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Introductory Psychology Research Guide
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What is
Introductory Psychology?
Psychology is
the branch of science that studies mental processes and functions,
as well as behavior. Introductory psychology will familiarize you
with basic concepts, terminology and theories. It does not involve
studying particular aspects or areas of psychology in depth, but
it will provide a foundation for further studies.
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Getting Started
Before beginning your research,
spend some time thinking about the topic at hand and how to develop
a search strategy. Consider the following:
- Do you need
information about a specific psychological theory, psychologists
linked to that theory or a particular concept?
- Do you have
to present multiple perspectives?
- Is your focus
on current research or an historical overview?
- Is your topic
limited to psychology or does it overlap with other areas, such
as social issues, popular culture, law, education?
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Finding General or Background Information on Psychology
Use
both general and subject reference sources to find background information
on psychology. You can explore broad concepts such as theories, big
names in the field, controversies, as well as specific terminology.
General sources include:
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Finding Psychology Information in Books
Searching ROSIE Using
Keywords
Search by keyword
using terms related to your topic of interest – you may have
found these looking through the background sources. Remember that
you are searching book titles, subjects assigned to books, and (in
some cases only) tables of contents – and not the contents
of books. Leave the very specific, detailed search for periodical
databases; in ROSIE, search
for a single term or combination of two.
If you are looking for information about a particular person, a
famous figure in psychology, try combinations like “psychologists
and biography" (or “psychologists and history").
Searching ROSIE by Subject
Psychology has
multiple “types” of Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Consider the following:
- Names of branches
of psychology, e.g., developmental
psychology
- Names of theories,
followed by the word “psychology,” e.g., behaviorism
psychology
- Concepts in
psychology, e.g., consciousness,
aggressiveness
- Concepts not
limited to psychology followed by the word “psychology,”
e.g., loss
psychology
A good approach
for getting acquainted with psychology? Try subject “Psychology”
and then browse the list of subjects and related subjects (the very
first entry).
Browsing Call Numbers
Because books
are arranged on the Library’s shelves by subject, browsing
the library stacks in the call number areas suggested below can
also be useful. You can get additional ideas from a book's table
of contents or index. You can browse book records online through
ROSIE, but remember that only
records of recently published books list tables of contents and
none lists an index.
BF 1 - BF 839
(the majority of psychology books are in this area)
HM 503 - HM 1075 (this section contains materials on family life
aspects and life stages)
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Finding Articles About Psychology Using Research Databases
Bowman Library
subscribes to many Web-based databases where you will find newspaper,
magazine and scholarly journal articles. Ones that are particularly
useful for researching topics in psychology are listed below. See
Searching
Electronic Resources Effectively for guidelines on making the
most of your search.
ProQuest
Search ProQuest for psychology articles published in scholarly,
popular and general interest periodicals. Explore the drop-down
menus and “More Search Options” to broaden or narrow
your search. Note, in particular, the limit to “Full text
documents only.” Wait to limit your search to scholarly journals
from the results page; some quality magazines, like Scientific
American, The New Yorker or The New York Times Magazine,
often publish well-researched articles you do not want to exclude
from your search.
PsycArticles
PsycARTICLES© is a database of full-text articles from journals
published by the American Psychological Association, the APA Educational
Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association, and
Hogrefe Publishing Group. It currently contains 61 journals. Coverage
for some of them extends back to XIX c. Note the Thesarus
(link at the bottom of the screen) for help in finding synonyms
and broader, narrower or related concepts.
Wilson
Select Plus
Search Wilson for psychology articles published in academic and
professional publications. The best strategy is to use search capabilities
from the Advanced Search: use the top menu tab to get there and
then explore the drop-down menus. Limit your search to full text.
Congressional
Quarterly Researcher (CQ Researcher)
You will find here reports about issues widely discussed in the
media, for example, family, teen sex, depression, learning, tv violence
or adoption. While these topics are not discussed from a strictly
psychological perspective, the reports can provide context and background
for your research.
Each 20+ page report contains background information on the topic,
pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions, analysis
of the current and future (outlook) situation, a bibliography and
list of readings for further research.
Contemporary
Women's Issues (CWI)
This database
focuses on contemporary issues affecting the lives of women around
the world. Its broad range of topics includes law, health, human
rights, education, culture, customs, demographics, family life and
more. The articles’ perspective might be unique, as CWI's
content includes mainstream periodicals as well as reports from
NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), non-profit organizations,
special interest groups, government and international agencies,
and research institutes.
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Selected Free Web Sites
The following
Web sites have been selected by Bowman Librarians as examples of
sites appropriate for college research. Keep in mind, however, that
free Web resources are rarely filtered, often making it difficult
to determine the content's accuracy. Use our guide Evaluating
Web Resources to help you review the authority, currency, and
objectivity or bias of every site you use.
History
of Psychology
http://elvers.stjoe.udayton.edu/history/history.asp?
Over 1,000 links organized by the following indexes: people (by
birth date and alphabetically) and categories (e.g., images, writings,
chronologies, organizations). You can test your psychology knowledge
through a trivia question-and-answer presentation.
Classics in the
History of Psychology
http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/index.htm
The site contains 25 books and about 200 articles and chapters from
classic works in psychology. There are also links to over 200 relevant
works posted at other sites. From York University, Toronto, Canada.
Today in the History
of Psychology
http://www.cwu.edu/~warren/today.html
The American Psychological Association Historical Database is a
collection of dates and brief descriptions of over 3,100 events
in the history of psychology.
Women's Intellectual
Contributions to the Study of Mind and Society
http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/women.html
Students, as part of an advanced seminar, examined and wrote about
the lives of women psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists,
social workers, about their intellectual contributions and the unique
impact and special problems that being female had on their careers.
From Webster University.
Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP)
http://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html
A work in progress since 1997, the SEP is a dynamic reference work
where each entry is maintained and kept up-to-date by an expert
or group of experts in the field (not unlike Wikipedia). An Editorial
Board made up of members of philosophy departments in (mostly) U.S.
universities assigns and approves entries and all subsequent updates
and modifications. Search for “psychology” to find articles
on cognitive science, memory, folk psychology, behaviorism, consciousness,
etc. You can also access the SEP through its record in ROSIE.
Human Intelligence
http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eintell/map.shtml
This well organized and interactive site includes biographical profiles
of people who have influenced the development of intelligence theory
and testing, as well as in-depth articles exploring current controversies
related to human intelligence. From Indiana University.
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Citing Your Sources
Be sure to check
with your professor on which citation style is required.
Bowman Library
provides the following resources to assist with citation format:
For online resources,
see How
to Cite Your Research for links to MLA, APA and Chicago citation
styles.
MLA Handbook
for Writers of Research Papers
- LB2369
.G53 2003 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).
Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association
- BF76.7
.P83 2001 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).
The Chicago
Manual of Style
- Z253
.U69 2003 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).
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Have Questions?
- Explore WOODIE
for help with Research.
- The following
guides include related information that may assist your research:
- Ask a Librarian.
We are here to help!
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