Psychology and Life

by Richard J. Gerrig, Philip G. Zimbardo

Discovering Psychology Edition (with MyPsychLab) (18th Edition)

This classic text emphasizes the science of psychology, with a special focus on applying psychology to students' daily lives. Now available in a special edition tied to the award-winning "Discovering Psychology" video series, produced by WGBH Boston with the American Psychological Association. Author Phil Zimbardo narrates the video series, as leading researchers, practitioners, and theorists probe the mysteries of the mind and body and bring psychology to life for introductory students. Psychology and Life: The Discovering Psychology Edition offers the same content as the Eighteenth Edition, and adds a built in Discovering Psychology viewing guide at the end of each chapter. Each new copy of the text comes packaged -- at no additional cost -- with access to MyPsychLab, an online tool that includes links to the "Discovering Psychology" videos, as well as interactive viewing activities tied to the videos. Students can go to MyPsychLab to launch the videos and then either complete the viewing activities in their textbook or do the assignments online.There's also an Index of Multimedia that makes it easy for instructors to find and launch specific video segments for classroom presentation. Psychology and Life continues to provide a rigorous, research-centered survey of the discipline while offering students special features and learning aids that will spark their interest and excite their imaginations.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Science, Textbooks, Reference, American, School

784 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Richard J Gerrig earned his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology at Stanford University. His academic career began at Yale University, where he was awarded the Lex Hixon Prize for teaching excellence in the social sciences. He moved to Stony Brook University in 1994, where he is currently a professor of psychology. At Stony Brook, he has been actively involved in initiatives focused on innovations in undergraduate education. His research on cognitive psychological aspects of language use has been widely published. One line of work examines the mental processes that underlie efficient communication. A second research program considers the cognitive and emotional changes readers experience when they are transported to the worlds of stories. He has served as an associate editor for the journals Psychonomic Bulletin & Review and Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. He has been named a fellow of the Society for Text & Discourse, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science. His book Experiencing Narrative Worlds was published by Yale University Press.

Reviews

[Izarra Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wait, did I just read an entire textbook?

Why yes. Yes I did.

In preparation for HKU's psychology admissions exam—which I intend on crushing, just FYI—I bought a copy of the required textbook and read it, cover to cover. To save you the trouble of reading all dry-as-toast, typo-riddled 500+ pages, I've outlined the coolest ideas here:

• Use framing to orchestrate a more positive outlook. This is a classic concept I've encountered through behavioral economics, but it's worth sharing, anyway: people's happiness with their decisions stems largely from the frames they use in making those decisions (Kahneman, 1992). A "frame" is the way we describe our choices to ourselves; it affects how a decision is made and which option is ultimately exercised. For example, people were more likely to buy "75% lean" meat as opposed to "25% fat" meat (even though, duh, it's the same thing). Similarly, people would be happy with a $1000 raise out of the clear blue sky, but if they were expecting a $10,000 raise? Probably not so much. I think it also dovetails with spending patterns and consumptive choices; we're only happy with out car until our neighbor drives up with a newer one. Also related to framing: people have the greatest regrets about their education and careers: areas where they're confronted with a wide variety of opportunities. Also, there's a part of our brain called the putamen that shows a lot of activity when we're confronted with missed opportunities (Büchel et al., 2011).

Framing, folks. This stuff is important.

• Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) will change your perspective on everything. This impressive-sounding acronym refers the the tendency to blame or credit people for their actions before acknowledging the environment in which they act (Ross 1977). A lot of conservatives are patently guilty of this: assuming that inner city youths should just get a library card and stay in school. (No, I am not making this up.) We tend to overestimate the dispositional factors ("She didn't smile on the street; she must hate me!") and underestimate the situational ones (she had a bad day at work/was in a hurry/had a headache/was just spacing out). This is a hugely valuable concept to keep in mind, particularly if, like me, you're prone to taking things personally.

• Your opinion on psychological adaptivity indicates how much your own personality can change. Do you think people are capable of changing their most basic personal qualities? Whether you answered yes or no, you're probably right about one person: yourself. Psychologists refer to "entity theory" and "incremental theory" (Beer, 2002; Plaks et al., 2009); entity theorists believe that people's natures are essentially fixed, while incremental theorists contend that people can change drastically. The perspective that resonates with you likely describes how your own brain operates, and thus acts as a proxy for your own psychological flexibility.

