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Michael
W. Passer & Ronald E. Smith THERE ARE 3 VERSIONS OF THE 4th EDITION: ANY ONE OF THEM IS FINE. 1) Hardcover:
2) Custom Softcover Edition: Except for the paperback cover, it is the same as the hardcover edition. Same chapters; same content. 3) E-text version , available at Course Smart. This is considerably cheaper than the new hardcover or softcover
QUESTION: IS IT OK TO USE AN EARLIER EDITION OF THE BOOK? ANSWER: I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT USE AN EARLIER
EDITION. WHY? For any course, I always recommend that the new (latest) edition of the textbook be purchased -- either as a new copy or more cheaply as a used copy if used copies are available. Although most of the core content may remain the same, new content is always added to the latest edition, other content is deleted so that the book doesn't keep getting longer and longer, and there may be both major and minor changes in the number of chapters or the organization of information within chapters. Graphs or diagrams to illustrate some concepts may change. In our case, all of these changes can be found in the 4th edition versus the 3rd edition (or earlier editions). Finally, page numbers (such as may occur in the list of reading assignments, where in some chapters you would skip some pages) won't match up to the syllabus. Thus, I cannot tell you that it's OK to use the older edition. For any new edition in any course you take, even if most of the content is the same, I'd hate to see a student miss items on an exam because the items focus on concepts, research findings, or examples covered only in the new edition (and not in older editions, nor even in lecture). In my own Psych 101 course, I typically base a good portion of exam questions (about 30% to 40%) on information that is covered in the textbook but that is not covered in lecture. In other words, I expect my students to read the book independently and carefully, and I do not use lecture to "try to cover everything" in the book, which would be impossible anyway. Rather, some class time is used for demonstrations, other exercises, and videos to illustrate important concepts or findings. Obviously, given the cost of textbooks and your particular financial situation, you will reach your own decision about which edition to buy, but I have to recommend against using an older edition. Several copies of the current edition of the textbook will be placed on reserve at OUGL (Odegaard Undergraduate Library, Reserve Desk).
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