dig Deeper features discuss one specific aspect of a topic in greater depth so students can dig more deeply into the concept. Examples include a discussion on the distinction between evolutionary psychology and behavioral genetics, an analysis of the increasing prevalence rate of ADHD, and a presentation of research on strategies for coping with prejudice and discrimination.
Connect the Concepts features revisit a concept learned in another chapter, expanding upon it within a different context. Features include “Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Expression of Emotions,” “Tweens, Teens, and Social Norms,” and “Conditioning and OCD.”

Art, Interactives, and Assessments That Engage

Our art program is designed to enhance students’ understanding of psychological concepts through simple, effective graphs, diagrams, and photographs. Psychology also incorporates links to relevant interactive exercises and animations that help bring topics to life. Selected assessment items touch directly on students’ lives.
Link to Learning features direct students to online interactive exercises and animations that add a fuller context to core content and provide an opportunity for application.
Personal Application Questions engage students in topics at a personal level that encourages reflection and promotes discussion.