Two sisters. A lost imperial treasure. The world’s greatest puzzle master has twenty-four hours to solve the most dangerous mystery of his life . . . or die trying, in “[this] breathlessly paced and nail-bitingly suspenseful” (Booklist) novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Master, hailed as “thrilling” by David Baldacci. “This rip-roaring adventure thriller is an escapist puzzle box of delights: a neurodivergent hero, an unsolvable mystery, and death hanging over every move.”—Catherine Steadman, author of Something in the Water “[An] astounding sequel . . . This clever and satisfying novel cements Mike Brink as an action hero for the ages.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review It is the Year of the Wood Dragon, and the ingenious Mike Brink has been invited to Tokyo, Japan, to open the legendary Dragon Box. The box was constructed during one of Japan’s most tumultuous periods, when the samurai class was disbanded and the shogun lost power. In this moment of crisis, Emperor Meiji locked a priceless Imperial secret in the Dragon Box. Only two people knew how to open the box—Meiji and the box’s sadistic constructor—and both died without telling a soul what was inside or how to open it. Every twelve years since then, in the Year of the Dragon, the Imperial family holds a clandestine contest to open the box. It is devilishly difficult, filled with tricks, booby traps, poisons, and mind-bending twists. Every puzzle master who has attempted to open it has died in the process. But Brink is not just any puzzle master. He may be the only person alive who can crack it. His determination is matched only by that of two sisters, descendants of an illustrious samurai clan, who will stop at nothing to claim the treasure. Brink’s quest launches him on a breakneck adventure across Japan, from the Imperial Palace in Tokyo to the pristine forests of Hakone to an ancient cave in Kyushu. In the process, he discovers the power of Meiji’s hidden treasure, and—more crucially—the true nature of his extraordinary talent.

In the small Saskatchewan town of Glenmere, sixteen-year-old Amy Young wants nothing more than to save enough money from her summer jobs to try to build a future for herself somewhere else. Anywhere would be better than living with Jeannie, her aunt by marriage, who took her in when her grandmother Dorothy, who had always taken care of her, dies unexpectedly. Anywhere would be better than Glenmere, a sleepy little town where nothing ever happens.... But that has been changing as of late. The gossip mill is churning with talk of an unusual rash of break-ins and theft and a shady character or two hanging around town, and it has everyone on edge. But Amy just wants to keep her head down and keep plugging away at her jobs, even as she hopes that with the reading of her grandmother’s will, she might get some sort of small inheritance that might help her on her way. It’s taking forever though. The search is on for Amy’s uncle John, Dorothy’s only living child and one of the primary inheritors, a known gambler and addict that no one has seen in years. Unfortunately, the estate lawyers aren’t the only people looking for him. An old “friend” of John’s is in town as well, hoping to cash in on his inheritance before his own past catches up to him and takes him out. And that past is closing in fast. With every answer that comes to light leading only to more questions, Amy’s normally boring small-town life is turned on its head, with secrets, murder, and mystery seemingly around every turn, but the only puzzle that matters to her is the one left to her by her beloved grandmother, with the promise of revealing the secret to everything she’s ever wanted. "With every secret uncovered, more secrets are raised. Time is running out!"

The New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically goes on a rollicking journey to understand the enduring power of puzzles: why we love them, what they do to our brains, and how they can improve our world. “Even though I’ve never attempted the New York Times crossword puzzle or solved the Rubik’s Cube, I couldn’t put down The Puzzler.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before What makes puzzles—jigsaws, mazes, riddles, sudokus—so satisfying? Be it the formation of new cerebral pathways, their close link to insight and humor, or their community-building properties, they’re among the fundamental elements that make us human. Convinced that puzzles have made him a better person, A.J. Jacobs—four-time New York Times bestselling author, master of immersion journalism, and nightly crossworder—set out to determine their myriad benefits. And maybe, in the process, solve the puzzle of our very existence. Well, almost. In The Puzzler, Jacobs meets the most zealous devotees, enters (sometimes with his family in tow) any puzzle competition that will have him, unpacks the history of the most popular puzzles, and aims to solve the most impossible head-scratchers, from a mutant Rubik’s Cube, to the hardest corn maze in America, to the most sadistic jigsaw. Chock-full of unforgettable adventures and original examples from around the world—including new work by Greg Pliska, one of America’s top puzzle-makers, and a hidden, super-challenging but solvable puzzle—The Puzzler will open readers’ eyes to the power of flexible thinking and concentration. Whether you’re puzzle obsessed or puzzle hesitant, you’ll walk away with real problem-solving strategies and pathways toward becoming a better thinker and decision maker—for these are certainly puzzling times.