• Constantly trying to make the "best" decision is probably doing more harm than good. When I read this section, I actually laughed out loud; it encapsulates my daily frustrations so perfectly that the words practically jumped off the pate and slapped me in the face. According to research (Parker et al., 2007; Schwartz et al., 2002; Iyengar et al., 2006), there are two kinds of decision makers: maximizers and sacrificers. Maximizers want to get the best deal. They take longer to make daily decisions. They make more money because they generally hold out for, and take the necessary steps to achieve, higher-paying positions. They are generally more stressed, tired, anxious and overwhelmed than their counterparts; sacrificers are the exact opposite. They're decisive, even at the cost of being sure they made the "best" decision. They're less wealthy and less successful, but generally happier.

(Kevin was a happy, healthy sacrificer before I got to him. Babe, I am so sorry.)

• Linguistic relativity blows my mind. Ever since watching this TED Talk about how verb tenses (or lack thereof) correlate with savings rates, I've been actively on the hunt for more about this fascinating area of study. It turn out there's a whole trove of research about "linguistic relativity"; the structure of our language really can change the way we think and interact with the world. I haven't had a chance to really delve here, so if anybody has more research about this topic, I would love to hear about it.

• Block test anxiety by writing about it. Test anxiety can be mitigated through writing about one's apprehensions (Ramirez & Beilock, 2011). When you're focusing on the test result, you're exhausting your working memory and repressing knowledge that might actually help you test well. Writing out your anxious feelings—about a test, a job interview, anything—allows your brain to dump all that stuff before the big day.

And, on a related note:

• Test yourself to remember more. Give yourself a test on the stuff you're trying to commit to memory (Roediger & Butler, 2011). This is known as the "testing effect". People who took tests, as compared with a group that studied twice as long, showed better long-term retention. Another cool concept is retrieval practice: repeatedly studying and then attempting to recall the information. (You'll never guess what I've been doing to prepare for this test.)

• Money can buy happiness, but only when you're broke. Another one borrowed from economics textbooks: the marginal value of money—the amount of utility provided by extra income—is highest around $0. (That's also why gambling is so appealing for people with lower incomes.) When people struggle to make ends meet, they often report low levels of life satisfaction and happiness (Diener et al., 2010; Howell & Howell, 2008). Additional income does correlate with increased happiness, but only to a point.

And, finally:

• Normative influence makes us do stupid stuff. Rational as we (think we) are, we're actually pretty easily swayed by other people's faulty thinking. Asch (1952) showed that people "went with the crowd" and made incorrect choices on simple observational tests; they believed other people before they believed their own eyes! Certainly this has some evolutionary advantage—maybe you don't see the charging tiger, but that caveman does so you run—but it can also allow a sort of groupthink to override our own rationality.

---

Mind = blown, dudes.

The book itself is pretty dry—it's a textbook, after all—and I was frankly a little surprised that there wasn't more on psychological disorders (what, no nymphomania?!). Also, for £60, I'd hope to have fewer than 5 formatting and typographical errors; I lost count at 10. Finally, because of the manner in which I bought this book, I wasn't able to access the "MyPsychLab" online component, available through the publisher's website. That made me a bit displeased.

On the positive side, I took some killer notes. Looking forward to putting this sucker on the shelf where it can look imposing and never picking it up again.

[Aleksandra Jagielska · Rating 1 out of 5]

it is so bad i want to give u a zero
but that’s not possible
so i give u a one

(to nie wina filipka a prowadzącej…. (jeśli to czytasz - tak, nie trawię cię e.)

[ayinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

nie oceniajcie mnie, po prostu to jest fajne i ciekawe i ekstra😃 nie no po prostu jak się interesujecie psychologią to jest idealne ja na szybko ogarnęłam shshs
wiadomo że wiele rzeczy napisane w sposób bardzo naukowy ale mnie to po prostu kreci wiec fajnie się czytało

[Ala :-)]

Definicja love-hate relationship.

