- Mass Market Paperback: 864 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; 3Rev Ed edition (5 Aug 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140514511
- ISBN-13: 978-0140514513
- Product Dimensions: 20 x 12.8 x 4.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
260,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #27 in Books > Reference > Directories > Education
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology has become a byword for demystifying the language of this complex subject. Invaluable for both students and professionals, this wide-ranging and accessible reference work is an indispensable guide to all areas of psychology and psychiatry.
From the Publisher
Some sample entries:
EXCITATION
1 In physiology, a process whereby some stimulus energy pattern sets up a change or pattern of changes in a receptor. The energy here may be either physical or other neutral activity; see STIMULATION. 2 In the study of learning, a general high level of activity in the whole nervous system; a reasonable synonym here is drive state. 3 In social psychology, an increase in psychological tension; this meaning is intuitively close to conventional usage.
TROXLER'S EFFECT
A visual phenomenon. When an observer maintains fixation on a point directly in front while attempting to view a stationary line off to one side, this peripheral stimulus disappears. It is especially striking at low illumination levels but occurs at high levels as well, when a sort of visual fog seems to creep in from the periphery, obscuring objects. A slight movement in the periphery causes the peripheral stimuli to reappear.
SEROTONIN
A neurotransmitter found in neural pathways of peripheral ganglia and in the central nervous system. Also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT, it is an inhibitory transmitter the actions of which have been implicated in various processes, including sleep, pain, and the psychobiology of various affective disorders, specifically depression and bipolar disorder. At the time or writing, at least nine different types of serotonin receptors have been identified. Interestingly, while serotonin is involved in mediating many important behaviours, only some 1-2% of the body's serotonin is found in the nervous system: most is in the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal system and blood platelets.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An invaluable tool for the psychology undergraduate,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (Penguin reference) (Paperback)
This book saw me through my undergraduate years and is still useful now that I'm postdoctoral! The clarity of expression and the range of individual entries provide an excellent start to any essay or topic. There are also some gems which you'll come across by accident - try the entry for psychoceramics!
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best quick and easy reference book around,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (Penguin Reference Books) (Mass Market Paperback)
Reber's text is thoroughly excellent; if possible, an improvement even on the second edition. Terms and perspectives are clearly explained with the occasional thought provoking comment thrown in (see the entry for 'binding'!). Moreover, Reber opts for a personal prose which distances the text from more stock, 'cookbook' competitors. Highly recommended and valuable at all levels of professional attainment. Buy it -- you won't regret it.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enormously Helpful,
By
This review is from: The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (Penguin Reference Books) (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm currently a Psychology degree student and there is not one item I could think of that is more helpful to my course than this dictionary is. It contains over 17,000 definitions of terms you would come across almost every day in Psychology. Put together by Psychologists Arthur S. Reber and Emily S. Reber, this is every Psychology students dream.
The definitions are effective and easy to understand and there are even some definitions that seem utterly pointless. It covers all relevant fields within Psychology and also discusses how some definitions are incorporated into every day Psychological research and treatment. It also goes into detail on other more important concepts such as addiction. Although detailed and concise, the authors from the start make you aware that it's not a biography and does not hold definitions about important people in Psychology. It does, however, include the definitions that hold the name of the Psychologist that adds to certain important theories such as "Freudian Slip." Along with the Psychologist definition, it also directs you to the exact psychological medical definition. Here are some examples of the definitions contained within to give you some idea of what to expect. Insomnia A general term for chronic inability to sleep normally, as evidenced by difficulty in falling asleep, frequent waking during the night, and/or early morning waking with attendant difficulty in falling back to sleep. In the vast majority of cases insomnia is caused by either anxiety or pain. Over the years a large number of synonyms have been used, including agrypnia, ahypnia, ahyposia, anhypnia, anhypnosis and other variations. The current view is that insomnia is not a single disorder but a complex group of related disorders, which has led to the suggestion that the term disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep be used in place of insomnia. Agraphia Partial or complete loss of writing ability due to cerebral pathology, an analogue of motor aphasia. Several special forms are often noted. As you can see the definitions vary widely in size and detail, but there are also massive definitions that take up almost an entire page. As also indicated with the definition of Agraphia, there are many different variations of the same condition, but the dictionary is arranged which allows those variations of Agraphia to stay in linear fashion with the base definition so you don't have to be flicking through a number of pages to see the alternative types and what they do. It's a highly useful tool and is something worthwhile for all those embarking on a Psychology course in the future as I promise you'll be picking it up every 5 minutes.
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