Review of Principles of industrial psychology.

Reviews the book, Principles of Industrial Psychology (see record 1955-01700-000). Although "the book is designed as an introductory survey of the entire field of industrial psychology," the reviewer notes that the authors omit many topics. The book presents in substantial fashion those aspects of industrial psychology as the authors perceive it to be. The style of presentation is characterized by critically evaluating research studies reported in the literature and emphasizing the necessary statistical concepts and techniques related to selection of employees. The heavy statistical involvement may make this book a little too difficult for the typical undergraduate student who is not a psychology or statistics major. The reviewer concludes that Principles of Industrial Psychology is an interesting book for a sophisticated audience. It may be misunderstood by typical undergraduates and it may not be too appealing to the man in industry who wishes to apply some principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Cambridge handbook of forensic psychology.

Reviews the book, The Cambridge handbook of forensic psychology edited by Jennifer M. Brown and Elizabeth A. Campbell (see record 2010-18536-000). The Cambridge handbook of forensic psychology is a comprehensive reference book that covers a wide range of topics within the field of forensic psychology. The chapters are well-written and clearly organized, with each providing a review of key issues and suggestions for further readings. The latter is particularly useful since none of the students interested in the fields of forensic psychology, criminology, legal studies, sociology, and law. Furthermore, individuals already involved directly with the criminal justice and court systems may also find information in this textbook informative to their professional practice. It is noteworthy that the editors include a major section on research practice, and this material will be instructive to students but also researchers in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of social psychology.

Reviews the book, Handbook of social psychology edited by Gardner Lindzey (1954). The reviewer notes that the publication of this two-volume Handbook is a truly signal event in social psychology. The text is comprehensive, up to date, balanced. It gives extensive treatment to theory, to methodology, and to research findings and applications. It is sophisticated in its approach and makes no concession to oversimplified presentation, either in content or in style. The reviewer also reports that the editor has demonstrated a high order of intelligence and judgment in the selection and organization of the various chapters. No main area of social psychology is neglected. As contrasted with the more typical compendiums of material in a large field, this book succeeds remarkably in avoiding unnecessary redundancy. The choice of authors in this text is also excellent. Some of the authors have taken this as an occasion for creating something beyond simply a critical review of an area of social psychology; parts of some of the chapters are original contributions to the theory and method of social psychology. Overall, this Handbook offers convincing evidence that social psychology is indeed a field in its own right, continually growing in the extent to which its methods and findings bear intimate relationship with other areas of psychology, and at the same time contributing a steady stream of methods and data which are uniquely to be found in connection with social behavior of individuals and groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Philosophy of psychology.

Reviews the book, Philosophy of psychology by Daniel N. Robinson (see record 1985-97596-000). In this book, Robinson offers what might be considered to be four essays in the philosophy of mind. In these essays he has set out to clarify some rather fundamental concepts operative within the mainstream of psychology, and he brings to bear on these the conceptual machinery of philosophical psychology proper. That is, he asks foundational, or meta-psychological, questions about the reigning assumptions in the field. These questions fall into four general areas, or sub-themes, within psychology as a whole, each topic being taken in a separate chapter. These topics will be explored briefly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The scientific practice of professional psychology.

Reviews the book, The scientific practice of professional psychology by Steven J. Trierweiler and George Stricker (see record 1997-36648-000). This is one of the best resources available to psychologists on the foundations of professional practice. It contains citations to most of what is important to clinical practice, including much that is original, or at least originally applied, to the field. Whether the reader is a self-identified therapist or not, in terms of principle professional activities, this text offers a very positive, thorough approach to a variety of professional dilemmas. One unfortunate aspect of the book is the extremely dense writing style. However, the reader will be exposed to a rich panorama of professional relevant information, generated by authors who care deeply both about the applied function and the teaching function of their profession. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognitive psychology.

