The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology [Hardcover]

Susan Gall (Author), Bernard Beins (Editor), Alan J. Feldman (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787603724 | ISBN-13: 978-0787603724 | Publication Date: September 1996 | Edition: 1st

This reference is aimed at school and undergraduate students requiring accessible definitions and explanations of important psychological terms. Based on current psychology curricula, is should provide a supplement to existing student classroom materials. Arranged alphabetically, the text includes about 400 entries, ranging in length from 25 to 1000 words. Each entry has been assessed for its importance to the discipline by an advisory board of teachers, guidance counsellors and professional psychologists. The full range of psychology is covered, including famous personalities, theories, terms, landmark experiments and studies, the applications of psychology (e.g. medicine, sports and advertising), and case studies. The text is enhanced by 225 photographs, graphs and charts, and the appendix provides information on psychology experiments for classroom or laboratory use.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This encyclopedia, designed for high-school students, college undergraduates, and general readers, covers the entire spectrum of psychology. The editor, a freelance writer, has produced several works for Gale. She was advised on this book by a college professor and a high-school teacher of psychology. The book includes more than 400 entries on topics studied in high schools and introductory college courses, including biographies of significant people in psychology; theories; terms; landmark case studies and experiments; applications of psychology in advertising, medicine, and sports; psychological tests; and career information. Examples of notable people covered include Alfred Adler, Erich Fromm, Abraham Maslow, Jean Piaget, and B. F. Skinner. Topics covered include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), Depression, Humor, Language Acquisition, Pain, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Sleep Disorders.

Entries are arranged alphabetically and range in length from 25 to 1,500 words. Many include suggestions for further reading on the topic. Extensive cross-references lead to related articles. The design and layout of the articles make them easy to browse; they are clearly written and accessible to the layperson. The volume includes more than 150 black-and-white photographs and charts and graphs. They include Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and a drawing of the human ear. Many of the photographs add little to the work. For example, the entry Heterosexuality is accompanied by a photograph of a couple walking on the beach. Useful features include an index that lists all the entries by subfield (e.g., abnormal, developmental, social psychology), a subject index, a brief glossary of commonly used terms, an extensive bibliography, and a list of psychology associations and information clearinghouses with addresses and telephone numbers.

This encyclopedia is written for a different audience than the four-volume Encyclopedia of Psychology (2d ed., Wiley, 1994). Academic libraries that own the latter work will find its scholarly approach more appropriate for their users. High schools that offer a course in psychology, public libraries, and community college libraries will want to consider The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Gale Group; 1st edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787603724
• ISBN-13: 978-0787603724
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,358,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent psychology reference book, June 15, 2000

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terri - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology (Hardcover)

I have refered to this book several times weekly and after borrowing it from the university library constintly for 6 months, i would highly recommend this book to any psychology student. It is written in an easy to find and understandable language. I am a first year student in psychology and will reference material out of this book for a long time to come.