The handy psychology answer book

Review by Choice Review

A licensed clinical psychologist who also teaches clinical psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Cohen wrote this book to bridge the divide between the pop psychology discussed on television talk shows and in magazines, which is often driven more by the entertainment value of the topics than the science behind them, and academic research that is published in journals, in language that is inaccessible to the average person. She does an excellent job covering the major psychological subtopics, as illustrated by chapter titles: "Introducing the Basics," "Major Movements in Psychology," "Brain and Behavior," "Psychological Development across the Lifespan," and "Abnormal Psychology," to name just five of ten. The author presents the content by posing questions that beginners or laypeople might have and then answering them in a paragraph or two, sometimes providing figures. A glossary is included, and the bibliography is extensive (though this reviewer believes that bibliographies at the end of each chapter would serve better in directing curious readers to further material and the research behind Cohen's statements). Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. S. M. Metcalf Western Carolina University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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Review by Booklist Review

Author Cohen, a licensed clinical psychologist, has written a popular reference in the form of well over 1,000 questions and answers about psychology. It is another entry in Visible Ink's Handy series, joining volumes on anatomy, geology, history, law, mathematics, and more. Although Cohen suggests starting at the beginning for an overview of this vast field (56 divisions are listed under the questio. What are the divisions of the American Psychological Association? ) and historical context going back to the ancient Greeks, one can hardly resist jumping in almost anywhere. The book is organized into 10 sections, among the. Introducing the Basics. Brain and Behavior. Psychological Development across the Lifespan. an. Mental Health and Mental Illness. Sidebars ask and answer questions ranging fro. What is phrenology. an. How have laws changed to protect people from abusive psychological experiments. t. Who are the Lizard People. an. Who was Ted Bundy. Black-and-white photographs appear roughly every few pages. A useful glossary, bibliography, and index conclude the book. A glaring omission in this otherwise thorough and fascinating book is coverage of sleep and related phenomena, including dreams and nightmares, which is almost nonexistent. This volume is recommended for high-school and public libraries, where it should not be confined to the reference section.--Bunch, Crai. Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Library Journal Review

It boggles most boomers' minds, but a typical teen may send 1,000 text messages a day from their mobile device. Cohen (psychiatry, Mt. Sinai Beth Israel) addresses the impact of immersive technology on adolescents, the latest revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and more in this update to her 2011 inaugural edition, which was praised by LJ as a "solid, affordable supplement to introductory psychology texts." This second edition sticks to the same formula of offering answers, generally a few paragraphs each, to a host of questions ("What did Freud mean by the oral stage?") set within topical chapters, with Cohen's discussion of the brain now extended into two chapters. An expanded group of black-and-white photos and a further reading list (still for the entire guide only, not for each chapter) are also included. VERDICT This well-named reference offers pithy peeks into the many facets of the human psyche. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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