Frontmatter Introduction

What are these people doing? Dancing? Karate? Levitation? Is the woman in this photo reaching for someone, or pointing to something? And what’s up with those guys behind the glass screen? Do they have something to hide? Are they heading in the wrong direction?

Much of what people do can be understood by systematically observing them and testing how they respond in different situations. However, a lot of human thought, emotion, and behavior, and the factors that drive it, occurs in private, outside of the view of others (at least the most interesting parts do). Psychological scientists have developed a wide range of methods that allow them to “peek behind the glass screen,” so to speak, and this photo by RJ Muna grabbed us in part because it so nicely captures this theme. This photo also highlights the beauty and excitement of human behavior, which is what drew each of us to psychology in the first place.

Senior Vice President, Editorial and Production: Catherine Woods

Publisher: Kevin Feyen

Senior Acquisitions Editor: Daniel DeBonis

Senior Development Editor: Valerie Raymond

Editorial Assistant: Katie Garrett

Marketing Manager: Lindsay Johnson

Associate Director of Market Research: Carlise Stembridge

Executive Media Editor: Rachel Comerford

Director of Development for Print and Digital Products: Tracey Kuehn

Associate Managing Editor: Lisa Kinne

Project Editor: Robert Errera

Production Manager: Sarah Segal

Photo Editor: Cecilia Varas

Photo Researcher: Elyse Rieder

Chapter Opener Researcher: Lyndall Culbertson

Art Director and Cover Designer: Babs Reingold

Text Designers: Babs Reingold and Lyndall Culbertson

Layout Designer: Paul Lacy

Illustration Coordinator: Matthew McAdams

Illustrations: Evelyn Pence, Jackie Heda, Matthew McAdams, Matt Holt, Christy Krames, Don Stewart, and Todd Buck

Cover Photograph: RJ Muna

Composition: MPS Limited

Printing and Binding: RR Donnelley

Chapter Opener Credits: p. xxx, Yagi Studio/Getty Images; p. 38, photosindia/Getty Images; p. 78, Cary Wolinsky/Getty Images; p. 128, Andrew Geiger; p. 176, Chad Baker/Getty Images; p. 220, David Johnston/Getty Images; p. 264, Gandee Vasan/Getty Images; p. 312, Image Source/agefotostock; p. 350, Kalium/AgeFotostock; p. 394, Christopher Wilson; p. 424, Tooga/Getty Images; p. 470, Copyright Karim Parris; p. 506, Tim Macpherson/Getty Images; p. 548, © Fotosearch/age footstock; p. 582, © easyFotostock/age footstock; p. 626, © 2008 Lívia Fernandes/Getty Images

Library of Congress Project Control Number: 2013955842

ISBN-13: 978-1-4641-0603-3

ISBN-10: 1-4641-0603-7

© 2014, 2011, 2009 by Worth Publishers

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Printed in the United States of America

First printing

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