Library Guides: Psychology: Background Information

Overview of Psychology

Psychology is the science of behavior and mind, embracing all aspects of conscious and unconscious experience as well as thought. It is an academic discipline and a social science which seeks to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles and researching specific cases.

Psychology is frequently an interdisciplinary endeavor. Related subjects include: Biology and Life Sciences, Education and Peace Studies.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias and handbooks are an excellent source of background information, information about key researchers in specific areas of study, keywords, and references to high quality sources.

General Psychology Encyclopedias

Gale encyclopedia of psychology This link opens in a new window
Covers the entire spectrum of psychology, including notable people, theories and terms, landmark case studies and experiments, applications of psychology in advertising, medicine and sports, and career information.
International encyclopedia of the social sciences This link opens in a new window

Encyclopedias with a narrow focus

Child Development
Covers human development from conception through adolescence, summarizing the latest research on physical, cognitive, social and emotional development and behavior, including areas of law, medicine, psychiatry, and demography among others.
Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco
Written for readers at grade 7 and higher, covers addictions, causes, and treatments of particular importance to adolescents. Articles on the nature of addiction and its roots include advertising, genetics, families, and personal problems.

Encyclopedia of Bioethics This link opens in a new window
Covering a wealth of topics on the ethics of health professions, animal research, population control and the environment, this title helps researchers to consider the impact of new scientific knowledge and its potential to harm or benefit present and future generations.
Encyclopedia of children, adolescents, and the media This link opens in a new window
Presents research and facts on the media's interaction with children and adolescents. Covers the traditional and electronic media and their controversial impact on children and adolescents.

The Encyclopedia of Clinical Psychology
Includes entries covering the main topics, key concepts, and influential figures in the field of psychology.
Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol & Addictive Behavior
Provides more than 700 articles intended for the student and layperson covering the social, medical and political issues related to drugs and alcohol, as well as types of addiction. Changes since the last edition include the decrease of crack cocaine use and resurgence of heroin use; changes in laws dealing with drug use at the state and national levels; and new discoveries leading to a better understanding of how drugs work and what makes them addictive.

Encyclopedia of educational psychology This link opens in a new window
Draws from a variety of diverse disciplines including human development across the life span, measurement and statistics, learning and motivation, and teaching. Within these different disciplines, many other fields are featured including anthropology, education, sociology, public health, school psychology, counseling, history, and philosophy.

Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
A thorough overview of the cross-disciplinary field of industrial and organizational psychology for students, researchers, and professionals in the areas of psychology, business, management, and human resources. In two volumes, readers are provided with state-of-the-art research and ready-to-use facts.
Encyclopedia of Multicultural Psychology
Presents a thorough overview of the psychology of racial, ethnic, and minority issues in the United States. It covers the breadth of psychology viewed through the lens of the racial and ethnic minority experience. An excellent resource for those interested in improving their awareness and comprehension of cultural practices prevalent among and between all people.

Encyclopedia of peace psychology This link opens in a new window
A state-of-the-art resource featuring almost 300 entries contributed by leading international scholars that examine the psychological dimensions of peace and conflict studies.

Encyclopedia of School Psychology
Comprehensive guide to the field of school psychology featuring the latest research on school learning, motivation, and educational assessment. Entries on psychology, education and counseling, child development, and special education address student success, behavior disorders, intelligence testing, learning disabilities, strategies to improve academic skills, and more.

Encyclopedia of social work, 20th ed. This link opens in a new window
Co-published by the National Association of Social Workers and Oxford University Press, the 20th edition of the Encyclopedia of Social Work is widely considered the cornerstone of reference in its field. This new edition includes coverage of areas that have come to the fore since the 1995 publication of the 19th edition, including demographic changes from immigration, technology, the implications of managed care, faith-based assistance, evidence-based practice, gerontology, and trauma and disaster.
Encyclopedia of sport and exercise psychology This link opens in a new window
Entries explore the theory, research, and application of psychology as it relates to sport and fitness in a manner that is accessible and jargon-free to help readers better understand human behavior in sport and exercise settings.; From personal factors to situational factors influencing performance to specific psychological techniques for enhancing performance, this work provides comprehensive coverage of the field via approximately 350 to 400 signed entries.

Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences
New methodologies, written by the world’s leaders in statistics, are introduced in an easy-to-read format, accessible by a powerful search engine. Extensions of existing articles have also been incorporated in an effort to showcase the fluidity of the field. Thorough cross-referencing facilitate quick access to specific information and provide an indispensable platform for further study and research.

Encyclopedia of statistics in behavioral science This link opens in a new window
The Encyclopedia of Statistics in Behavioral Science presents accessible, high quality articles that are lively, statistically sound and with many practical examples. It provides complete coverage of current statistical methods ranging through confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, random effect/multilevel modeling, generalized linear models, computationally intensive methods such as the bootstrap, and many more.

Learning and Memory
Provides an overview of the full range of current knowledge about learning and memory, revised from the 1992 edition. Features new articles and article updates that capture advances in the changing fields of memory, neuroscience, and cognition. New entries include autobiographical memory, collective memory, schizophrenia and memory, and other topics. For academic audiences.
The Oxford Companion to Consciousnes
In this light, The Oxford Companion to Consciousness is the most complete authoritative survey of contemporary research on consciousness. Structured as an easy-to-use dictionary and extensively cross-referenced, the Companion offers contributions from philosophy of mind to neuroscience, from experimental psychology to clinical findings, so reflecting the profoundly interdisciplinary nature of the domain.
The Oxford Companion to the Mind (2 ed.)
First published in 1987, to huge acclaim, The Oxford Companion to the Mind immediately took its place as the indispensable guide to the mysteries — and idiosyncracies — of the human mind. The second edition includes new entries on attachment theory, caffeine, extra-terrestrial intelligence, and imagination; it also includes three ‘mini symposia’ — on consciousness, brain scanning, and artificial intelligence — with contributions from a range of specialists.

Selected Handbooks

APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology Vol. 1 by Harris M. Cooper; American Psychological Association Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781433810039
Publication Date: 2012-03-15
The three-volume APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology features descriptions of many techniques that psychologists and others have developed to help them pursue a shared understanding of why humans think, feel, and behave the way they do.
APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology Vol. 2 by Harris M. Cooper; American Psychological Association Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781433810039
Publication Date: 2012-03-15
The three-volume APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology features descriptions of many techniques that psychologists and others have developed to help them pursue a shared understanding of why humans think, feel, and behave the way they do.
APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol. 3 by Harris M. Cooper; American Psychological Association Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781433810039
Publication Date: 2012-03-15
The three-volume APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology features descriptions of many techniques that psychologists and others have developed to help them pursue a shared understanding of why humans think, feel, and behave the way they do.
APA Handbook of Testing and Assessment in Psychology Vol. 1 by Kurt F. Geisinger; Bruce A. Bracken; American Psychological Association Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781433812279
Publication Date: 2013-02-01
The first section of the handbook covers psychometric aspects of testing.
APA Handbook of Testing and Assessment in Psychology Vol. 2 by Kurt F. Geisinger; Bruce A. Bracken; American Psychological Association Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781433812279
Publication Date: 2013-02-01
The first section of the handbook covers psychometric aspects of testing.
APA Handbook of Ethics in Psychology. Vol. 1 by Samuel J. Knapp (Editor); American Psychological Association Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781433810008
Publication Date: 2011-09-15
It is intended for practitioners, researchers, academic psychologists, and graduate students who seek a comprehensive review of a particular area of psychology. In comparison with many ethics textbooks, it covers a wider range of subjects and pursues them in greater detail. This handbook also reflects recent advances in research and technology that present new opportunities and challenges for practice and scholarship.
APA Handbook of Ethics in Psychology, Vol. 2 by Samuel J. Knapp (Editor); American Psychological Association Staff (Contribution by)
ISBN: 9781433810008
Publication Date: 2011-09-15
It is intended for practitioners, researchers, academic psychologists, and graduate students who seek a comprehensive review of a particular area of psychology. In comparison with many ethics textbooks, it covers a wider range of subjects and pursues them in greater detail. This handbook also reflects recent advances in research and technology that present new opportunities and challenges for practice and scholarship.
Handbook of Adolescent Drug Use Prevention by Lawrence M. Scheier
ISBN: 9781433818998
Publication Date: 2015-03-01
The goal of this book is to help researchers, practitioners, and policy makers prevent drug abuse, primarily among adolescents who either have not used drugs before or have just started using them.