Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Psychological Adjustment
Tori Kearns & Debra Lee · East Georgia State College
In the contents: 02: Theories of Humanistic and Personality Psychology · 06: Positive Psychology's Approach to Wellness
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The Grim Educator
Cathryn van Kessel · University of Alberta
This site is for educators (and anyone else) who may be interested in the ways that death and evil shape how we interact with others and shape our world.By engaging with the ideas of Hannah Arendt and Ernest Becker, as well as borrowing from terror management theory (TMT) in social psychology, we hope to provoke thinking about how our conscious and unconscious approaches to evil and death impact education (and our lives).We hope to update this site regularly with new ideas and lessons, so keep c
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A Cognitive Perspective on Emotion
Mark Pettinelli · Northeastern University
Some things in life cause people to feel, these are called emotional reactions. Some things in life cause people to think, these are sometimes called logical or intellectual reactions. Thus life is divided between things that make you feel and things that make you think. The question is, if someone is feeling, does that mean that they are thinking less? It probably does. If part of your brain is being occupied by feeling, then it makes sense that you have less capacity for thought.
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Dress, Appearance, and Diversity in U.S. Society (Reddy-Best, Elder and Hassall)
Kelly L. Reddy-Best, Abbey K Elder, and Lesya Hassall · Iowa State University
This book introduces topics about identity, dress, and the body. Through the content, readers explore how individuals and communities use dress as a way to communicate (i.e. “negotiate” in fashion studies) their various identities. There is heightened attention to social justice, power, privilege, and oppression. That is, the content focuses on the experiences of historically marginalized communities and the ways they navigate dress and dressing their bodies in different contexts.
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Manualized CBT for Treating Anxiety
Michael Campbell; Ashley Toland; Elizabeth Ruegg · University of West Florida Pressbooks · 2026
In this book you will learn about the application of manualized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in treating Generalized Anxiety Disorders. A chapter is devoted to cover the theoretical framework for CBT and the evidence that supports its efficacy in treatment. Lastly, this text utilizes a case based approach to gain knowledge and skills in this treatment approach. The text illustrations, aimed to help the reader create an emotional linkage to the topics, characters and treatment approach, were created by Jonathan Hoffmann using a Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform.
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Memory & Cognition
Priyanka Mehta · University of Wisconsin System · 2026
Memory & Cognition offers a fresh, engaging tour of how the mind works—spanning the brain, mental imagery, the different functions of memory, and decision‑making. Blending psychology with neuroscience, computer science, sociology, and philosophy, the book grounds concepts in real‑life examples and uses experimental evidence, diagrams, and hypothetical scenarios to introduce complex topics to readers. Memory & Cognition is a concise, interdisciplinary guide for anyone curious about how we think, remember, and make decisions.
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Understanding Human Development: Prenatal Through Adolescence
Terese Jones; Christina Belli; Esmeralda Julyan · Open Oregon Educational Resources · 2025
Understanding Human Development is an introductory textbook for individuals entering early childhood education and related fields. The textbook provides an overview of the developmental lifespan from conception to adolescence using social justice and ecological perspectives. The textbook aims to represent equitable approaches to understanding human development and discusses the diverse factors and interactions that support or hinder development.
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Lifespan Development
Diana Riser; Rose Spielman; David Biek · OpenStax · 2024
Lifespan Development aligns to the topics and objectives of most introductory developmental psychology courses taught across departments. Grounded in foundational theories and scientific research, the text teaches students about core aspects of human development—physical, cognitive, social, emotional—across the lifespan. A primary goal of the book is to incorporate content, scholarship, and activities that explore a variety of perspectives that encourage all students to feel seen and included. Lifespan Development strives to openly address complex topics with scholarly responsibility and an effort to increase equity and inclusion in the research presented, as well as to foster student engagement in the classroom through relevant examples and applications. Focused on driving meaningful and memorable learning experiences, the narrative places concepts in contexts that give students the means to understand human development and how that knowledge can be applied to and improve their own lives and the lives of others.
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The LEARN Method: An Interactive Guide for Effective Learning
Karla Lassonde · Minnesota State Colleges and Universities · 2024
The LEARN Method is a program designed to teach students strategies to improve learning.
