Study and communication skills for psychology / Vanessa Parson.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Study and Communication Skills for Psychology is written with first year students in mind and reviews the essential skills a psychology student needs to develop over the course of their undergraduate studies. Written in a practical, motivational style, with plenty of examples and advice to help the reader master the skills being explored, the book explains how to get the most out of lectures, tutorials, and group work; how to approach and use the vast array of information that is available in books, in journals, and on the web; how to think, read, and write critically, and how to communicate research and ideas effectively to others; and how to revise for and complete exams to maximise the chances of success. Written specifically for psychology students by an experienced psychology educator, Study and Communication Skills for Psychology is the essential guide to getting the most out of your studies. Online resourcesStudy and Communication Skills for Psychology is accompanied by a range of online resources, includingFor students:* Sample essays* Sample research papers* Sample lab reports* Referencing exercises* Academic misconduct awareness exercises* Poster templates For lecturers:* Figures from the book in electronic format, ready to download * Writing skills handout* PowerPoint slides and seminar exercises on essay writing and lab reports* Additional referencing exercises* PowerPoint slides on academic misconduct awareness* PowerPoint slides on presentation skills

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• About the online resources (p. ix)
• 1 Introduction (p. 1)
• Why do I need this book? (p. 1)
• How is university different from school? (p. 2)
• The importance of being an independent learner (p. 2)
• Learning strategies (p. 3)
• Time management: a skill best learned early (p. 4)
• A final word (p. 4)
• 2 Time management: a skill best learned early (p. 5)
• Term time juggling (p. 6)
• Fitting everything in (p. 7)
• Making your own timetable (p. 8)
• Vacation juggling (p. 9)
• Extra help for exam season (p. 11)
• Checklist (p. 13)
• 3 Teaching time: making the most of it (p. 14)
• What's the point of lectures? (p. 14)
• Handouts-before and after the lecture (p. 17)
• Asking questions-when is it okay to do so? (p. 18)
• Where to find information if you miss the lecture (p. 19)
• Small group teaching-tutorials and seminars (p. 19)
• After teaching time is over-what then? (p. 21)
• Checklist (p. 23)
• References (p. 24)
• 4 Communication and learning with others (p. 25)
• Online learning as an individual: virtual learning environments (p. 25)
• Online learning with others: blogs and wikis (p. 27)
• Online learning with others: social media (Facebook and Twitter, etc.) (p. 28)
• Online learning with others: discussion boards (p. 29)
• Offline learning and sharing with others (p. 31)
• Checklist (p. 33)
• 5 Before and after assessments: guidelines, criteria, and feedback (p. 34)
• Before your assessment is due-finding out what to do (p. 34)
• After the assignment is returned-this thing called feedback (p. 39)
• Checklist (p. 42)
• References (p. 42)
• 6 Sources of information and their uses (p. 43)
• What to look for in a textbook (p. 44)
• Wading through journal articles (p. 47)
• Critical analysis and thinking (p. 48)
• How to use, and not use, the Internet (p. 49)
• How can you tell whether the content of these sources of information is any good? (p. 52)
• How to use what you've found in your assignments (p. 54)
• Checklist (p. 55)
• References (p. 55)
• 7 How to find and read a journal article (p. 56)
• How to find an article to read (p. 56)
• Getting to grips with the articles you've found (p. 57)
• Checklist (p. 65)
• References (p. 65)
• 8 Plagiarism (p. 66)
• What is plagiarism? (p. 66)
• Collusion (p. 66)
• Avoiding plagiarism-it's easy when you know how (p. 67)
• Can you plagiarize from yourself? (p. 69)
• Checklist (p. 71)
• References (p. 71)
• 9 What is referencing? (p. 72)
• How to reference (p. 73)
• Referencing in the text (p. 74)
• Referencing at the end of your report (p. 76)
• How to cite Internet references (p. 79)
• Primary versus secondary referencing (p. 81)
• The Harvard system (p. 82)
• Checklist (p. 85)
• References (p. 86)
• Useful sources of information (p. 86)
• 10 Reading and evaluating text (p. 87)
• What is evaluation? (p. 87)
• How to think critically (p. 90)
• Trying to remain objective (p. 93)
• Checklist (p. 93)
• References (p. 94)
• 11 So you think you can write good? (p. 95)
• The building blocks of writing: types of words (p. 96)
• The building blocks of writing: what is grammar? (p. 97)
• The building blocks of writing: structure and organization (p. 97)
• The building blocks of writing: squiggly symbols (aka punctuation) (p. 98)
• The building blocks of writing: expressing yourself (p. 105)
• Different types of writing style (p. 106)
• Effective writing-how to communicate your thoughts clearly and precisely (p. 108)
• Checklist (p. 109)
• References (p. 109)
• Useful sources of information (p. 109)
• 12 Critical analysis: the big new skill you need to learn (p. 110)
• The 3C's of critical analysis: consensus, contradiction, and connectivity (p. 111)
• Nurturing your inner sceptic: the devil is in the detail (p. 112)
• Following the evidence: avoiding assumptions when you're reading and writing (p. 116)
• Putting it together: this thing called synthesis (p. 117)
• Critical Analysis Signposting: the importance of conclusions and introductions (p. 120)
• Final words: read and think, then read and think some more (p. 123)
• Checklist (p. 124)
• References (p. 124)
• Useful sources of information (p. 124)
• 13 Writing essays (p. 125)
• Structure-the basic essay format (p. 126)
• Addressing the question (p. 126)
• Structure-introductions and conclusions (p. 131)
• Demonstrating understanding (p. 134)
• Developing an argument (p. 136)
• Developing your argument from the essay title (p. 137)
• Using and evaluating evidence in your essays (p. 138)
• Checklist (p. 139)
• References (p. 140)
• 14 Writing practical reports: how to write up an experiment (p. 141)
• What are psychological reports? (p. 141)
• Abstract (p. 142)
• Introduction (p. 143)
• Methods (p. 146)
• Results (p. 150)
• Discussion (p. 154)
• References (p. 155)
• Appendices (p. 156)
• Qualitative versus quantitative reports-what's the difference? (p. 156)
• Checklist (p. 158)
• References (p. 158)
• Useful sources of information (p. 158)
• 15 Presentations and posters (p. 159)
• Presentations-standing up in front of people and talking to them intelligently (p. 159)
• Posters-presenting your work with minimal talking to people! (p. 169)
• Checklist (p. 176)
• 16 Revision and exam tips (p. 177)
• Tips for helping you remember course material (p. 177)
• Active revision versus passive revision (p. 179)
• Different revision methods (p. 179)
• Doing past papers is like doing practice exams: practice makes perfect! (p. 183)
• Tackling different question types (p. 184)
• Coping with stress during exam periods (p. 187)
• What to do after the exam (p. 189)
• And finally-common sense tips (p. 189)
• Checklist (p. 191)
• Reference (p. 191)
• Answers to exercises (p. 193)
• Index (p. 205)

Author notes provided by Syndetics