The new edition of this brief introductory text retains the hallmark features that have made its parent text unique in the market, while offering a more manageable, student-friendly format. The text's organization breaks down each chapter into smaller instructional units organized around a set of key concepts in a particular area of study. Major content revisions cover many of the 1,000-plus new citations of research findings and theoretical developments that have appeared in the scientific literature in the past three years. In addition the text offers the latest research findings in the areas of neuroscience, gender, and positive psychology.