INTRODUCTORY
PSYCHOLOGY
OpenStax
, OpenStax CNX
Introductory Psychology
OpenStax
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initiatives, support institutional publishing programs, drive curriculum development projects, and more.
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Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the California Education Learning Lab, the UC Davis Office of
the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions
Program, and Merlot. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the
author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation nor the US
Department of Education.
Have questions or comments? For information about adoptions or adaptions contact
or visit our main website at https://LibreTexts.org.
This text was compiled on 04/14/2026
, TABLE OF CONTENTS
Licensing
1: Introduction to Psychology
1.1: Prelude to Psychology
1.2: What Is Psychology?
1.3: History of Psychology
1.4: Contemporary Psychology
1.5: Careers in Psychology
1.E: Introduction to Psychology (Exercises)
2: Psychological Research
2.1: Prelude to Psychological Research
2.2: Why Is Research Important?
2.3: Approaches to Research
2.4: Analyzing Findings
2.5: Ethics
2.E: Psychological Research (Exercises)
3: Biopsychology
3.1: Prelude to Biopsychology
3.2: Human Genetics
3.3: Cells of the Nervous System
3.4: Parts of the Nervous System
3.5: The Brain and Spinal Cord
3.6: The Endocrine System
3.E: Biopsychology (Exercises)
4: States of Consciousness
4.1: Prelude to States of Consciousness
4.2: What Is Consciousness?
4.3: Sleep and Why We Sleep
4.4: Stages of Sleep
4.5: Sleep Problems and Disorders
4.6: Substance Use and Abuse
4.7: Other States of Consciousness
4.E: States of Consciousness (Exercises)
5: Sensation and Perception
5.1: Prelude to Sensation and Perception
5.2: Sensation versus Perception
5.3: Waves and Wavelengths
5.4: Vision
5.5: Hearing
5.6: The Other Senses
1 https://socialsci.libretexts.org/@go/page/19562
PSYCHOLOGY
OpenStax
, OpenStax CNX
Introductory Psychology
OpenStax
,This text is disseminated via the Open Education Resource (OER) LibreTexts Project
(https://LibreTexts.org) and like the thousands of other texts available within this powerful platform, it is
freely available for reading, printing, and "consuming."
The LibreTexts mission is to bring together students, faculty, and scholars in a collaborative effort to
provide an accessible, and comprehensive platform that empowers our community to develop, curate,
adapt, and adopt openly licensed resources and technologies; through these efforts we can reduce the
financial burden born from traditional educational resource costs, ensuring education is more accessible
for students and communities worldwide.
Most, but not all, pages in the library have licenses that may allow individuals to make changes, save,
and print this book. Carefully consult the applicable license(s) before pursuing such effects. Instructors
can adopt existing LibreTexts texts or Remix them to quickly build course-specific resources to meet the
needs of their students. Unlike traditional textbooks, LibreTexts’ web based origins allow powerful
integration of advanced features and new technologies to support learning.
LibreTexts is the adaptable, user-friendly non-profit open education resource platform that educators
trust for creating, customizing, and sharing accessible, interactive textbooks, adaptive homework, and
ancillary materials. We collaborate with individuals and organizations to champion open education
initiatives, support institutional publishing programs, drive curriculum development projects, and more.
The LibreTexts libraries are Powered by NICE CXone Expert and was supported by the Department of
Education Open Textbook Pilot Project, the California Education Learning Lab, the UC Davis Office of
the Provost, the UC Davis Library, the California State University Affordable Learning Solutions
Program, and Merlot. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation
under Grant No. 1246120, 1525057, and 1413739.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the
author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation nor the US
Department of Education.
Have questions or comments? For information about adoptions or adaptions contact
or visit our main website at https://LibreTexts.org.
This text was compiled on 04/14/2026
, TABLE OF CONTENTS
Licensing
1: Introduction to Psychology
1.1: Prelude to Psychology
1.2: What Is Psychology?
1.3: History of Psychology
1.4: Contemporary Psychology
1.5: Careers in Psychology
1.E: Introduction to Psychology (Exercises)
2: Psychological Research
2.1: Prelude to Psychological Research
2.2: Why Is Research Important?
2.3: Approaches to Research
2.4: Analyzing Findings
2.5: Ethics
2.E: Psychological Research (Exercises)
3: Biopsychology
3.1: Prelude to Biopsychology
3.2: Human Genetics
3.3: Cells of the Nervous System
3.4: Parts of the Nervous System
3.5: The Brain and Spinal Cord
3.6: The Endocrine System
3.E: Biopsychology (Exercises)
4: States of Consciousness
4.1: Prelude to States of Consciousness
4.2: What Is Consciousness?
4.3: Sleep and Why We Sleep
4.4: Stages of Sleep
4.5: Sleep Problems and Disorders
4.6: Substance Use and Abuse
4.7: Other States of Consciousness
4.E: States of Consciousness (Exercises)
5: Sensation and Perception
5.1: Prelude to Sensation and Perception
5.2: Sensation versus Perception
5.3: Waves and Wavelengths
5.4: Vision
5.5: Hearing
5.6: The Other Senses
1 https://socialsci.libretexts.org/@go/page/19562
