Psychology for Beginners

Lara Bryan (Author) Lara has loved books since the days of being read bedtime stories by her Irish dad and French mum. At school she set up a secondhand bookshop called Books Change Lives, and went on to study English and Italian at Oxford University. After teaching in Italy and Myanmar, she got her dream job as a writer for Usborne Publishing. From explaining how economics works, to inventing boredom-busting activities, to telling a good dragon yarn, she's enjoyed every minute of the job. Rose Hall (Author) Rose grew up in Northumberland, studied Physiology at Oxford and looked after orphaned orangutans for a bit. She worked in the charity sector for ten years, writing about issues from renewable energy, to the safety of workers in Bangladesh. For Usborne, she's written books about engineering, business, computers and the environment. Eddie Reynolds (Author) Eddie joined Usborne Publishing in 2017. Before that, he studied German and French at Cambridge University, then moved to Berlin after a short while teaching Ancient History at a school in Guangzhou, China. Now back in the UK, he writes books about all sorts, including computers, maps and engineering.

What is psychology?
So much to explore...
Looking for answers
Psychology's close relatives

Chapter 1: Experiments
Psychologists ask questions about how people think, feel or behave. They then find a way to test possible answers.

Chapter 2: The core functions of the mind
How do we sense our surroundings, learn language or remember things?

Chapter 3: Thinking things through
How do we make judgements and decisions? And do they always make sense?

Chapter 4: Differences between people
We're all unique but we're also very similar. How do psychologists define the difference between us?

Chapter 5: Growing up and up
We turn from a tiny cell to a baby, to a child, to an adult. Psychologists call this development.

Chapter 6: We are social creatures
Discover how our behaviour is affected by the people around us.

Chapter 7: Brains and mental health
Meet your brain, and find out about brain illnesses, injuries and other mental health problems.

Jobs in psychology
Glossary
Index
Acknowledgements