>So, which intro psych textbook do people think is "best" and why?
We switch Intro to Psych books every 2 years and we change them every 2 years whether we like them or not (everyone in our dept. must use the same book). I have had the pleasure (?) of leading the group to pick the Intro text for the past 10 years. I have taught with about 10 different Intro books (and look at about 5 different ones each time we switch) and I must say that there isn't one out there that I would consider the "best" for everyone. I agree with Annette about the too much stuff (although we use a comprehensive book since again, everyone uses the same text and we do cover slightly different things). Some texts contain so much info at a level that I just don't think is realistic for students. I also am driven batty by useless pictures (and I don't like the vignette trend that has started in intro books - 1-2 pages per chapter? Is it really necessary?). I also tend to reject books that have loads of material in different color boxes (my surveys with my students show they just don't read that material for a variety of reasons). Again, back to the best book - part of the reason why we switch is that each book has strengths and weaknesses and so we must compromise (the Clinicians might like a book that the Experimentalists don't and visa versa). Also, I think it forces people to keep updating their notes - if they don't redo all of their notes, they at least redo sections of them (helps keep a fresh - which can be a problem when you teach the course for a long time).
Deb Dr. Deborah S. Briihl Dept. of Psychology and Counseling Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA 31698 (229) 333-5994 dbri...@valdosta.edu http://chiron.valdosta.edu/dbriihl/ Well I know these voices must be my soul... Rhyme and Reason - DMB --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
