GCSU Library Subject Guide
Psychology
Psychology
Reference Sources Subject Headings Articles
Web Sites Citing Sources Contact A Librarian
Reference Sources The Reference Collection, located on the second floor of the GCSU Library, is often the best place to start your research. Books in the Reference Collection can help you become more familiar with your topic and assist you with identifying keywords and important people. Bibliographies can help you identify specific articles and books. You can find other resources in the GCSU Library's Reference Collection, and in the Circulating Collection, by searching the Library Catalog.
- The Blackwell Dictionary of Cognitive Psychology (Ref BF 311 .B535 1990): a comprehensive dictionary of terms relating to the field of cognitive psychology, such as: amnesia, cognitive development, decision making and judgment, emotion, memory, and social cognition. Entries vary in length from a paragraph to several pages.
The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Psychology : a NetLibrary book available via GALILEO, a comprehensive encyclopedia covering all topics in the field of social psychology. Topics include bargaining, bereavement, conformity, facial expressions of emotion, leadership, personality, prejudice, self-esteem, and work.
Companion Encyclopedia of Psychology (Ref BF 31 .C66 1994): an introductory encyclopedia covering the entire field of psychology and its professions. Entries are arranged thematically rather than alphabetically.
Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science: a NetLibrary eBook available via GALILEO. This 4-volume encyclopedia covers over 1200 topics in psychology, including concepts and people.
Dictionary of Cognitive Science (REF BF 311 .V56713 2004): a dictionary of terms relating to the five core disciplines of cognitive science: cognitive neuroscience, cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, cognitive linguistics, and the philosophy of the mind.
Dictionary of Theories, Laws, and Concepts in Psychology (Ref BF 31 .R625 1998): provides descriptive entries on the major concepts in psychology and cites original sources which deal with the concepts.
Encyclopedia of Adult Development (Ref BF 724.5 .E53 1993): contains articles on various stages and aspects of the adult lifespan, such as: adult children and their parents, depression in adult life, marital development, retirement preparation, and stress.
Encyclopedia of Learning and Memory (Ref BF 318 .E53 1992): covers the full range of concepts concerning learning and memory, as well as biographies of individuals who have made important contributions to the fields.
Encyclopedia of Mental Health (Ref RA 790 .E53 1998): focuses on "the various intersecting forces that constitute mental health." The articles focus on topics such as aggression, Alzheimer's Disease, coping with stress, depression, humor and mental health, moral development, social networks, and wisdom.
Encyclopedia of Psychology (Ref BF 31 .E52 2000): an 8-volume encyclopedia covering the entire field of psychology, including: psychological testing; biological processes, cognitive processes, social processes, cultural and cross-cultural psychology, and clinical dysfunctions.
The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders (Ref RC 437 .G35 2003): contains approximately 400 entries dealing with mental disorders. Entries contain a definition, description, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention for each disorder. The entries also provide information on medications used in treatment.
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, fifth Edition (Ref BF 76.7 .P83 2001): available at the reference Desk. Commonly referred to as "The APA Style Guide," this is an invaluable resource for formatting your research projects and citing sources.
Testing and Diagnosis
DSM-IV-TR (Ref RC 455.2 .C4 D536 2000): Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. This resource is the standard classification system for mental disorders (available at the Reference Desk).
The Mental Measurements Yearbook editions 1-15 (Ref BF 431 .M3): provides descriptions and reviews of mental tests.
Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology, Education, and Business (Ref BF 176 .Y43 2003): provides information such as purpose, intended population, and scoring methodology for thousands of assessment instruments.
Tests in Print IV (Ref BF 431 .T3 ed.4): provides comprehensive coverage and descriptions of commercially published tests.
Subject HeadingsUsing the correct subject headings for your topic will help you get more relevant results when searching the Library Catalog. Below is a concise list of subject headings for the field of Psychology. For a more complete list, you can perform a Subject Heading search using the Exact Search feature in the Library Catalog.
| Adjustment (Psychology) Adolescent Psychology Behaviorism (Psychology) Cognitive Psychology Cognition Developmental Psychology Emotions Human Behavior Memory Mental Health |
Mental Illness Parapsychology Personality Psychology History Psychology Research Methodology Psychology, Social Psychology Study and Teaching Psychometrics Stress (Psychology) |
Articles - Databases
Most databases index articles from journals, newspapers, and magazines. Some databases offer full text articles, while others contain only citations. Some databases are subject specific, while others are more general in coverage. Some databases relevant to the field of Psychology are:
PsycArticles : contains full-text articles from psychology journals published by the American Psychological Association, Canadian Psychological Association, and Hogrefe & Huber. Coverage: 1999 to present.
Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection: contains full-text articles from more than 470 journals, covering topics in emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry, psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational and experimental methods.
PsycINFO : the primary index to psychology literature; includes citations and summaries of journal articles, book chapters, books, technical reports, and dissertations.
For a more complete list of databases pertaining to Psychology, consult GALILEO's Psychology page.
Journal Locator
Search for specific journals or magazines. The Journal Locator will tell you the location and availability of a journal or magazine: either in the GCSU Periodicals Collection or in a database.
Online Journals
- APCJ (Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice): "an interdisciplinary, peer reviewed academic journal that examines the intersection of psychology and criminal justice"
Behavior and Social Issues: "a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal which serves as a primary scholarly outlet for articles that advance the analysis of human social behavior"
Current Research in Social Psychology: "a peer reviewed, electronic journal covering all aspects of social psychology," sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Iowa
Evolutionary Psychology: "an international journal of evolutionary approaches to psychology and behavior"
Journal of Applied Behavior analysis: "a psychology journal that publishes research about applications of the experimental analysis of behavior to problems of social importance"
PsyArt: "a peer-reviewed, archived journal focused on psychological studies of the arts: literature, film, visual arts, or music"
Psyche: "a refereed electronic journal dedicated to supporting the interdisciplinary exploration of the nature of consciousness and its relation to the brain"
Psycoloquy: "publishes articles and peer commentary in all areas of psychology as well as cognitive science, neuroscience, behavioral biology, artificial intelligence, robotics/vision, linguistics and philosophy"
*All quotes are taken from the respective journal websites.
Web Sites
- American Psychological Association (a scientific and professional organization that represents psychology in the United States) and its search engine Psychcrawler (a directory of web content selected by the American Psychological Association staff)
Buros Institute of Mental Measurements: includes instructional resources for using Mental Measurements Yearbook and Tests in Print.
Classics in the History of Psychology: historically significant public domain documents from the field of psychology. The contents can be searched by author or topic.
Encyclopedia of Psychology: a directory of links to psychology websites. Searchers may choose from eight subject categories, ranging from career to paradigms and theories
National Institute of Mental Health: a U.S. government agency that conducts and supports research on mental health and mental illness
Psychology World Wide Web Virtual Library: a directory of psychology websites covering topics such as books and publishers, newsgroups, journals, and professional societies
PsychScholar: a directory of web resources aimed at "psychological scholars and budding psychological scholars."
Social Psychology Network: a directory of links to sites covering various aspects of social psychology
Contact A Librarian For further assistance, contact the Reference Desk in the GCSU Library or contact the GCSU Library liaison to the Psychology Department:
- Liaison: Edward Whatley, Instruction and Reference Librarian
e-mail: edward.whatley@gcsu.edu
phone: (478) 445-0981