[Damla]

IM NO LONGER A FRESHMAN AT PSYCH! Also finished that texbook in the last seven months 💖💖

[Julita · Rating 4 out of 5]

przyjemniaczek

[Cantfind · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found some areas in the book too simplistic and shallow - to such a degree that after reflecting on what I've just read I found to my amazement that two pages could have been written in just a few sentences and still conserve the whole information - e.g. the review of contemporary views on psychology in the first chapter is very shallow.
The discussion about statistics is laughable - the examples given as studies that demonstrate statistical analysis are examples of bad statistical experiments, and after explaining how co-variance can not point to cause and effect the book gives as an example for a good experiment a study which did just that!
There are also some minor falsehoods - like claiming Christopher Columbus thought the earth was round while others told him it was flat (the earth was know to be round since the time of the ancient greeks, and renascence europe certainly knew that - this common mistake is thought to be Washington Irving's fault).

[Jianxinghuang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 16th version. Writers tried to classify our misunderstanding on psychology. It is just, and should be our every day life. But not a mystery subject. A statistical subject, though it has a history of no more than 50 years or so, psychology had form a system to explain how the world goes and why people live like this. Besides, some experiences are interesting and the results do surprise us.

[Anowra · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is a very good book

[Virginia Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although old book, material everone should know

[Pan Kajzerka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutnie bydle pod względem treści, jest to trochę obusieczny miecz gdyż w tej książce jest liźnięty praktycznie każdy temat w psychologi, fakt jest tego dużo, ale nie każdy temat jest dostatecznie zgłębiony a często jest tylko omówiony i nic więcej. Niewiem czy to było celem ale ta książka to taka podstawka, dopiero początek, bo wiedzą w bardziej dogłębnych zagadnieniach jest nie wykańczająca tematu. Ogólnie to cacy.

[Càng Duynh · Rating 1 out of 5]

dở một cách hốt hoảng.
dịch cũng dở nốt.
omg.

[Julia Ostrowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY

[Aleksandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Treści przedstawione w bardzo nieprzystępny sposób. Przerwy na dygresje w tekście bardzo denerwujące, zakłócały moj�� koncentrację. Przykłady w tekście niedostosowane do polskiego wydania.
Mimo że wiedza jak najbardziej przydatna to nie polecam.

[Kamila Murglin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Przeczytałam nowe wydanie z 2012. No i książka jest ok ale bez szału. Jest świetna dla osób wybierających się na psychologię i będących na samym początku studiów jednak z czasem traci i to dużo. Jest to książka którą trzeba przeczytać jako pierwszą i tyle. Język jest prosty, szybko i łatwo się czyta w porównaniu do innych książek naukowych, które przeczytałam. Taka przyjemna encyklopedia psychologii ogólnej bez wchodzenia w głębokie szczegóły. Polecam na sam początek.

[Kaneda (Vy K Nguyen) Bibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this textbook for Intro to Psychology Honors and it was a great experience reading it. I started out with only a little pop knowledge on the subject and finished it with much more understanding on essential information of more than ten different topics in psychology. As a textbook, it is extremely useful for me in studying for all the essay exams and writing the 15-page portfolio essays analyzing news, articles, podcasts, etc. Out of the context of this class, it is still worth the read for anyone who wants to get a hold on basic knowledge in psychology. Terms are well-explained and the studies used in this text are mostly landscape ones that keep you interested. My favorite ones are Social Psychology, Memory, and Learning. They really affect the way I view everything in life from now on. It's a great choice to start learning psychology with this book.

[Tín Châu Hòa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bìa cứng rất là thích.
Thích cái đoạn chiến lược nghiên cứu quyển sách, nghe nó sang ghê lắm, đọc đến đó làm cho mình rất phấn khích, và cảm thấy đây là quyển mà phải nghiêm túc giành thời gian ra để mài mò nghiên cứu rồi.

[Justyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text book for Psychology course I took. Interesting read!

[Salomeja Sandroschvili · Rating 5 out of 5]

ანი და ჰოე

[M. Oğuz Karakaşlı · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psikoloji ve Yaşam, Richard J. Gerrig ve Philip G. Zimbardo'nun birlikte kaleme aldığı, psikolojinin temel kavramlarını ve günlük hayatımızla olan ilişkisini harika bir şekilde anlatan giriş biteliğinde bir kitap. Kitap, bilimselliği korurken, okuyucuyu sıkmayan ve akıcı bir dile sahip. Bu özelliğiyle, hem bu alana yeni başlayanlar hem de psikolojiye zaten ilgi duyanlar için ideal bir kaynak.

