Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

How can people best cope with an eco-
nomic crisis?
When the economy sours, 
fi nancial loss and the hovering threat of 
unemployment create a great deal of 
stress. Psychologists study how these 
stressors affect family relations, produc-
ing psychological harm—particularly 
to children of stressed and depressed 
parents—that can long outlast the eco-
nomic crisis. They can then help people 
use coping strategies that are effective at 
preventing long-term harm (Conger and 
Donnellan, 2007; Ünal-Karagüven, 2009).
• 
Why do eyewitnesses to crimes often 
remember the events inaccurately, and 
how can we increase the precision of 
eyewitness accounts?
Psychologists’ 
research has come to an important 
conclusion: Eyewitness testimony in 
criminal cases is often inaccurate and 
biased. Memories of crimes are often 
clouded by emotion, and the questions 
asked by police investigators often elicit 
inaccurate responses. Work by psychol-
ogists has been used to provide national 
guidelines for obtaining more accurate 
memories during criminal investiga-
tions (Busey & Loftus, 2007; Kassin, 
2005; Loftus & Bernstein, 2005).
• 
Does texting while driving impair 
 people’s driving ability?
Several states 
have enacted controversial laws banning 
cell phone use and texting while driving. 
Although many people believe that they 
are perfectly able to talk and drive at the 
same time, psychological research on at-
tention tells a different story: Merely talk-
ing on a cell phone, whether hands-free or 
not, impairs people’s driving about as 
much as if they were legally drunk (Charl-
ton, 2009; Drews, Pasupathi, & Strayer, 
2008; Strayer et al., 2005; Taggi et al., 2007).
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