Dictionary of Psychology

Rating:
Summary: Its good for first year undergrad but not much after that
Review: Has basic information and definitions about psych terms but once you get past the basics the book looses its value. Hasn't a clue about neuropsychology and info on theory is sparse.

Rating:
Summary: Great for students and interested people at all levels.
Review: The only possible flaw in this book is that *a few* of the entries might be a little opaque to those who don't already know something about the given topic, but by far most of this book is extremely useful and understandable.

I bought this book as an undergraduate studying for the GRE in Psychology (and yes, I think it did help) and have continued to use it as a doctoral student. It's been helpful at all levels. I recommend it to undergrads who are just interested in psychology, to anyone wanting to brush up on any area of psychology, and to psychologists or psychologists-in-training who want a handy reference to look up new or unfamiliar terms. It contains clear illustrations -- for example, of the eye and of some optical illusions -- and includes a separate list of common statistical formulas, a list of Greek symbols found in psychology, and a list of abbreviations commonly found in psychology.

It has entries for everything from the most broad topics, e.g. "behaviorism", which gets a lengthy encyclopedic-like entry, to the most narrow, e.g. "phobophobia: fear of fearing", "bad trip", and "Barnum effect". It includes biographical entries. It includes many entries concerning statistial analyses used in psychology -- factor analysis, Latin square, rank order correlation, etc. Every aspect of psychology is included here -- the physiological, the psychoanalytic, the behavioral, you name it. All in a very small and concise package -- ordinary paperback size and probably less thick than the latest John Grisham novel.

Each entry leaves you with a good grasp of the basics of the term in question.

This is a good book for picking up and browsing if you're just trying to edify yourself, and it's a good book to have handy if you are surrounded by psychologists (or books) who occasionally hit you with a term you aren't quite sure of or would like to know more about.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: "Essential for the Contemporary Reader"
Review: To put it in a nut shell, this dictionary is an invaluable commodity acting as an authoritative and concise companion to aid the aspiring student and teacher to the forefront of psychology as we know it today. This dictionary is affordable, compact, easy to reference, and easy to carry. Some notable features include: new terms and up-dated research, the exclusion of pyschological jargon foriegn to the blossoming student, the many illustrations, graphs, diagrams, and formulae, ultimately complete this rewarding dictionary. Dr. Chaplin's work is highly commendable, and should be considered necessary for the shelves of all within the broad spectrum of the psychological world.