We would like to inform you about two updates to Noba materials that are coming to the Noba website in June:

1. Motives and Goals – We will be making some cosmetic changes to this module. Previously, a disproportionate number of our examples focused on weight loss goals. We will revise the module to reflect a wider range of examples. In addition, we will make small changes to the test bank and PowerPoint to reflect these revisions. Please note that the substance of the module – the psychological concepts and cited research – will remain the same.

2. Autism: Insights from the Study of the Social Brain – We will make several small revisions to this module. We will use language that is more in keeping with the DSM-5 in which we refer to autism as a "neurodevelopmental disorder". In addition, we believe that this module does not discuss autism in the larger context of neurodiversity concerns. Specifically, the module focuses heavily on the disorder without, perhaps, enough appreciation of the people's lives who have it. Although we have not solved that problem, we will add a conclusion paragraph that speaks to quality of life issues. If you have suggestions for related research or teaching tips, please let us know at [email protected]

You can request the quiz files here

As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Noba Project if you have any questions – [email protected]

We are pleased to announce that we have published a new module: The Psychology of Racism. Although this is a long-standing social issue, it has been especially in the spotlight over the last few years. As a result, many Noba's users have recently inquired about it and we are happy to have this addition to our coverage of psychology. The module is authored by Phia Salter, Glenn Adams, and Tuğçe Kurtiş. Rather then focusing on racism as an individual prejudice, they focus on more systemic and structural aspects of racism. The module includes sections on perceiving and denying racism, defensive motivations, anti-racist research, anti-racist practices, and anti-racist interventions. You can read the module here - http://noba.to/xt9wgd26

Noba reviews materials on an ongoing basis and makes changes based on new research findings, changes in APA format, and other considerations. In 2020 and 2021 we have looked at diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, among others. To that effect, we are going to make major revisions to the Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping module. Although we will keep the core content the same, we will change the language and framing of the module. Specifically, we will:

-- change the language that suggested that overt racism is a historical, and not a contemporary, phenomenon

-- include more examples of bias throughout the module

-- place stereotyping within the larger context of cognitive categorization

We will make revisions to all of the ancillary instructor materials such as the test bank to bring these materials in line with the revised module. We believe these changes discuss this aspect of psychological science within the context of modern society. We assume the instructors will augment the module with local news stories or other engaging activities that help illustrate main points for students and make the content feel relevant. We anticipate these changes taking place on the website by 12/20/21.

Thank you for using Noba

At Noba, we take care to ensure that our content is accurate and up-to-date. This means that we periodically review material and make revisions when they are warranted. We also rely on helpful commentary from our users. When we make revisions, we also audit the ancillary instructor materials such as our test bank and power points to make certain all materials are in line with the latest version of the text.

New research has come out to further specify the number of neurons in the human brain. While the 100 billion used to be the accepted figure, researchers say that the number is actually closer to 86 billion. We will be updating this figure in the following three modules: Psychopharmacology, The Brain and The Brain and the Nervous System. The changes will take place on the website at the end of June. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

Update 3/1/22: Noba will no longer be offering print textbook links through Lulu. If you would like to get a print copy of a textbook for yourself or your students, please use the campus printer or bookstore option or print out individual modules. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Noba is moving completely online. For a variety of reasons, including concern for the environment, we are focusing exclusively on our digital offerings. This means that -- effective May 31st, 2021 Noba will no longer offer print textbooks. 

If you are looking to share a copy of your textbook with your students, you still have several options:

• Share the URL link to your textbook with your students via email, social media, or your course LMS
• Download a PDF of your textbook and share it with students via email
• Download a PDF of your textbook and embed it in your LMS
• You or your students can print the materials
• You can order copies of our textbooks using your campus printer or bookstore (they need our permission to print our materials, please have them email us directly at [email protected])

If you have any questions or would like more information, please send us a message at [email protected]

If you are looking for a lecture to show in your class regarding wellbeing, especially in the day and age when things are rapidly changing and shifting, look no further than a recent talk which was given by our founder, Dr. Ed Diener. This talk is titled Wellbeing in a New Era: Expanding Traditional Perspectives With Global Inclusiveness and can prompt thoughtful and informative discussions with students in your class - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dBDQytahsw

