Cover: Discovering Psychology, 10th Edition by Susan Nolan; Sandra Hockenbury

Discovering Psychology

Tenth Edition  ©2025 Susan Nolan; Sandra Hockenbury Formats: Achieve, Read & Practice, E-book, Print

Authors

  • Headshot of Susan Nolan

    Susan Nolan

    Susan A. Nolan is Professor of Psychology at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, where she has been a 2020 College of Arts and Sciences Teacher of the Year. Susan has researched curricula and assessment in psychology education, the interpersonal consequences of mental illness, and the role of gender in science careers. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation. Susan was the 2021 president of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. She also is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Psychological Science. She holds an A.B. from the College of the Holy Cross and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Susan is fascinated by the applications of psychology to the “real world,” both locally and globally. She served as a representative from the APA to the United Nations for 5 years, and was a recipient of the Fukuhara Award for Advanced International Research and Service from the International Council of Psychologists. She was a 2015–2016 U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she and her husband have a home, as well as a 2023 U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Australia. An avid traveler, Susan uses the examples she encounters through these experiences in the classroom, in this textbook, and in the statistics textbooks that she co-authors.


  • Headshot of Sandra Hockenbury

    Sandra Hockenbury

    Sandra E. Hockenbury is a science writer who specializes in psychology. Sandy received her B.A. from Shimer College and her M.A. from the University of Chicago, where she was also a research associate at the Institute of Social and Behavioral Pathology. Prior to co-authoring Psychology and Discovering Psychology, Sandy worked for several years as a psychology editor in both academic and college textbook publishing. Sandy has also taught as an adjunct faculty member at Tulsa Community College.

    Sandy's areas of interest include positive psychology, cross-cultural psychology, and the intersection of Buddhist philosophy, neuroscience, and psychology. She is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Psychological Science (APS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Sandy is a member of the Board of Trustees of Shimer College and recently served as a volunteer with Nomads Clinic, a nonprofit organization that brings medical care to remote areas in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and the Tibetan Plateau.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction and Research Methods
Chapter 2: Neuroscience and Behavior
Chapter 3: Sensation and Perception
Chapter 4: Consciousness and its Variations
Chapter 5: Learning
Chapter 6: Memory
Chapter 7: Thinking, Language and Intelligence
Chapter 8: Motivation and Emotion
Chapter 9: Lifespan Development
Chapter 10: Gender and Sexuality
Chapter 11: Personality
Chapter 12: Social Psychology
Chapter 13: Stress, Health, and Coping
Chapter 14: Psychological disorders
Chapter 15: Therapies
Appendix A: Statistics: Understanding Data
Appendix B: Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Product Updates

August 2025 Update - New Data Literacy Activities Launched

Prepare Students for Research, Careers, and Beyond with Data Literacy
In psychology and the social sciences, data literacy is no longer optional—it’s foundational. From APA standards to employer expectations, the ability to read, analyze, and interpret data—all with ethically-sound research processes—is a core competency for today’s students.

Our Data Literacy Activities are designed to support your curriculum by targeting the five essential skill areas identified in both educational and workplace research:

  • Let’s Take a Look!: Visual Displays of Data – Helps students confidently interpret charts, tables, and visual data
  • How’d You Do That?: Methods in Psychological Research – Teaches when and how to apply different research approaches
  • Why, Why, Why?: Quantitative versus Qualitative Research – Clarifies these core concepts and their practical uses
  • Chart It, Sort It, Spot It!: Descriptive Statistics – Reinforces statistical thinking in an accessible way
  • They Did Not!: Ethics in Psychological Research – Emphasizes responsible data use, aligned with APA ethics codes

These skills not only support degree requirements and APA guidelines, but also help boost the basic data skills that employers expect from day one.

Integrate data literacy into your course with ready-to-use, targeted content that complements your teaching and promotes student readiness—for research, for graduate study, and for the job market. Support your students with the skills that matter. Let’s build data fluency—together.


Spring 2025 Update


New AI skills modules! Achieve features two new interactive activities geared toward giving students a hands-on understanding of artificial intelligence, including responsible usage and ways to ethically incorporate AI into their course work. An instructor guide (in PDF) is also available.


Tenth Edition Update (2025)


New! Data Fluency Activities (in Achieve)
These activities bolster students' abilities to understand and interpret data visualizations while addressing ethical and accessibility concerns.

New! Psychology at Work Feature
Each chapter includes a special photo/caption segment on careers that utilize psychological concepts, highlighting the practical application of psychology in the workplace.

Updated! Chapter 10, Gender and Sexuality
This chapter features updated language and content, drawing on comprehensive feedback from GLAAD and a variety of other sources. It encompasses the latest research on shifts in gender stereotypes and cognitive differences between genders, as well as fresh insights on sexual diversity within nonhuman animal populations. Additionally, it introduces more extensive research on intersex individuals, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

Thoroughly revised! Chapter 2, Neuroscience and Behavior
The chapter begins with a new introduction that frames the content  in terms of four levels of analysis, plus  a new section on methods used by neuroscientists.

Expanded! Introductory Psychology Video Collection
The collection now boasts more than 50 fresh videos, for a total of over 200 sought-after clips from classic and contemporary sources, plus captivating original content.



The real-world impact of psychology—the lasting value of scientific literacy

The new edition of Discovering Psychology is the most accomplished realization yet of the book's core mission—to explore psychology's profound influence across a wide range of cultural diversities while helping students develop genuine, enduring scientific literacy.

For this edition, the authors provided a wealth of important and compelling updates all with an eye toward the future of psychological science, including enhanced online learning with Macmillan Learning’s Achieve; a deeper focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the context of psychology; advancements in neuroscience, and more emphasis on  scientific literacy, data fluency, and practical applications.

Achieve - Learn Psychology. Build Skills for Life.

At Macmillan Learning, we’re reimagining what it means to teach - and learn psychology. Our authors bring diverse perspectives and immersive content to the classroom, connecting students to the real-world relevance of psychological science. Through purposeful and data driven AI-powered innovation and skill-building tools, Achieve helps students develop the habits they need to succeed in school, at work, and beyond.

Achieve turns this vision into action - giving instructors powerful tools to help students think critically, apply psychological concepts, and reflect on their own learning.

New in Achieve Explore new, interactive learning tools that connect psychological science to real-world application

  • Foundational Skills Modules for note-taking, time management, and study strategies
  • Data Literacy Activities across visual data, ethics, methods, and statistics
  • AI Skills Modules on AI history, function, and ethical use
  • Goal Setting & Reflection Survey Summaries and Cards to guide goal-setting and progress tracking
  • Late Night Lectures short videos that make core psychology concepts engaging and fun
     

Each new activity is designed to deepen engagement and promote the habits that define successful learners and prepare them for the workforce.

Success Stories

Here are a few examples of how Achieve has helped instructors like you improve student preparedness, enhance their sense of belonging, and achieve course goals they set for themselves.

Prof. Kiandra Johnson, Spelman College

See how the resources in Achieve help you engage students before, during, and after class.

Prof. Jennifer Duncan

Use diagnostics in Achieve for a snapshot into cognitive and non-cognitive factors that may impact your students’ preparedness.

Prof. Ryan Elsenpeter

Here’s why educators who use Achieve would recommend it to their peers.

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Susan Nolan; Sandra Hockenbury | Tenth Edition | ©2025 | ISBN:9781319605438

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Instructor's Resource Manual for Discovering Psychology

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