Reviews the book, Cognitive Psychology by Guy Claxton (1980). This is a bold attempt to provide a well-integrated review of the problems and prospects of modern cognitive psychology. In general, the book succeeds although one may disagree with the directions that are foreseen. The book consists of nine papers by eight authors. Six chapters plus an overview cover traditional topics within cognition while two excellent chapters extend the discussion to motor control and cross-cultural perspectives. Together the chapters are '... meant to be a guidebook to organizing one's thoughts, and a life-raft to cling on to when in danger of drowning in the sea of detail'. This is an excellent overview for graduate students or scientists in related fields; it will prove difficult for all but the brighter undergraduates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Occupational health psychology.

Reviews the book, Occupational health psychology edited by Stavroula Leka and Jonathon Houdmont (see record 2010-10988-000). Leka and Houdmont describe their book as the first textbook devoted to occupational health psychology intended for undergraduate instruction in the field. Leka and Houdmont have chosen an interesting strategy in creating an edited textbook with individual chapters written by established experts in the field. In doing so, they have in many cases gotten “the best” people in a particular area to write chapters in their area of expertise. Despite their reliance on multiple authors, the editors have maintained a consistent style throughout the volume—each chapter begins with a chapter outline and ends with a chapter summary. Textboxes throughout are used to highlight individuals prominent in the field (e.g., Tom Cox) or to highlight applications and research issues and to provide definitions of key terms. I would expect that students will appreciate such pedagogical features in addition to the depth of expertise that underlies each chapter. Although not divided into sections, one can intuit a structure to the book that begins with a broad perspective on occupational health psychology and then progressively adopts a narrower focus. When I first heard of this book, I was pleased at the prospect of being able to assign a single textbook that would offer a survey of occupational health psychology. Although the authors met their explicit goal of covering the core education curriculum defined by the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology, I am not convinced that they have produced a “stand-alone” text that provides an adequate coverage of the field. In particular, issues of workplace safety are strikingly absent from the text. Personally, I would feel the need to supplement this text with specific readings on issues of occupational safety and occupational disease in order to cover the major topics that comprise the field of occupational health psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dynamic and abnormal psychology.

According to a statement in the author's preface, this book was designed primarily as a textbook for courses in abnormal psychology. It is the reviewer's impression, however, that it is unlikely to win a wide acceptance. His reasons for this judgment include 1) the book has grown from Professor Taylor's own course in the subject and his course seems rather unique, 2) the several chapters do not seem to hang together in a compellingly coherent way, and 3) many of the subjects introduced receive so scanty a discussion as to be unintelligible to the naive reader and simply uninformative to the moderately sophisticated reader. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A critical psychology.

Reviews the book, A critical psychology by Edmund V. Sullivan (1984). Sullivan examines three metaphors as the basis for developing a proper psychology. He rejects the mechanical and the organic metaphors as reductionistic and too limiting as a basis for understanding man, and advances what he calls the personal metaphor. By this he means personhood-Iness embedded in culture. This has to do with I, the agent and my projects, embedded in a determining social structure in the background. Although there is much discussion about this metaphor, its meaning is never made as explicit as the two he rejects. This book will be difficult for the typical psychologist to read because the author introduces a lot of strange terminology, and he doesn't communicate in the usual way. He writes more like an old-time philosopher or a theologian, or one of the other humanities experts--like someone dealing with the ineffable, which may well be the case. While the reviewer is in agreement with most of the author's criticisms of contemporary psychology, such as it is not a coherent discipline, not enough attention is paid to methodology other than experimental, and more attention should be paid to philosophical issues, the reviewer sees no reason to adopt his alternative. The trouble with critics such as Sullivan is that they don't demonstrate how we should go about the business of doing psychology--they merely talk about it. And until those who want an alternative clearly demonstrate what their alternative looks like, nothing will change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Approaches to psychology.

