LibGuides: Open Educational Resources: Psychology

Psychology Resources

Below is a selection of openly licensed textbooks that have been created for free use in related courses. These resources may be adopted for use as classroom text, some may be modified to create new texts altogether, or used as a supplemental learning tool to aid in understanding key concepts.

General Psychology

Discover Psychology 2.0 - A Brief Introduction

This textbook presents core concepts common to introductory courses. The 15 units cover the traditional areas of intro-to-psychology; ranging from biological aspects of psychology to psychological disorders to social psychology. This book can be modified: feel free to add or remove modules to better suit your specific needs.
Psychology by Rose M. Spielman
ISBN: 9781938168352

Publication Date: 2014-12-08

A reviewed textbook from OpenStax intended to act as a text for a single-semester, introductory psychology course. The text is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 license.

Abnormal Psychology

Essentials of Abnormal Psychology by Alexis Bridley and Lee W. Daffin Jr.

An open text that discusses a number of psychological disorders, including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, and personality disorders. It is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Introduction to Abnormal Psychology by Raechel Soicher

An internet-based textbook that provides an overview of topics in abnormal psychology. It is part of the NOBA series of expert-authored, openly licensed modules in psychology. The text is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Instruction in Functional Assessment by Marcie Desrochers; Marcie Desrocher; Moira Fallon
ISBN: 9780989722674

Publication Date: 2014-08-08

Instruction in Functional Assessment introduces learners to functional assessment (FA), which includes a variety of assessment approaches (indirect, observational, and experimental) for identifying the cause of an individual's challenging behavior for the purpose of designing effective treatments. FA is mandated by federal law and is a recognized empirically based approach to treatment of individuals with challenging behaviors (e.g., disruptive, self-injurious, and aggressive behaviors). Instruction in FA is essential for students who will one day enter professions as educators, psychologists, social workers, counselors, or mental health professionals

Social Psychology

Principles of Social Psychology by Charles Stangor

The first International edition of this textbook provides students with an introduction to the basic concepts and principles of social psychology from an interactionist perspective. The presentation of classic studies and theories are balanced with insights from cutting-edge, contemporary research. An emphasis on real world examples and applications is intended to guide students to critically analyze their situations and social interactions in order to put their knowledge to effective use.
Together: The Science of Social Psychology by R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener

An open textbook intended to meet the needs of introductory social psychology courses, investigating the ways in which other people affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The text is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Research Methodology

Research Methods in Psychology by Rajiv S. Jhangiani, Carrie Cuttler, and Dana C. Leighton
ISBN: Research Methods in Psychology

The overarching goal of this textbook is to present the basics of psychological research methods — focusing on the concepts and skills that are most widely shared within the discipline — emphasizing both their centrality to our field and their contribution to our understanding of human behavior. The book will include several features that will help accomplish this overarching goal.

Psychology Courses

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Open Courseware
The John Hopkins School of Public Health (JHSPH) provides course materials used in the teaching of actual courses freely and openly available.
MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)
MIT has a large number of open psychology courses. Most contain a syllabus, course readings and/or reading lists, assignments, and exams that are available for download under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Some also contain full lectures from psychology courses taught at MIT.
PSYCH101: Introduction to Psychology
This course from Saylor Academy is intended to introduce students to the fundamental principles of psychology, and to some of the major subjects of psychological inquiry. All content created by Saylor Academy is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY 3.0 Unported license, unless otherwise noted.
UCI Open
The University of California-Irvine has a large collection of open courses, containing full lecture videos. Each course is openly licensed under individual Creative Commons licenses.

Mental Health Topics
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a collection of handouts related to different mental health conditions, to help provide the public with concise, reliable information on the various topics. Publications are available both as digital downloads and as physical copies, which may be ordered free of charge. Topics include:

Psych Files
The Psych Files is a psychology podcast created by Michael Britt, Ph.D. It discusses a wide variety of topics related to human behavior, including topics such as the history of psychology, perception, personality, gender and sexuality, learning and memory, and psychological disorders. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.