Academic knowledge in a popular appearance

Learn about psychology in a way that feels like reading a magazine. Access to academic knowledge is more accessible than ever.

That is the common feeling of many readers when coming to the book Textbook Psychology by author Abigail A. Baird (translated by Ho Thi Ngoc Huong) just released by Cong Thuong Publishing House in September 2023.

The study of understanding oneself and the world

As the science that studies behavior, overt reactions and actions, mental processes and hidden inner activities in the brain, psychology has been, is and will become a "bright halo" that attracts much attention from humanity.

While philosophers study why people act as they do, psychologists use scientific methods to accurately describe, explain, predict, or control human and animal behavior.

Cuốn sách 'Textbook Tâm lý học': Kiến thức hàn lâm trong vẻ ngoài đại chúng

“Textbook Psychology” by author Abigail A. Baird (translated by Ho Thi Ngoc Huong) published by Cong Thuong Publishing House. (Photo: Tran Xuan Tien).

The scientific method has only recently been applied to psychology; until about 130 years ago, psychology was considered a branch of philosophy.

Why are we interested in psychology at all, on a popular level? The answer may be that we are hoping to resolve the “nature versus nurture” debate, to find out whether environmental factors can really override genetic factors.

The answer could be that we are looking for tips on how to improve our relationships with friends and family members. Or it could be that we are interested in learning how to reduce stress and anxiety in our daily lives.

Whatever the reason, for any given reader, studying psychology helps reduce uncertainty about our experience by providing knowledge about ourselves (why do I have short-term memory loss? how can I increase my IQ?); about others (why do some people develop mental disorders? why do people have different personalities?) and the world (do people from different countries perceive the world differently? how does culture influence personality?).

Presented according to the reader's psychology

Textbook Psychology by author Abigail A. Baird is accessible to all audiences because the topics built by the professor are extremely close to real life.

The topics conveyed in each textbook are linked to stories that connect psychological states. Subtly integrated scientific knowledge can help readers absorb abstract knowledge more easily.

Whether the reader is a psychology student, or simply interested in exploring knowledge, academic topics, textbooks, social psychology textbooks, developmental psychology textbooks, behavioral psychology textbooks, etc., this book is a reasonable choice.

The illustrations are accurate, precise, and diverse; the model diagrams are specific, vivid, and clear; the layout is elegant, combining visual elements; there are colored boxes to annotate points that need to be emphasized; and especially there are multiple-choice questions at the end of each chapter with increasing difficulty for each question.

Abigail A. Baird is Professor of Psychology at Vassar College. She received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and both her MA and PhD from Harvard University.

After completing her PhD, she was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Dartmouth College.

Her numerous articles and presentations address topics such as adolescent brain development, cognitive regulation of emotion, juvenile justice, and the manifestations of racial bias in the brain and behavior.

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