Author Description

"From the very first edition of this text, our primary goal has been to weave critical and scientific thinking into the fabric of our writing, and today, in this era of misinformation and "alternative facts"-not to mention in the face of societal crisis and turmoil-this goal is more important than ever. Students must negotiate the Internet and social media, which contain vast amounts of information but which are also full of conspiracy theories and nonsense, on topics ranging from how to study most effectively to how best to cope with a global pandemic. Psychological science can offer students the tools they need to separate fact from fiction and pseudoscience-and to distinguish wishful thinking from thinking wisely. Therefore, a good text should not be a laundry list of definitions and studies, and its writers cannot simply be reporters. For us, the most important job of any text is to help students learn to think like psychologists and to motivate them to enjoy the process"--