ISBN0534514219

Basically there are an unacceptable amount of erratum and misspellings in this fourth edition, so much so that I feel compelled to write my first review on Amazon. These mistakes could be overlooked I suppose, but the bigger problem is that the writing does not flow and much of the material is not explained well, specifically the different theories of attention. Granted, I've only just finished reading the third chapter, but if the rest of the text is like the first three chapters, I am in for some suffering.

I don't know if earlier editions are better, but this one (4th) is definitely poor quality. The writing is absolutely terrible in some places--short, choppy sentences that often don't connect to the rest of the paragraph--and gives the feeling of having been cut-and-pasted. The style feels almost amateurish and is very distracting, making it hard to actually learn the subject being presented. Not at all a good choice as the main textbook for a class.

This textbook is a real drag to read even when you are interested in the subject matter. A highlighter is a must because it reads like a novel with very few headings. It isnt in color and has many errors and typos. If it is required, buy it used because it probably wont be a book you want to keep. If you are looking to learn about cognition look towards the neuroscience books LWW and Lange offer.

This book has the worst organization of any textbook that I have ever tried to read. The paragraphs lack flow and cohesive themes, thus making the text very difficult to follow.

Only buy this book if it is required for a class.

I am a graduate in psychology and have read many psychology books in my student career. This book was poorly written and the organization was horrible. When Sternberg would be describing a study, often his descriptions were confusing and unorganized. If a professor was thinking about using this book for his or her class, I would strongly suggest otherwise. There are other books that are better. For example, Ronald T. Kellogg's book Cognitive Psychology would be more helpful and the descriptions are better worded.