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Introduction to Statistics in the Psychological Sciences
Linda Cote; Rupa Gordon; Chrislyn Randell; Judy Schmitt · University of Missouri - St. Louis · 2021
Introduction to Statistics in the Psychological Sciences provides an accessible introduction to the fundamentals of statistics, and hypothesis testing as need for psychology students. The textbook introduces the fundamentals of statistics, an introduction to hypothesis testing, and t Tests. Related samples, independent samples, analysis of variance, correlations, linear regressions and chi-squares are all covered along with expanded appendices with z, t, F correlation, and a Chi-Square table. The text includes key terms and exercises with answers to odd-numbered exercises. Psychology students often find statistics courses to be different from their other psychology classes. There are some distinct differences, especially involving study strategies for class success. The first difference is learning a new vocabulary—it is similar to learning a new language. Knowing the meaning of certain words will help as you are reading the material and working through the problems. Secondly, practice is critical for success; reading over the material is not enough. Statistics is a subject learned by doing, so make sure you work through any homework questions, chapter questions, and practice problems available. Statistical knowledge gives you a set of skills employable in graduate school and the workplace. Data science is a burgeoning field, and there is practical significance in learning this material. The statistics presented in this book are some of the most common ones used in research articles, and we hope by the end of this OER you’ll feel comfortable reading (and not skipping!) the results section of an article. This work is broken into 14 chapters, covering the fundamentals of statistics, and hypothesis testing.
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ReCentering Psych Stats
Lynette Bikos · Seattle Pacific University Library · 2023
To center a variable in regression means to set its value at zero and interpret all other values in relation to this reference point. Regarding race and gender, researchers often center male and White at zero. Further, it is typical that research vignettes in statistics textbooks are similarly seated in a White, Western (frequently U.S.), heteronormative, framework. ReCentering Psych Stats seeks provide statistics training for psychology students (undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral) in a socially and culturally responsive way. All lessons use the open-source statistics program, R (and its associated packages). Each lesson includes a chapter and screencasted lesson, features a workflow for statistical decision-making, and includes all R code necessary to conduct the statistic. Research vignettes are drawn from the published psychology literature. When possible, these articles are authored by individuals who hold identities that have, been marginalized in the scientific literature; correctly use the statistic that is being taught in the lesson; and focus on issues of justice, equity, inclusion, or and diversity. When possible, lessons include interviews with researchers from the featured vignettes. Each chapter includes suggestions for practice that are graded in complexity, such that learners can choose the degree of challenge. ReCentering Psych Stats is perpetually-in-progress; suggestions for corrections or chapters are welcomed: ReCenteringPsychStats@spu.edu
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Fundamentals of Psychological Disorders
Alexis Bridley; Lee Daffin Jr. · Washington State University · 2022
Fundamentals of Psychological Disorders (formerly Abnormal Psychology) is an Open Education Resource written by Alexis Bridley, Ph.D. and Lee W. Daffin Jr., Ph.D. through Washington State University. The book tackles the difficult topic of mental disorders in 15 modules and is updated through the DSM-5-TR. This journey starts by discussing what abnormal behavior is by attempting to understand what normal behavior is. Models of abnormal psychology and clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment are then discussed. With these three modules completed, the authors next explore several classes of mental disorders in 5 blocks. Block 1 covers mood, trauma and stressor related, and dissociative disorders. Block 2 covers anxiety, somatic symptom, and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Block 3 covers eating and substance-related and addictive disorders. Block 4 tackles schizophrenia spectrum and personality disorders. Finally, Block 5 investigates neurocognitive disorders and then ends with a discussion of contemporary issues in psychopathology. Disorders are covered by discussing their clinical presentation and DSM Criteria, epidemiology, comorbidity, etiology, and treatment options.
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Common Client Issues in Counselling: An Australian Perspective
Nathan Beel; Christine Chinchen; Tanya Machin; Carol du Plessis · University of Southern Queensland · 2023
Common Client Issues in Counselling: An Australian Perspective focuses on common mental health issues, such as grief and loss, anxiety, and depression, experienced by clients presenting for counselling. The focus throughout is on providing an Australian perspective, highlighting contemporary understandings, as well as suggesting practical and integrative responses to each common issue. All of the authors, reviewers, and editors work within Australian counselling settings, including private practice, not for profit organisations and academic contexts. By drawing on the authors’ extensive experience, and using a contextual rather than diagnostic approach, each chapter is brought to life with valuable insights and suggestions.
