As an instructor I have learned that selection of a textbook is half the battle

in teaching a course. A good text does much of the work of conveying

Information to students. This leaves class time free for discussion, and it

leaves students asking for more. When a book overwhelms students or

cools their interest, teaching becomes an uphill battle. For this reason, I

have worked hard to make this a readable, comprehensible, and interest-

Ing text. Since this is a highly student-oriented book, it is appropriate to let

student comments show the response to what I have tried to accomplish.

The following comments were made by students who used this book in

manuscript form at the University of Arizona:

I found .the book to be very humorous and interesting to read.

Most of all, the te~t was readable. By that, I mean that it held my interest. I

found myself actually reading ahead of scheduled assignments. I have even

caught my brother reading this text, without encouragement from me!

I found myself not only reading the assigned chapters, but also reading ahead.

This is one of the most interesting textbooks I have ever read.

So, this is a book students can read and will read. Will they learn from

It? Ironically, few psychology texts have made use of learning principles to

teach psychology. With the help of W. Royce Adams, a reading and study

skills specialist, the chapters of this book have been designed to maximize

reader participation and comprehension. Basically, each chapter is built

around the well-known SQ3R study-reading formula. The success of this

approach is indicated by student reactions:

The SQ3R set up, with questions and learning checks within the chapters, was

a great help. Up until I took this course, SQ3R was something I had been told

about but had never seen applied.