Reviews the book, Approaches to Psychology by John Medcof and John Roth (Eds.) (1979). The preface of Approaches to Psychology states that standard psychology texts do not meet the needs of instructors teaching one-semester courses to students taking psychology as an adjunct to their own field of study. According to Medcof and Roth, standard texts do not fill these needs because they are too long and students often perceive the information as a disjointed collection of conflicting theories and findings. In addition, they claim that students who are taking Psychology as an adjunct to their own field are not interested in rats and other non-human organisms. To correct what they perceived as deficiencies in standard texts they chose to write this book as a text that was brief, stressed human behavior and was coherent. Although the individual chapters are well written, the reviewer feels that Approaches to Psychology fails to meet its goals. It is not necessarily brief nor does it present a coherent picture of psychology. He recommends that professors who are selecting a text for a one semester course in general psychology would be wise to consider some of the short versions of standard texts. These texts, in spite of their difficulties, would provide students with a better overall picture of the field of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A primer of Freudian psychology.

Reviews the book, A primer of Freudian psychology by Calvin S. Hall (see record 1998-06848-000). This small and unpretentious volume is in most respects just what the author and publisher claim it to be-a relatively nontechnical, yet systematic primer of Freud's theory of personality. A second claim-that its material is selected from and reflects Freud's dynamics of normal rather than abnormal psychology- seems to be a bit overdrawn. Although Freud certainly distinguished between normal and abnormal states, it is equally certain that he did not invoke different dynamic constructs to account for each of them. However, the structure of this book is not vitiated by the artificial dichotomy of dynamics which he introduces, nor is its value lessened as a singularly clear, comprehensive, and unadorned account of essential Freudian theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of An outline of abnormal psychology.

Reviews the book, An outline of abnormal psychology rev. ed., edited by G. Murphy and Arthur J. Bachrach (see record 1955-02647-000). This is not just another book on abnormal psychology, as the title may suggest, but a collection of readings which may be used either to supplement existing texts, or alone, as an aid to stimulating insight and understanding in the searching layman. As psychology's role in the community continues to be enlarged, there will be more and more need for authentic, readable, and relevant books such as this for the average reader. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Abnormal psychology.

Reviews the book, Abnormal psychology by Thomas F. Oltmanns, Robert E. Emery, and Steven Taylor (2001). Oltmanns, Emery, and Taylor have kept their current text within the mainstream. In the first edition of the text (Oltmanns & Emery, 1995), they followed an integrative systems approach, similar to that adopted by Sarason and Sarason in 1989, in which evidence on biological, psychological, and social influences was combined in the discussion of the aetiology of the different disorders. Their major claims to uniqueness in the Canadian edition reside in the retention of their integrative systems approach; the integration of scientific methodology into every chapter; and an emphasis on multicultural issues in which, as the name of the text indicates, Canadian research and issues predominate. With this text, Oltmanns, Emery, and Taylor have answered the plea for Canadian content and, within the contemporary style of text, have done it well. Personally, however, I continue to lament the passing of the era of the psychopathology text, when abnormal psychology actually referred to an aspect of psychology, rather than psychiatry, and the presentation of material lacked the hegemony of a particular--that is, North American--cultural perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology.

Reviews the book, Social psychology by Daniel Perlman and P. Chris Cozby (1983). In agreeing to co-edit a text sponsored by The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Daniel Perlman and P. Chris Cozby accepted the challenge of producing a non-traditional text aimed at a very traditional market. Their self-described "most salient goal" was "to focus attention on social issues and problems." They recognized, however, that that goal could only be achieved by meeting "the needs of students." The co-editors additionally accepted the implicit task of counterbalancing social psychology's tradition of presenting the discipline as being almost exclusively laboratory-based. As a result, Social Psychology--in its accuracy and completeness of the literature surveyed--represents on of the better books in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Annals of theoretical psychology.

