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Excellent Example-Driven Approach

Customer Rating:
I have taught experimental psychology and research methods for twelve years and I have used this book several times for experimental psych. The presentation is to-the-point and reasonably thorough. The highlight is the section of 16 published empirical papers, some of which are annotated, some of which aren't, thus presenting students with the opportunity to do their own evaluations. I think that the ability to base lectures and concepts on actual research papers is paramount for student understanding. I recommend the book highly.

I believe that Chakra88 was misusing the book by looking for information on APA style. The source for that is the APA Publication manual (which I also require my students to purchase). True, some of the APA format information in the textbook is out of date, but that is not its purpose. Its purpose is to teach experimental thinking and it does an excellent job of that.

(As a note, I am also one of the reviewers mentioned in the foreward to the book but I do not make any money from its sales.)

Worthless

Customer Rating:
This is a worthless book. The examples do not coincide at all with the APA manual. Writing examples are not detailed or helpful. I had to consult three different manuals just to put together the proper APA format for a research proposal! This book is only good for giving a rough, rudimentary explanation of experimental psychology. If you want details on how to actually conduct research, go somewhere else to find it.

Hands-on and concise; brilliant

Customer Rating:
I've taught experimental psychology many times with many different books. This book, however, is my favorite because it focuses on work as done by practicing researchers. The content is well-thought out and is short enough to not overwhelm the students. The two chapters of design critiques are excellent assignments in critical thinking. Most of all, the reproduced and annotated research articles are a gift. APA style is hard for students to understand, so the expository style helps tremendously. I hope this book never goes out of print.