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The Australian Handbook for Careers in Psychological Science
Tony Machin; Tanya Machin; Carla Jeffries; Nancey Hoare · University of Southern Queensland · 2022
Despite psychology being one of the most popular undergraduate programs, students often report not knowing how training in psychology relates to careers. With chapters written by experts across Australia, this book explores just some of the many ways that students can apply their training in psychological science across a variety of careers and sectors.
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Human Development
Human Development Teaching and Learning Group · Portland State University Library · 2021
This open textbook is designed for Human Development, a core Psychology course. This course provides a bird’s eye view of major milestones and developmental tasks during each age period, starting at conception and ending with old age.
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Child Growth and Development
Jennifer Paris; Antoinette Ricardo; Dawn Rymond; Alexa Johnson · College of the Canyons · 2018
Welcome to Child Growth and Development. This text is a presentation of how and why children grow, develop, and learn. We will look at how we change physically over time from conception through adolescence. We examine cognitive change, or how our ability to think and remember changes over the first 20 years or so of life. And we will look at how our emotions, psychological state, and social relationships change throughout childhood and adolescence.
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Personality Theory in a Cultural Context
Mark Kelland · OpenStax CNX · 2015
When you first think of personality, what comes to mind? When we refer to certain people as being “personalities,” we usually mean they are famous, people like movie stars or your favorite band. When we describe a person as having “lots of personality,” we usually mean they are outgoing and fun-loving, the kind of person we like to spend time with. But does this tell us anything about personality itself? Although we may think we have an understanding of what personality is, professional psychologists always seek to move beyond what people think they know in order to determine what is actually real or at least as close to real as we can come. In the pursuit of truly understanding personality, however, many personality theorists seem to have been focused on a particularly Western cultural approach that owes much of its history to the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud.
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Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective
Martha Lally; Suzanne Valentine-French · Martha Lally, Suzanne Valentine-French · 2022
Developmental Psychology, also known as Human Development or Lifespan Development, is the scientific study of ways in which people change, as well as stay the same, from conception to death. You will no doubt discover in the course of studying that the field examines change across a broad range of topics. These include physical and other psychophysiological processes, cognition, language, and psychosocial development, including the impact of family and peers.
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Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience
Elizabeth Kirby; Melissa Glenn; Noah Sandstrom; Christina Williams · OpenStax · 2024
Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience aligns to the topics and objectives of introductory behavioral neuroscience courses taught in psychology, biology, neuroscience, and similar departments. This offering is intended for undergraduates with no presumed college-level science coursework, and presents the foundational principles of brain-behavior-environment interactions. In Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience, students will begin to understand how the physiology of the nervous system and the environment dictate our movements, thoughts and feelings. Students will be challenged to think about real neuroscience experiments, appreciate how neuroscience knowledge evolves over time, and consider open questions in the field. They will also be invited to learn about the people behind the science, such as through interview videos and researcher profiles.
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Human Evolutionary Demography
Oskar Burger; Ronald Lee; Rebecca Sear · Open Book Publishers · 2024
Human evolutionary demography is an emerging field blending natural science with social science. This edited volume provides a much-needed, interdisciplinary introduction to the field and highlights cutting-edge research for interested readers and researchers in demography, the evolutionary behavioural sciences, biology, and related disciplines. By bridging the boundaries between social and biological sciences, the volume stresses the importance of a unified understanding of both in order to grasp past and current demographic patterns. Demographic traits, and traits related to demographic outcomes, including fertility and mortality rates, marriage, parental care, menopause, and cooperative behavior are subject to evolutionary processes. Bringing an understanding of evolution into demography therefore incorporates valuable insights into this field; just as knowledge of demography is key to understanding evolutionary processes. By asking questions about old patterns from a new perspective, the volume—composed of contributions from established and early-career academics—demonstrates that a combination of social science research and evolutionary theory offers holistic understandings and approaches that benefit both fields. Human Evolutionary Demography introduces an emerging field in an accessible style. It is suitable for graduate courses in demography, as well as upper-level undergraduates. Its range of research is sure to be of interest to academics working on demographic topics (anthropologists, sociologists, demographers), natural scientists working on evolutionary processes, and disciplines which cross-cut natural and social science, such as evolutionary psychology, human behavioral ecology, cultural evolution, and evolutionary medicine. As an accessible introduction, it should interest readers whether or not they are currently familiar with human evolutionary demography.