Reviews the book, Annals of theoretical psychology by Joseph R. Royce and Leendert P. Mos (1984). Annals of theoretical psychology is another publication of the Centre for Advanced Study in Theoretical Psychology of the University of Alberta. The aim of Annals is to provide an outlet for psychologists and others interested in "substantive theory, metatheory, or a mixture thereof" (p. xv). The book itself has no single unifying theme beyond the interest in theory and metatheory that all contributors profess. In fact, this reviewer was impressed by the importance of a commitment to a general theoretical framework--or even ideology--for most contributors (e.g., Bindra, Henle, Weimer, Rozeboom, Eysenck) and the difficulties of communicating across different viewpoints. Nevertheless, this publication, particularly if it appears on an annual basis, may provide a valuable service to psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology(4th ed.).

Reviews the book, Social Psychology (4th ed.) by Robert C. Williamson, Paul G. Swingle, and S. Stansfeld Sargent (1982). In an area where there are too many textbooks, the social psychology text by Williamson, Swingle, and Sargent contributes an important alternative to the mass look-a-like introductions to the field. What makes this book different is that it is an integrated work of a sociologist (Williamson) and two psychologists which presents the major concepts and issues in social psychology from both a sociological and a psychological perspective. Most introductions to social psychology are either psychological social psychology or sociological social psychology. The Williamson et al. book, which is in its fourth edition, continues to be an exception to such an insular and incomplete view of social psychology. The book is divided into four parts: the first section presents a discussion of culture and the development of the individual; part two deals with fundamental psychological processes; part three presents basic group processes; and part four is an application of social psychology to a number of social issues. In general, the book provides a good overview of topics, emphasizing the major theories, principles, and research studies on each of the topics. Because of the special nature of this book, it will appeal most to those instructors who wish to present a more balanced introduction to the interdisciplinary field of social psychology, including the developments from both psychology and sociology. It is particularly appropriate for courses which include both sociology and psychology students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of social psychology.

Reviews the book "Handbook of social psychology" (Volumes I and II), edited by G. Lindzey (see record 1955-03817-000). This book is a major attempt to present, summarized in handbook fashion, what is known theoretically, methodologically, and substantively in the area of social psychology. The various chapters include contributions by psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and statisticians. Most of the chapters are written carefully and thoughtfully. It is a good and worth-while book to have in print. Many students and research workers will have occasion to refer to it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Methods of theoretical psychology.

Reviews the book, Methods of theoretical psychology by André Kukla (see record 2001-18914-000). This comprehensive survey of the tools of theoretical psychology is the culmination of the author's previous writings (e.g., Kukla 1989, 1995) wherein he tried to "convince psychologists that our discipline had suffered from a gross and systematic underestimation of the scope, variety, and import of theoretical work" and "persuade my colleagues that there are many important theoretical issues the resolution of which does not call for empirical research" (p. xi). This is not a book in theoretical psychology (the author cites as examples the volumes by Marx and Hillix, and Wolman), but a book about theoretical psychology, the "types of theoretical activities" that "require nothing but thinking" (p. xi). Notable is the book's epigraph, a quotation from Jerry Fodor claiming that the distinction between psychological and philosophical theorizing is merely heuristic, and issuing the moral challenge for a plurality of argument styles that transcends disciplines. For Kukla has written a book about the logic of science, or what was traditionally referred to as the philosophy of science, and, as might be expected, examples are strewn throughout from the natural sciences as well as some classic theoretical problems in psychology, most notably, cognitive science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Aristotle’s psychology.

Reviews the book, Aristotle's psychology by Daniel N. Robinson (see record 1989-98377-000) . Daniel Robinson has provided an excellent introduction to an overview of Aristotle's psychology, giving background necessary for understanding that psychology, teasing a psychology out the variety of Aristotle's work, and placing Aristotle's psychology sympathetically within the broader scope of his scientific inquiry. Robinson takes on difficult issues such as the relation between Plato and Aristotle, Aristotle's theory of causation, and what Aristotle meant by soul, and he deals with them lucidly and deftly. His writing is clean and to the point, never requiring one to become a philologist or classicist, but at the same time dealing with the issues with sufficient depth and sophistication not to caricature Aristotle's work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)