Student-centered, thoroughly up-to-date, and concisely and clearly written by a dynamic pair of authors, Psychology: Behavior in Context is a groundbreaking new text for introductory psychology courses. Lively prose and an engaging style encourage students to develop critical thinking skills while showing them how they can use psychological principles to help them succeed in an increasingly complex world.

An Applied Perspective
At every turn, Bourne and Russo point out to students how psychology is relevant to their daily lives, how it can help them deal with the challenges of the future, and how psychologists and psychological principles help society address complex social issues. In addition to the many applications integrated throughout, each chapter contains two to three full-page "Seeking Solutions" boxes that explore a real-world application of the principles discussed in the text. Examples include:
* Do We Need Our Dreams?
* Driving Safety and the Visual Perception of Motion
* Improving Memory and Study Habits
* Insomnia: What to Do If You Cannot Sleep

An Emphasis on Biological, Social, and Cultural Influences on Behavior
Psychology: Behavior in Context emphasizes the interaction of the biological and sociocultural aspects of human behavior and integrates these discussions throughout the text. An introductory chapter on biological foundations of behavior is paired with a chapter on social foundations of behavior, to set the stage for this contextual approach.

Gender and Diversity Integrated Throughout
Research on gender and culture is thoroughly integrated into textual discussions. Each chapter also features a full-page "Understanding Human Diversity" box to help students to understand concepts in light of diversity and difference. Some of the topics treated include:
* Pioneering Women in Psychology
* Some Sources of Bias in Research
* How Many Genders Are There?
* Are Intelligence Tests Culturally Biased?

Thoughtful and Thorough Pedagogy
A thoughtful pedagogy draws students into the material, reinforcing key concepts and engaging them in what they read. Each chapter provides clear chapter objectives. The last section of each chapter revisits those objectives, answering them specifically. In addition:

* Chapter openers describe real-life anecdotes designed to pique students' interest by telling them a compelling story.
* Margin notes throughout define key terms and summarize important concepts.
* Seeking Solutions boxes develop an interesting application.
* Understanding Human Diversity boxes develop a gender or sociocultural topic.
* Thinking Critically boxes ask students to pause and look at an issue from another angle, question an assumption, or make a connection to a topic in another chapter.