No higher compliment need be paid than to say - as one reviewer recently did - that this is the text by which all others for the course are measured. Since the first edition of this book appeared, professors have praised Weiten's scholarship as exemplary and the accessibility of his prose as unparalleled. This is the text that redefined the way Introductory Psychology is taught by using integrative themes to develop the connections among different areas of psychological research. And now, with this Fourth Edition, Weiten again raises the bar a notch higher for competitors. Not only has he continued to refine and improve his fine text, but Weiten has developed an exciting multimedia CD-ROM for the course, giving instructors a new, engaging way to teach and students an interactive way to learn. Now, Weiten not only explains the interdependent links between research and applications, but he gives students a fascinating way to explore psychological concepts through experiments and activities included on the "PsycTrek" CD-ROM.

Using integrative themes to emphasize connections among different areas of research in psychology, Weiten challenges students to grapple with the big issues and tough questions while mastering the basic concepts of psychology. Throughout the Fourth Edition, Weiten emphasizes the unity in psychology's intellectual heritage (the themes), as well as psychology's immense diversity (the variations). Long after your students have completed their final examinations, they will retain a genuine understanding of the basic ideas about psychology and behavior.