Excessive Appetites

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Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi and Michael Argyle

"The Psychology of Religious Behaviour, Belief and Experience is the most comprehensive survey available of theories and research on religion from the perspective of psychology. Religious belief is never evenly distributed, and is correlated with such variables as social background, gender and personality characteristics. Beit-Hallahmi and Argyle use findings in these areas to test numerous explanations of the origins and functions of religion in human culture. They also consider social consequences of religiosity, religious experience, religious attitudes, the effect of religion on health, the acquisition of beliefs, conversion, and the benefits or otherwise of religion. Their main conclusion is that religiosity is first and foremost social, and is learned like other kinds of social acts." "Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi and Michael Argyle are renowned for their clear, analytical approach, and this new state-of-the-art study of psychology and religion is no exception. It will be welcomed as an update to their previous work in the area by social psychologists, sociologists and theologians worldwide."--BOOK JACKET.

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Katherine Ramsland

"Since the first recorded U.S. case of mass murder in 1949, massacres have been increasing each decade with workplace violence taking the lead as the most common form. The psychology of the killers, however, differs from that of spree, serial, or situational murderers. The red flags of a developing mass killer are obvious and predictable, Ramsland argues, and people who learn to recognize them may be able to defuse a potentially violent situation before it occurs. Using details from various cases, the author examines the different kinds of mass murders, from visionary to family to workplace, and the distinct psychological dynamics of the different types of murders. This book exposes the inner world of mass murderers and dismantles the stereotypes we hold about them."--Jacket.

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Richard Jackson Harris

"With this third edition of A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication, Richard Jackson Harris continues his examination of mass media's influences on our perceptions of ourselves and the world around us. Updates to this edition include the television shows, films, and telecommunications technologies that have developed throughout the 1990s, with particular consideration of computer-mediated communications such as the internet and the World Wide Web. Harris incorporates a wide variety of recent research studies into this edition and integrates theoretical perspectives more strongly throughout the book, with careful attention to the articulation of the cognitive. Real-world examples offer clear, relevant, and accessible demonstrations of the points discussed."--BOOK JACKET. "Appropriate for coursework addressing mass communication and its effects. A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication provides a unique perspective on mass communication in today's society and enables us to see more clearly how our perceptions of our world can be created and influenced by mass media."--BOOK JACKET.

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Clive Gifford

Trick your senses and baffle your brain with this crazy book of mind tricks and neuroscience information. You can find out how magicians make use of inattentional blindness when doing magic tricks, and why you miss details that are hidden in plain sight. You can discover why your memory isn't as good as you think, and how it is possible to remember things that never actually happened. This astonishing science book presents a wide range of brain games and mind tricks, and explains how these reveal the working processes of the brain. It will engage and entertain, and leave you wondering: do you really know your own mind?