A surprising assessment of the ways that virtual worlds are entangled with human psychology Proteus, the mythical sea god who could alter his appearance at will, embodies one of the promises of online games: the ability to reinvent oneself. Yet inhabitants of virtual worlds rarely achieve this liberty, game researcher Nick Yee contends. Though online games evoke freedom and escapism, Yee shows that virtual spaces perpetuate social norms and stereotypes from the offline world, transform play i...

Sociolinguistics and Second Language Acquisition is a comprehensive textbook that bridges the gap between the fields of sociolinguistics and second language acquisition, exploring the variety of ways in which social context influences the acquisition of a second language. It reviews basic principles of sociolinguistics, provides a unified account of the multiple theoretical approaches to social factors in second languages, summarizes the growing body of empirical research, including examples ...

Geographies of Developing Areas is a thought provoking and accessible introductory text, presenting a fresh view of the Global South that challenges students' pre-conceptions and promotes lively debate. Rather than presenting the Global South as a set of problems, from rapid urbanization to poverty, this book focuses on the diversity of life in the South, and looks at the role the South plays in shaping and responding to current global change. The core contents of the book integrate 'traditio...

Practicing Core Reflection features 78 concrete educational activities and exercises based on research. These can be used individually and in groups to support 'teaching and learning from within.' Core Reflection is an approach focused on people's personal strengths and on using practical strategies to overcome obstacles to the enactment of these strengths. This approach has been used in many contexts all over the world and has shown great promise in helping to re-chart the course for educati...

David Poole's innovative LINEAR ALGEBRA: A MODERN INTRODUCTION, 4e emphasizes a vectors approach and better prepares students to make the transition from computational to theoretical mathematics. Balancing theory and applications, the book is written in a conversational style and combines a traditional presentation with a focus on student-centered learning. Theoretical, computational, and applied topics are presented in a flexible yet integrated way.

Stressing geometric understanding before c...

From SAT scores to job search methods, statistics influences and shapes the world around us. Marty Triola's text continues to be the bestseller because it helps students understand the relationship between statistics and the world, bringing life to the theory and methods. Essentials of Statistics (a briefer version of Elementary Statistics-see below for the full series) raises the bar with every edition by incorporating an unprecedented amount of real and interesting data that will help instr...

Want to design your own video games? Let expert Scott Rogers show you how! If you want to design and build cutting-edge video games but aren't sure where to start, then the SECOND EDITION of the acclaimed Level Up! is for you! Written by leading video game expert Scott Rogers, who has designed the hits Pac Man World, Maximo and SpongeBob Squarepants, this updated edition provides clear and well-thought out examples that forgo theoretical gobbledygook with charmingly illustrated concepts and s...

This text addresses the core knowledge domain of biological psychology, with focused coverage of the central concepts, research and debates in the area. It outlines the importance and purpose of the biological approach and contextualizes it with other perspectives in psychology, emphasizing the interaction between biology and the environment.

Based on research findings from expert psychologists, this text encourages students to become knowledgeable consumers of information related to their physical health and optimum psychological functioning.