The APA Dictionary of Psychology

by Gary R. Vandenbos

Sold out

Account Type

Format

Quantity

Author: Gary R. Vandenbos

Publisher: Amer Psychological Assn

Hardcover:
ISBN 10: 9781591473800
ISBN 13: 978-1591473800

The largest association of psychologists in the world - the American Psychological Association - presents the definitive information on the language of the field, including: 25,000 entries offering clear and authoritative definitions; balanced coverage of over 90 subareas across the field of psychology - including clinical, experimental, neuropsychology, cognitive, personality and social, developmental, health, psychopharmacology, methodology and statistics, and many others; thousands of cross-references that deepen the user's understanding of related topics; close to 200 concise entries on major figures in the history of psychology and central organizations, institutions, and associations; a Guide to the Dictionary and Quick Guide to Format that explain stylistic and format features; and 4 appendixes on entries from these categories: biographies; institutions, organizations, and associations; psychological tests and assessment instruments; and psychotherapies and psychotherapeutic approaches.

From

At several hundred pages longer than other recent dictionaries of psychology, this volume casts a wide net over diverse subject areas within psychology's domain and related terms from anthropology, computer programming, medicine, molecular and population biology, pharmacology, physics, social services, statistics, and more. In fact, it can serve a number of disciplines because of the cross-disciplinary nature of its content.

The primary audience is "psychologists, graduate and undergraduate students, and practitioners and researchers in allied mental health professions," but the dictionary is accessible for general readers as well. Though densely packed with 25,000 entries, the text is clear and readable. Definitions are concise, plainspoken, and designed to inform without mystifying readers. See also references are efficiently inserted in small caps within the definitions, and see references redirect readers to appropriate headwords. Appendixes conveniently list the "Biographical Entries," "Institutional and Organizational Entries," "Psychological Test and Assessment Instrument Entries," and "Psychotherapy and Psychotherapeutic Approach Entries" found throughout.

Although a standard dictionary will have many of the same single-word terms, this volume is replete with phrases--major depressive episode, method of limits, naive participant, social stratification--as they apply to psychology and connected disciplines. Some terms, such as nervios, apply to a specific group, in this case, Latinos in the U.S. Another example is myriachit, a syndrome found in Siberia. This is a reasonably priced work of great breadth and depth that will be a fine addition to academic and large public libraries. Linda Loos Scarth
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

A landmark dictionary of psychology that is at once erudite and accessible...this lexicon is not only welcome, but invaluable. -- Kirkus Discoveries, July 2006

Can serve a number of disciplines because of the cross-disciplinary nature of its content. ... A reasonably priced work of great breadth and depth. -- Booklist Magazine, November 15, 2006