Psychology 2e is a free, peer-reviewed textbook from OpenStax, the nonprofit educational publisher based at Rice University. It is designed to cover a full single-semester introduction to psychology course and is used by colleges as an alternative to expensive commercial textbooks. The book can be read online or downloaded as a PDF at no cost, and it is released under a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
The second edition, published in 2020, updated research examples, expanded coverage of diversity and culture, and added discussion of the replication debate in psychological research.
Sixteen chapters of an introductory course
| Area | Chapters |
|---|---|
| Foundations | Introduction to psychology, Psychological research |
| Brain and mind | Biopsychology, States of consciousness, Sensation and perception |
| Learning and cognition | Learning, Thinking and intelligence, Memory |
| Development and self | Lifespan development, Motivation and emotion, Personality |
| People in context | Social psychology, Industrial-organizational psychology, Stress, lifestyle, and health |
| Mental health | Psychological disorders, Therapy and treatment |
The chapter on psychological disorders includes coverage of the DSM-5, the diagnostic manual used by clinicians, alongside discussion of how disorders are classified and studied.
A textbook, not a course
Unlike the video and OpenLearn courses in this category, this resource has no lessons, deadlines, or quizzes to submit. Each chapter provides learning objectives, key terms, a summary, and review and critical-thinking questions, so it supports self-study as long as you set your own pace.
This makes it a good companion to a course: when a lecture moves quickly over a topic such as classical conditioning or memory encoding, the corresponding chapter gives a fuller explanation with research examples.
Who it suits
The book is written for first-year university students, but its clear style suits any adult reader curious about how the mind works. It is especially useful for students preparing an introductory psychology exam, teachers looking for free readings, and learners who prefer reading to watching videos.
How to study with it
- Read the learning objectives before each section and return to them at the end.
- Answer the review questions without looking back, then check the relevant passages.
- Use the critical-thinking questions as short writing exercises: one paragraph per question.
- Pair a chapter with the matching episode of Crash Course Psychology, also in this category, for a quick second explanation.