At Noba, we take care to ensure that our content is accurate and up-to-date. This means that we periodically review material and make revisions when they are warranted. We also rely on helpful commentary from our users. When we make revisions, we also audit the ancillary instructor materials such as our test bank and power points to make certain all materials are in line with the latest version of the text. We are planning on finishing all of our updates by June 12th, 2020 to the following modules:

Conformity and Obedience Module: You may be aware that Milgram’s classic study (studies) have been the source of recent scrutiny. As a result, our editorial team reviewed the research and the Noba coverage of it. We are pleased to say that our discussion of this research holds up well. Even so, we are going to add an additional paragraph to this module emphasizing the participants who did not obey, including in a modern replication of Milgram’s paradigm. This is an opportunity for instructors to broaden the discussion of obedience to include standing up to authority.

Memory Module: In the paragraph on the encoding specificity principle, we will remove the final two sentences.

Emerging Adulthood Module: In an effort to promote more sensitive language, we will remove the adjectives “developing” and “developed” when describing nations or societies. We will attempt—where it was linguistically possible—to replace this with the more accurate phrases “economically developing” or “industrialized” and “non-industrialized”.

Sensation & Perception Module: We will make several changes to this module to offer a more precise discussion of a number of topics. When covering “signal detection,” for example, we have now modified the paragraph to include an example of research that distinguishes between “ascending” and “descending trials,” and between “correct rejection” and “false alarm.” Similarly, we will make very small but technical changes in our discussion of sensory adaptation. Finally, we will remove a reference to “color blindness” and replace it with “color deficient vision.” 

We understand that this is a difficult time for many instructors who are grappling with the academic upheavals caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

We want to let you know that Noba is going to continue to remain a resource for you. Our staff works from home and we do not anticipate any limitations in service. Also, Noba is an entirely online platform that allows for all of our materials to be read, used and shared digitally. You can access these resources at: nobaproject.com

We also want to offer words of encouragement and support to our instructor and student community; if you want additional tips on setting up your virtual classroom, please visit the Noba blog - Teaching through Crisis: Considerations for the Virtual Classroom During the COVID-19 Calamity – http://noba.to/ahu9e2dj, and Formative Feedback on Online Teaching: Tools for Pandemic Pedagogy (i.e., Pandemigogy) - http://noba.to/u25yw4sv, and Shared Attention, Please! - http://noba.to/k5h4ryxf, as well as Oral Exams in Large Online Classes - http://noba.to/zkajg9br

If you are looking for practical Covid-19-related activities to do with your students, please read these additional Noba blog posts - Facial Coverings and COVID-19: Reality Meets Theory and Then What? - http://noba.to/85yfakq9; Using Community Psychology to Understand COVID-19 - http://noba.to/yc372dmv

For an additional activity, visit: https://press.rebus.community/introductiontocommunitypsychology/chapter/intro-to-community-psychology/ and scroll to the A Shift In Perspective: The Ecological Model section.

Many schools and universities offer technical support to instructors in helping them set up their virtual classroom and some instructors are going to be using their LMS to teach classes for the foreseeable future. However, some instructors are going to be using the Zoom platform to teach their classes. We would like to offer you a PowerPoint tutorial that covers a few basics on how to set up your virtual classroom. If you would like a copy, please send us an email at [email protected] Also, Zoom has a ton of tutorials and resources on their website to help you set up your classroom, for example, check out their latest blog post specifically for educators. 

If you want to learn more about the Open Education Movement, please see an Open book on the subject - bit.ly/openbookproject

And as always, if you have any questions about any Noba materials, please don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] or send us a message through our website.

We are sending our best wishes to our community,

The Noba Team

We’ve published a new module - Introduction to Community Psychology – by Leonard A. Jason, Olya Glantsman, Jack F. O’Brien, and Kaitlyn N. Ramian. This module covers the main aspects of Community Psychology and what sets it apart from other areas within Psychology - http://noba.to/a367bgkm

If you are interested in learning more about Community Psychology, the same authors have published an OPEN textbook that gives an excellent overview of the field - https://press.rebus.community/introductiontocommunitypsychology/