Defines learning and shows how the learning process is studied. Clearly written and user-friendly, Introduction to the Theories of Learning places learning in its historical perspective and provides appreciation for the figures and theories that have shaped 100 years of learning theory research. The 9th edition has been updated with the most current research in the field. With Pearson's MySearchLab with interactive eText and Experiment's Tool, this program is more user-friendly than ever. Learning Goals Upon completing this book, readers should be able to: Define learning and show how the learning process is studied Place learning theory in historical perspective Present essential features of the major theories of learning with implications for educational practice Note: MySearchLab does not come automatically packaged with this text. To purchase MySearchLab, please visit: www.mysearchlab.com or you can purchase a ValuePack of the text + MySearchLab (at no additional cost).

Since its first edition, An Introduction to Theories of Learning has provided a uniquely sweeping review of the major learning theories from the 20th century that profoundly influenced the field of psychology. In this tenth edition, the authors present further experimental evidence that tests many of the fundamental ideas presented in these classic theories, as well as explore many of the advances in psychological science and neuroscience that have yielded greater insight into the processes that underlie learning in human beings and animals. The four main goals of this text are to define learning and to show how the learning process is studied (Chapters 1 and 2), to place learning theory in historical perspective (Chapter 3), and to present essential features of the major theories of learning with implications for educational practices (Chapters 4 through 16). The authors retained the best features of earlier editions while making revisions that reflect current research and scholarship, including coverage of active learning and the testing effect, information for problem solving in ravens, data illustrating the neurobiological basis of the cognitive map and spatial learning, new research on brain plasticity and its role in learning as well as the impact of poverty on brain and cognitive development, and new evidence that challenges the notion of learning styles. Complete with chapter summaries, discussion questions, and a glossary, this text is essential reading for theories of learning and applied cognitive psychology courses. See "Support Material" below for new online resources. Instructor resources include PowerPoint slides and a testbank containing over 500 questions (in both Microsoft Word and GIFT file formats). Student resources include chapter summaries, discussion questions, and a glossary of key terms.

Over the past century, educational psychologists and researchers have posited many theories to explain how individuals learn, i.e. how they acquire, organize and deploy knowledge and skills. The 20th century can be considered the century of psychology on learning and related fields of interest (such as motivation, cognition, metacognition etc.) and it is fascinating to see the various mainstreams of learning, remembered and forgotten over the 20th century and note that basic assumptions of early theories survived several paradigm shifts of psychology and epistemology. Beyond folk psychology and its naïve theories of learning, psychological learning theories can be grouped into some basic categories, such as behaviorist learning theories, connectionist learning theories, cognitive learning theories, constructivist learning theories, and social learning theories. Learning theories are not limited to psychology and related fields of interest but rather we can find the topic of learning in various disciplines, such as philosophy and epistemology, education, information science, biology, and – as a result of the emergence of computer technologies – especially also in the field of computer sciences and artificial intelligence. As a consequence, machine learning struck a chord in the 1980s and became an important field of the learning sciences in general. As the learning sciences became more specialized and complex, the various fields of interest were widely spread and separated from each other; as a consequence, even presently, there is no comprehensive overview of the sciences of learning or the central theoretical concepts and vocabulary on which researchers rely. The Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning provides an up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the specific terms mostly used in the sciences of learning and its related fields, including relevant areas of instruction, pedagogy, cognitive sciences, and especially machine learning and knowledge engineering. This modern compendium will be an indispensable source of information for scientists, educators, engineers, and technical staff active in all fields of learning. More specifically, the Encyclopedia provides fast access to the most relevant theoretical terms provides up-to-date, broad and authoritative coverage of the most important theories within the various fields of the learning sciences and adjacent sciences and communication technologies; supplies clear and precise explanations of the theoretical terms, cross-references to related entries and up-to-date references to important research and publications. The Encyclopedia also contains biographical entries of individuals who have substantially contributed to the sciences of learning; the entries are written by a distinguished panel of researchers in the various fields of the learning sciences.