Jordan Oates's Key Ideas from Exploring Psychology
by David G. Myers, C. Nathan DeWall

This chapter delves into the biological foundations of behavior and mental processes, as well as the fascinating realm of consciousness. It covers the structure and function of neurons, how they communicate, and the organization of the nervous system (central and peripheral). It explores the brain's regions and their functions, including the cerebral cortex and its lobes, as well as the endocrine system. The chapter also examines consciousness, the dual-processing mind, sleep stages, sleep disorders, and the effects of drugs on consciousness.

This chapter explores human development across the life span, from conception to death. It examines major developmental issues, including nature versus nurture, continuity versus stages, and stability versus change. The chapter covers prenatal development, infancy, childhood (cognitive, social, and moral development), adolescence, and adulthood (physical, cognitive, and social changes), highlighting key developmental milestones and theories.

This chapter explores how we receive and interpret sensory information from our environment. It differentiates between sensation (the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies) and perception (the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events). The chapter covers the senses (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell, and the body senses), their mechanisms, and the principles of perceptual organization.

This chapter examines the process of learning, the relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience. It covers different types of learning, including classical conditioning (Pavlov), operant conditioning (Skinner), and observational learning (Bandura). The chapter explores the principles and applications of these learning processes, such as reinforcement, punishment, shaping, and modeling, and discusses the cognitive influences on learning.

This chapter explores the fascinating process of memory, the persistence of learning over time through the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information. It examines the three-stage model of memory (sensory, short-term/working, long-term) and contemporary views of memory processing. The chapter discusses different types of memory (explicit/declarative and implicit/nondeclarative), encoding strategies, storage mechanisms, retrieval cues, and the reasons for forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, and retrieval failure.

This chapter delves into the cognitive processes of thinking, language, and intelligence. It explores how we form concepts, solve problems, make decisions, and reason. The chapter examines the structure and functions of language, including phonemes, morphemes, and grammar. It also introduces the concept of intelligence, discusses different theories of intelligence, explores the assessment of intelligence (intelligence tests), and considers the influences of heredity and environment on intelligence.

This chapter examines the psychological forces that drive our behavior (motivation) and our feelings (emotion), as well as our responses to challenging events (stress). It explores different motivational theories, including instinct theory, drive-reduction theory, arousal theory, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The chapter also delves into the nature of emotions, their physiological, expressive, and cognitive components, discusses different theories of emotion, and examines the causes and consequences of stress, as well as coping strategies.

This chapter examines how we think about, influence, and relate to one another. It covers topics such as social cognition (attributions, attitudes), social influence (conformity, obedience, persuasion), and social relations (prejudice, aggression, attraction, altruism, conflict, peacemaking). The chapter explores the power of the social situation to influence individual behavior and attitudes, and discusses the factors that contribute to both positive and negative social interactions.

This chapter introduces the concept of psychological disorders, patterns of thoughts, feelings, or actions that are deviant, distressful, and dysfunctional. It discusses the classification of psychological disorders (DSM-5),  different theoretical perspectives on their causes (biopsychosocial approach), and examines various categories of disorders, including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar and related disorders, schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, and eating disorders.

This chapter explores the various approaches to treating psychological disorders. It discusses the major types of therapy, including psychodynamic therapy, humanistic therapy, behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. The chapter also examines biomedical therapies, such as drug therapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and psychosurgery. It concludes by discussing the effectiveness of different therapies, the importance of the therapeutic relationship, and the role of culture and values in therapy.

This chapter applies the principles of social psychology to understand and address real-world issues. It delves deeper into topics such as attitudes and actions, the power of the situation, prejudice and discrimination, aggression, attraction and intimacy, prosocial behavior, and conflict and peacemaking. It emphasizes the practical applications of social psychological research in areas like health, law, education, and environmental sustainability.

This chapter explores how psychological, social, and behavioral factors influence health and illness. It examines the biopsychosocial model of health and illness, focusing on topics such as stress and its effects on the immune system, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems. The chapter also discusses health-related behaviors, including exercise, nutrition, and smoking, and explores ways to promote health and well-being, including stress management techniques and the role of social support.

This chapter introduces the field of industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology, which applies psychological principles to the workplace. It explores how I-O psychologists help organizations with employee recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal, job satisfaction, motivation, leadership, and organizational culture. The chapter highlights the importance of creating productive, engaging, and healthy work environments.

This concluding chapter addresses the challenges of navigating information in a "post-truth" world, where objective facts are often less influential than appeals to emotion and personal belief. It emphasizes the importance of psychological science and critical thinking in evaluating information, identifying misinformation, and promoting evidence-based decision-making. The chapter encourages the application of psychological principles to foster a more informed and rational society.