Understanding Reading revolutionized reading research and theory when the first edition appeared in 1971. In the sixth edition, Smith's purpose remains the same: to shed light on fundamental aspects of the complex human act of reading - linguistic, physiological, psychological, and social - and on what is involved in learning to read.

The field of educational psychology is primarily concerned with teaching and learning. Educational psychology has also been involved with the topics of motivation, intelligence, memory, cognition, intellectual development and evaluation and assessment. This book presents research from around the globe in all areas of educational psychology.