Kitabın en dikkat çekici yönlerinden biri, karmaşık psikolojik teorileri bile anlaşılır ve ilgi çekici örneklerle sunması. Zimbardo'nun ünlü Stanford Hapishane Deneyi gibi klasikleşmiş çalışmaların yanı sıra, güncel araştırmalara ve popüler kültüre yapılan göndermeler okuma eylemini daha keyifli kılıyor ve okuyucunun konuya daha kolay ısınmasını sağlıyor.

Eğer psikolojiye ilginiz varsa ve bu alanda sağlam bir temel oluşturmak istiyorsanız, "Psikoloji ve Yaşam" listenizin en üst sıralarında yer almalı. Kitap, sadece bilgi vermekle kalmıyor, aynı zamanda zihnimizi genişletiyor ve dünyaya bakış açımızı zenginleştiriyor. Kesinlikle okunmaya değer bir eser.

[Assayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książki z serii(?) ,,Psychologia. Kluczowe koncepcje" bardziej mi się podobały pod względem formy. Tu jest typowy szkolny podręcznik, gdzie losowo pomiędzy tekstem pojawia się ramka z innym tematem, więc trzeba tak przeskakiwać i poza tym trochę męczyło mnie czytanie kilkukrotnie o tym samym, tylko że w innych działach (np. psychoanaliza; podejścia humanistyczne, behawioralne itd.). Ogólnie to to samo co wyżej wspomniana seria(?) tyle że jest trochę innych informacji.

Książka nie jest nowa, więc niektóre informacje mogą być nieaktualne.

[Lucia A. Tramontana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ottimo manuale che introduce ai concetti base della psicologia generale. Ci sono molti esempi che aiutano a capire i vari argomenti, anche con l'aiuto di immagini. Per chi vuole scoprire come funziona la nostra mente, questo è il libro giusto per iniziare. Sottolineo il fatto che non è necessario studiare psicologia per comprendere gli argomenti trattati in questo libro, in quanto viene usato un linguaggio cosi semplice da rendere ogni argomento chiaro e cristallino.

[Zhuo Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a while for me to finish this book. Well, actually I should say finishing reading the book, but referring back to this book from time to time is always a homework that I need to do. Knowing some concepts and applied the concepts/tools into life are totally different things. I wish I could digest more content of this book and really start to know myself and know others. Psychology is a subject that needs to be practiced throughout one's whole life.

[Irma Kowalska · Rating 2 out of 5]

Z tej książki dowiesz się między innymi:
- czy warto bić dzieci
- dlaczego introwertyzm jest szkodliwy
- że śmierć małżonka negatywnie wpływa na samopoczucie (szok!)
- że uwarunkowania środowiskowe bliźniąt monozygotycznych to w sumie nie mają istotnego wpływu na psychikę (totalnie nie wychowują się w tej samej rodzinie).

Ogólnie NIE POLECAM, niby jest już 19. edycja, ale chyba czas już odejść.

[Tracy Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dù đã được giới thiệu rằng nó là cuốn ít khô nhất trong khối sách nghề, nhưng vẫn thấy khô rang.
Nói về đại cương Tâm Lý, tôi thấy thích Tâm Lý Học Đại Cương của Nguyễn Quang Uẩn hơn. Nhưng làm sao để add sách mới vào goodread nhỉ? Tôi quên rồi?!

[Gabriela Kutkowska · Rating 3 out of 5]

podręcznik wprowadzający - napisany przejrzystym i prostym językiem, idealny dla osób, które dopiero zaczynaja z psychologią jak i dla ludzi, którzy hobbystycznie chcą Zimbardo przeczytać aby dowiedzieć się czegoś ciekawego.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expecting a book where Zimbardo is a co-author to present the Stanford Prison experiment including the critique was probably too much of me to ask but it made me wonder how much else was presented in a not-so-unbiased way?

Regardless, I loved reading this textbook!

[Stefano Baez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Testo chiarissimo

[ნი · Rating 5 out of 5]

ნინა